Qvo Vadis: Kertomus Neron Ajoilta
1895
Published in 1895, 'Qvo Vadis: Kertomus Neron Ajoilta' by Henryk Sienkiewicz is a historical fiction novel set during the reign of Emperor Nero in ancient Rome. The story follows Marcus Vinicius, a young soldier who falls in love with Lygia, a Christian woman of noble descent, amidst the political and moral turmoil of the time. Sienkiewicz's meticulous research and vivid portrayal of early Christianity earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905, making this work a significant exploration of love, power, and faith in a decadent society.
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“But I think happiness springs from another source, a far deeper one that doesn't depend on will because it comes from love.””
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
“Why does crime, even when as powerful as Cæsar, and assured of being beyond punishment, strive always for the appearances of truth, justice, and virtue? Why does it take the trouble?””
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
“I know, 0 Caesar, that thou art awaiting my arrival with impatience, that thy true heart of a friend is yearning day and night for me. I know that thou art ready to cover me with gifts, make me prefect of the pretorian guards, and command Tigellinus to be that which the gods made him, a mule-driver in those lands which thou didst inherit after poisoning Domitius. Pardon me, however, for I swear to thee by Hades, and by the shades of thy mother, thy wife, thy brother, and Seneca, that I cannot go to thee. Life is a great treasure. I have taken the most precious jewels from that treasure, but in life there are many things which I cannot endure any longer. Do not suppose, I pray, that I am offended because thou didst kill thy mother, thy wife, and thy brother; that thou didst burn Eome and send to Erebus all the honest men in thy dominions. No, grandson of Chronos. Death is the inheritance of man; from thee other deeds could not have been expected. But to destroy one's ear for whole years with thy poetry, to see thy belly of a Domitius on slim legs whirled about in a Pyrrhic dance; to hear thy music, thy declamation, thy doggerel verses, wretched poet of the suburbs,”
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
“If we repay evil with good, then how do we repay the good?””
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
“He who knew how to live should know how to die.””
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
“It seemed that out of every tear of a martyr new confessors were born, and that every groan on the arena found an echo in thousands of breasts. Caesar was swimming in blood, Rome and the whole pagan world was mad. But those who had had enough of transgression and madness, those who were trampled upon, those whose lives were misery and oppression, all the weighed down, all the sad, all the unfortunate, came to hear the wonderful tidings of God, who out of love for men had given Himself to be crucified and redeem their sins.When they found a God whom they could love, they had found that which the society of the time could not give any one, -- happiness and love.””
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
“-Моето щастие мина, и радостта ми отмина, но аз не съм зла.””
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
“A beautiful woman is worth her weight always in gold; but if she loves in addition, she has simply no price.””
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
“Youth is the one worthwhile treasure in this world, no matter how miserable the rest of life might be.””
— Henryk Sienkiewicz
