'Tis not enough his verses to complete,
In measure, numbers, or determined feet;
Or render things, by clear expression, bright,
And set each object in a proper light:
To all, proportioned terms he must dispense,
And make the sound a picture of the sense.

Haud satis est illis utcunque claudere versum,
Et res verborum propria vi reddere claras;
Omnia sed numeris vocum concordibus aptant,
Atque sono, quaecunque canunt, imitantur.

Original text (Latin)

Another quote →

Notes from Wikiquote

Book III, line 365. Compare | 'Tis not enough no harshness gives offense; The sound must seem an echo to the sense. | Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, Part II, line 164

More quotes by Marco Girolamo Vida

All Marco Girolamo Vida quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Marco Girolamo Vida (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.