What does " touched and tempered by sadness," mean?
Life, to be deep and strong,

must be touched and tempered by sadness,

as sunlight is sweetest when softened by shadows;

as music, to be melodious, must have a minor chord in it.

Question

What does " touched and tempered by sadness," mean?
Life, to be deep and strong,

must be touched and tempered by sadness,

as sunlight is sweetest when softened by shadows;

as music, to be melodious, must have a minor chord in it.

Answer

"Temper" is a word from metallurgy. Tempering is a heat treatment that makes steel stronger. Thus, in human terms, it can mean "to strengthen someone's character through adversity."

The writer says sadness makes life strong, just as heat-tempering makes steel strong.

Verpassen Sie nicht die Gelegenheit, bequem von zu Hause aus eine Sprache zu lernen. Stöbern Sie in unserer Auswahl an erfahrenen Sprachlehrern und melden Sie sich jetzt zu Ihrer ersten Unterrichtsstunde an!