The Early Italian Poets, From Ciullo D'alcamo to Dante Alighieri, 1100-1200-1300, in the Original Metres. Together With Dante's Vita Nuova

General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1861 Original Publisher: Smith, Elder and Co. Subjects: Italian literature Literary Criticism / European / Italian Literary Criticism / Poetry Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Poetry / Continental European Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: FOLCACHIERO DE' FOLCACHIERI, KNIGHT OF SIENA. Canzone. He dwells on his Condition through Love. ALL the whole world is living without war, And yet I cannot find out any peace. O God ! that this should be! O God ! what does the earth sustain me for ? My life seems made for other lives' ill-ease: All men look strange to me; Nor are the wood-flowers now As once, when up above The happy birds in love Made such sweet verses, going from bough to bough. And if I come where other gentlemen Bear arms, or say of love some joyful thing, -- Then is my grief most sore, And all my soul turns round upon me then : Folk also gaze upon me, whispering, Because I am not what I was before. 14 FOLCACHIERO DE' FOLCACHIERI. I know not what I am. I know how wearisome My life is now become, And that the days I pass seem all the same. I think that I shall die; yea, death begins; Though 'tis no sot down sickness that I have, Nor are my pains set down. But to wear raiment seems a burden since This came, nor ever any food I crave ; Not any cure is known To me, nor unto whom I might commend my case: This evil therefore stays Still where it is, and hope can find no room. I know that it must certainly be Love: No other Lord, being thus set over me, Had judged me to this curse; With such high hand he rules, sitting above, That of myself he takes two parts in fee, ...