The gods and their tranquil abodes appear, which no winds disturb, nor clouds bedew with showers, nor does the white snow, hardened by frost, annoy them; the heaven, always pure, is without clouds, and smiles with pleasant light diffused.
[Spanish] unreasoning religious ardor culminated in the Inquisition, established for the purpose of securing the supreme good of unblemished purity and uniformity of belief. Nothing was allowed to stand in the way of this, and no sacrifice was deemed too great for its accomplishment. All officials, from the king downward, were sworn to its support, and the sinister influence which it exercised was proportioned to the enormous power which it wielded.
Innocence gave me confidence to go up against reality.
One word is too often profaned For me to profane it, One feeling too falsely disdained For thee to disdain it.
For I had expected always Some brightness to hold in trust, Some final innocence To save from dust
Innocence is its own defense.
The spring without a leaf to toss, bare and bright like a virgin fierce in her chastity, scornful in her purity, was laid out on fields wide-eyed and watchful and entirely careless of what was done or thought by the beholders.
Oh, to live even for a day in the full light of freedom, to breathe the free air of simplicity! Isn't that the highest purity?
