Xenia, my roommate, who is one language short of being able to sing this song, introduced me to a wonderful fable that’s the origin of a common Spanish saying, “El amor es ciego y la locura siempre lo acompaña.”
Translation attempt below:
“The Language of Feelings”
One day, all the feelings and qualities of humankind gathered together.
After seeing Boredom yawn for the third time, Madness proposed a game of hide-and-seek. Intrigue raised an eyebrow; Curiosity, unable to contain himself, blurted out, “How do you play?”
“Well,” Madness explained, “I’ll cover my eyes and count to a million while everyone else hides. When I’ve finished counting, the first person that I find is the new ‘seeker.’”
Enthusiasm spun around to show her approval, which was seconded by Euphoria. Happiness jumped so high she finally managed to sway Doubt and even Apathy, who could never bring himself to be excited about anything.
But not everyone wanted to play. Truth didn’t see the point…why hide? To be found out in the end? Pride made it known she thought the game was silly, though secretly she was irritated she hadn’t thought of the idea. Cowardice just wasn’t inclined to risk it.
“One, two, three…” Madness began to count.
The first to find a hiding place was Laziness, who dropped down behind the first rock he came across in the road.
Faith climbed to the sky while Envy hid in the shadow of Triumph, who had managed to scale to the crown of the tallest tree. Generosity almost didn’t find a hiding spot at all, as every spot she discovered seemed perfect for one of her friends: A crystal clear lake? Ideal for Beauty; A crack in a tree trunk? Perfect for Timidity; The wing of a butterfly? More fitting for Sensuousness; A gust of wind? Splendid for Liberty. But at last, Generosity found her hiding spot in a ray of sun.
Egotism, on the other hand, secured a comfortable, airy place right at the start, but only for himself, of course. Falsehood pretended to hide in the depths of the oceans, though in reality she ducked behind a rainbow.
Passion and Desire situated themselves in the center of a volcano. Forgetfulness…well, I’ve forgotten where he hid, but no matter.
By the time Madness had counted to 999,999, Love was still looking for a hiding place. Every spot seemed to be taken, until she spotted a rosebush. Shaking its branches, she slipped between its flowers.
“One million!” Madness began his search.
He took three steps and found Laziness. Faith, he heard in the Heavens discussing theology with the Gods. Passion and Desire, he felt their rumblings from the volcanoes.
He stumbled upon Envy by accident, and from there, found Triumph. He didn’t have to look at all for Egotism, whose hiding spot turned out to be home to a nest of wasps.
Feeling a bit thirsty from all the walking, Madness neared the lake and discovered Beauty. Doubt was sitting on a nearby fence, unable to make up his mind which side to hide behind.
And so, one by one, Madness found them all: Talent concealed amongst fresh herbs; Anguish in a dark cave; Falsehood behind the rainbow; and Forgetfulness, who had forgotten that they were still playing hide-and-seek.
Only Love remained elusive. Madness scoured under every tree and stream, the summit of every mountain. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted the rosebush.
Taking a rake, he prodded at the branches until he heard a cry of pain. Love had been blinded by the thorns of the rosebush.
Stricken, Madness implored Love for forgiveness and promised to serve as her guide.
Thus, from this first game of hide-and-seek, Love has been blind and always accompanied by Madness.
