I seemed to be-I knew not where at all, Dames saw I pass with locks dishevelled. One moaning went, one weeping in despair,

That fiery flames did flash forth from their

woe.

Then bit by bit, it seemed to me so,

The sun grew dark and then appeared a star. The sun unto the star made moan,

The birds of Heaven fell downward in their flight,

The earth itself did groan;

A man appeared all pale and hoarse with fright,

Saying, 'What dost? Know'st not the the news so dread?

Thy lady passing fair-Alas! she's dead.' My eyes then up I raised, tears brimming o'er,

And saw (it seemed like manna from the sky)

Some angels who flew up to Heaven on high,

And they a little cloud had them before. All foll'wing close, Hosanna,' loudly cried.

Had they said more, I'd tell you it beside. 'Nought do I hide from thee,' Love to me said,

'Come thou and see our lady lying dead.'

L'immaginar fallace

Mi condusse a veder mia donna morta ;
E quando l'ebbi scorta,

Vedea che donne la covrían d'un velo;
Ed avea seco umiltà si verace,

Che parea che dicesse : 'Io sono in pace.'.
Io diveniva nel dolor si umíle,
Veggendo in lei tanta umiltà formata,
Ch'io dicea: Morte, assai dolce ti tegno;
Tu dêi omai esser cosa gentile,
Poichè tu se' nella mia donna stata,
E dêi aver pietate, e non disdegno.
Vedi che si desideroso vegno

esemble

D'esser de' tuoi, ch' io ti somiglio in

fede.

Vieni, chè 'l cor ti chiede.'

Poi mi partía, consumato ogni duolo;

E quando io era solo,

Dicea, guardando verso l'alto regno:
Beato, anima bella, chi ti vede!'
Voi mi chiamaste allor, vostra mercede."

Questa canzone ha due parti: nella prima dico, parlando a indiffinita persona, com' io fui levato d'una vana fantasia da certe donne, e come promisi loro di dirla; nella seconda dico,

My mind, from truth so wide,

Led me to see my dame in death so pale,
And when her I descried,

Ladies I saw her cov'ring with a veil.
Such true humility showed in her face,
It seemed she said, 'At last I am in peace.'
So meek was I, e'en in my sad despair,
Seeing such gentleness expressed there,
I called and said, 'O Death, I hold thee
sweet;

Henceforth a gentle thing thou art,
Since in my lady thou hast had a part,
And must be kind, not fierce, for so 'tis meet.
Thou seest how longingly to thee I come
To be thine own, for I'm like thee in truth.
Come thou to me; my heart calls thee in
sooth.

Consumed am I with grief since I left home';

And when I found myself alone once more, I said, the while I looked towards that bright shore:

'O beauteous soul, blest he who doth thee see.'

The vision passed away; you wakened me."

This canzone has two parts: in the first I tell some imaginary person how I was aroused from a delirious dream by certain ladies, and how I promised to tell it them. In the second

better lication way of clove.

com' io dissi a loro. La seconda comincia quivi : Mentre io pensava. La prima parte si divide in due: nella prima dico quello che certe donne, e che una sola, dissero e fecero per la mia fantasia, quanto è dinanzi ch' io fossi tornato in verace cognizione; nella seconda dico quello che queste donne mi dissero, poich' io lasciai questo farneticare; e comincia quivi: Era la voce mia. Poscia quando dico: Mentre io pensava, dico com'io dissi loro questa mia immaginazione ; e intorno a ciò fo due parti. Nella prima dico per ordine questa immaginazione; nella seconda, dicendo a che ora mi chiamaro, le ringrazio chiusamente; e questa parte comincia quivi : Voi mi chiamaste.

XXIV. Appresso questa vana immaginazione, avvenne un dì, che sedendo io pensoso in alcuna parte, ed io mi sentii cominciare un tremito nel core, così come s'io fossi stato presente a questa donna. Allora dico che mi giunse una immaginazione d'Amore: chè mi parve vederlo venire da quella parte ove la mia donna stava; e pareami che lietamente mi dicesse nel cor mio: "Pensa di benedire lo di ch' io ti presi, perocchè tu lo dei fare." E certo mi parea avere lo core così lieto, che mi parea che non fosse lo cuore mio per la deveć

part I tell it as I told it them. The second part begins: "As I was thinking." The first part has two divisions. In the first I tell how certain ladies, and how one in particular, said and did in my dream the things which happened before I came to myself. In the second I tell what these ladies said to me after this delusion ceased, and it begins with these words: "My voice." Afterwards, when I say, "As I was thinking," I relate how I told them this my dream; and this I divide into two parts. In the first I relate at length this imagination; in the second, bringing my narrative down to the time when they called me, I thank them, though not in words; and this part begins: "The vision passed."

XXIV. Soon after this strange dream, it came to pass one day that I was sitting somewhere in a thoughtful mood, and I began to feel a trembling at the heart, just as if I had been in the presence of this lady. Thereupon, I say, an imagination of Love came upon me, so that I seemed to see him come from that place where my lady was, and it seemed that he spoke joyously in my heart: "Think to bless the day when I took possession of thee, for thou oughtest so to do." And assuredly I seemed to have so joyous a heart that it did not seem as if it were my own, so strangely