Petrarch Laura Francesco Petrarch and Laura For a woman he would never know
For a woman he could never have
He should change the world forever
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Petrarch:The Canzoniere

Translated by: A.S.Kline
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Information on the sonnet is available here.
Looking for an analysis of a specific poem from the Canzoniere?
Read I go thinking an analysis of poem 264 by Holly Barbaccia.


ITALIAN ENGLISH
Fera stella (se 'l cielo à forza in noi
quant'alcun crede) fu sotto ch'io nacqui,
et fera cuna, dove nato giacqui,
et fera terra, ove' pie' mossi poi;

et fera donna, che con gli occhi suoi,
et con l'arco a cui sol per segno piacqui,
fe' la piaga onde, Amor, teco non tacqui,
che con quell'arme risaldar la pôi.

Ma tu prendi a diletto i dolor' miei:
ella non già, perché non son piú duri,
e 'l colpo è di saetta, et non di spiedo.

Pur mi consola che languir per lei
meglio è, che gioir d'altra; et tu me 'l giuri
per l'orato tuo strale, et io tel credo.

Cruel the star (if the heavens have power
in us, as some believe) under which I was born,
and cruel the cradle where I lay once born,
and cruel the earth, where my feet then walked:

and cruel the lady, who with her eyes,
and with her bow favouring me as target,
made a wound: Love, I'm not silent about these things,
since with those weapons you could heal my hurt.

But you take some delight from my sorrow:
she does not because it is not far worse,
being only an arrow-wound, and not a spear's.

I console myself that to pine for her
is better than to joy in another: you swear it
by your golden arrow, and I believe you.


© Copyright 1999-2006
Peter Sadlon
Updated Sept 10th 2007

A Merentha Entertainment Project


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