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
Come va 'l mondo! or mi diletta et piace
quel che piú mi dispiaque; or veggio et sento
che per aver salute ebbi tormento,
et breve guerra per eterna pace.

O speranza, o desir sempre fallace,
et degli amanti piú ben per un cento!
O quant'era il peggior farmi contento
quella ch'or siede in cielo, e 'n terra giace!

Ma 'l ceco Amor et la mia sorda mente
mi travïavan sí, ch'andar per viva
forza mi convenia dove morte era.

Benedetta colei ch'a miglior riva
volse il mio corso, et l'empia voglia ardente
lusingando affrenò perch'io non pèra.
How this world alters! What once displeased
me most delights me, now, and pleases:
now I see my pain was my salvation,
I warred a while for my eternal rest.

O hope, O desire, always deceiving,
a hundred times more so for lovers!
O how much worse if she'd yielded to me,
who now lies in earth, but sits in heaven!

But blind love and my dull mind
led me astray so, that my living journey
forced me to go towards her death,

Blessed is she who turned my course
towards the better path, and carefully reined in
the burning impious will, so I did not perish.


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

A Merentha Entertainment Project


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