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Friday, 14 June 2013

To a friend asking for help (Capitolo 18) - Veronica Franco

Most illustrious sir, the capitolo
that I came yesterday to show you
was not, in fact, my own invention;
but nonetheless I can't thank you enough
for warning me that in your opinion
I should not send it to that friend;
and I am grateful to you for advising me
about what I ought to do
when I call on you to correct my verses.
I am greatly indebted to heaven
for the protection of someone like you,
and from you I receive more than I deserve.
Jealousy, which enrages my heart,
made me write what I did not say,
but the pain and anger came from my lord.
He first told me what to write,
and later he added many things
so that I should not suspect him.
I don't know what the truth in this matter is,
but I confess that I feel myself dying of pain
at not having him nearby at all hours:
and my heart persuades me to send him the verses
I composed for this reason, with the excuse
of sending him greetings written last night.
I ask your kindness to help me revise them
and so lead my lover to come back to me
and to transform his scorn into pity;
please keep yesterday's other verses,
and later I'll do with them what you wish;
and as long as my lover shows that he's become humble,
I will resign myself to all other harm...
Veronica Franco (1546 - 1591) Italy
Translated by Ann Rosalind Jones and Margaret F. Rosenthal
at

5 comments:

  1. Emma14 June 2013 at 19:59

    I am greatly indebted in Heaven too. How wonderful life is. Thank God for life, love, laughter - and all it is to be human. ;-)

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  2. betsy14 June 2013 at 20:35

    I would be interested in seeing another translator's version of this.

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  3. Bruce-the-Sheep14 June 2013 at 21:03

    Hi Betsy. As far as I know, it's the only translation in print (from the book http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo3683318.html)

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  4. betsy14 June 2013 at 22:56

    Hi Bruce- the reason I wonder is that there is a whiff of the prosaic in this version. But one can still hear the passion in it. I often wonder how much of a poem is left after translation, and I think the best translations are done by other poets. For example that translation by Cowley that you posted a week or so ago, Rosenthal and Jones are not Cowley.

    By the way, did you see the article on Charlotte Mew on last night's aldaily.com. What a mystery that such a poet is forgotten! I had never heard of her. Poemhunter has some of her work. Fascinating-

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  5. Bruce-the-Sheep15 June 2013 at 17:49

    Thanks Betsy - I'll look that up. You may be right about poets translating poets.

    ReplyDelete

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