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Five poems by Gaspara Stampa (1523-1554)
Rima I
Voi, ch'ascoltate in queste meste rime
in questi mesti, in questi oscuri accenti
il suon degli amorosi miei lamenti
e de le pene mie tra l'altre prime,
ove fia chi valor apprezzi e stime,
gloria, non che perdon, de' miei lamenti
spero trovar fra le ben nate genti,
poi che la lor cagion'è sì sublime.
E spero ancor che debba dir qualcuna:
Felicissima lei, da che sostenne
per si chiara cagion danno sì chiaro!
Deh, perchè tant' amor, tanta fortuna
per sì nobil signor a me non venne,
ch'anchio n'andrei con tanta donna a paro?
O you who listen to these mournful verses,
In these unhappy, in these somber accents,
To the sound of laments inspired by Love,
And of my pains, greater than any other,
I hope to find among some well-born people,
Wherever they may be, those who prize honor,
Not only pardon for my tears, but glory,
Because the reason for them is so lofty.
I dare to hope some woman will exclaim:
“Happy is she, she who has undergone
For such a noble cause, sorrow so noble!
Why were not such high fortune, such great love,
Granted to me, and such a splendid lord,
So I could walk as equal to that lady?”
From Gaspara Stampa, Selected Poems.
Edited and translated by Laura Anna Stortoni and Mary Prentice Lillie. New York: Italica Press, 1994. Copyright 1994 by Laura Anna Stortoni. Used by permission.
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