"Chiare, Fresche, e Dolci Acque"

Italian text from:
Antologia della Letteratura Italiana
(Messina-Florence, 1960),
Angelo Gianni, ed., pp. 464-468.

English translation by William H. Fredlund.

Chiare, fresche, e dolci acque,
ove le belle membra
pose colei che sola a me par donna;
gentil ramo ove piacque
(con sospir mi rimembra)
a lei di fare al bel fianco colonna;
erba e fior che la gonna
leggiadra ricoverse
co l'angelico seno;
aere sacro, sereno,
ove Amor co' begli occhi
il cor m'aperse;
date udienza insieme
a le dolenti mie parole estreme.

S'egli è pur mio destino,
e 'l cielo in ció s'adopra,
ch'Amor quest'occhi lagrimando chiuda,
qualche grazia il meschino
corpo fra voi ricopra,
e torni l'alma al proprio albergo ignuda.
La morte fia men cruda
se questa spene porto
a quel dubbioso passo;
chè lo spirito lasso
non poría mai in più riposato porto,
né in più tranquilla fossa
fuggir la carne travagliata e l'ossa.

Tempo verrà ancor forse
ch'a l'usato soggiorno
torni la fera bella e mansueta
e là 'v'ella mi scorse
nel benedetto giorno,
volga la vista disosa e lieta
cercandomi; et o pietá!
già terra in fra le pietre
vedendo, Amor l'inspiri
in guisa che sospiri
sì dolcemente che mercé m'impetre,
e faccia forza al cielo
asciugandosi gli occhi col bel velo.

Da' be' rami scendea
(dolce ne la memoria)
una pioggia di fior
sovra 'l suo grembo;
et ella si sedea
umile in tanta gloria,
coverta già de l'amoroso nembo.
Qual fior cadea sul lembo,
qual su le trecce bionde,
ch'oro forbito e perle
eran quel dì a vederle;
qual si posava in terra e qual su l'onde;
qual con un vago errore
girando parea dir: "Qui regna Amore."

Quante volte diss'io
allor pien di spavento:
"Costei per fermo nacque in paradiso!"
Così carco d'oblio
il divin portamento,
e 'l volto, e le parole, e 'l dolce riso
m'aveano, e sì diviso
de l'imagine vera,
ch'i' dicea sospirando:
"Qui come venn'io, o quando?"
credendo esser in ciel, non là dov'era.
Da indi in qua mi piace
quest'erba sì,
ch'altrove non ho pace.

Se tu avessi ornamenti
quant'hai voglia,
potresti arditamente uscir del bosco,
e gir infra la gente.

---

Clear, fresh, and sweet,water
where she, for me the only woman,
would rest her lovely body,
against the gentle branch
on which it pleased her
(I sigh to think of it)
to make a column for her lovely side,
and grass and flowers which her gown
richly flowing
covered with its angelic folds,
sacred air serene
where Love with those fair eyes
opened my heart:
listen all of you
to these my last, mournful words.

If it must be my fate,
and Heaven works its ways,
that Love close up these crying eyes,
let grace see my poor body
be buried there among you
and let my soul return to its home naked.
Then death would be less harsh
if I could bear this hope
to that fearful crossing,
because the weary soul
could never in a more secluded port,
in a more tranquil grave
flee from my poor flesh and bones.

And there perhaps will come a time,
that to the well-known place
the lovely savage animal —now tamed,
returns,
and there where she first saw me
on that day, now blessed,
she turns her eyes with hope and happiness
searching for me,
and —oh the pity —
to see me there as dust
among the stones,
Love will inspire her
and she will sigh so sweetly
she will win for me some mercy
and force the heavens
drying her eyes with her lovely veil.

Falling from beautiful boughs,
(sweet in the memory)
flowers rained down upon her bosom,
and she was sitting there
humble in such glory
now covered in a shower of love's blooms.
That flower falling in her lap,
that one on her golden curls,
those like pearls set into gold
seemed to me to that day;
some fell to rest on ground,
some on the water,
and some in vague wandering
were circling down
and seemed to say: "Here Love reigns."

How many times I said then,
so full of awe:
"For certain she was born up in Heaven!"
And her divine behavior,
her face and words
and her sweet smile
so filled me with forgetfulness
and so divided me
from the true image
that I would sigh and say:
"How and when did I come here?"
thinking I was in Heaven,
not where I was.
And since then
I have loved this bank of grass
and find no peace elsewhere.

If you had all the beauty you desired,
you could with boldness
leave the wood
and make your way among mankind.