Though sad at heart,
Though sad at heart, to sing joyfully. Christine de Pizan
Christine de Pizan
Does a rake deserve
Does a rake deserve to possess anything of worth, since he chases everything in skirts and then imagines he can successfully hide his shame by slandering [women in general]? Christine de Pizan
How many women are
How many women are there … who because of their husbands’ harshness spend their weary lives in the bond of marriage in greater suffering than if they were slaves among the Saracens? Christine de Pizan
It is a deed
It is a deed of greater charity to give a bit of bread to the poor in the time of high prices and famine, than a whole loaf in the time of fertility and abundance. Christine de Pizan
Yet if women are
Yet if women are so flighty, fickle, changeable, susceptible, and inconstant (as some clerks would have us believe), why is it that their suitors have to resort to such trickery to have their way with them? And why don’t women quickly succumb to them, without the need for all this skill and ingenuity in conquering … Read more
If it has to
If it has to be that wars and battles are begun for many reasons and quarrels, then they should also be avoided and shunned by better and more valid reasons. Christine de Pizan
If it were customary
If it were customary to send little girls to school and teach them the same subjects as are taught to boys, they would learn just as fully and would understand the subtleties of all arts and sciences. Christine de Pizan
Women particularly should concern
Women particularly should concern themselves with peace because men by nature are more foolhardy and headstrong, and their overwhelming desire to avenge themselves prevents them from foreseeing the resulting dangers and terrors of war. But woman by nature is more gentle and circumspect. Therefore, if she has sufficient will and wisdom she can provide the … Read more
Poetry’s object is truth.
Poetry’s object is truth. Christine de Pizan
The foolish rush to
The foolish rush to end their lives. Only the steadfast soul survives. Christine de Pizan