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O Poema Sobre o Desastre de Lisboa
A tradução de Vasco Graça Moura do célebre poema de Voltaire dedicado ao terrível terramoto que destruiu Lisboa, e cujas repercussões sociais e políticas se fizeram sentir por toda a Europa, numa edição ilustrada com iconografia da época.
68 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1756
About the author
Voltaire
9,574 books5,096 followersComplete works (1880) : https://archive.org/details/oeuvresco...
In 1694, Age of Enlightenment leader Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was born in Paris. Jesuit-educated, he began writing clever verses by the age of 12. He launched a lifelong, successful playwriting career in 1718, interrupted by imprisonment in the Bastille. Upon a second imprisonment, in which Francois adopted the pen name Voltaire, he was released after agreeing to move to London. There he wrote Lettres philosophiques (1733), which galvanized French reform. The book also satirized the religious teachings of Rene Descartes and Blaise Pascal, including Pascal's famed "wager" on God. Voltaire wrote: "The interest I have in believing a thing is not a proof of the existence of that thing." Voltaire's French publisher was sent to the Bastille and Voltaire had to escape from Paris again, as judges sentenced the book to be "torn and burned in the Palace." Voltaire spent a calm 16 years with his deistic mistress, Madame du Chatelet, in Lorraine. He met the 27 year old married mother when he was 39. In his memoirs, he wrote: "I found, in 1733, a young woman who thought as I did, and decided to spend several years in the country, cultivating her mind." He dedicated Traite de metaphysique to her. In it the Deist candidly rejected immortality and questioned belief in God. It was not published until the 1780s. Voltaire continued writing amusing but meaty philosophical plays and histories. After the earthquake that leveled Lisbon in 1755, in which 15,000 people perished and another 15,000 were wounded, Voltaire wrote Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne (Poem on the Lisbon Disaster): "But how conceive a God supremely good/ Who heaps his favours on the sons he loves,/ Yet scatters evil with as large a hand?"
Voltaire purchased a chateau in Geneva, where, among other works, he wrote Candide (1759). To avoid Calvinist persecution, Voltaire moved across the border to Ferney, where the wealthy writer lived for 18 years until his death. Voltaire began to openly challenge Christianity, calling it "the infamous thing." He wrote Frederick the Great: "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd, and bloody religion that has ever infected the world." Voltaire ended every letter to friends with "Ecrasez l'infame" (crush the infamy — the Christian religion). His pamphlet, The Sermon on the Fifty (1762) went after transubstantiation, miracles, biblical contradictions, the Jewish religion, and the Christian God. Voltaire wrote that a true god "surely cannot have been born of a girl, nor died on the gibbet, nor be eaten in a piece of dough," or inspired "books, filled with contradictions, madness, and horror." He also published excerpts of Testament of the Abbe Meslier, by an atheist priest, in Holland, which advanced the Enlightenment. Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary was published in 1764 without his name. Although the first edition immediately sold out, Geneva officials, followed by Dutch and Parisian, had the books burned. It was published in 1769 as two large volumes. Voltaire campaigned fiercely against civil atrocities in the name of religion, writing pamphlets and commentaries about the barbaric execution of a Huguenot trader, who was first broken at the wheel, then burned at the stake, in 1762. Voltaire's campaign for justice and restitution ended with a posthumous retrial in 1765, during which 40 Parisian judges declared the defendant innocent. Voltaire urgently tried to save the life of Chevalier de la Barre, a 19 year old sentenced to death for blasphemy for failing to remove his hat during a religious procession. In 1766, Chevalier was beheaded after being tortured, then his body was burned, along with a copy of Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary. Voltaire's statue at the Pantheon was melted down during Nazi occupation. D. 1778.
Voltaire (1694-1778), pseudónimo de François-
In 1694, Age of Enlightenment leader Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was born in Paris. Jesuit-educated, he began writing clever verses by the age of 12. He launched a lifelong, successful playwriting career in 1718, interrupted by imprisonment in the Bastille. Upon a second imprisonment, in which Francois adopted the pen name Voltaire, he was released after agreeing to move to London. There he wrote Lettres philosophiques (1733), which galvanized French reform. The book also satirized the religious teachings of Rene Descartes and Blaise Pascal, including Pascal's famed "wager" on God. Voltaire wrote: "The interest I have in believing a thing is not a proof of the existence of that thing." Voltaire's French publisher was sent to the Bastille and Voltaire had to escape from Paris again, as judges sentenced the book to be "torn and burned in the Palace." Voltaire spent a calm 16 years with his deistic mistress, Madame du Chatelet, in Lorraine. He met the 27 year old married mother when he was 39. In his memoirs, he wrote: "I found, in 1733, a young woman who thought as I did, and decided to spend several years in the country, cultivating her mind." He dedicated Traite de metaphysique to her. In it the Deist candidly rejected immortality and questioned belief in God. It was not published until the 1780s. Voltaire continued writing amusing but meaty philosophical plays and histories. After the earthquake that leveled Lisbon in 1755, in which 15,000 people perished and another 15,000 were wounded, Voltaire wrote Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne (Poem on the Lisbon Disaster): "But how conceive a God supremely good/ Who heaps his favours on the sons he loves,/ Yet scatters evil with as large a hand?"
Voltaire purchased a chateau in Geneva, where, among other works, he wrote Candide (1759). To avoid Calvinist persecution, Voltaire moved across the border to Ferney, where the wealthy writer lived for 18 years until his death. Voltaire began to openly challenge Christianity, calling it "the infamous thing." He wrote Frederick the Great: "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd, and bloody religion that has ever infected the world." Voltaire ended every letter to friends with "Ecrasez l'infame" (crush the infamy — the Christian religion). His pamphlet, The Sermon on the Fifty (1762) went after transubstantiation, miracles, biblical contradictions, the Jewish religion, and the Christian God. Voltaire wrote that a true god "surely cannot have been born of a girl, nor died on the gibbet, nor be eaten in a piece of dough," or inspired "books, filled with contradictions, madness, and horror." He also published excerpts of Testament of the Abbe Meslier, by an atheist priest, in Holland, which advanced the Enlightenment. Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary was published in 1764 without his name. Although the first edition immediately sold out, Geneva officials, followed by Dutch and Parisian, had the books burned. It was published in 1769 as two large volumes. Voltaire campaigned fiercely against civil atrocities in the name of religion, writing pamphlets and commentaries about the barbaric execution of a Huguenot trader, who was first broken at the wheel, then burned at the stake, in 1762. Voltaire's campaign for justice and restitution ended with a posthumous retrial in 1765, during which 40 Parisian judges declared the defendant innocent. Voltaire urgently tried to save the life of Chevalier de la Barre, a 19 year old sentenced to death for blasphemy for failing to remove his hat during a religious procession. In 1766, Chevalier was beheaded after being tortured, then his body was burned, along with a copy of Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary. Voltaire's statue at the Pantheon was melted down during Nazi occupation. D. 1778.
Voltaire (1694-1778), pseudónimo de François-
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 3, 2021
Un rapport passionné du séisme de Lisbonne, écrit merveilleusement. On peut voire ici l'influence de ce séisme sur la pensée de Voltaire et des Lumières. Comme on dit dans le préface:
Cet réalité est évident dans ce travail de Voltaire. Ici il expose génialement comme ce brutale catastrophe l'a fait questionner l'existence d'un Dieu bon et omnipotent, et il reflète sur l'existence humaine dans un monde sans Dieu. Indépendamment de si on est d'accord ou pas avec ces considérations, tous pourront apprécier la beauté de ce petite poème narratif.
Le tremblement de terre de Lisbonne (...) eut un effet sans précédent sur la conscience européenne et la philosophie des Lumières. On peut sans aucun doute affirmer que le séisme de Lisbonne, c'est la consécration du doute. A partir de Lisbonne, le fil qui tient l'homme à Dieu est coupé. Et l'homme se retrouve seul, démuni de ses certitudes.
Cet réalité est évident dans ce travail de Voltaire. Ici il expose génialement comme ce brutale catastrophe l'a fait questionner l'existence d'un Dieu bon et omnipotent, et il reflète sur l'existence humaine dans un monde sans Dieu. Indépendamment de si on est d'accord ou pas avec ces considérations, tous pourront apprécier la beauté de ce petite poème narratif.
L'homme, étranger a soi, de l'homme est ignoré.
Que suis-je, où suis-je, où vais-je, et d'où suis-je tiré?
Atomes tourmentées sur cet amas de boue,
Que la mort engloutit, et dont le sort se joue,
Mais atomes pensants, atomes dont les yeux,
Guidés par lá pensée, ont mesuré les cieux;
Au sein de l'infini nous élançons notre être,
Sans pouvoir un moment nous voir et nous connaître.
October 2, 2025
i dont knowww voltaire's just my goat. doing this for uni because lord knows candide is too boring to reread but i dont knowwww i just love it
The pen name i used for my french assignments in school was jeanne arouet after voltaire because he's always been my number 1.
i love this and i love when writers annotate their own work because they're too afraid of people misinterpreting their political agendas it's just so fun !!!!! everyone annotate more now!!!
The pen name i used for my french assignments in school was jeanne arouet after voltaire because he's always been my number 1.
i love this and i love when writers annotate their own work because they're too afraid of people misinterpreting their political agendas it's just so fun !!!!! everyone annotate more now!!!
February 3, 2024
Ok ! Une vraie claque ce poème. Je n'ai jamais lu Voltaire ( va falloir s'y mettre) mais pour une première ça claque. Même si il s'agit d'un poème qui retranscrit un évènement ponctuel, Voltaire fait preuve d'une grande provocation (à mes yeux) envers ceux qui pensent que «Tout est bien » (sorry Orelsan mais là t'as merdé lol).
En gros, c'est un poème engagé qui pousse les optimistes du XVIIIème à faire face aux limites de leur propos en les mettant face à une écriture poignante, violente et très touchante. L'engagement du poète se ressent de manière très forte et d'ailleurs cet engagement nous emporte. D'un point de vue personnel, je suis très touchée par ce long poème (à lire à voix haute et d'une traite). Au delà de cette opposition philosophique, le lecteur fait face aussi à la description d'un drame qui garde toujours autant de sens aujourd'hui. Je me sentais obligée d'écrire une petite note (clairement amandine je te recommande parce que y a que toi qui va lire ce commentaire yes ) .. . Voili Voilou à remettre dans un contexte plus ressent ça fait toujours réfléchir ! Bonne soirée à toi Amandine !
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En gros, c'est un poème engagé qui pousse les optimistes du XVIIIème à faire face aux limites de leur propos en les mettant face à une écriture poignante, violente et très touchante. L'engagement du poète se ressent de manière très forte et d'ailleurs cet engagement nous emporte. D'un point de vue personnel, je suis très touchée par ce long poème (à lire à voix haute et d'une traite). Au delà de cette opposition philosophique, le lecteur fait face aussi à la description d'un drame qui garde toujours autant de sens aujourd'hui. Je me sentais obligée d'écrire une petite note (clairement amandine je te recommande parce que y a que toi qui va lire ce commentaire yes ) .. . Voili Voilou à remettre dans un contexte plus ressent ça fait toujours réfléchir ! Bonne soirée à toi Amandine !
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2019
Admiro profundamente la claridad intelectual de este autor, así como su prosa elegante. Nuestra vida es miserable, nuestra capacidad de ver el mundo, es vergonzosamente miope. La maldad se encumbra y a pesar de nuestra sorpresa, su crecimiento es inevitable.
December 30, 2022
Συγκλονιστικό!
January 11, 2026
I read the Joseph McCabe translation from 1912. I compared it side by side with a translation by Microsoft Copilot.
Voltaire critiques the phrase "Tout est bien" or "All Is Well" or "WHATEVER IS, IS RIGHT." (William F. Fleming)
In a bitter outpouring of verse, he uses a recent natural disaster to explore the operation of God and the fate of the dead.
He questions the psyche of men who try to justify tragedy and those who believe that consumption by nature's vermin and the cycle of life are recompense for suffering and death. How can God pour blessings and evil on the children he loves? Is it just prime motion playing itself out? Are our flaws a necessary part of us? Is the mortal body a vehicle to eternity? Why can man can see the heavens but can't know himself?
All thoughts of happiness, sadness, pleasure, regret, etc. are vain in the face of the tomb. Age teaches everyone to manage their expectations. He ends by asking if even God lacks hope.
Parental suggestion: Ages 12+
Voltaire critiques the phrase "Tout est bien" or "All Is Well" or "WHATEVER IS, IS RIGHT." (William F. Fleming)
In a bitter outpouring of verse, he uses a recent natural disaster to explore the operation of God and the fate of the dead.
He questions the psyche of men who try to justify tragedy and those who believe that consumption by nature's vermin and the cycle of life are recompense for suffering and death. How can God pour blessings and evil on the children he loves? Is it just prime motion playing itself out? Are our flaws a necessary part of us? Is the mortal body a vehicle to eternity? Why can man can see the heavens but can't know himself?
All thoughts of happiness, sadness, pleasure, regret, etc. are vain in the face of the tomb. Age teaches everyone to manage their expectations. He ends by asking if even God lacks hope.
Parental suggestion: Ages 12+
June 17, 2024
The Poem on the Lisbon Disaster by Voltaire is an extraordinary poem published in 1756. In 1755, an earthquake killed tens of thousands of people in Lisbon. Voltaire challenges Leibniz and his followers, who said, "All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds." The poem essentially questions the injustice of a natural disaster and why we shouldn't just accept religious beliefs. I think this is a fascinating poem that everyone should read.
August 6, 2023
Bardzo ponure spojrzenie na świat
November 26, 2023
Fascinating in a way. Especially when looked at with modern eye of how news travelled in these days
November 14, 2018
''Direz-vous : « C’est l’effet des éternelles lois
Qui d’un Dieu libre et bon nécessitent le choix ? »
Direz-vous, en voyant cet amas de victimes :
« Dieu s’est vengé, leur mort est le prix de leurs crimes ? »
Quel crime, quelle faute ont commis ces enfants
Sur le sein maternel écrasés et sanglants ?
Lisbonne, qui n’est plus, eut-elle plus de vices
Que Londres, que Paris, plongés dans les délices :
Lisbonne est abîmée, et l’on danse à Paris.
Tranquilles spectateurs, intrépides esprits
=======
De l'Etre tout parfait le mal ne peut naître
Il ne vient point d'autrui, puisque Dieu seul est le maître''
======
Un Dieu vient consoler notre race affligée,
Il visita la terre, et ne l'a point changée!''
======
Qui d’un Dieu libre et bon nécessitent le choix ? »
Direz-vous, en voyant cet amas de victimes :
« Dieu s’est vengé, leur mort est le prix de leurs crimes ? »
Quel crime, quelle faute ont commis ces enfants
Sur le sein maternel écrasés et sanglants ?
Lisbonne, qui n’est plus, eut-elle plus de vices
Que Londres, que Paris, plongés dans les délices :
Lisbonne est abîmée, et l’on danse à Paris.
Tranquilles spectateurs, intrépides esprits
=======
De l'Etre tout parfait le mal ne peut naître
Il ne vient point d'autrui, puisque Dieu seul est le maître''
======
Un Dieu vient consoler notre race affligée,
Il visita la terre, et ne l'a point changée!''
======
Read
April 23, 2015Très beau poème. Écrit par Voltaire, rien d'étonnant!!!
November 10, 2015
Leituras aconselhadas ao beato cerejeira da silva, em Boliqueime e Albufeira.
Filho, essa história dos castigos divinos e dos povos que se entegam a deus ficou resolvida já vai para 261 anos. Sim?
Filho, essa história dos castigos divinos e dos povos que se entegam a deus ficou resolvida já vai para 261 anos. Sim?
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews