CANZONE II.

A LADY piteous and of tender age,

Richly adorn'd with human gentleness,
Stood where I oft was calling upon death;
And seeing that my eyes were full of grief,
And listening to the folly of my words,
Was moved by fear to weep with bitterness.
And other ladies, who were kindly drawn
To notice me, through her who wept with me,
Removed her from my side,

And then approach'd, to rouse me by their voice.
And one said, sleep no more!

Another said, why thus discomfort thee?
Then fled the strange distressing fantasy,

As I was calling on my lady's name.
So indistinct and mournful was my voice,
And broken so by anguish and by tears,
That in my heart I only heard the name:
And with a countenance o'erspread with shame,
So strongly it had mounted to my face,
Love made me turn to them distractedly;

Ed era tale a veder mio colore

Che facea ragionar di morte altrui.

Deh! consoliam costui :

Diceva l'una all' altra umilemente.

E dicevan sovente :

Che vedestù che tu non hai valore?
E quando un poco confortato fui,
Io dissi: donne, dicerollo a vui.
Mentre pensava la mia frale vita,

E vedea 'l suo durar com'è leggero,
Piansemi Amor nel cor ove dimora ;
Perchè l'anima mia fu sì smarrita
Che sospirando dicea nel pensiero :
Ben converrà che la mia donna mora.
Io presi tanto smarrimento allora,
Che chiusi gli occhi vilmente gravati;

Ed eran sì smagati

Li spirti miei, che ciascun giva errando ;

E poi imaginando,

Di conoscenza e di verità fuora,

Visi di donne mi parver crucciati,

Che mi dicean morra' tu; pur, morrati.

Poi vidi cose dubitose molte

Nel vano imaginar ov'io entrai;

And such was my complexion to the sight,

That it led others to discourse of death.

Oh let us comfort him,

Said each one to the other tenderly.

And oft they said to me,

What hast thou seen, that has unmann'd thee thus ? And when I had regain'd some strength, I said, Ladies, to you I will relate the whole.

Whilst I lay pondering on my ebbing life,

And saw how brief its tenure and how frail,
Love wept within my heart, where he abides,
For my unhappy soul was wandering so,
That sighing heavily, it said, in thought,
My lady too most certainly shall die.

Such consternation then my reason seized,

That my eyes closed through fear and heaviness;

And scatter'd far and wide

My spirits fled, and each in error stray'd.

Imagination then,

Bereft of understanding and of truth,

Show'd me the forms of ladies in distress,

Who said to me, thou die'st, ay, thou shalt die.

Many the doubtful things which next I saw,

While wandering in imagination's maze;

Ed esser mi parea non so in che loco,
E veder donne andar per via disciolte,
Qual lagrimando, e qual traendo guai,
Che di tristizia saettavan foco.

Poi mi parve vedere a poco a poco
Turbar lo sole, ed apparir la stella,
E pianger egli, ed ella;

Ed uom m'apparve scolorito e fioco,
Dicendomi: che fai? non sai novella?
Morta è la donna tua ch' era sì bella.
Levava gli occhi miei bagnati in pianti,
E vedea, che parean pioggia di manna,
Gli angeli che tornavan suso in cielo,
Ed una nuvoletta avean davanti,
Dopo la qual gridavan tutti: Osanna.
E s'altro avesser detto a voi dire 'lo.
Allor diceva Amor: più non ti celo;
Vieni a veder nostra donna che giace.
Lo imaginar fallace

Mi condusse a veder mia donna morta :
E quando io l' avea scorta,

Vedea che donne la covrian d'un velo;

I seem'd to be I know not in what place,
And to see ladies pass with hair all loose,

Some weeping, and some uttering loud laments,
Which darted burning grief into the soul.
And then methought I saw a thickening veil
Obscure the sun, and night's fair star appear,
And sun and star both weep;

Birds flying through the dusky air drop down,
And earth itself to shake;

And then appear'd a man, feeble and pale,
Saying, what dost thou here? hast thou not heard?
Dead is thy lady, she who was so fair.

I raised mine eyes, oppress'd and bathed in tears,
And saw what like a shower of manna seem'd,
The angels re-ascending up to heaven;

And spread before them was a little cloud,
Behind which they were chanting loud, Hosanna.

And if they more had added, you should hear.

Then Love thus spoke: concealment here shall end; Come now and see our lady on her bier.

Deceitful fancy then

Conducted me to see my lady dead :

And while I gazed, I saw

That ladies with a veil were covering her;