Fray Luis De León: Dizain

Here is the place envy and lies
Pent me behind a prison gate.
Oh, happy is the humble state
Of that wise man so sage he flies
This wicked world that’s filled with hate,
And with his humble home and board
In some delightful country spot,
His one companion there the Lord,
Lives out his life alone, ignored
By envy, envying none’s lot.

n

—Ryan Wilson