A sonnet of Dante’s
Un di si venne a me Malinconia
Un di si venne a me Malinconia
e disse: ‘‘Io voglio un poco stare teco’’;
e parve a me ch’ella menasse seco
Dolore e Ira per sua compagnia.
E io le dissi: ‘‘Partiti, va via’’;
ed ella mi rispose come un greco:
e ragionando a grande agio meco,
guardai e vidi Amore, che venia
vestito di novo d’un drappo nero,
e nel suo capo portava un cappello;
E certo lacrimava pur di vero.
Ed io le dissi: ‘‘Che hai, cativello?’’.
Ed el rispose: Io ho guai e pensero,
che´ nostra donna mor, dolce fratello.’’
One day Melancholy came to me
One day Melancholy came to me
and said: ‘‘I want to stay with you for a while’’;
and it seemed to me that she was bringing along
Pain and Sorrow as her companions.
And I said to her: ‘‘Move along, hence’’;
and she answered to me proudly:
and while she was reasoning with me at great leisure,
I looked and saw Love, who came
strangely dressed in a black cloth,
and he was wearing a hat on his head;
and for sure he truly wept.
And I said to him: ‘‘What ails you, unfortunate?’’
And he answered: ‘‘I am in trouble and pain,
because our lady is dying, sweet brother.’’
Extracts 