“THERE IS NO GREATER PAIN….” (COMMENT).

June 30, 2009 · Literature

“THERE IS NO GREATER PAIN….” (COMMENT). Mary Jane’s reaction to the Madoff post was that Dante had a different perspective on memories of happy times. She referred me to a line by Paola in Canto V in THE INFERNO. (Canto V tells of Paola and Francesca). The quote is: “Nessun maggior dolore che ricordarsi del tempo felice nella miseria.” In Sinclair’s prose translation: “There is no greater pain than to recall the happy time in misery.”

2 comments

Nick July 2, 2009 at 7:49 AM

Jacques Prevert said, “C’est bien le pire pain de ne savoir pourquois.” Or, “It’s the purest pain to not know why.” Meaning, “Not know why you’re upset” in the greater context.

I disagree with Mr. Prevert.

Philip July 2, 2009 at 4:14 PM

I agree with you, Nick. I think pain with a reason behind it hurts more. However, people with crippling depression say that it is different from other experiences, and fortunately I have never had that experience.