Without a helper to resist his blows: 
    And how he flees, and how his darts he throws: 
    And how his threats the fearful lover feels: 
    And how he robs by force, and how he steals: 
    How oft his wheels turn round (now high, now low)
    With how uncertain hope, how certain woe: 
    How all his promises be void of faith,
    And how a fire hid in our bones he hath: 
    How in our veins he makes a secret wound,
    Whence open flames and death do soon abound. 
    In sum, I know how giddy and how vain
    Be lovers’ lives; what fear and boldness reign
    In all their ways; how every sweet is paid. 
    And with a double weight of sour allay’d: 
    I also know their customs, sighs, and songs;
    Their sudden muteness, and their stammering tongues: 
    How short their joy, how long their pain doth last,
    How wormwood spoileth all their honey’s taste.

    ANNA HUME.

PART IV.

Poscia che mia fortuna in forza altrui.

      When once my will was captive by my fate,
    And I had lost the liberty, which late
    Made my life happy; I, who used before
    To flee from Love (as fearful deer abhor
    The following huntsman), suddenly became
    (Like all my fellow-servants) calm and tame;
    And view’d the travails, wrestlings, and the smart,
    The crooked by-paths, and the cozening art
    That guides the amorous flock:  then whilst mine eye
    I cast in every corner, to espy
    Some ancient or modern who had proved
    Famous, I saw him, who had only loved
    Eurydice, and found out hell, to call
    Her dear ghost back; he named her in his fall
    For whom he died.  Aleaeus there was known,
    Skilful in love and verse:  Anacreon,
    Whose muse sung nought but love:  Pindarus, he
    Was also there:  there I might Virgil see: 
    Many brave wits I found, some looser rhymes,
    By others writ, hath pleased the ancient times: 
    Ovid was one:  after Catullus came: 
    Propertius next, his elegies the name
    Of Cynthia bear:  Tibullus, and the young
    Greek poetess, who is received among
    The noble troop for her rare Sapphic muse. 
    Thus looking here and there (as oft I use),
    I spied much people on a flowery plain,
    Amongst themselves disputes of love maintain. 
    Behold Beatrice with Dante; Selvaggia, she
    Brought her Pistoian Cino; Guitton may be
    Offended that he is the latter named: 
    Behold both Guidos for their learning famed: 
    Th’ honest Bolognian:  the Sicilians first
    Wrote love in rhymes, but wrote their rhymes the worst. 
    Franceschin and Sennuccio (whom all know)
    Were worthy and humane:  after did go
    A squadron of another garb and phrase,
    Of whom Arnaldo Daniel hath