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
Son animali al mondo de sí altera
vista che 'ncontra 'l sol pur si difende;
altri, però che 'l gran lume gli offende,
non escon fuor se non verso la sera;

et altri, col desio folle che spera
gioir forse nel foco, perché splende,
provan l'altra vertú, quella che 'encende:
lasso, e 'l mio loco è 'n questa ultima schera.

Ch'i' non son forte ad aspectar la luce
di questa donna, et non so fare schermi
di luoghi tenebrosi, o d' ore tarde:

però con gli occhi lagrimosi e 'nfermi
mio destino a vederla mi conduce;
et so ben ch'i' vo dietro a quel che m'arde.
There are creatures in the world with such other
vision that it is protected from the full sun:
yet others, because the great light offends them
cannot move around until the evening falls:

and others with mad desire, that hope
perhaps to delight in fire, because it gleams,
prove the other power, that which burns:
alas, and my place is with these last.

I am not strong enough to gaze at the light
of that lady, and do not know how to make a screen
from shadowy places, or the late hour:

yet, with weeping and infirm eyes, my fate
leads me to look on her: and well I know
I wish to go beyond the fire that burns me.


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

A Merentha Entertainment Project


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