Orlando Furioso · Chapter
To Sir Walter Scott, of Abbotsford, Bart. explained
The poet dedicates the work to Sir Walter Scott, crediting him with encouraging the resumption of the poem after it had been abandoned.
What happens
The poet dedicates the work to Sir Walter Scott, crediting him with encouraging the resumption of the poem after it had been abandoned. He compares his labor to that of a peasant tilling a field, finding sweetness in the work itself regardless of the reward.
Key passages
“Who persuaded me to resume the present work, which had been thrown aside, on the ground that such labour was its own reward.”
Scott convinced the poet to take up the poem again, arguing that the effort itself was worthwhile.
The poet acknowledges Scott's role in motivating him to continue the work.
“Praise be to thee! who taught me that to till Was sweet, however paid the peasant's care.”
The poet thanks Scott for teaching him that the act of creating is rewarding, no matter the material outcome.
The metaphor of farming emphasizes the intrinsic value of labor.