Centre for Romanian Studies

Poetry in Translation (CCXVIII): Francesco PETRARCA (1304-1374), TUSCANY/ITALY, “Când soarele- şi purta cernită faţa”, “Era il giorno ch’al sol si scolaro” , “The day the sun’s ray had turned pale”

Caravaggio Cupid

Când soarele-şi purta cernită faţa
Francesco PETRARCA,
(Arezo, Tuscany, 1304 – Arquà Petrarca, Veneto, 1374)

Când soarele-şi purta cernită faţa,
Plângând durerea zeilor din ceruri,
M-a dezarmat, surprins, şi fără vlagă,
Privirea ta ce m-a făcut ostatec.

Putere nu aveam să fug, pribeagul,
Căci suferind, adânc, atunci plecat-am
Fără-ndoieli, mereu urmându-mi soarta,
Când dintr-odată m-a lovit necazul.

Când dorul m-a surprins, aflându-şi calea
Direct în suflet, aţintind săgeata,
Nestăvilind a plânsului şuvoaie.

Căci mie-mi pare-o lipsă de onoare,
Fiind înarmat cu arcul, să se-ascundă,
Să mă rănească în această stare!

Versiune în limba Română
Constantin ROMAN, Londra,
© 2013, Copyright Constantin ROMAN

ERA IL GIORNO CH’AL SOL SI SCOLARO
Francesco PETRARCA,
(Arezo, Tuscany, 1304 – Arquà Petrarca, Veneto, 1374)

Era il giorno ch’al sol si scoloraro
per la pietà del suo factore i rai,
quando ì fui preso, et non me ne guardai,
chè i bè vostr’occhi, donna, mi legaro.
Tempo non mi parea da far riparo
contra colpi d’Amor: però m’andai
secur, senza sospetto; onde i miei guai
nel commune dolor s’incominciaro.

Trovommi Amor del tutto disarmato
et aperta la via per gli occhi al core,
che di lagrime son fatti uscio et varco:

Però al mio parer non li fu honore
ferir me de saetta in quello stato,
a voi armata non mostrar pur l’arco.

The day the sun’s ray had turned pale
Francesco PETRARCA,
(Arezo, Tuscany, 1304 – Arquà Petrarca, Veneto, 1374)

It was the day the sun’s ray had turned pale
with pity for the suffering of his Maker
when I was caught, and I put up no fight,
my lady, for your lovely eyes had bound me.
It seemed no time to be on guard against
Love’s blows; therefore, I went my way
secure and fearless-so, all my misfortunes
began in midst of universal woe.

Love found me all disarmed and found the way
was clear to reach my heart down through the eyes
which have become the halls and doors of tears.

It seems to me it did him little honour
to wound me with his arrow in my state
and to you, armed, not show his bow at all.

(from Canzoniere
translated by Mark Musa
Sonnet 3)

Petrarch

NOTES ON MARK MUSA’S ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

“Mark Musa, in editing and translating Petrarch’s Canzoniere, has performed a wonderful service to the English-speaking reader. Here, in one volume, are included the poet’s own selection of the best lyric verse he wrote throughout his life, accompanied by brief but useful notes… ” —Chronicles

“As well as skillful and fluent verse renderings of the 366 lyrics that make up this milestone in the development of Western poetic tradition, Musa offers copious and up-to-date annotation to each poem… along with a substantial, sensitive, and intelligent introduction that is genuinely helpful for the first-time reader and thought provoking for Petrarch scholars and other medievalists.” —Choice

The 366 poems of Petrarch’s Canzoniere represent one of the most influential works in Western literature. Varied in form, style, and subject matter, these “scattered rhymes” contains metaphors and conceits that have been absorbed into the literature and language of love. In this bilingual edition, Mark Musa provides verse translations, annotations, and an introduction co-authored with Barbara Manfredi.

SHORT BIO NOTE:
Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch in English; July 20, 1304 – July 19, 1374) was an Aretine scholar and poet in Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch’s rediscovery of Cicero’s letters is often credited for initiating the 14th-century Renaissance. Petrarch is often called the “Father of Humanism”.

In the 16th century, Pietro Bembo created the model for the modern Italian language based on Petrarch’s works, as well as those of Giovanni Boccaccio, and, to a lesser extent, Dante Alighieri. Petrarch would be later endorsed as a model for Italian style.

Petrarch’s sonnets were admired and imitated throughout Europe during the Renaissance and became a model for lyrical poetry.

(Extract from Wikipedia)