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.