Yes, you are correct but let me point out that Doug probably got his Italian phrase from a painting by John William Goddard. Also as Doug pointed out while I was writing this email, southern Italians tend leave off the last letters of words. Thus my Neapolitan great grandfather pronounced the phrase, something like "Dolc' fa' nientt' ". But the spelling, no matter the pronunciation is the same.
As for the Dante below. The Italian of Dante is further from modern Italian than the English of Shakespeare is from Modern English. So, even though I know it is gross to purists, I have seen editions of Dante with translations into modern Italian on facing pages. Maybe these editions are especially made for Englishers who need a crib for Dante's Italian? I don't know.
Does anyone know of a good English translation of these poems contained in Rimes (and not contained in La Vita Nuova) that doesn't take too much liberty with the poem?.
as to the noblility of it, Dante, a member himself of the late mediaeval
> Florentine aristocratic jeunesse dorée, wrote:
>
> Guido, i' vorrei che tu e Lapo ed io
> Fossimo presi per incantamento,
> E messi in un vasel ch'ad ogni vento
> Per mare andasse al voler vostro e mio,
Sì che fortuna od altro tempo rio
> Non ci potesse dare impedimento,
> Anzi, vivendo sempre in un talento,
> Di stare insieme crescesse 'l disio.
> E monna Vanna e monna Lagia poi
> Con quella ch'è sul numer de le trenta
> Con noi ponesse il buono incantatore:
> E quivi ragionar sempre d'amore,
> E ciascuna di lor fosse contenta,
> Sì come i' credo che saremmo noi.
[Here is my very unpoetic, very loose, and bad translation... as far as I can tell.... Many of these poems have not been given a good English translation, by the way. Shelley translated this poem, and that is the last decent translation I know of. ]
Guido, I wish that you, Lapo and I Were taken by enchantment.. On board a small boat, sailed by the breath of the wind Going out to sea by your desire and mine For the storms of fortune or other bad times of the river Will not cause impediments to us We would always live as one in [talent - creativity?] agreement We will grow together in our desires . And lady Vonna and lady Lagia With the one she is between among the thirty [most beautiful] women of her number, [reference to Beatrice], With us will be by way of good magic, And we here will always think of love. That should keep them happy. Yes, it is my belief that we also will shall be.... ***
Yuck.... but at least those who don't read Italian can get a sense of the poem. Please correct the Mr. Ulisse Mangialaio.
ulisse
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