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
Download them all in English or Italian
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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
Chi vuol veder quantunque pò Natura
e 'l Ciel tra noi, venga a mirar costei,
ch'è sola un sol, non pur a li occhi mei,
ma al mondo cieco, che vertú non cura;

et venga tosto, perché Morte fura
prima i migliori, et lascia star i rei:
questa aspettata al regno delli dèi
cosa bella mortal passa, et non dura.

Vedrà, s'arriva a tempo, ogni vertute,
ogni bellezza, ogni real costume
giunti in un corpo con mirabil' tempre:

allor dirà che mie rime son mute,
l'ingegno offeso dal soverchio lume;
ma se piú tarda, avrà da pianger sempre.
Who wishes to see what Nature can achieve
among us, and Heaven, come and gaze at her,
who is the only sun, not only to my eyes,
but to the blind world, that cares nothing about virtue.

And come quickly, since Death takes away
the best ones first, and leaves the worst:
she who is awaited in the kingdom of the gods,
this beautiful mortal thing will not last, but pass away.

He will see, if he arrives in time, every virtue,
every beauty, every royal manner
joined in one body with miraculous blending:

then he will say that all my rhymes are mute,
my skill conquered by excess of light:
but if he comes too late, he will grieve forever.


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

A Merentha Entertainment Project


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