Giunto Alexandro a la famosa tomba
del fero Achille, sospirando disse:
O fortunato, che sí chiara tromba
trovasti, et chi di te sí alto scrisse!
Ma questa pura et candida colomba
a cui non so s'al mondo mai par visse,
nel mio stil frale assai poco rimbomba:
cosí son le sue sorti a ciascun fisse.
Ché d'Omero dignissima et d'Orpheo,
o del pastor ch'anchor Mantova honora,
ch'andassen sempre lei sola cantando,
stella difforme et fato sol qui reo
commise a tal che 'l suo bel nome adora,
ma forse scema sue lode parlando.
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Sighing before the famous tomb
of fierce Achilles, Alexander said:
'O fortunate one, who found so clear
a voice to write of you so nobly!'
But this pure white dove of mine
whose equal the world will never know,
gains little enough glory from my frail style:
so is his fate fixed for every man.
She most worthy of Homer or Orpheus,
or the shepherd that Mantua still honours,
that they would have sung of her alone,
is cruelly entrusted by unfortunate stars
to him who adores her lovely name,
but perhaps diminishes her praise by speaking.
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