Literary notes about Countervail (AI summary)
The term "countervail" has been wielded by authors to emphasize the ability of certain intangible qualities to neutralize or outweigh material or detrimental forces. In Emerson’s essay [1], for instance, the phrase is used to contrast the lasting value of wit with the fleeting allure of wealth and opulence. Similarly, in Shakespeare’s work [2], and its reiterated appearance in Stendhal’s commentary [3], the concept underscores how a moment of joy in love can overpower the gloom of sorrow. Dante’s translation in the Divine Comedy [4] employs the term to evoke the idea of a powerful, almost protective force in the face of adversity, while Jefferson and The Spectator [5] [6] extend this notion to the realm of personal integrity and loyalty, suggesting that nothing can countervail the worth of a faithful friend. Together, these examples illustrate the rich, multi-dimensional use of "countervail" in literature, where it articulates the triumph of abstract virtues over material or negative impacts.
- [37] and pecuniary foundations, [38] though of towns of gold, can never countervail the least sentence or syllable of wit.
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson - Amen, amen, but come what sorrow can, It cannot countervail the exchange of joy That one short minute gives me in her sight.
— from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare - [6] Come what sorrow can It cannot countervail the exchange of joy That one short moment gives me in her sight.—( Romeo and Juliet .)
— from On Love by Stendhal - But I will beat my wings above the pitch; The height be left, and be the bank a shield To see if thou alone dost countervail us."
— from Divine Comedy, Longfellow's Translation, Hell by Dante Alighieri - Nothing doth countervail a faithful Friend, and his Excellency is unvaluable.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - Nothing doth countervail a faithful Friend, and his Excellency is unvaluable.
— from The Spectator, Volume 1 by Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele
