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Giovanni Boccaccio. Fiesolan nymphs

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Translation by Yu. N. Verkhovsky
Giovanni Boccaccio. Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta. Il ninfale fiesolano.
Giovanni Boccaccio. Fiammetta. Fiesolan nymphs
The publication was prepared by I. N. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, A. D. Mikhailov
Series "Literary Monuments"
M., "Science", 1968
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I {1}

Cupid tells me to sing {2}. The time has come.

He spent the summer in his heart, as in a house.
Splendor bound my heart,
The brilliance blinded; I didn't find a shield
When rays pierced the soul
Shine of eyes. She owns me {3},
What, night and day of tears and sighs
Weaving, tormenting - the fault of my torment.

II

Cupid leads me and encourages me

In the labor that I dared to begin!
Cupid strengthens me for a feat,
And the gift, and power - all his seal!
Cupid guides me and enlightens me,
Having inspired me with a duty - to tell about it!
Cupid raised me to recreate
An old love story!

III

And now - I dare to give him all the honor:

After all, he leads one with a living pen,
What was handed to me by my bottom
Worthy: no one can compare with her.
Above all by his virtue,
Beauty and nobility unearthly,
In reproach, she would not hear a word,
If only for a moment she was not so harsh.

IV

Now I beg you for defense,

Happy lovers! My enemy is
The envious, inflamed
Yes, anyone who is in love and poor and naked.
And you, all the dear donnas in the world,
Not with an icy heart, from your blessings
 I beg - pray one: no. be haughty
With those who are in front of you - a humble servant!

Long ago Fiesole {4} didn't know

No walls, no palisade; all the people
And there were few people there at that time -
Huddled at favorite heights
District mountains; and abandoned lay
Below the plain - because of the tart waters
Swamp, unsuitable for man
And overflowing into a large river {5}.

VI

False faith reigned at that time

In vicious, deceitful, rude, evil gods,
And so the most evil seed grew,
What everyone imagined: their bright face is
In heaven, just like here. human tribe
They did not spare the festivities, and gifts,
And honors. And everyone was honored above
Jupiter in his sovereign power,.

VII

The goddess still reigned at that time,

What is called Diana. She is,
For many wives, a treasured shrine,
From virgins especially respected.
And that is her direct blessing,
That her age is true to chastity.
And with the triumph of such she is a lot
She accepted into her forests and groves.

VIII

And many were at birth

Dedicated to her parents -
Now by vow, now in thanksgiving
For mercy and blessings for children.
Diana took everyone into her possession
Willingly: for her everything is sweeter
Girlhood to keep, to run before her husband:
Let us marriage, vain, serve.

IX

So, all over the earth highly honored

Virgin Goddess. But to the hills
Let's go back to Fiesolan. Served here
She is jealous. For her glory, and for you
In hearing I retell I were
 About the virgin community. Everything is there
Then the nickname _nymphs_ was magnified
And they came with bow and arrows.

Of these virgins Diana recruited

The number is large here, in the edge of the hills,
Although in their midst openly remained
She is only occasionally: on her works
Darkness lay: for the whole earth I tried
To give from male insults she is a cover;
But if you've been to Fiesole,
It took on this look and appearance:

XI

Slender and tall, equal to beauty

Greatness, eyes and face she
Radiated with such a radiant star,
What was believed - created in Eden,
Close by she blinded the mortal gaze with herself,
Surrounded by the radiance of rays,
And the curls are light - not like gold:
Their color to the face went more richly.

XII

She usually loosened

Over the neck uncovered their spill;
The tunic fell in light folds,
Stan slender bedspreads, not hiding;
The fabric is thin all white shone
immaculate; beautiful on her
There was a strong belt; and sometimes over
Purple cloak - fiery game.

XIII {6}

For years - twenty-five - a maiden appeared,

As a young power full time.
In her hand she held a bow on the left,
The quiver hung at the right hip,
All full of arrows - to strike in a fit of anger
Not only the beast - no: it strikes, cheerfully,
For the nymphs and for myself, burning with revenge,
Husbands, whoever it is - take a step
to dishonor!

XIV

And Fiesole visited such

Diana - kind nymphs to see,
She lavished mercy and blessings on them
And often loved to collect them
 By the bright brook, or where she swirled
Forest shadow - in those days when to shine
Everything is given higher to the sun and warmed -
Not in the cold, not in the heat - summer lingers.

XV

Here she strengthened the nymphs in conversations

Keep the sacred virginal vow.
Sometimes hunting, catching discussed -
Occupations their favorite subject -
Between those hills: they are a lot of animals
They hounded them, looking for a trace.
To success in the future and for the sake of exercise
She gave guidance to the virgins.

XVI

She was their wise support,

As I said, in catching and shooting.
And leaving, all that cathedral
Viceroy Diana by herself
She left them - a nymph, imperiously, soon
By choosing her. And in oath and devotion
Everyone promised to serve her obediently
Or to die from her arrow shamefully.

XVII

They obeyed her with great jealousy,

It was like she was Diana.
And each, dressed in a tunic
(Linen, fine-woven and white), -
A deadly thunderstorm for all wild creatures,
Each bow - for bold deeds.
Though she gets a motley leopard, -
Without a miss struck by a sharp arrow.

XVIII

Then the earth bloomed with the beauty of May,

The meadow shone with bright flowers,
And the nightingales, pouring out bliss,
By the bright waters, love was sung aloud.
And young men, blazing in the fire of love,
Courage, joyful nourished the spirit,
When Diana came to Fiesole
To hold council among the military camp.

XIX

Among the flowers and herbs of the earthly bosom,

By a bright stream that makes a little noise,
And slowly attracts a wave at the slope
 Checher Mountains {7}, from the side where the view
In the sun at noon, in the heights of the sky
Face to face, the dazzling one is open, -
The stream that everyone now calls Aquelli {8},
With Diana, the nymphs were sitting in a crowd.

XX

So the crowd roared brilliantly

On the bright bank of the stream.
One of the nymphs suddenly, quickly, boldly
Risen, straight, slim, light,
And the melodious horn rang loudly,
For everyone to shut up. And the horn is silent. Hand
The horn dropped. Everyone is sitting. Silence.
Everyone looks at Diana in anticipation.

XXI

She said, as usual,

That everyone should take care of themselves
So that her husband did not approach her boldly.
"And just happen to find a man here,
I will cast out, as an enemy, it instantly, -
Dare he approach you with deceit
Or with violence. The one who is seduced -
That life will be taken by my hand."

XXII

Meanwhile, hidden in the dark thicket,

Where did this formidable council meet,
A beardless young man, ruddy, modest, -
Was Africa even twenty years old? -
With light curls, with a languid smile,
All - like a lily or a rose, no -
Like an apple (here, not far, from childhood
He lived with his parents without a neighborhood), -

XXIII

Suddenly the young man, hidden, found himself

Near Diana. Another step has come -
And the voice of the nymphs that resounded loudly,
And the sight of a living stopped him.
Then he quietly hid in the cave,
He listened and held his breath.
Unseen by the glittering cathedral,
He glared at him with intense eyes.

XXIV

Looks: Diana, imperious, severe

In deeds and in thoughts, {9} stands above all,
 And he says, and ready to blaze,
And angrily with a bow, threatens with arrows;
And the nymphs are shy, they won't utter a word,
Frightens them and enchants a formidable look
Her brows are silent, lifeless,
Shocked by Diana's threats.

XXV

And he sees: at the behest of the goddess,

One of the nymphs gets up, light, fast
(And she was chosen for that reason,
Which is more worthy of all). "The time has come, -
The voice sounded - I'm leaving you now.
Sit. Listen. Worth a sister
Before you, Alfinea. Read
Her now like me. Farewell".

XXVI

He stood and listened to Afriko, marveling.

And riveted his gaze alone.
And in a moment, admiring her face,
Felt: the heart is wounded to the bottom.
Already sighed and felt, worrying,
Fire of love. So hot lit
Desires all bliss: to admire
Only she alone, alone - can not come off.

XXVII

He said to himself: "Oh, who would be with me

Equal to happiness - if only her,
Here is this girl - call wife?!
My heart whispers my prophetic:
No one would have lived blissfully under the moon.
If not for the wrath of the goddess - oh, my
If I had done it, I would have taken it by force,
And no one would take away my dear."

XXVIII

So the thicket was still fresh

Lover of the lover, - lifting
Chelo, Diana sees what shone
The daylight in the sky will droop, dimming,
Deprived of radiance and ardor, -
And here she is and the face of a cheerful maiden
They go to the hill, they sing, they are at ease,
The most beautiful songs and canzones.

XXIX

And Afriko, without taking his eyes off,

 Looks and listens. Get up and here
His beloved is called by another:
"Come on, Menzola!" She gets up
And so easy, catching up with girlfriends!
The beautiful nymphs scattered the people
In secluded huts little by little,
Seeing Diana on her way.

XXX

Fifteen {10} was hardly a nymph,

Her long curls were golden,
Her clothes shone white
The radiant look of the eyes was beautiful.
Who looked at them, did not know the sadness;
Kind of an angel, movement - no slimmer,
The hand plays with an arrow pointed.
But where is the abandoned lover now?

XXXI

Op lonely, pensive, dull,

Doomed to endless suffering.
Left by a beautiful-faced sweetheart
Without the strength to interrupt the flashing passionate
dream, -
"Alas for me! Oh, with what force it torments
Blessed moment! he says. -
Just think: where and how will I find
Now her, in despair yearning?

XXXII

I do not know the one that suddenly struck me,

Though I heard: Menzola - that's her name.
Leaving, ridiculed, ulcerated,
Without seeing me, about my love
Not knowing. Oh, you know: everything is not nice for me,
And the burden of love - every moment is heavier!
Oh, beautiful Menzola, it hurts me!
Your Afriko will be abandoned, even involuntarily!"

XXXIII

Then he sat down where the darling sat,

Where just now he admired her,
lovely; burning deeper and deeper
Fire boiling chest, everything is hot,
And, falling to the ground every now and then,
He continued the game of Cupid's inventions,
He kissed the grass, whispering: "Oh, you are blessed:
You were touched by the one that is perfect."

XXXIV
 And he said: "Alas for me!" - sighing. -
Fate of Evil. Today she led
And seduced - oh, completely different!
Happy - misfortune doomed -
And the girl-child, not knowing herself,
She led the sufferer to a miserable path.
I don't have a leader, a guardian - everything is in vain.
I am faithful to one love - and Fortune.

XXXV

Even if she knew how to flame

Love for her, or she would see me!
No, I would be frightened by my passion
She was - and, every curse,
Who, having fallen in love, would like to own it,
She would run from this fire,
Confused: she hates
All of us, men, no matter what he sees.

XXXVI

What should I do? Its end. Really

Open up to her? To destroy yourself.
Silence - no strength, silence is the hardest:
The fire in the chest will torment everything more angrily.
Yes, die. Do I regret life?
Let this flour break the thread:
After all, this burning flame will not go out, -
Death is still inevitable."

XXXVII

Then poured out a lot of such speeches

A young man in love. But he sees
The dawn has gone out, the night has already come
And the sky has long been starred, -
And no matter how the soul wanted to delay
In a sweet place, he said as if through a dream,
Overcoming himself: "So, ill-fated,
Let me meet the day, my day
rainy".

XXXVIII

He nevertheless got up, wandered, barely walking {11},

Full of thoughts, river valley
In the home shelter, sadly realizing:
"One went from there, another will come."
Here in front of him is a native hut.
So without hesitation he came home:
Was it far to go down the valley?
Well, a quarter mile, certainly not more.
XXXIX

He quietly enters his closet,

Where he slept alone, sighs, barely alive,
There he finds his bed by feeling
And falls without saying a word
Parents, and spends the night without sleep,
And only waiting for the light, impatient,
And rushes about on the bed, languishing,
All Menzola with a groan invoking.

XL

Don't think that people were erecting

Halls and houses brilliant system,
How is it now. I want you to know -
The hut was glad at that time
The walls were not even reinforced with lime;
Log and stone rough and simple -
And all; and who was happy, stern,
Earthen and reed hut.

XLI

The house at four was the whole village

On low and gently sloping shores,
Peaks rose only in the distance,
There were several low hills here.
I will return to where the bitter torment
Nes Africo, all full of the same dreams
About Menzol; but the nymph did not appear,
Although there were many others.

XLII {12}

Cupid, with his usual habit,

I wanted to fan the fire of suffering,
Suddenly the young man seems to have a short rest
He gave, so that his chest burned hotter again.
And with a chain all the heaviest furtively
I tried to bind him somehow,
Knowing how to kindle with his power
The fire of suffering along with tender passion.

XLIII

And at night once had a lover in a dream

Vision: in blinding rays
The wife appeared brightly illumined,
And the boy naked in his arms {13},
With a quiver, with a bow; in a flash, heated,
He took out an arrow and aims in a hurry.
The wife said: "Wait, son,
And you need to hurry without excess. "
XLIV

And she turned to Africa

And he says: "Tell me, what's wrong?
What is sadness? And confused in thoughts
Because of which? Ile fell to pieces
Scared of Menzola? Appeared -
Why don't you take power over the heart of a virgin,
But, like a coward, from sadness and sadness
wilted? Catch love at its beginning!

XLV

Get up soon! Look for her in the valleys

Look for it in the mountains - you will follow it,
Merry among merry girlfriends,
In the dense forests you will see the sweet one.
Though on the run there are no heavy ones between them,
Be sure - you will win it.
Diana, you have nothing to fear:
From afar will not soon return.

XLVI

I promise you help, knowing:

No one can resist her;
This is my son, wanting to shoot
From a bow, I did it by my will.
I know - and my power is such,
To help with his science.
Everything - and Jupiter with many gods
They were powerless against her."

XLVII

Then an advertisement: "My son, get down to business!

Assure him of your power
Flaming, and break the ice completely
In his chest and in his heart of ice.
Well, do, my son, as you were told,
How can you." And now - in the heat of such
Cupid pulled the bow powerfully with his hands,
That, having fired, he came together with the ends {14}.

XLVIII

Mercy! Late. deeply stuck

An arrow in Afriko's chest - he felt -
Passed through and my heart split in two
So, waking up, he grabbed his chest with his hand,
As if the arrow had stopped in her.
Deep and narrow was the bloody passage.
He looks: after all, the wife looks with the boy,
How, struck by it, he suffers.
XLIX

But she is not. She disappeared from my eyes

And she broke this dream,
And the wounded heart kept beating
And the pain lived on. And immediately he remembered
The one you left behind
She is a stream. And in the heart is renewed
A lovely image, always cute,
And in his heart he remained with wonderful strength.

And he said: "Wife, I believe

Venus with her son I saw them.
And if I understand the speech of the goddess,
I promised that all my pain,
What I suffer from Menzola,
Will boil in it. So. If only the nymph family
She was away, - I decide: she -
Whether by love or by force, I will master it."

LI

So desire flared up in him again,

Filling my chest. He decided Menzola
Search by all means
Until he finds it. And the day has come
Completion of thoughts. So eagerly waiting
Living heart! lonely fervor
Unable to moderate, to the desired goal
He hurries out of the house - to the Akvelli stream.

LII

He sighed again, after sitting here a little;

“From here,” he said, “to the wounded in the chest
Arrow of love, I was assigned strictly
And tears, and sighs a new path.
Having said, I went, and from the stream the road
Led him up the hill {15}. Afraid to breathe
Looked and listened, strained
Feel the approach of each nymph.

LIII

So, rising, he set off into the mountains,

Aimed at a single goal, light,
Lifting the brow and straining the eyes,
To clearly see every corner,
And the legs are ready, quick, quick, -
Whether you need a run instantly or a jump.
Does a leaf move a little on a branch, -
 He is already running: is it not a nymph who gets caught?

LIV

But, tired of such jokes,

Some tricky game
Not seeing all the nymphs, the young man in love
Before a new high mountain
I suddenly thought: "Where, stunned,
I will climb, not myself?
Is this the third one? {16} No, a different way
Now I'll go, this one, sloping,

LV

And, turning on Fiesole, despondent,

The valley wanders thoughtfully,
All in search of their savage dear,
The culprits of sorrows and worries.
No half mile - driven by a wonderful force,
In a secluded place, between two heights,
In a small valley - suddenly heard singing.
And he sees the nymphs - a welcome vision!

LVI

Approaching that valley a little,

Here is an angelic voice he caught
And two others. He froze. Hands strictly
Folded in a cross; kneeled down,
Bowing humbly; silently praying to God -
Jupiter: "Oh, if only you kept
Here Menzolu - and, good, moved me,
So that with others I overtook her!

LVII

The one who, wanting to catch a grasshopper, -

How long, rare, light step! - goes
No rustle. The walk is all
Afriko was between those heights,
Where did he go, listening to the gentle song
From that valley. And moving forward
Here he saw with greedy eyes -
The oak sways with light branches.

LVIII

Hidden, looks and approaches the goal:

From here came the melody - and did not subside;
Three lovely nymphs sang a song together;
One stood, next to the other two,
Lowering their legs into the groove, they sat -
How tender, how white were their legs!
 They, drooping, washed their legs quietly,
They sang and looked like birds.

LIX

The one that stood, weaved the branches

And with that crown she adorned her forehead,
She shone with bright curls under him, -
The sun caressed them, but did not burn them.
Then she crowned her friends with wreaths
Thick, lush; easy, light
Braid unwoven strands scattered
And intertwined with green branches.

LX

And in Afriko's thoughts one sounded:

"For Menzola is not mine among them."
And he was drawn closer to them,
And the pain flared up even more.
"Venus," he said, "you promised me
But I still do not see your mercy.
What should I do? I will open myself to them
I'll ask how I can see their sister,

LXI

And the young man, deciding to open up to them,

He goes out to the nymphs and, stepping forward,
Humbly, timidly, lowering your voice,
He makes such a touching speech:
"Diana, your good lady,
Watches you firm and steadfast,
Oh dear nymphs! But don't run
I beg you, listen to me for a moment.

LXII

Looking for one of yours I'm building

What Menzola, I heard, is named
And any of you will be recognized.
It's been a month - I haven't met her,
I am looking for, captivated by proud beauty, -
She runs, full of severity.
And now I pray - at least a slight trace of the girl
Show me, dear sisters."

LXIII

Suddenly - like lambs run without a shepherd

From the wolf by the frightened crowd,
There, here - and rushing about, poor things,
Bleating at the top of his trembling voice;
And foxes, as if sensing manners,
 Fluttering, they fly home as soon as possible
And chickens fight, and cackle wildly,
Until they freeze in the chicken coop without a cry, -

LXIV

So dear nymphs run in alarm,

Seeing him, "ah!" and "oh!" screaming,
For running, baring high legs
Pretty ones, lifting up their clothes,
Do not answer, furious and strict,
They grab their bows and hurry, hurry
A gently sloping coast to the mountain, to the cave,
Like wild hunted animals.

LXV

And Afriko yells at them: "Wait!

Wait! Let me say the word!
I don’t think to do evil to you, understand
I will not encroach on your life and honor!
I was kidding! You are right to run!
I need fun, not revenge:
After all, you will find a friend in me,
But run away immediately with a fright. "

LXVI

But what is your despair, prayer!

They run as fast as they can,
And you were left alone again,
Whatever answer you ask for.
Do not pursue them: every striving
Their furious run would have outstripped them:
All your baits fly into the wind,
The runaways won't stop.

LXVII

Instantly the nymphs were so far away

That he had lost sight of them.
The poor man stopped alone
And his soul was tormented and suffered
For wild maidens strange and cruel.
"Now - alas! - what to do? - he repeated. -
I can't see any of them anymore
And I can only expect the worst from them.

LXVIII

That all my bait and supplication,

What silence, even though I would be silent!
That cannot be taken by force, without a doubt,
What would they just say to me, not melting.
 Whenever I could at least find out the predictions,
Where should I look, where is my Menzola!
If only I knew where she was hiding!
I wander as if the sun has suddenly been eclipsed.

LXIX

All searches entertained him so much -

And the desire for Menzola is getting stronger,
And the nymphs that sang in the valley
Under the shade of fresh blowing branches,
And run after them - how they ran! -
Oh, just to learn about your Menzola, -
What he did not notice: the evening is near,
And the face of the sun is no longer hot and low.

LXX

And now, thoughtful and distressed,

Annoyed that the night is coming early,
With a slow and weary gait
He began to descend from the cavernous heights.
It's too late to stay here, tempted,
He was afraid: in the dense forest, just about
The creeping bastard will stir by night:
Its bite will poison you.

LXXI

So he turned to the road to the house.

All day he did not see a crumb of bread,
And the gray-haired father had to wait for him,
What I thought in sadness and anxiety:
Hasn't he been caught by some kind of beast,
And he, perhaps, tore it to pieces, -
Who knows? And he yearns for his son,
But it's all there and in sight.

LXXII

He was also afraid of the wrath of the goddess,

What could strike him all the time:
Always hostile to their kind, now
Diana can kill him.
Or, in pity and mercy,
At least turn into a tree or a stone.
And, stopping, he waited anxiously:
Not that, so it is - all the grouse is possible.

LXXIII {17}

And the sun has already set

And disappeared, and the last light disappeared,
And the stars came out and the moon richly
She shone in the pure air of heaven;
 The nightingale is not heard, and, embraced by the mist,
Another bird announces the forest,
Unknown to daytime.
At that time, Afriko comes to the house.

LXXIV

He entered - and he meets his son with joy

Great waiting father:
Not a beast, nothing threatens him,
And the fellow returned unharmed.
And the mother hurries and hugs with tears,
Regrets: "Tender flower! Finally!
Where have you been, my dear son?
I'm all exhausted in melancholy sadness. "

LXXV

So the father did not ask strictly, -

But where was he, but he didn’t eat all day? -
And he, having mastered himself a little,
He began to justify himself as best he could.
In love there was a reliable help:
After all, truly loving blessings are the lot -
He refines the soul, teaches, -
And the young man, slyly, replies:

LXXVI

"With me, my father, the case was wonderful.

I saw a deer there, among the hills.
She looked so pretty to me
That I did not believe my eyes, and I'm ready
To say: this is a dream, - with the hands of the god of heaven
Has he created a slim one with his own? steps
It is not easier: like a crane! All is bliss.
And her whiteness is whiter than snow {18}.

LXXVII

I got carried away, I ran after her far

From forest to forest, I decided to catch her.
But so she climbed high
In the mountains that I'm already exhausted.
Stopped, deeply upset;
I put it in my heart to find it,
Catch up, late or early, or - promised
Ten times I came home like this.

LXXVIII

To tell the truth, I got up early today,

I saw how good the weather is
And I remembered the doe, and it became so desirable
 To catch her, the soul lay to her.
I went along the path. It's even weird:
And I did not have time to look back, in a hurry -
There are hills all around, and the sun is already high,
At noon it rose, it bakes cruelly, -

LXXIX

As I hear - a leaf of oaks stirred.

Slowly, I approached a little,
Now lurking behind the stones,
I look and listen: I'm afraid to die.
I look - three fallow deer; even wondered
They graze together like this; well somehow
Let me get one. And barely audible
I went to them with a bunch of lush grass.

LXXX

Yes, as they saw me - in a minute

Already on the mountain. Didn't wait! in a hurry,
And angry with himself in earnest,
I see that I was left in the fools -
Why play on the old horn?
I won't give up! And with what I carried in my hands,
He set off to run after them with all his might -
And just stopped in the dark.

LXXXI

Now, father, you know about the obstacle

To my return, be sure."
Father, who was called Girafone,
Of course, I understood the whole essence of the story;
In such matters, wise for years,
He immediately, without a doubt, could realize
What are these deer, all the crown of desires,
Certainly nymphs, but not fallow deer at all.

LXXXII

But in order not to show what I guessed,

And do not suddenly make your son a liar,
And so that desires do not flare up
And he didn’t languish, and then he cooled down,
And by itself, perhaps, passed, -
All this together thinking secretly,
The old father was a little hypocrite
And so he said, as if he believed a fairy tale:

LXXXIII

"You are to me, son, the most desirable of all,

I beg you - oh, beware you are here
 All those fallow deer you have seen;
Let them go their own bad way:
They are all dedicated to Diana,
Believe me, - and, meeting, they will torment:
Then they roam the mountains here,
And they come to the springs to drink water.

LXXXIV

Diana mostly walks with them,

And know that her bow is deadly.
And if for your hunting
I found you, from my own hands
I would kill to death - it was so with others
More than once, who does not suddenly fall in love, -
And from time immemorial to our old family
She is burning with the most ardent enmity.

LXXXV

Alas, son, I cry, remembering

How my poor father died
How the evil Diana tormented him,
Tormented and killed at last.
Son, about his sin is simple
Here is a story - Jupiter sees deep into the hearts!
And the grandfather's name was, as you know, Munion;
His father, like me, is Girafone.

LXXXVI

My story would be long if desired

Describe all the misadventures of the grandfather.
But what is more important to us now is their ending.
He went to shoot game in the mountains,
Like all hunters. In his wandering
There were many worries. Just look -
Before him is a river flowing in a valley,
The one that is called Mugnone after him now.

LXXXVII

And near, by the beautiful stream,

Suddenly a nymph {19}, all alone,
I saw him, not far away,
A girl jumped up, pale, pale,
"Trouble!" - babbles, - and already high
Runs steeper, full of horror.
He begs her, full of love delirium,
And in a moment he runs after her.

LXXXVIII

Unfortunate father, you rushed,

 Without knowing it, only to your own death,
Her nets, poor man, you weren't afraid
Destiny is captured by its evil!
The gods wished that when he was chasing
For the nymph all harder and faster,
Diana turned him into a bird,
Or in a rock, or embedded in a tree.

LXXXIX

She almost ran the river,

Like a dress graceful weaving
Entangled in the legs; she was losing
Breathing in the run, fear broke her.
Alas, Munion was overwhelmed with joy,
He instantly overtook his treasure,
Grabbed, held, hugging her in his arms,
To the girl's face clinging lips.

XC

Then he took it by force, there was violence,

And the nymph here was defiled,
Powerless to avert what is so shameful.
O pitiful boy! Oh how poor you are
Unhappy! The abyss divided you
Full of insane remorse!
Diana herself from a distant hillock
She vigilantly opened the two who embraced.

XCI

She thunders: "Unhappy! Go

You are immediately together, sinners, in Hades!
The last hour you live on earth,
Do not see you how the summer day will burn;
And you pass your names
Forever to the waters that have seen your shame!"
And she looked menacingly at her lovers -
And pulled the string tight.

XCII

With the last word and the arrow pierced

At that very moment, instantaneous, two.
Son, only the truth spoke in me!
Would the gods of lies from my words,
So until now, my chest would not ache with melancholy!
It happened that one of them was killed:
The arrow, piercing two hearts, bound them.
Thus ended their love without a beginning.

XIII
 The poor father's blood flows like rivers
She poured everything with a reddish light -
And flowed like blood
And his pain was obvious to everyone.
Relatives keep the body of depth here,
What no soul knows
Like everything that happened next;
One river only retained its name {20}.

XCIV

I said that Diana connected

Both the blood and the body of the young nymph
With another and with him she turned
In a wonderful source that, murmuring, with the river
Near merged, - so that it was clearly:
Anger mercilessly furious such
Everyone needs to burst out instantly,
Who will dare to offend her at least once.

XCV

And with a thousand, I know it was the same

What now birds, mountain streams,
Or that she turned into trees
Criminals in love oblivion.
And in the old days she killed
Two blood brothers - our own family.
So beware, we keep by heavenly power,
Her hands, my dear son!"

XCVI {21}

So old Girafone, sobbing,

He finished his story and fell silent.
The son stood and listened without interrupting,
I paid close attention to details.
Taking control of myself a little
And overcame embarrassment, answered,
From his not inclined to retreat:
"Well, I have nothing to fear!

XCVII

Now I won't touch them, God forbid

If it happens, I will meet somehow.
I'm so tired, you're tired too;
Come on, father, we need to rest.
To come before dark, I climbed out of my skin,
And this mountain path was not easy.
Got home - and tired beyond strength.
So let's stop talking for now, honey."

XCVIII
 They settled down to sleep; but the day was not busy, -
Afriko woke up, jumped quietly,
Again there - to his hills made his way,
Where was all the time heart and mind.
He walked and kept looking around,
But you can see Menzola - he was looking around.
And Amur science helped:
He stands from her - on a bow shot.

XXIX

He he, she saw first -

And the field immediately hurries in horror.
Then he heard her screaming,
I looked - she calls and runs,
And his thought shone like a light:
"It's Menzola!" He flies after
She calls and prays, calling:
"Wait, wait, I love you so much! {22}

FROM

Oh beautiful girl! Instant!

After all, without you, the white light is not nice to me.
For a long time I suffer from you torment,
I have no rest day and night.
I do not bring death to you, my aspiration
After you do not portend troubles.
Cupid alone throws me to you,
Evil or enmity does not threaten you.

CI

I don't want to chase you like that

How a kite claws a partridge
Or like a wolf, fiercely triumphant,
He hurries after the poor sheep, -
But merciful to you with a loving soul,
That your beauty honors everyone above.
You are my hope and desire
And your suffering would be mine.

CII

If you wait for me, I swear to the gods

O beautiful Menzola, to you,
That I wish marriage between us
And I will find the happiness of love for myself,
Everything conceivable is here under heaven,
You entrusted entrusted to fate.
You, you lead me, you possess me,
You rule my whole life.

III
 And that's why, cruel, you want
The reason to be my death?
Do you respond with ingratitude?
My love, which is not stronger?
Or for my love you tea death for me -
And be she your reward to me?
Wouldn't I love? How would you take revenge?
You wouldn't be crueler to me!

IV

If you run away, you will be more merciless

Bears, where are the cubs with her,
And bitterer than bile; tougher, uglier
Cold, hard marble stones.
If you wait - and you are sweeter than honey,
And the vines are softer and drunker,
And the sun is more visible beauty
Touching, meek, affectionately simple. {23}

CV

But I see that all my prayers are in vain.

You do not heed my words and are silent.
To me, a slave, do not want indulgence
And you won't even turn your eyes back;
But, like an arrow, full of aspiration,
Hurry to your dense forests,
On the rocks you climb in anxiety -
Let stones, thorns stung the feet.

CVI

But since you run away, adamant

My love, as I see it
And this is the whole answer to the plea of a lover,
And further - your hatred is worse;
May all mountains and slopes be equalized, -
About that to Jupiter my prayer,
Let the whole plain be with all the distance
Even and lower under your foot.

CVII

I call you, gods that live

In these shady valleys and forests,
If courtesy is known to you - to care
About sweet, tender, little feet
Here is this nymph - you will not fail
All stones, thorns, branches on the paths
Turn lovely legs into meadows
And in thin herbs and flowers.

CVIII
 And now I'm following you
I won't go; where are you going - go;
With my misfortune, with my longing
I will remain without an outcome ahead.
I don't have long to wait for eternal rest:
The heart bleeds here, in the chest.
All of you: because your fire torments him,
Life is disappearing every minute.

CIX

And the nymph did not run, but flew.

Raised the skirts of the dress high,
To indulge in running completely,
She plugged them into her belt as best she could, -
So beyond the leggings openly, boldly
The whole slender leg was visible
And, as released from captivity,
Captivating white knees.

CX

With a spear in her right hand, she flashed,

In the distance, having managed to run a steep path,
And, turning around, angry, looked,
In a fright flashing purple fire -
And threw a strong hand at him,
To slay Africo to death with a spear.
And I would have struck, if it had not happened,
That before it stuck into a strong oak.

CXI

The spear, cutting through the air, whistled -

She, for a moment surrendering to oblivion,
I dug into his face: after all, he is completely,
I felt like I was in paradise,
Couldn't hold back or hide
All repentance and pity,
Cries in madness: "Beware, unfortunate!
How can I save you from a terrible death?

CXII

In this tetrahedral steel there is strength

It was so tense
What a powerful oak she pierced through,
As if a weak ice floe burned through.
And the oak was thick: the girth would not be enough
Male, to converge around the trunk.
He got upset; almost sunk
Everything is woody in it - and it stopped.
CXIII

And Menzol then shone with joy,

That the young man was unharmed: he tied
Already Cupid her heart, took out the sting
Removed cruelty and evil thought.
Though I did not want to wait for him for a moment -
Oh no way! - Ile to become possible
Talking to him - oh no! - But just glad:
There is no need to be afraid of his networks.

CXIV

And again the nymph ran on,

What was the strength: after all, he hurried after her,
And she still listened
As a result, he wept and prayed;
Passed many caves and rocks,
And he was far behind
When she climbed to the top
I did not imagine that I was saved even by half.

CXV

But down she is with great swiftness

Hurries down the slope. like a wall
There was a forest here, woven by a dense thicket
Impenetrable. And not heard
A real free forest bird,
Silently she hid here;
Venerable oak with a lush green tent
Here he dawned on the nymph, bent over her.

CXVI {24}

Let's talk about Africa. moment

As the nymph threw a spear at him,
He was confused. But hears in amazement
He cries "Watch out!", and the sight of her,
The whole is compassion, and movement towards it,
And the flame of the eyes showed clearly whose
Who suddenly broke the heart. And with renewed vigor
And with a new thirst, he runs after the sweetheart.

CXVII

How the brand is ready to go out

And smolders with only one spark,
But the sigh of the wind, powerfully poured out,
Enough - and with a different force,
Strongest a hundred times {25}, burning again. -
So Africa, sensing a new heat,
Only a cry of pity rang out over him,
All fiery, all hotter flared up.
CXVIII

He shouted: "Jupiter, apparently, wants

Since you want me to fall dead here:
He will immediately strengthen your hope
With all the strength of the steel point,
That my heart will pierce and exude blood,
Going through the entire chest. The fault is yours.
And I - delight: to end this life
In the burning of love - by your hand!

CXIX {26}

As soon as Afriko finished the word,

As Menzola climbed to the top,
And clearly he saw her again;
She descended - she was hidden by darkness,
And immediately he sensed a lot of evil:
Between them lies a long valley,
And he was seriously afraid,
So that her trace would not be lost at all.

CXX

And he barely reaches the top

And in vain he watches her with his eyes.
And as a hunter often does,
A little bird will take off and fly away
And he will lose sight of her:
Raising his face, the rotozey looks;
Runs back and forth, stands still,
And, as in unconsciousness, all this together, -

CXXI

So Africano her from her top,

Raising his head high, he watches.
He rubs his forehead with his hands for no reason,
He blasphemes his evil fortune
For all her countless guilt.
And he hurries to the dense forest,
And back again; mutters: "What a miracle!
No, that's where she went from here."

CXXII

And immediately he ran down there -

Wherever you can find her,
And again, without seeing, he returned,
With despair in my soul I ran again
And, having run away a little, again decided
Go the other way. But guess
I could not, all perplexed,
What to do, where to look for more, not knowing.
CXXIII

And he kept saying to himself: "She, perhaps,

Here, in the vast and deaf forest!
And if so, then without a small sign
I cannot find her wandering in it;
And more than a month wandering, tired,
I will not search the whole thicket around.
And not a trace! After all, if I entered
Here in the forest she would at least lay a trail.

CXXIV

At least my heart proclaimed a message,

Where did she go! Do not count the ways
But she chose one of them.
And further rushing so after her,
Will I grope anywhere -
And not there I will come all right,
And now I won’t lose the gift
The sadness that I have

CXXV

I don't know whether to go or stay

And wait to see if she comes here herself;
And the rider could get lost here, -
Such a wilderness in the forest, such darkness,
That his trace would not be found.
And if you listen to the mind, -
I need to be half a mile far,
So that an ambush was thrown by her.

CXXVI

And he looked up at the sun. tenth hour {27}

It was already close. And he said to himself:
"What amuses yourself with rich hope?
There is no hope that I breathed;
Wasting time here would be futile
waste."
And in the memory of the father's story got up
About two lovers - what's on the eve
He heard how they died together in vain.

CXXVII

And then Amur's whisper:

"What is Diana to me? I'm not afraid of her.
Once to crown a passionate desire -
For a century my heart would be happy.
And let existence end,
I praise God for being.
But for her I would have crumbled with my soul:
 Because of me, her death would be evil."

CXXVIII

One another replacing reasoning,

Africa has been here for a long time,
Unable to resolve my doubts,
Cupid, cherishing him, seduced him.
And finally, for the sake of regret
To the father, who yearned strongly at home,
He reluctantly decided to go home
And set off on the road, full of great pain.

CXXIX

So Afriko returned, yearning,

And no matter what step, he looked around,
I stood and listened, one thought dear:
"Isn't it Menzola? - sighing. - Exhausted,
What a fool, what anguish I bear
Permanent, everything is now deprived!
You stayed here, Menzola," calling,
Throwing he continued without end and edge.

XXXX

But it's about how he rushed alone

At every slight rustle of a leaf
Back and forth and back again
And walked again, it would not be short.
With what suffering in his heart he was tormented,
After all, everyone will understand - what is the longing
Ways of return! In short,
Home with anguish, he barely reached the night.

CXXXI

Finally, in his little closet,

Parents did not notice, he
Tired fell on a narrow bed
And he feels - Cupid is already at the heart,
An arrow that struck him with a many-stinger, -
And he greedily craves it full,
In anguish, saying goodbye to earthly joy,
Suddenly crush at least the cost of death.

CXXXII

And Afriko, stretched out on the bed,

Sighing heavily, lies prone.
The pricks of the spurs of love burned so,
And three times he cried out in such a heat:
"Alas! Alas!" - that the screams flew
To the ears of the mother. Jump up, run
 She rushed out into the garden,
She heard him and returned.

CXXXIII

And the son of a sweet exclamation

Having learned, he hurries to his room;
She herself is not her own with amazement,
Suddenly he sees - he, prostrated, lies face down.
And hugged, and whispers consolation,
And the voice breaks off, trembles:
"Tell me, son, what hurts you so much?
Why is your soul so unhappy?

CXXXIV

Tell me soon, my dear son,

Where does it hurt, my love?
Let me fly. I am happy with all my might
Can I help you. After all, it will take off like a hand.
Yes, turn around, my gray-winged dove,
Say a word to me, my dear!
I nursed you with my breast,
She wore it under her heart for nine months.

CXXXV

Heard Afriko - sneaked up to him

A tender mother, and he was angry:
How could she not have guessed!
But he is taught deceit in love -
And an excuse was already formed in my thoughts;
Raising his face - crying, exhausted -
He said: "Mother, I was in a hurry
In the morning home, fell and all crashed.

CXXXVI

I got up, but with unprecedented pain

In the side, - and now he barely made it home,
So weak and tired
That he could barely control himself
Powerless, like melting snow in the sun,
And went to bed to give myself peace,
And it seems to be easier now
Quiet the pain that so tormented me.

CXXXVII

And if you love me a little

Hurry up, mother, get out of here.
Don't worry about it, for God's sake:
To me to speak - such pain in a breast!
Otherwise, my anxiety will not pass;
 Listen, please the sick,
Go to your room, I don't need to say:
After all, this is more dangerous for me than poison."

CXXXVIII

He paused and, sighing heavily,

He leaned his head on the pillow.
Hearing such speeches, gray-haired mother
I thought, I went, by myself
Silently and lovingly arguing:
"It must be how he hears his voice,
So pain sound in the chest and is given, -
And it looks like it's torn apart."

CXXXIX

And she left the closet, where in languor

The son rushed about and moaned sadly.
Feeling your solitude
He suffered even more from love,
And the chest is an unusual torment
Everything grew, the flame burned
Everything is more furious; he called out: "Why
Love, that moment, torments more, worse?!

CXL

I feel like I'm burning up inside

Love flame: I hear-chest
And he burns the heart from edge to edge;
Help yourself not powerful somehow,
Helpless, powerless, freeze.
And only one could breathe into me,
Wish a little, peace and oblivion of pain
And do whatever she pleases with me.

CXLI

And you are one sweet, like a gentle angel,

With her light-haired beauty,
With touching speech, light and careless,
All white roses are more smiling, fresher,
All clear stars in serene azure
More brilliant - you are dearest to me,
One you, desired, I wish
And night and day I call all the time!

CXLII

Only you alone all the pain of my suffering

I could bless you!
Only you alone with all the power of gentle hands
Lead my powerless life thread!
 Only you alone from mortal sighs
My miserable age is free to release!
Only you want one - possess
Me, as you can, as you wish!"

CXLIII

And he said: "It's impossible,

Than you, torment with ruthless longing;
And, wild, scares you anxiously
The admiring gaze of the people by you!
All my life, which is insignificant for you,
Into the darkness of the dungeon cast by you,
And not in you - alas! - those torments of faith,
What do you not see, but gave without measure!

CXLIV

Then, groaning, he turned to Venus:

"Holy goddess, conquer
Dominant are you all in the world, who would have tried
Protect yourself from your wounds
And no one protected from you;
And now, it seems, it is not strong to break
You are a weak girl - and in front of her
Powerless with all her might.

CXLV

You have now lost all your power

Against her, and the subtle mind subsided,
With which he always broke a lot of hearts
Your son Cupid, tall and simple.
Before the heart of ice, suddenly everything was gone
Despised the charm of your forces;
Used to administer your revenge
Bow, sharp arrows - neglected.

CXLVI

Her, perhaps, without difficulty you imagined

Suddenly seize, as she took me,
So that your strength penetrates into her chest,
In the chest of ice, - as it entered into mine.
She just blunted the arrows,
What did you wisely bring to her;
And I, a fool, did not protect myself from them -
And plunged into eternal dungeon.

CXLVII

I will never be free;

Peace, rest and tranquility - not for me:
But I will languish with new flour
 Always from the love fire.
And in this thought part with the body
My soul, weeping and groaning,
To your death. And black shadow
Will be with shadows. Here is the end of the torment.

CXLVIII

I beg you, O Death! go to doctor

I have a bitter earthly existence;
I no longer want to live of my own free will;
Break my poor heart!
And if you don’t slay, I’ll slay myself, yearning.
How I would honor your coming!
So hurry up - and I will throw off the shackles,
The heavy ones are painfully severe to me."

CXLIX

Then he fell silent, and burst into tears,

And remembered how beautiful the spear
The nymph threw at him, as if with words
Her compassion broke through
And the horror that air jets
The tip inevitably rushes.
And in those words he felt at least a little
Hopes for suave pity.

CL

So crying and sighing painfully,

The young man in love lay alone,
Thirsty to live and suddenly crying out for death,
I hoped and trembled in horror.
God of sleep, descending from the great gates,
He charmed the sufferer with a blissful sleep.
Exhausted by the fatigue of the last,
The forgotten lover forgot everything.

CLI {28}

And the skillful mother already collected

There are a lot of medicinal herbs - in order,
To make a bath for my son: I thought
That the pain in his side tormented him.
Trusting because she didn't know
The reasons for the languor of his son.
While the whole course of her work lasted,
Home and Girafone returned.

CLII

And immediately he asked: what is the priceless son?

Did he come home today?
And the donna, who was called Alimene {28},
 Answering "yes", your night fright
Told; without pain unchanged
The son does not say a word; rest in peace
Required; she does not join him.
"Please, Neidi and you, - so the speech starts. -

CLIII

I prepared a bath, what pain

Should help. Let him rest
How long will it be at his will,
And take that healing bath.
And it won't suffer, right, more:
Wherever it hurts, it will pass.
Leave, let him sleep. He cannot speak:
The pain in his side worries him more."

CLIV

When the wife told all this,

Anguish seized him by the heart.
A father's love didn't last
So as not to see my son right away.
To the closet where his bed was,
Involuntarily pulled the old man.
And sees - sleeps. He closes it
And away from there immediately hurries.

CLV

And he said to the old woman, "Darling

Wife, son, it seems to me, fell asleep,
Lying in bed, resting quietly
And I did not dare to wake him up:
It's a sin, and the joke would come out bad,
Now if only I could frighten him away from sleep."
"Of course," answered Alimena,
And do not worry: after all, the power of sleep is priceless.

CLVI

When for a long time the young man, caressing,

Entangled with nets a light dream,
And the will filled the breast of the former,
Taking a deep breath, he woke up
And there is no one around. And sighing again
Returned to its former sadness,
He is in front of him with a thought that has not cooled down
Everyone sees the gentle look that struck him.

CLVII

But so as not to betray yourself suddenly shamefully

And deceive the father's instinct,
 He jumped up and dressed himself nimbly.
Hiding the torment of passion, he overcame it.
Beautiful, calm pretend,
He wiped his face with a cloth
And the eyes, still watered with tears, -
And he walked out, albeit a little embarrassed.

CLVIII

And Girafone immediately meets

And asks his son
What happened to him and how is he doing.
And still admiring him,
Alimena asks about the same.
And he answered: “Yes, really, nothing.
I slept - and does not torment in the least,
All the pain that tormented me has gone."

CLIX

But still the father decided to prepare

Hot bath for him - and here
He takes it only in assurance,
That other pain does not oppress the heart.
About Girafon, what is your cure!
Love pain won't go away
And does your bath help here,
When brine is hidden deep in the heart!

CLX

Pretty much. And after washing

He spends a rather sad day.
Two, three, four days - one torment.
He is deprived of a moment's rest,
All forgetting past raptures,
Immersed in gloomy thought.
But the thought of that one does not leave him,
For whom he suffers day and night.

CLXI

Father, and mother, and all things in the world,

Everything is all the same, the mind is not busy with anything,
And there is no thought about a single subject,
All life around is some kind of idle noise.
But only one is permanently in mind
In chained, enslaved thoughts,
He believes in only one, he is afraid of only one, -
And it created his dungeon.

CLXII

Whenever in a passionate, fiery burning -

 Not knowing where - he could find her,
All suffering, he made a decision
Do not leave that limit.
And only in one he knew consolation -
To cry without interruption, and sigh,
And quietly remember what happened
What connected him with sweetness.

CLXIII

And Africa indulged in such grief,

That he suffered more every hour.
He was exhausted, he was suffocating, -
Without rest, the illness tormented him.
He submitted to life against his will:
Chains so Cupid burned him,
That he almost refused food,
Day by day he was getting weaker and weaker.

CLXIV

Already hidden from the beautiful face

Blush young, further - all paler
And the poor fellow became thinner,
The sunken eyes became sharp.
And so he changed from sadness,
That a young man of recent days
Barely reminded now of being in love,
Scorched by pitiless fire.

CLXV

Father could not express in words

How he tormented his soul for him.
And often encouraged him with speeches
Like this: "My son, say why
Are you suffering? I swear to you by the gods:
Knowing the cause of your grief,
I will do everything, even with the last strength,
To give you what you want, honey.

CLXVI

If by force it is impossible the object of languor

To get yours or by the human mind,
Let's think: there is a way, without a doubt,
The thought to drive away, which you torment,
So that you no longer know such torment
And he was, as before, safe and sound.
Not to give you advice - it can not be,
My son, has my life been lived in vain?

CLXVII
 And mother often asked,
Why is he, beloved, so oppressed,
That his life has become so bitter,
And so sad, and so upset he is.
"Son," he says, "fell into my soul
Your longing, and the heart breaks out
With despair: I can not see,
That every day you get worse, worse.

CLXVIII

Africo in response to them is nothing but

As soon as that nothing bad;
He does not know, they say, himself, what is the matter with
him.
And then - to leave him
At rest: head or something else
It hurts - that's all.
And from that more than once he was treated,
Yes, they found the wrong disease in him.

CLXIX {30}

And in this life of heavy languishing,

One day African sad pass
Your flocks and, raising your eyes
Absent-mindedly, hour after hour wandered,
All about your kindly meditating,
Because of which he melted and went out.
And then he saw a clear source,
Glowing brighter than a beautiful star.

CLXX

surrounded by thick trees,

In some places the canopy of branches is darkened
He was. The lover admired them,
Sat at the roots; he bowed sadly
Let's think about the ill-fortune, crushed,
To which he was brought by love.
Recognizing himself in the water, he was amazed,
How gloomy his appearance, how changed.

CLXXI

And now, filled with compassion,

Struck by his change,
Unable to hold back his sobs,
He cries harder and harder, everything is hot
And the day of the ill-fated first date
Already ready to curse with all my soul.
“Ah,” he says, “for what sins
I drag my life without knowing consolation!

CLXXII
 And, leaning on the hand cheek,
And put your elbow on your knee,
He spoke and shed tears like a river:
"O my evil life, while I live!
So burdened with this longing,
Let it melt like snow in flood.
And I, like brushwood on fire, burn,
And there is no salvation for me, no torment - the edge.

CLXXIII

Get away from passion for a cruel girl,

Capturing my heart, I'm not strong, -
So as not to desire her with deep longing
Above everything. I see - imprisoned
In such strong fetters, lonely,
That I'm doomed to burn day and night
Motionless in the fire: there is no hope to get out,
If death does not hasten to close me
eyelids."

CLXXIV

Then, admiring, he looked at the herd:

Cows and bulls frolic,
He saw - kissed; consolation to all
Was in love, not knowing melancholy.
He listened to the birds; full of living stock,
Their love poems sounded
And fun bird after bird,
Lovers fluttered after each other,

CLXXV

Admiring, Afriko was sad beyond measure:

"Happy creatures, you rather
You are more than me friends of Venus,
And how joyful you are in your love,
In the delights of those that I did not know faith!
And how should you praise hot
Cupid for love, for intoxication,
What is given to you in full - and in separation!

CLXXVI

You harmoniously sing songs of joy,

Flutter, careless and light,
And I cry, in suffering and care
And day and night, languishing from anguish;
I see the outcome in mortal only slumber,
I'm waiting for freedom from the tomb,
Joy, even the slightest, I dare not wait
From the one who took possession of my will."
CLXXVII

And then, sighing deeply and touchingly,

My boy cried so bitterly
And the tears flowed so abundantly
That cheeks, chest seemed like a river,
Strongly soaked in streams of tears, -
So malicious was he seized with melancholy.
And bending towards the bright reflection,
He talked with his own shadow.

CLXXVIII

And with her, straining over yourself,

Tears overflowing the stream,
Replacing one thought with another for a long time,
He could hold back a few sobs.
At the thought that beckoned the spirit to rest,
Opened a quiet corner in the heart,
Reminding me of sweet hope:
Venus made a promise.

CLXXIX

But seeing - the fulfillment does not come,

In the meantime, he got to the point
What feels the approach of death,
Said: "Venus of my troubles and evil
After all, he does not remember; does she see languor,
With which mortal fate fought me?
Honor the goddess with sacrifice
He decides - as a reminder.

CLXXX

He gets up on his feet, he walks alive

Where the sky is not closed space,
With a skillful hand he took the flint,
Breeds a prominent, shining fire.
And I kiss the woodpile, it's beautiful
Having cut it down, it stretched over the flame.
Then a sheep, which is a joy to the eyes -
It was fat, - he quickly took from the herd.

CLXXXI

And, taking her, led her to the fire; first

He set it between his knees;
Then, as someone who knows a lot,
He hit her right in the throat
And the blood that dripped drop by drop
He sprinkled the fire; and divided
Sheep in two parts, and hands
Hastily laid them on the flame.
CLXXXII

He lays one for Meisola,

Another - for myself, to find out
Is it not a miracle that will immediately shine;
For good, for evil - only to see her,
He places all his hope on him.
He trusts, he must trust!
And he knelt down on the ground,
In these words he addressed Venus:

CLXXXIII {31}

"Goddess above heaven and earth

Above all by his mighty power,
Beauty-Venus - the son of Cupid is with you
Kills the souls and hearts of people -
I run to you with a heartfelt prayer,
Oh, do not reject my plea,
Bless - and make me happy
You, who own the hearts of all living!

CLXXXIV

Oh, you know how readily

I took Cupid's arrow in my heart
The day I saw Diana before me
With a crowd of graceful nymphs by the stream,
At the same time; like suffering and longing
Your arrow echoed in your chest
For a shy girl, so beautiful,
That her face in her soul remained passionate,

CLXXXV

And after - what I endured for torment,

Accepted dutifully for her,
What a languor, what a sigh -
He sees clearly your knowledge!
And like Fortune all my desires
Despised, poisoning my being, -
Witnesses of the forest: embraced by them,
I filled them with my cries.

CLXXXVI

Still - my face exposes

Quite what has become of my life,
How hopelessly it burns in a flame,
How soon death will put an end to her;
She saves from all your insults,
If you do not hasten with your help.
And if you do not send healing pain,
From death I await the end of my captivity.
CLXXXVII

You thought the first

My torment when, with my son
Appearing to relatives in a vision, she told me
To boldly go your own way to the goal,
And, saying so - you know - promised
Not long to crown love with an end
Good. Then I, wounded, will leave
On the bed of torment that hitherto not minutes.

CLXXXVIII

And now - with your word I am hopeful,

I gave my whole soul to her - my love:
Your covenant - I believed - is immutable to me.
And once I found her, I saw her,
But in a moment her doubt is destroyed:
Dika, cruel, rushed faster
Arrows away from me - flying arrows,
From a bow with a powerful hand.

CLXXXIX

I did not find prayers and seductions,

To at least look from afar;
Nothing seemed to her more contemptible,
Than my life. Like a greyhound dog, light,
Realizing that of the last tensions
I run after her - suddenly, impudent, wild,
Turned around and looked at me
And with a strong hand she threw a spear.

SHS

Then - the goddess, you see - smashing

This blow would be fatal to me,
Whenever the trunk standing in front of me,
He did not stop the blow.
And she disappeared into the mountains. I am in great anxiety
Abandoned, fooled and despondent.
Didn't see her again. I'm looking for everything
Since then, one groaning and yearning.

CXCI

To you, goddess, with all my prayers

I pray, available to the sons of the earth:
Look down with compassionate eyes
Favor the suffering life
And my dear son with his arrows
Rather, they went to the heart of Menzola,
So that she suffers and burns
 A love flame like me, all the way.

CXCII

And if there is no favor,

I pray when my life reaches
Limit, let the moments slow down
Last earthly existence:
Yes, he sees my death, its languor
My beloved, my dear;
Though my death would not be her joy,
How life now stands as a hindrance."

CXIII {32}

Afriko's speech barely stopped,

As he saw, marveling at the fire:
The slightest smut in it shone,
The sheep in the fire suddenly rose -
And part one with the other connected -
And she came to life, and, without igniting,
With a loud bleating, she stood straight,
And caught fire, and fell into the fire.

CXCIV

So the miracle dispelled all doubts,

And Africo could not help but weep;
Venus, he realized, his prayers
Graciously accepted
What he exalted is full of reverence.
He began to thank her,
Seeing a sign in that miracle,
That his suffering must end.

CXCV

And since it almost rolled

Sunny face, barely visible above the ground,
He hurried to gather the whole herd
And immediately drove him home.
He even changed his face
Cheered up. Came under the roof of the native -
Here both father and mother meet him,
And their faces are shining with joy.

CXCVI

When the stars shone in the sky

And the night came, then the three of them
Dinner together, chatted
About any news, about this, about this;
In addition, the soul and heart but lay
At Afriko: he missed their life.
And so he went to sleep alone,
 Hope, carried away by a new thought.

CXCVII

But before you forget even for a moment

Or I would remember that there is a dream in the world,
A thousand times, I'll say, turned around
He is in his bed from side to side.
And it is clear that with all his heart he longed
Only to drink, which he was so tired of.
But still, at least in hope strengthened,
I hesitated between yes and no.

CXCVIII

All the same, finally in the morning sop tired

The lover inaudibly closed his eyes.
He slept on his back quietly, as usual.
The image of Venus appeared to him here,
And in the arms - Cupid, a small baby,
And threatened with a bow and arrows.
Then the goddess - so he dreamed -
He was enlightened by such a speech;

CXCIX

"I accept the sacrifice

And the speech you prayed for me
And in full reward for them
You will receive everything you asked for.
And from now on, be in a strong conviction:
Refusal to help all our strength
You will not: I and my son are with you;
Honor my advice; I will arrange everything for the good.

SS

Get yourself an ordinary outfit

For girls, just like their sewing,
Wide, long to the legs without fail.
I took out my bow, arrows and spear,
Go simple humble nymph
Search and you will find her.
They will take you for a nymph, it will work out,
You just be open with them, boldly.

CCI

And when you see Menzola, talking

Start with her about sacred things,
Divine - pleasantly preach,
In the meantime, don't forget yourself.
What you know yourself, follow in practice,
And only, my son, help your heart -
 It will teach all polite speeches
And for her pleasant and beautiful.

CCII

And only your day will clear up,

You will see - and then open up to her.
She, like a bird, rushes through the forest
From falcon furious claws.
But do it - let it not be so afraid of you:
After all, it will run, so it will run faster,
How will you grab her? Don `t doubt;
Cunning, get your way.

CCIII

Violence but be afraid: so hurt

Its my son, what of your claws
It won't go away; you will get everything that attracts,
And in fullness, according to your will.
Let my advice to you become law -
And you will do it, and you will master it."
Advertising is gone. The day is on fire.
And Afriko jumped up and dressed in an instant.

CCIV

And he understood Veper's vision

Deep - and he rejoiced,
And this plan captivated him without measure.
Here the flame in the heart was so kindled,
That he was all on fire, full of strong faith:
After all, now he will take her in full.
He began to ponder the enterprise;
The whole point is: how would you get a dress?

CCV

And I remembered, thinking about what is stored

Mother has the most beautiful outfit -
She only occasionally dressed up in him, -
And he said to himself: "That would be a treasure,
When to get it!" Just leave
Mother from home - and he will be rich.
In a secret place so he will hide the dress,
What to take after - does not mean anything.

CCVI

And then fate was favorable

And kind to him. Barely extinguished
And the pale face of the moon in the sleepy blue,
And the starlight, and the hour of the day was near,
As Girafone got up and, prompted
 Hasty work, just got out,
Nothing slowed down. All care
The old woman followed the gate.

CCVII

Here was not Afriko lazy on business.

Seeing that there is no one in the house,
Where the dress is, he hurried boldly
And soon found it without difficulty.
I barely thought about how it all happened.
No one sees, hiding the triumph,
He took the prey from the house far away,
In a strange place, and hid before the deadline.

CCVIII

Then, when he was in a hurry to get home,

For business, everything seemed at hand.
Therefore, on the same day, he sought
For Menzola; but as soon as he entered the house,
He took a bow, which was valued for dressing,
With arrows, a beautiful quiver
And stocked up on all sorts of things.
So the day passed, and another began.

CCIX {33}

Phoebe's horses have rushed fast

Change the dawn to the shining east;
Already the yellow peaks shone,
And a pink reflection to the west lay down;
In some places the valleys lay only in the shade, -
How Africo jumped up and with all his might
With a quiver, with a bow, he rushed out of the house.
"I'm out hunting," he said to his mother.

AoA

He went to yesterday's place, took out

Hastily dress his mother;
And there he took off his clothes,
I quickly changed into it;
He did not fail to gird himself with a stem,
To move more freely and agile.
Venus certainly helped him
In decoration: so it befits him!

CCХI

And tangled hair fell

Not too majestic wave
But a golden thread suddenly cast
And, fair-haired, captivated by beauty.
But even recent sorrows
 On the pale face they showed their trace,
However, for some reason
He seemed more feminine.

CCXII

Transformed with such dexterity,

He put on a quiver on the right side,
Picked up a bow with the lightest arrow
And I looked at myself for a bit.
To himself, he seemed not himself:
He was not a man - he looked like a woman.
From the side to this picture
Who looked - would not recognize for a man.

CCXIII

Then he laid down his clothes

There, from where I got the women's,
And he directed the path to the Fiesolans
Mountains, but I didn’t add a step,
And there he shot a lot of animals,
And then he did not hide himself.
But only went to the highest peak
Of the three - heard a strong noise from there.

CCXIV

And Afriko looked where the screams came from, -

I saw a few nymphs; ahead
Run - shoot; a great cry is heard:
"Stop, stay where you are! Wait for the beast!"
Standing, looking - a wild boar rushes,
There are arrows in it, like bristles, behind,
And red blood drips from the back.
Africo's bow strains with all its might -

CCXV

And right in the chest he is a boar with an arrow

Strikes - and that heart went through,
The entire thickness of the skin did not save itself;
He took a step - and there was no strength,
He fell, smitten to death with an evil wound.
Venus and Cupid happened
So wish that Menzola looked,
As it was with the wild boar dashing business.

CCXVI

And the crowd of nymphs has now fled there,

Everyone thought that Africa was their own.
And Menzola was with everyone;
The family took over the conversation.
 Then she tried to tell them:
"I saw him fall.
I have never seen a better blow to life,
What did she show when she appeared?

CCXVII

How Afriko's heart jumped in his chest

To the depths - with such praise
From her mouth! And then it became bitter:
Be silent when she is in front of you;
But my heart knew one thing:
The blow of love resounded in her.
Though you don't know anything, it was clear here:
The fatal moment has arrived.

CCXVIII

But, it's true, fear is stronger than anything else.

Before the weapon, the maidens restrained him.
And having mastered, for the word the word,
In the conversation of the nymphs, he already entered.
I judged the whole event sensibly,
About the boar that lay dead here,
And how they found him, and how they shot,
And how they got after him.

CCXIX

Menzola said: "Be here Diana,

What a gift we would give her!"
It was desirable to hear Africa,
What is far away Diana: the more free.
But, having talked at length
About a wonderful beast, among other things,
Here, having arranged the goal, they started shooting
And they competed with each other.

AAA

And still got a lot of tricks here -

Either the bow rings, or the spear buzzes.
Here Menzola squeezed the spear with her hand -
The tip hit the target closest to everyone.
To this, African is surprised a lot;
I immediately took a bow - and where is her spear,
In that place and his arrow pierced
And I found myself closest to the goal with him.

CCXXI

How Cupid makes when he wants

Fall in love with someone else
On that day, your subtle mind sharpens more finely;
 To rush the event to the end,
Not in words, but in deeds, he will strengthen him.
So on that day he managed to do,
What Africo and Menzola did
Together with an arrow to hit everyone closer to the target.

AAAII

And now Menzola is more and more cute,

That they constantly praise the two of them,
And now I have loved with my soul,
And every moment brings them closer together.
And sweet Africa, and the power of gaze
Volna - he does not reduce his own from her.
What she says - he already confirms
She answers him all the same.

CCXXIII

But here they are tired of shooting

And they started to get bored with their game.
Then they went away from there
And right there with the whole crowd
We came to the cave and stopped there.
One of the nymphs carried fire with her.
And they began to bake boar meat
With other game that they shot.

CCXXIV {34}

The sun has already made a third of the road

In its course, when the halt
Collected all the nymphs. And a shadow overshadowed them:
A huge laurel threw it at them.
Roast on a wide stone was
It's supposed to. seasonings substituted
Chestnut bread, as it used to be:
Grain for bread has not yet been born.

CCXXV

And they drank boiled water with honey

And with herbs - that was their wine -
From wooden bowls and around;
In the middle there is a jug - made of wood.
And a wide circle of nymphs live crowd
Closed at the stone. It was destined
So that Afriko and Menzola are with each other
They sat side by side in a circle.

CCXXVI

The end of living treats has come,

From the table here the nymphs rose
And on the mountain, indulging gently in singing -
 Where two, where three, four - dispersed
Here, there, depending on the mood.
The lovers did not part here either:
With three other nymphs sloping
From the hill they went to Fiesole by the road.

CCXXVII

As we said, Menzola was captivated

All in Africa" deep, triumph
In skillful shooting, fiery power
Rapprochement and speech are the most tender of all,
Like life, she already loved him,
Looking at him without looking.
But no one even thought
To burn their forbidden love.

CCXXVIII

She sincerely believed

That this is a nymph from the neighboring mountains.
Didn't look like a man at all
Neither his pale face, nor his languid gaze.
Find out only what she did not know,
I would not be kind, as until now
And as with others, I would betray vengeance,
Dishonor, torture, vilification.

CCXXIX

No need to say - already said -

How Africo was in love with Menzola.
But he walked with her, in his chest lurked
Such a flame, it was so lit
That melted like wax, and the heart beat.
He is deepened in the contemplation of the dear;
A touch, a word - everything is courteous,
And the soul freezes in it bashfully.

SSXXX

He said to himself: "But what about me?

What should I say to myself? What to do?
I will only reveal my desire to her -
I'm afraid of offending her, losing her:
Love will be replaced by evil hatred,
And everyone will start to drive me like an animal.
But I don’t dare to open up to her today -
Such a case will not come back.

CCXXXI

When they go their way

These nymphs and I would have stayed
 In solitude with my Menzola,
It would be easier for me, no longer melting,
Tell me who I am, open up to her
And think of running - it's my power
Grab her skillfully to leave
I could no longer reject me.

CCXXXII

But now he is, I suppose

Not for a moment will they leave us;
And if you hesitate, I will never catch up
All the luck that I have been given now.
No, to do everything in my power - so I decide;
Slow down - I'll lose everything at once."
He already rushed to grab her,
But he resisted, dear did not touch.

SSXXXIII

"Oh, teach, oh, help, Venus,

Oh, give me good advice now!
Oh, I feel - the measure has been fulfilled,
I must take it, there is no way out."
Doubt and faith interfere
And death seems to be; thoughts are nonsense.
Between _yes_ and _no_ he began to rush about with thought {35},
And the gloomy fire of love burned more painfully.

CCXXXIV

They went down the slope

The hill, and the valley was very close,
What divides two mountains - here to quench
Desires Afriko Cupid was in a hurry:
Decided not to hesitate, and his languor
Only this day he set a deadline.
So they walked together, and their attention
Suddenly I was attracted by splashing in the valley of waters.

CCXXXV

They only had a few minutes to go,

And they came up - and they see in the lake
Two naked nymphs entering the water.
Mountain against mountain not far away.
And they also enter the water, to please those
Lifting the hem lightly.
They are talking, going to swim:
"What shall we do? Let's undress!"

CCXXXVI

Around the strongest heat stood

 At that time of day; and then they were attracted
Cool, bright and shining
Clear, pure water;
And they thought: what was the matter?
After all, no harm is done.
Behind the nymph, the nymph then undressed,
And Menzola turned to her beloved,

CCXXXVII

Telling him: "Dear friend,

Will you swim with one of us?"
And he said, calmly answering:
"Girlfriends, I will not leave you,
Your will is sweet to me, no other."
And he said to himself at the same hour:
"If everyone undresses, so I decide:
I don't hide my wish."

CCXXXVIII

I decided - let them undress first

All nymphs: he - in a few minutes,
So that it was impossible to take
Against him for weapons. Here,
Deliberately hesitant, he began to undress,
To finish, as soon as everyone enters the water
And they will be ashamed to run through the forest,
And he will force Menzola to stay.

CCXXXIX

He barely got rid of his clothes,

In the water, the nymphs were already the whole crowd.
Here, naked, he rushed to them,
Turning your front to them naked.
Everyone recoiled. Shriek erupted
A desperate, trembling scream and howl.
And they began to shout: "Moustache! Alas!
That's who. Now you have seen."

CCXL

The hungry wolf is so eager for the herd

And, catching fear on a crowd of sheep,
One is enough, it rushes far with it,
Leaving everyone else in the cold;
Bleya, the whole herd is running, fussing,
At least saving the skins in a hurry.
So Afriko, running quickly into the water,
Grabbed one - his love to please.

CCXLI
 Others are in fear - such a fuss! -
Get out of the water - everyone rushes to the clothes
And in a hurry, only covering yourself,
Hurry, barely dressed, at random,
One another without noticing at all
Run and don't look back
All scattered, who goes where, and in a hurry
They left all the armor in place.

CCXLII

And Afriko in his arms, triumphant,

He squeezed Menzola, who sobbed without strength,
In the water - and, kissing the girl's face,
Words so cute said:
"You are life, you are bliss, if I take you,
He did not turn away: he handed you to me,
The soul of my soul, the vow of Venus,
Do not cry even for the goddess, for the sake of faith!

CCXLIII

But Menzola does not hear his speeches,

And he fights with all his might
And a strong camp sways back and forth,
To get out of the arms quickly
The one who breathes resentment against her;
On the face - tears hail from the eyes.
But he held her with an iron hand -
And the defense became useless.

CCXLIV

In that struggle of theirs thoughtfully dozing

Until then - bravely suddenly rose
And, proudly raising his magnificent comb,
At the entrance to the frenzy pounded.
He beat his head, penetrating further and further,
So that he went inside, did not rest,
Broke with a great cry, howl
And as if with a bloody battle.

CCXLV

Messer Madzone took Monteficalli {36}

And entered the castle as a winner -
And here he was greeted with delight,
Who drove now with all his last strength.
But after such decisive battles
He bowed his violent head to the ground,
Shed a tear from deep pity,
He left the castle like a meek lamb.

CCXLVI
 As Menzola sees that against his will
Her girlhood is stolen
Sobbing, to Africo in heartache
Turned around: "I did my
And, fool, deceived me; at least a fraction
Let's go out without delay: evil being
Now I will interrupt with my own hands;
I don't want to live with such suffering."

CCXLVII

Africa heard the words of sadness,

And he went ashore with her;
Her sufferings were fierce,
And he grieved deeply in his soul.
His desires triumphed
Partly, but flared up even stronger
Fire in the chest, a hundredfold inflamed
Before her, so miserable and embarrassed.

CCXLVIII

They just got dressed

Quickly grabbed Menzol's spear,
Without saying a word - to the last goal,
Pointing a strong point at the chest.
Seeing a terrible thought in practice,
Afriko rushed to her and her
Grabbed under the armpits, far into the forest with force
He threw his spear and said dear:

CCXLIX

"Alas, my love, what did you want,

What's the crazy thing to do to yourself?
Oh evil thought - for such a thing
Fierce to move your mind!
Oh, me, a fool, what fate to expect,
Losing you with all your beauty?
Minutes I would not have lived apart
And he would lay hands on himself!"

CCL

Menzol's heart flour is such

I languished that Afriko was in her hands
Fell, died: and he with longing
Already sees death on the fading features.
Embracing her, he sheds tears.
Cold soul shakes fear
For her life; and wear expensive
He hides in a dense canopy of branches.

CCLI
 So, together with her, drooping under the branches,
He held it with his left hand,
And right covered with tears
I quietly wiped her cheeks
With harsh and sad speeches:
"Oh death, that's all your eyes were looking for!
You deprived me of my happiness
And with him and me - one grave.

CCLII

Then, kissing the dead face,

"My love!" he cried. "For what
Evil this day, this evil fate
She separated us!" Of her gaze
Without letting go of the face of a loved one,
Everyone said - and he cursed the triumph
Your desires, which was a minute
And Menzola was so terribly offended.

CCLIII

But, pouring sorrow over a dead face,

What, pale, no longer seemed alive,
Him more than once in great torment
Covered with tears and kisses,
Unable to live in much torment,
Decided to kill myself. That's a rush
Raises him from the earth for death -
As he heard it: Menzola sighs.

CCLIV

The spirit of Menzola rushed through the air,

I spent more than an hour wandering,
And finally he returned to the body,
He entered his receptacles again, -
She came to her senses, and a sigh poured out,
And a groan from the mouth, and a woeful verb:
"Alas, alas, if only I were dead!" -
She sobbed non-stop.

CCLV

When I saw Africa alive

Suddenly Menzolu, who seemed to be already dead, -
Resurrected with heartfelt joy alone,
He spoke comforting words:
"O rose with fragrance and beauty,
I suffer for you, you are right;
But do not be afraid and do not be horrified,
Trust in my protection.
CCLVI

You are dearer and more desirable to me than all the blessings -
And now you are in my arms.
There is no pain in my heart more than suffering
And more inconsolable - your torments and evils.
And woe to me, I imagined - the limit of torment! -
What holds death in its chains.
My hand is ready to smash me
As I hear your sigh and living word.

CCLVII

"Unfortunate, oh, how weary I am! -

She said she raised her eyes. -
Why was I, stupid, born into the world,
Why is she alive? -and shed all the tears.-
Why didn’t she strangle herself that day,
On the day of the first meeting? Or I would die
How she put on Diana's veils:
A wild boar would tear me to pieces!"

CCLVIII {37}

He said to her: "Ah, do not languish in your soul.

I look - and my heart falls in my chest:
What are you afflicted with longing,
Seeing no comfort ahead
Considering your life so evil.
But don't expect worries from me:
Stronger than myself - I love you; with me
You be forever desired, alone.

CCLIX

And so that you freely trust

Such love as I said now
I'll tell you everything from the very beginning:
That's just four months old
Hunted without thinking
I'm here alone; I go without haste
Suddenly from the forest - human voices;
I went over to see who they were.

CCLX

By the waters I see a clearing

And the nymphs sitting, I see between them
Above all I am the mistress Diana,
And she, her servants,
Sternly teaches how decent dignity;
Then my gaze met the gaze of your eyes
And all your beauty arrow of love
Here I was amazed before you."
CCLXI

Then he told her how he hid

He stood and looked at her for a long time,
And how he yearned for her
And I could not saturate her eyes,
And with this sweet face, how captivated
(So saying, I wanted to kiss him),
And how, when the nymphs dispersed,
"Come on, Menzola!" - the words had an effect.

CCLXII

Told her tears and sighs,

Plentifully sown for her,
And all your languor and torment,
And how Venus gave for life
Obedient - in a sleepy charm
Hope is a strong word,
And how many times did he try to find her,
And he tried to tell her everything.

CCLXIII

Then - just her in solitude

He met - and rushed to run -
And he babbled a timid prayer -
How cruel it was not to listen.
And about the spear, which in a terrible moment
It stuck into an oak - otherwise it would not be avoided!
About the cry "Beware!", about how she disappeared
And she didn't tell me anymore, she didn't show up.

CCLXIV

Then about the offering to Venus,

About the answer she gave
How quickly he, completely surrendering to faith,
Transformed and dressed up
Appeared with a nymph similar to the full
And rushed to find a single trace,
That now fate judged him here.
"You know, like me, what happened next.

CCLXV

I told torment continuous,

What for you the soul endured.
And therefore, having accomplished evil violence,
I did only under the power of powerful forces:
Everything bad is alien to me before you.
But only Cupid, which tormented me so much
You, - the culprit and the reason for everything.
Forgive him! Madness is innocent."
CCLXVI

Menzola understood everything perfectly,

What did he say about his love?
And how she embraced him for the first time,
And the things that Cupid inspired him -
Here in her own heart burned,
And her deep sigh weary.
Cupid's arrow pierced the nymph's chest,
And I thought - here the betrayal happened!

CCLXVII

Said: "Ax, I firmly remember -

One of these days, one of them ran after me;
Was it you, was it different, I don't know
That so cruelly insulted me.
And to mark him - I approve! -
I turned around, anger tormented me,
I threw a spear at him with all my might,
But I see - everything hateful is running after me.

CCLXVIII

And I remember - when it would be otherwise! -

I look, a spear flies to fight him,
Somehow I was seized with pity,
I shout: "Watch out!" - and run away.
And the oak spear, I see, exposed
And everything went into him to the hilt.
I hid in the forest nearby, grieving.
Was it you? I don't recognize you.

CCLXIX

I don't remember any more days in my life

Since then, as dedicated to Diana,
To see my husband. If (in vain, I know!)
The gods were not destined for me
Meeting with you! No, I expect -
By Diana I will be banished
With apostates: I have outlived mine:
I will be killed by her merciless.

CCLXX

And you, O young man, will be the reason

Shameful execution, my death.
And though you are guilty, and I am innocent,
You will live right until the end of days.
My crook is calling as witnesses
Diana, and trees, and animals,
That I defended myself with all my strength
 And only violence got you.

CCLXXI

I, pure, innocent, by you

Deceived and lowly betrayed.
But interrupting his life with his hand,
Probably from this stain
I'll be free. And with earthly life
I, stupid, will only part, true,
Already you, satisfied, will live as before
And you won't remember poor me."

CCLXXII {38}

Embracing her, in impetuous sobs

Afriko said: "I'm crazy,
But I will leave you to suffer
One, my most tender love?
No, for love you give me a promise:
Your unfortunate thought will disappear,
Or lay your hands on me before,
So that for a moment I do not live with you apart.

CCLXXIII

Separation is now unthinkable

With you, dear." And kissed
Mouth and face - heavenly vision,
And wiped away the tears of lovely eyes,
And he said: "Indeed, the offspring
You are heavenly, "and caressed her curls,
And, standing up, he said: "Curls so golden
Never seen - and so beautifully clean.

CCLXXIV

Year, month, day and hour blessed {39},

The time, the place where it was created
Everything: this face, so wonderfully perfect,
And the body is full of wise harmony.
When did anyone search in the whole universe
And in the high skies - all the same -
Where the host of holy gods - and there is no dream
Beauty such as to compare with yours.

CCLXXV

You are the bright light of all good deeds,

Like a living source of beauty!
Filled with pure charms
You are the only center
All the virtues, the soul of high knowledge, -
And you show me the way from above!
You are sweet, tender, white - isn't that all
 Dignity dressed you with beauty?!

CCLXXVI

So how not to desire - by what force -

Taste such perfect beauty
How languid, in sweet thoughtfulness,
You, Menzola, are beyond compare, are you?
Evil and a hint run away from you, hateful,
Do not torment me, relieve me of the burden.
What is done can not be done -
So can I be separated from you?

CCLXXVIT

And do it, listening to my prayer,

Like a wise one, take from all parts
You are the best - and let the evil one disappear,
Rise up with a frightened soul
And hug me darling
As I love you, soul of my soul,
Kiss me with your sweetest lips.
Just wish, delights will be with us.

CCLXXVIII {40}

Cupid's power tirelessly knitted

Menzola's heart in a ball of speeches
Beloved, and quietly flew away
Her sadness; and it was clear to her
Why not be otherwise. And blazed
She is stronger than love for Africa -
All the nymph she loved in him, -
And now his words were captivated by power.

CCLXXIX

Just wanted to satisfy him

And wrapped her arms around her neck.
But she didn't dare kiss him yet.
Himself in such haste
I was also afraid to give in completely.
"Oh stupid," she said.
I'll give you an answer sooner or later
Diana, after checking everything, will ask menacingly?

CCLXXX

I will not dare with any nymph,

As before, swim in the stream
And, bound by my fate,
From each I will now be far away.
They will go and accuse me before her,
Finding out why I'm in an evil longing.
From now on I will live alone
 I'll forget what I was looking for.

CCLXXXI

Killing myself, I know sins

I can't get rid of anything, it's all the same;
And if you don't commit a crime,
That would not have been done by me.
And be of the opposite conviction,
I would not have been given until tomorrow
Survive: I am for such a sinful deed
Worthy would bring retribution,

CCLXXXII

But so are your good consolations

They suddenly transformed my whole thought,
They tied oaths,
That all my determination is proud
I forgot. But as for discussion,
To stay with me - I will not hide:
No way! I will force you to leave.
Here - sin for sin - and everything will come out.

CCLXXXIII

Why, of course, you would have been recognized

All the nymphs who saw you
On that day, and they would have torn to pieces,
Would kill if they knew who you were.
They would hardly believe you
That you are not familiar with any of them;
And I would say to everyone I met boldly,
That in our fight I, they say, defeated.

CCLXXXIV

Moreover, any communication

I will avoid as much as I can.
And, young man, do not reject prayers:
You have deprived me of irrevocable, -
Leave me. Carry my anguish
Give me one. The world won't be nice to me
But I will live - and I will calm my soul.
Oh, do it, I beg you with anguish!"

CCLXXXV

Of course, understood Africa perfectly

From these words, that with your own fire
Cupid made her blaze imperiously,
But a slight shame only puts on its own.
And, seeing everything as in the palm of your hand, it's clear
He said to himself: "We will not leave here,
 Until I talk with you,
And you will sing another song."

CCLXXXVI

Then he said to her in the midst of kisses:

"O sweet, sweet lips!
O beautiful face, all my desires
A single blooming dream!
You are a woman, one of all creatures,
What in my life, like a deity, is holy!
I, looking at you, resurrected my soul:
Taking the best, you neglect vanity!

CCLXXXVII

But is it possible, loving so passionately,

Can I bear the separation with you?
Alone - I'm dying all the time,
With you - lifted by a blissful fate
Above all desires sovereignly!
But Cupid knows what longing
My life languishes both days and nights,
When these eyes do not shine for her!

CCLXXXVIII

But let's say I could leave

As you command, then should I demolish,
What a lonely thought to languish
Are you condemned by my fault?
And our meeting will not return!
So my life, completely unhappy,
Each moment will fill with such suffering,
That death will be my only desire.

CCLXXXIX

But if you don't want me to be with you

Stayed here, could you go
It's not far to my house with me.
And with my mother you used to live there,
And she would call you dear,
As a sweet daughter, take care,
And so would the father. Our hut
With a daughter-in-law, the cup would be full."

SSHS {41}

"No, I shouldn't do that for anything, -

Menzola said. - go with you
To your house! No, my sin is hard to expiate
Humble, penitent prayer,
I will collapse, such a sinner.
And before my death comes for me,
 Than I will show myself to people in the light of God,
The wreath is light and handsome.

CCXCI

With that, I went after Diana boldly,

To return to the world at any cost.
Whenever I wanted to sit at the spinning wheel
With a mother or a husband's wife,
Far {42} would take such a thing
From the path that my father opened to me,
Who loved me deeply. Cover
Dianino saved me for five years.

CCXCII

And so I pray - is prayer in vain? -

Because of the love you talked about
What made you commit a crime
So that you hurry home alone now.
I swear to you by the goddess, whose command,
Whose shot, you say, hit you:
Your love will be my thirst for life,
I will love you with every thought."

CCXCIII

"Do not be in me," he answered, "doubt,

That your vow will be fulfilled exactly,
That you will give me all the beating hearts, -
I would drive suspicion away.
But worse than all insults, grief, -
And I'm afraid: nothing can help;
Since you are in the forest, alone - so forever
And I'm alone. I'm scared to no end."

CCXCIV {43}

She replied: "To come to you

I will be very often to us
Talk together, see each other closely
Favorably - at least for whole days,
And trust me, words will I hold on to
And wait for you - will you come only yourself?
'Cause you already tied me up, I confess
I'm in love. I seem to fall in love"

CCXCV

Startled with joy

Instantly African, hearing such a speech:
All thoughts system in it immediately turned,
Cupid managed to light a fire in it.
He touched the devil with angelic kisses,
Hastened to draw her into his arms,
 Said: "Listen to my words
And be ready to stay here alone.

CCXCVI

I'm waiting, bow down, oh young rose,

Before parting to the mercy of one.
You know how, wanting you alone,
Skillfully I refined my mind,
To take possession of you, golden star,
Now you tell me to part with you.
And so I pray: according to my inclination
With me for a moment indulge in rapture,

CCXCVII

I’ll be more content then I’ll go away,

Since this is your will now.
Oh, let me touch you again -
Let's enjoy together - you and me.
And tomorrow I'll come back to you -
To see you again, my love:
You alone have all my delights.
Let it - and life will be filled with joy.

CCXCVIII {44}

"What else do you want from the unfortunate, -

Menzola said, for what
Delight with the destitute fuss?
You were happy. Please give me peace
Leave - and by doing so you will only strengthen yourself.
And I will wait for you with longing.
Look, it's late, soon the sun will sink
And someone will pass here together."

CCXCIX {45}

"You know well what kind of

Until now, with you, delight to me,
And what happened between us both
And how much bitterness was at the bottom, -
So did the heart beat with complete happiness?
Now we are both completely calm -
We will have unpoisoned consolation
And the ardor is fuller, and sweeter than delight.

CCC {46}

"Ah, do not wish me, beautiful young man,

So that the worst after evil does evil.
After all, if you found me agreeing,
My suffering would only increase -
Just break out Diana's terrible anger.
Despair filled my soul.
I beg, as a gift, go away. My
Sadness will not be less than yours."
 CCCI {47}

"My soul, sorrow is not bitter,

Than from all that we have done,
You will receive. 'Cause it's a crime
It remains so dark for Diana,
As for everyone. And you not for a moment
You won't get hurt. We are now given
Do everything in secret. Who will offend us?
After all, if anyone, then God alone will see.

CCCII

And know for sure: having gone into the deaf distance,
Not gifted kindly by you,
I will die soon of great sadness.
Oh, have some pity on me!"
And once, and twice her lips kissed,
Whispering: "Kiss me, my spring flower!
Trust me; be joyful and clear
Don't let me die of unhappy love!"

CCC III

With many temptations and prayers

Before Menzola here Afriko drooped -
A hundred times more than our calculations;
So greedily kissed the lips and face,
That many times, and all selflessly,
A piercing cry answered him.
I eat my chin, neck, kissing my chest,
He imagined - the field violet breathes.

CCCIV {48}

Which tower stood firm

Here on earth to, shocked
Such pressures, did not stagger
And, proud, would she not fall?
Who would, a woman with a heart, remain firm,
Protected by his steel armor,
Kisses and seductions are not available,
What would move the mountains together?

CCCV

But was Menzola's heart of steel

Hesitating and struggling with extreme strength?
Cupid's strength triumphed
He took her, tied her up - and won.
At first, the delicate taste in her offended
Some resentment; but cute is cute;
Then I remembered that it had become tormented
Desire tender and pleasure.
CCCVI

And so the girl was a simple soul,

That did not expect anything else
Possible: she has nowhere to enlighten,
Like human nature
A person is born and created:
I heard in passing - nothing more;
Didn't know that the two were connected
Conceals a living third birth.

CCCVII

Kissing, she said: "My friend is priceless,

Some domineering gentle fate
I am drawn to surrender to you without fail
And seek no protection
Against you. I surrender to you - and a prisoner
There are no forces in front of you
Resist Cupid: abraded
You hurt me deep in my heart,

CCCVIII

And I will fulfill all your desires

Whatever you want, you can do with me:
I have lost the strength to rise
Before Cupid and your prayer;
But I only pray - show compassion,
Then go quickly to your home:
I'm afraid I'll still be open here
My girlfriends - and killed."

CCCIX

The spirit of Africa here joy seized

At the sight of how pleasant it is in her soul;
Kissing her, how much strength was
He knew the measure in his soul alone.
Nature convinced them to cunning -
Take off your clothes as soon as possible.
It seemed that the two had only one body:
Nature told them so.

SSSH

Kissing and biting each other

Mouth to mouth, and tightly embraced.
"My soul!" - they babbled to each other.
Water! Water! Fire! Stop!
Grind millstones {49} - do not get tired,
And both prostrated themselves, lay down.
"Stop! Alas, alas, alas!
Let me die! Help, gods, you!"
SSCXI

The water is ripe, the flame is extinguished,

The millstones fell silent - it's time to come.
With Jupiter, the gods helped,
That Menzola conceived from her husband
baby boy; which is in full force
And he grew in valor - to do things;
Everything in its turn - so about the story
We will give a good memory.

CCCXII {50}

So the whole day is almost gone

The edge of only the sun, prominent, blazed,
When everyone inhaled the delight,
Having done everything, he found what he wanted;
Then Africa was about to leave,
As he himself decided, but his soul was sick;
And, hugging Menzola with his arms,
He spoke, the loving face of the kiss:

CCCXIII

"Be damned, oh night, with your darkness,

Envy of the delight of the two of us!
After all, I am forced by you so early
Leave noble! What
I waited for bliss - and they are deprived of fate!
And many other lengthy speeches
In deep suffering poured out:
Separation is worse than death seemed.

CCCXIV {51}

Menzola stood, sweet, bashful,

Downcast, as if sinful,
Although she was no longer so alive,
As for the first time, saddened by melancholy.
Loose, though alien to impulse,
She was already happier.
She was still afraid of deceit
Involuntarily, she spoke:

CCCXV

"What else can you do - I don't know;

Don't leave - what's the excuse now?
My love, I beg you,
You are fully satisfied -
You should leave I guess
Don't hesitate a minute here with me.
Because only if you leave, my love,
I can stay here unscathed.
CCCXVI

And only a leaf, I hear, moves,

I feel the steps of my friends.
So let you not be sad in separation:
After all, I will save the dashing from misfortunes.
Even before parting, the heart beats painfully.
I'm ready, and the fear in me subsided,
And the night is close, and we go far
Both to be at home before the deadline.

CCCXVII

But young man tell me your name

And let it stay with me
I have a load of love with their burdens
It will be easier with him than alone."
"My soul," he answered, "what
I can live with strength, saying goodbye to you?
And he called himself to her - and kissed
They were countless, tenderly pardoned.

CCCXVIII

Lovers ready to part

Already said goodbye so many times
They couldn't kiss in any way -
A thousand chapters I used to tell about that story.
But this is familiar to everyone, it may turn out,
Who enjoyed it at least once,
Who knows how much unspeakable torment
In the delight that is doomed to separation.

CCCXIX

Countless kisses did not know how

They appease. They will go with their hearts together
But a step - and again back to the desired goal -
To kiss the blush of a sweet face.
"My soul! Farewell! Why? Really?" -
They babbled to each other endlessly
Sighing, and did not dare to part,
They converged again, and went, and returned.

SSAA

But seeing that it is already impossible

There is no way to delay a breakup
Greedy hands weaved into the arms,
Each other, passionate, squeezing so
That they would not be torn apart by force:
Love didn't back down.
And for a long time the statue stood like that -
Lovers in love in fusion.
CCCXXI

But at last they parted

Dear hand shook hands
For a moment they stared at each other,
They came to their senses, came to their senses a little.
And now they, sad, said goodbye,
Although the separation was so hard.
"Be, Menzola, kept by a higher power!" -
"Here with you, my Africo, my dear!"

CCCXXII {52}

Africo's path to the valley guides,

And to the mountains of Menzola with a spear in hand,
Thinking and taking a deep breath
About the misfortune that came true in anguish.
And his gaze accompanies her,
Admiring her, not far away.
What a step, then Africa will turn around,
Don't look at the invisible.

SSAAIII

Walked Menzola, looking around all the time,

Admiring the beloved beyond strength,
Turning to the one who broke her heart,
That, like no one else, she is desirable and sweet.
With movements and signs saying goodbye,
So a friend spent far away,
Until they got out of the woods
And a veil separated them.

CCCXXIV

Our African rushed to that place,

Where in the morning he hid his clothes;
Came - did not rest, hurried,
Dressed himself in a man's dress.
Then the cheerful returned home
And there he put a woman's outfit
Hurry to the place so they don't come
Father and mother and dresses were not enough.

CCCXXV

And though Alimen remained

And Girafone in sadness is not joking,
All looking at the road invariably:
Is the child coming home? -
But, as they saw: it goes - instantly
Comforted, having found your peace,
And the questions began: where did you wander?
Why didn't you come home for so long?
CCCXXVI

To hide the love languor,

Africo justified and lied:
Although the boil subsided in the chest of resin,
He burned deeper than ever.
With a pea it seemed a fabrication,
And he began to speak to himself:
"When the day comes to replace the night,
And I will return to kiss my lips and eyes?",

CCCXXVII

So everything in the soul silently remembering

Details of what happened during the day
And this delights the soul a lot,
Everything they did together
He repeated in his mind. But the darkness of the night
Already orders to sleep; he is away - almost running,
Even though I can't close my eyes for a moment,
All night in the power of the same thoughts dear.

CCCXXVIII {53}

Let's go back to Menzola, from the valley

One walked in thought, sometimes
Considering himself still in the evil of an innocent,
Everyone repented, she and forehead hand
Squeezing, I thought: "Such a fate
I'm smitten and my shame is
What, death, come to me, I beg you,
And then I will kill myself, grieving."

CCCXXIX

So passed the mountain peak,

Went down the slope, there just
Where the sun reflected at sunrise
Your first beam and where is the last one extinguished.
And here, as I believe, lay
Her cave, so - to say by eye -
On a bow shot, and rolled down below
A cheerful brook murmured and frolicked.

SSXXX

And she went to her cave,

I went into it with deep thought.
Suffering and loss arose again.
“Oh, woe to me!” she said.
Why, beautiful, at least
I did not die by the stream that day
Before Diana or on the ill-fated day,
How beautiful a young man appeared to me!
CCCXXXI

I don't know, stupid, how to appear

Again to Diana me? With what face?
How to turn around? And what do you decide?
I burn with fear and shame,
And everything in me seems to freeze,
Breath in the throat is compressed
And from sadness, and from terrible pain,
A languishing heart, compressed in captivity.

CCCXXXII

Come, O death, to the unfortunate deprived,

Come to this worldly sinner,
Come to her, born in the unfortunate hour!
Don't delay! What if not you
I will be happy with honor desecrated
Maiden? My heart voice
He says that if you do not come soon,
I will come to meet you - from shame.

CCCXXXIII

Alas, girlfriends, do you think

That I left your circle?
Alas, the girlfriends who loved me
So sincere, while I bloomed
Innocence - now you would kill,
Like a wild beast, a fiend of evil,
That forever ruined its purity
And all our laws have been broken!

CCCXXXIV

You are free to name me,

O Callisto {54}, who, like me, was
Once a nymph, after an evil fate
Diana's arrow pierced you.
Zeus deceived you and you are alive
The bear took on a ferocious look,
Wandering in the forests, fled from hunting
She didn't speak, she growled.

CCCXXXV

Diana's friend, the nymph Challa!

Munion abused you
Diana did not stop vilifying,
Pierced with a young man with one arrow!
And you became a stream, and murmured
Wave Mugnone under your wave.
From now on, I will be accepted into your circle!
 My infamy - this day is cursed!

CCCXXXVI

And then it seems to me - Diana's body

I was splashed by a fast river,
That - she dressed my back with the skin of the beast,
Then the feathers of a bird covered my camp,
That - a tree - I rustled with foliage
And she lost her former human form.
I am no longer worthy to wear a spear
And a nymph to hunt at will.

CCCXXXVII

My father, my mother! You sisters and brothers!

When, dedicating me to Diana,
Sacred you put on dresses for me,
There was, I remember, your firm call,
To swear to Diana to read I
And everyone who is with her. And, seeing off to the mountains,
Left - not so that I sinned,
But to keep virginity forever.

CCCXXXVIII

Do not think that I trampled on loyalty

Saint Diana, that deaf longing
The soul is full; don't know at all
What pain has changed my peace.
And they would know - how pity would run
Native hearts! And with jealousy
You would have killed me, an apostate -
And they would do a good deed!"

CCCXXXIX

So strong were the torments and sobs

Unfortunate Menzola, so heavy was
A cruel cry of immeasurable suffering,
What is not in the verses of my required strength
express and name them
At least a hundredth of them. That cry, sad,
I would touch trees or stones, -
Such power in the word is not given to me.

CCCXL

And in these lamentations and sobbing

The whole night has passed. But just soared
A magnificent day in beauty, in radiance -
Her eyes were heavy with tears
And, all night sleepless, consciousness
Stopped her breathing,
 She fell asleep, shedding all her tears,
Resting from severe suffering.

CCCXLI {55}

And Africa, blazing with the fire of love

As never before, I did not find peace;
And just saw - the night is leaving, melting,
Almost sleepless, he got up. gone
He is uphill {56}, hurrying straight to the place,
Where I spent the day before with Menzola
The sweetest day and joy and passion,
What was then a hard evil misfortune.

CCCXLII

Here he would find Menzola, of course;

But, not finding it, he said to himself: "Well, here
It's too early." I began to wait nonchalantly,
To him when she comes,
Stopped here. Thought it wasn't infinite
That expectation. Will gather for wreaths
He is colorful. Here he quietly wanders
Finds large, small flowers.

CCCXLIII

One weaving, he puts on himself

Blonde on curls. Then another
Weaving from luxurious flowers begins,
Between them branches with great dexterity
Trees of fragrant, tender braids,
Having said: "With the same hand
I will encircle her golden head
When he comes, and after a kiss.

CCCXLIV

So Menzola was waiting for his

In vain he: she was still sleeping;
Picking flowers, the boy had fun -
And the boredom of expectation did not gnaw,
He often rushed to the forest with his eyes -
Back and forth: just about, she came;
Looks and listens; the leaf will stir
On the bush - I remember Menzola.

CCCXXLV

But more than three hours have passed like this,

And Menzola was nowhere to be seen.
He waited so long that the sun was already blazing
So furious it's hard to breathe
It was from the heat, and it was not at all
Flowers, wreaths did not entertain,
 He yearned, he was afraid of horrors
And his eyes darted around in fear.

CCCXLVI

And he began: "Alas! - crying in his soul. -

What could this mean? There is none!"
And, thinking strange thoughts,
I wanted to calm my confusion.
Accidents were born in the thoughts of a flock -
Every life is plentiful with them, -
And longing for any such reason,
In his mind, he built all sorts of pictures.

CCCXLVII

The hour was approaching evening. Approached

The mist of dusk, and the day was fading,
But Menzola never came.
Afriko was tormented and grieved,
Confused; my heart was dim,
When, deciding to leave, he said
He is sad: "Perhaps we met
Girlfriends on the road, attached -

CCCXLVIII

Yes, maybe they kept her,

And, therefore, it would be useless for me to wait for her.
And I see - the stars of the night twinkled,
And the path is still far away for me to keep.
And in this more often strange sadness
And the expectations are ridiculous - again
I'll be back here tomorrow at dawn."
And he went to the hill in this decision.

CCCXLIX {57}

Menzola woke up at nine o'clock,

Filled with suffering and sorrow.
In her mind, filled with doubts,
A thought arose, one more terrible than the other.
She rushed about, as in a cursed circle,
And just the thought did not come to her
About the promise made the day before
Again to Africa to return on a date.

CCCL

But so remorse and regret

They owned it, which helped to solve:
By agreement - morning approach
To meet together - and not to walk at all;
But with all my heart, in everything - in any movement
Try to hide your great sin,
 So when Diana comes back again,
Suspicion does not stir in her.

CCCLI

But still I could not from the memory of my heart

Disappear African; to him she
What a moment - then clings, love is endless
And full of secret desires.
But Diana's eternal fear dominated her,
What, enslaved by a timid thought,
I no longer dared to sneak there,
Where is Afriko or where he could get caught.

CCCLII

So the day passed, yet, again and again,

A week has passed, a month has passed
How Africa did not see dear
Beloved faces. He lived and suffered.
And everything attracted him - he did not know otherwise -
All to the forest, where he kissed Menzola,
And all looking for her, wandering
And imagining miracles about her.

CCCLIII

But she did not appear to ease the languor.

So Fortune took pity on him,
Buying so far for pleasure {58}, -
Seeing how pale he is, how we languish,
She showed mercy to the sufferer:
After all, he needs rest,
And he wanders, talking to himself,
Not knowing a moment of peace.

CCCLIV

And so, when the second month already lasted,

Like, Menzola not see condemned,
He would have languished in great suffering,
Yes, he was already brought to the limit -
It seemed as if he had turned into a beast
With all appearance, voice, silence, he,
And the curly head grew dim,
And everything was silent, as if dumb, -

CCCLV

And once, as usual, the herd

In a long-familiar place under the mountain,
And then it entered into his mind that he needed
Go to the place where a long time ago
Menzola-joy swore to him
 Return to him. Threw an arrow
Leaving a large herd without protection,
With one spear, one to his desired.

CCCLVI

And coming to the waters in that valley,

Where Menzola mastered his,
I looked around and, standing in the middle,
"O Menzola," he dared to say to himself, "
I don't believe you're a destroyer now
A vow that I rang with an oath
Sacred here to me to return?
After all, God, I'll have to be deceived.

CCCLVII

Do I remember how we hugged here,

Merged into one plexus of greedy hands;
I swore to return, and touched my eyes
Mouth - and lied vain oath sound,
And then - not forever eh we parted?
Between us is the distance of the bitterest parting.
Will I remind you what assurances
You squandered, alien to doubt?"

CCCLVIII

Let me retell all the groans, sighs,

What did Afriko, sobbing, publish?
And, averting unbearable torments,
Moment after moment, revolving, rose, -
Little love memories
Both good and evil. He suffered
Hour by hour more unbearable and harder -
And he really put an end to it.

CCCLIX

And he stopped over the water,

The spear in his hand is gleaming
And set the point before him,
And the shaft to the ground. "Evil Cupid!" - said. -
To what fate have I been brought by you!
Here I am dying, the terrible hour has come!
And yet let my moment be the last blowjob,
When all hope is gone.

CCCLX

Oh my father, oh mother, save you, God!

I'm going to Hades, to a gloomy land.
And you, river, call me similar
And my end is a painful one,
 What is not more painful and stricter!
And remind the eyes of all living
Wave, stained with my blood,
That I fell here, smitten with love.

CCCLXI

Having said this and calling to Menzola,

He pierced his chest with steel,
And, that heart painfully piercing,
He was struck down, the young man died.
And the river wave took the dead,
And the spirit soared freely from the body,
And the waters that rolled down the valley
They were brightly stained with thick blood.

CCCLXII {59}

That river - just as it is now - was divided

Down two different channels.
The narrower one, there the wave rolled,
Where was the hut of the deceased, -
Blood wave. And so it happened
Girafone was here, how it flowed
Water is like blood. The running current squeezed the heart
A premonition of a great misfortune to come {60}.

CCCLXIII

And so he went there, without saying a word,

Where was the herd, how could he think.
No Afriko, strain your strength again,
He went down the river with all his feet
Search where the stern started
Ominously blood-stained current,
And why, and who is the reason, -
And he approached, and behold, he saw his son.

CCCLXIV

He looked - he lies in the river lifeless,

A spear passed through the young breast, -
Almost falling, the old man in unexpected anguish
Suddenly I realized my bitter grief.
I took him by the hand and with unspeakable
Sadly he said: “Whose business is it? Whose?
My son! Who is this evil wound
Inflicted on you and took away your living life?"

CCCLXV

The unfortunate father carried the corpse out of the water

And laid, sobbing, on the grass,
And he cursed this terrible day:
"Son beloved, how will I survive?
 How does the mother know: the clear falcon has perished,
Not to see him again in reality? ..
What should we do, the wretched, in a bitter share?
We are alone - as long as ... "

CCCLXVI

And took out the hammered spear from the heart,

And he looked longingly at the iron.
"My son, who with fury anger threw
Him in you, with such ferocity,
That my red day has already passed forever? -
He spoke, sobbing. - Where is peace?
Surely, Diana has an evil sting here.
She, insatiable, does not have enough of our blood."

CCCLXVII

But now, looking around tirelessly

A spear from all sides, he recognized in it
The, that under son was constantly.
Here, without seeing the light, he sobbed:
"Oh, what is this strange wild case?
My son is stupid, poor! - he said. -
Did you yourself come to him by an evil fate,
Has anyone dealt with you with your spear?"

CCCLXVIII

Then, crying long and dejectedly,

He lifted his son on his shoulders
And with that spear that was so shameful.
He took him home, to his native hut.
And mother told everything as it was,
Weeping all the time, about the dashing fate,
And, showing a spear, he did not pass,
How he pulled it out of his son's chest.

CCCLXIX

And did the mother cry inconsolably here,

No one needs words about this
And I would not retell, of course,
And a cry, and a cry, and a late vain call,
And how she, suffering in the pitch darkness,
She cursed Fortune and the gods themselves,
Face to face of her son snuggled
And in agony, and sobs tore herself.

CCCLXX

But finally, how to honor the dead strict

Custom commanded that time,
So the body, after much tearful grief,
 That gave birth to weeping, and a hard cry, and howl,
Burned, weeping with anguish and anxiety,
With great, inconsolable longing,
As those who in this life knew the good
The only thing is that they lost him.

CCCLXXI

And after the ashes were collected

The bones of the sons and went to the river,
Where all the crimson waters ran
And they bloomed with the blood of a dear son.
They dug up the land near the shore
And the ashes were buried deep in it,
So that his name does not go out there,
But the river marked forever.

CCCLXXII

Since now, people have become a river

Call Afriko by name: {61}
And there they were in anguish and grief
Suffering father, martyr mother.
So Afriko ended his life in sorrow.
About a sweet memory - to save the river.
Let's leave them and come back again
We are to Menzola, I will continue the word about her.

CCCLXXIII {62}

Meanwhile Menzola suffered

And sad, and thoughtfully lived.
But still, realizing that it is not at all easier
Everything that happened, I could not, -
In adversity, I gained patience
And, as it used to be, it began again,
At least occasionally, meet with friends
And, albeit against the will, revive.

CCCLXXIV

And she had to meet more than once

Those nymphs that were with her when she
Got Africa. Everything that happened
And all the others already knew in full, -
Not about sin, of course: it was said
About how honor was successfully saved.
And Menzola, knowing how to be hypocritical,
Made me believe in my salvation.

CCCLXXV

And every day became calmer

And harder than Menzol, I'm convinced
That all respect was preserved for her
 Her friends who thought that she
Like them, she has not lost her honor,
And the lies of those who believed in full,
So it seemed to her that Diana
It will not reveal sin, nor deceit.

CCCLXXVI

Doesn't mean she banished

From the heart of Africa, or so that she could
To forget the former delights is nothing;
Ile so as not to call him softly,
When it's not scary, or didn't sigh
By there often, affectionately sweet;
In love, love frightened her, -
She hid the fire deep in her heart.

CCCLXXVII

And, as always, I have already decided to wander

She is with her friends, with a spear in her hand,
Hunting. Here in that place I found myself
Where Afriko surrendered. And in the distance
Admiring, sighed, touched,
Slightly audible saying in sweet anguish:
"My African, with all the joy of the earth
You got drunk here, having mastered me!

CCCLXXVIII

Now I don't know what's wrong with you

But I think you yearn for me
Deep. Just not my fault
Fear keeps me from thinking about fire."
So saying, I wished with all my heart,
So that Africa was completely satisfied,
Now confident already in advance,
That everything here is a secret - to the nymphs and Diana,

CCCLXXIX {63}

So Menzola loved and did not dare

To love - and lived in bondage,
The most beautiful face turned a little pale,
Then, that in the bosom quietly bloomed
The fruit of love and they weighed down.
Three months in ignorance was
What to be her mother, in great pain
Having given birth to a son - and do not waste your time.

CCCLXXX

Nature meanwhile made its move,

And in the fourth month, I hear
The life of the creature began to be clear,
 which she carried within herself.
All this is a lot of concern,
Menzola marveled, amazed,
That the camp and hips are clearly plumper,
And so they got stronger and heavier.

CCCLXXXI

And Menzola, not knowing what was the matter,

I was very surprised by everything -
After all, she never had a son,
No daughter; and she thought;
"Or is it for worse that he loses his body
Hourly harmony? That's right, I'm sick
And every day I get hard, -
Would fall at least limply, in fact!

CCCLXXXII

Near Menzola - along the coast with half a mile -

At that time a nymph lived
(Her dwelling was concealed by the thickets),
In healing, she was reputed to be knowledgeable
Above all and knew in full force
The wisdom of science is without number.
And she was considered more than a hundred years old,
And the nymph was called Sinedekchia.

CCCLXXXIII

Menzola the simple ran to her

And she said: "O mother, your advice to me
Necessary." And she immediately said,
What he feels and how he is afraid of troubles.
She shook her drooping head,
Confused, and said in response:
"You, my daughter, have sinned with a man,
And I can't let it be a secret."

CCCLXXXIV

Here Menzola blushed all over,

Hearing such speeches, with shame;
And, seeing that such a thing cannot be hidden,
Looked down, shy; and proud
I wanted to be offended - I did not dare,
I saw that it was not a blow job
In the eyes of the one who already knew everything,
And silently, and without looking, she sobbed.

CCCLXXXV

And Sinedecchia was immediately convinced

From these tears and pure shame
 That everything happened not of good will,
What is not a crime, but a misfortune.
And the poor girl obeyed.
She softened somewhat then
And to encourage the girl a little,
She spoke slowly and sternly.

CCCLXXXVI

"Here is a sin, my daughter, such,

That do not dream of hiding it for a long time.
And since you did great evil,
It should not be a triumph of pride
You were told: this is all empty;
In fact, you died because of it.
Let's try to help; tell me who
I stole your pure color, dearer than all?

CCCLXXXVII

But Menzola did not utter a word,

And she bowed her head in shame
She hid her face in the knees of Sinedekchia,
Hearing one question.
And instead of eyes there were only two streams,
filled with abundant water,
And so continuously she sobbed,
Silent and didn't answer.

CCCLXXXVIII

But in the speech of Sinedecchia it was suddenly revealed

She's all - and through sobs and groans
Briefly, almost audibly, she confessed:
How young men are deceived,
How it started and how it happened
How he took possession of her with violence.
And after all desperately sobbed
In the fire of shame and death, everything called out.

CCCLXXXIX

The old nymph, hearing how everything was,

What a thin weaving network
She was drawn into deceit by a hateful youngster,
Unfortunate could not help but regret.
And she scolded her a little
For a miss, so that she does not suffer again
From gullibility, so as not to sin,
Don't let yourself be fooled again.

SSHS

And managed to encourage her so much,

 That Menzola stopped crying;
She promised her daughter entirely
Consider her, help her in everything;
wanted to warn in advance
And she began to speak like this:
"Listen, daughter, my speech is sensible,
Delve into everything from word to word.

CCCXCI

From the day you first sinned

As the full nine months go by,
You will give birth to a child. And to make it easier
Call to Lucina {64} in the first place,
Pray to her, strength will help you
Most Merciful Goddess. And so,
When the child is born, we will judge
And then we will do everything for the good.

CCCXCII

Don't think about it,

Give me. Already in my heart
Considered in detail all the worries
Following the birth, I know about everything.
And you see that there is no hunting
Get out of here, so about your
Sin in any way, would not have known anywhere
And the worst will not make you sad.

CCCXCIII

No, stay alone in the cave

Put on wide clothes
Without a belt, and so at least
Protect your sins from the eyes.
And in silence, calmness and faith
Spend the meek days wisely,
And often come to me: you
I will teach you how to take care of yourself."

CCCXCIV

Such speeches were encouraging

For girl. "O mother," she replied,
They rushed me to a safe harbor
My sin, my madness is a sea of troubles,
And I see clearly and in full force,
What is in your help - goodness and light -
And to her, and to you, I surrender heartily,
No other support forever."

CCCXCV
 "Now go. What time I promised, -
Said Sinedekchia, - then follow me.
And don't think about anything
Tai is only a strong involuntary sin.
And she irrigated her cheeks with tears,
"I'll do it," she said, went home,
I came along the shortest path, as before,
A little fortified in hope.

CCCXCVI

And there she lived thoughtfully, suffered

And did not go, as always, around
And only with myself in my mind I imagined
All African with a beaming face,
And since in a full body it increased
All the time, all the time, every day,
She wore all her clothes without a belt
And often visited Sinedekchia.

CCCXCVII

And the heart began to grow so powerfully

For an unborn being
Love for Africa, so passionate,
That I wouldn't want anything anymore
How to be only inseparable from him all the time
On that terrible day - his fall.
For him, she lamented all the time,
She called him, shed tears.

CCCXCVIII

And in that thought more than once she went

To the place where it was desecrated
There Africa to catch all the time imagined
She wanted to go home with him.
But I did not dare - I was somehow ashamed -
Appear alone
To his hut; and still getting closer
Been there many times and have returned again.

CCCXCIX

But in vain she tried to find him:

She did not know that he despaired of her,
And her body is so plump,
The baby has become so heavy
That for walking had no strength.
And now - everyone is at their cave,
No longer looking anywhere, she stood:
Here it comes - all expected.

CD
 And so fate favored her:
To the place where she once belonged
Accepted sin, did not go there
All this time, not a single nymph, -
And then there were a lot of them around;
How would she surprise them with herself -
With a thin face from grief and care,
Forgetting recent hunts!

CDI

Meanwhile - what she often did -

In Fiesole, Diana arrived -
And joy in the mountains then live
The news of her return spread,
The nymphs met the dear guest,
The crowd gathered, cheerful,
A lot of people came to the festival
From near places and far from everywhere.

CDII

I learned everything and Menzola without a word,

I did not want to appear in front of her,
In order not to be taken harshly by her,
And I thought: "I'll go - my troubles
I will not hide, I'm not ready for this,
And the torment will be for me, all the torments are more
painful.
And Sinedekchia also responded,
So that she doesn’t go, but hides herself.

CDIII

Just one of these days happened:

In her cave, Menzola was -
I was exhausted with great pain in my body.
The goddess of childbirth loudly called -
And then the baby - the son - was resolved.
Lupine raised him from the ground
On the neck to her - an advertisement: "It has also happened
Great event," and disappeared.

CDIV

No matter how immeasurable that suffering was,

What Menzola experienced - for the first time
She was tired of such a share, -
I only looked: this was born
A beautiful boy that forgot all the pain"
A shirt with a diligent hand
I put it on him, nourished it with my breast
And that day I kissed without counting.
CDV

The child was so sweet with pure beauty,

So white that I would admire endlessly, -
With a curly golden head;
And so in everything he reminded his father:
His eyelashes, his radiant look
And the most outline of a gentle face -
All in Africa! For the similarity is alive
To Menzola, he was twice as nice.

CDVI

And she burned with such tenderness for him,

I could not take my eyes off admiring it.
I didn’t want to carry to Sinedekchia,
So as not to alienate him from himself;
It seemed to her, as she looked at him,
What Africa sees. And play with him
Tried to catch his tricks
And stroked her head.

CDVII {66}

Diana asked about Menzola

More than once her girlfriends. Where's she?
The answer of the nearest was that it had not been
For a long time in the mountains with them, which is not visible
Nowhere, as if, where she always walked.
Others said they were sick
She must be because with others
She did not come to her with her friends,

CDVIII

And once to find her settled down

Diana - the nymph was sweet to her -
And in the company of three nymphs, she set off there,
Where did the poor find shelter?
She immediately came to the cave
And ahead of the others entered there
Confident; but there is none. And steel
Her friends called her, the three of them shouted.

CDIX

She's nearby here, in the valley,

With her baby she came to the river,
Playing in the warmth, rejoicing in the son;
Suddenly he hears voices in the distance
They call, so loudly, clearly, in Latin.
Wondering, looking - Diana is light
And friends with her. Hurry up from above
But they still don't notice her.
CDX

So Menzola was then stunned

The appearance of Diana, which is silent,
All, all trembling with fear, covered
A child in a thick thorn bush,
Leaving one; what strength was
I took it - where my eyes look, run,
Secretly, secretly went down the bank,
Line, line inaudibly rushed.

CDXI

But she could not hide, no matter how she ran:

Dianin's gaze overtook the fugitive,
And then she heard the baby,
He wept and yelled piercingly {67};
Then Diana said to her,
And a loud voice roared menacingly:
"In vain, Menzola, you're bothering to leave!
After all, I want to - you can’t jump over the stream.

CDXII

I'll shoot here. Can't hide from my arrows

At least, a simpleton sinner, you dared!
But Menzola can't stop -
Everything ran along the slope as best she could, -
Here at the stream, here it seeks to swim across
Him soon. Diana advertised here
Such a word - and ordered the river,
So that she would not dare to let Menzola out.

CDXIII

The unfortunate one has already plunged into the water,

Suddenly feels that the legs do not go -
And so, as Diana decided,
Menzola became the water here {68}.
And forever connected with the river
That name - and they call her around
Everywhere that river Menzola is still {69}.
I told you why.

CDXIV {70}

The nymphs who were with Diana saw,

How Menzola turned into water
And now the spacious river flows down,
With former love for a young maiden
They cried, weeping for the sister named:
"Oh, what sin has ruled your destiny,
What, poor, unfortunate friend,
Are you running water, wave after wave, in the middle of the
meadow?
CDXV

Diana answered them: so as not to sob,

That the punishment was severely deserved;
That they themselves saw her sin,
The boy betrayed the sin of his girlfriend to them by crying.
Then she ordered that the child be taken
From the prickly blackthorn in the meadow.
Then the nymphs hurried to push the bush,
Take the child in your arms, take it out.

CDXVI

And the nymphs from the baby in admiration,

vying with adorable caress
And they took comfort in one decision -
Keep him in the mountains with you,
But to ask permission is shy.
Diana did not hesitate to take it
And ordered to carry to Sinedekchia
And, having gone on the road with them, she got down to
business.

CDXVII

Coming to Sinedekchia, she explained,

How did you find this baby?
Where Menzola put in a bush
And she wanted to hide the sin - she could not.
"She imagined leaving through the valley,
Yes, after that she did not live long:
The river forcibly held her,
She herself became water by our will."

CDXVIII

And tears at Dian's broadcast

The old nymph lila with pity,
All - to Menzola unfortunate compassion,
She took the baby in her arms
And she said to Diana: "O radiance,
Oh our sun! I was alone
Known for sin; I obeyed
And she completely obeyed me."

CDXIX

Then Diana told everything,

How Menzola Was Corrupted:
And where, and how not by good will fell,
And she is deceived by the youth.
"Goddess, I swear by faith," she said,
'Cause I've always been faithful to you
 Without me, she would have killed herself.
Trust me, I just didn't.

CDXX

But since you turned it into water,

Please at least let me go
With me a boy. Give me freedom
Take it to the distant valleys
To the people living there from time immemorial,
To husbands and wives: I will remember the ways.
I'll give it to them, they'll love it
And it’s better to raise us and cherish us.”

CDXXI

Diana, having heard such a word,

How Menzola was desecrated
B cruelty, ready to repent
To the darling that she was sweet,
But that all deeds of such
They were afraid, they took on a look of distrust,
Having told Sinedekchie that it was arranged
The baby will be the way he deserves.

CDXXII

And leaving with all my retinue,

She gave the baby to Sinedekchie.
And the one when the guest is eminent
It was not visible, I went straight with him
To the hill, from the hill - to the edge, for her
open,
Where did Menzola the child get:
She knew the whole coast here very well -
She lived in the mountains for a long time.

CDXXIII

She had already heard from Menzola

What was the name of the one who seduced the girl.
And then I learned from her
Which way did he go?
So, weighing all this, I thought
Surely this boy lived
Here, in the valley, where the eyes appeared
The hut below was smoking.

CDXXIV

Went down there not without fatigue.

Suddenly he sees Alimen in front of him.
And says: "Great adventures
They brought me, venerable one, with you,
 And we need an explanation.
So listen, please, you are my story
About the evil misfortune that happened,
How did this creature come into being?

CDXXV

And then everything, as it was, told!

Like a young man that was called Afriko,
I took the nymph by force. Accurately described:
What, where, when - and how, already wearing,
She didn't understand anything for a long time.
How after a wonderful boy was born,
And how then did Diana turn
Her in a wave, and where has it all been,

CDXXVI

And how the child Diana saw

Between thorns, and how to leave her
I wanted him with the nymphs afterwards.
But here, during all these speeches,
Alimena looked at the baby
In the face - and says: "Ah, ah, she-she,
He is the spitting image of my Africo!" Enough
The child is in the arms and hugs,

CDXXVII

And weeps with great joy,

Admire the grandson; not his,
No, Africa embraces the living,
Finding my son again
And kisses with great tenderness,
And he says: "My son, to what
It's hard for me to hear how the unfortunate man died
Your precious father is my son
beautiful?

CDXXVIII

And the old nymph began to pour out,

Talk about your son
How long agony tormented him
And an evil death befell him.
As soon as Sinedecchia heard it,
It's a pity for Africa she became so
That she cried with her. And soon
Came and Girafone moo grief.

CDXXIX

How did he hear what happened, too

Shed tears of joy and sorrow
 And admired, like a prettier child, -
It seemed that Africa was in front of them
Alive and former even more expensive.
In response to caresses, the boy is quietly sweet,
Seeing that the old man bent down to him,
He smiled at him with love.

CDXXX

Such joy triumphed in them

Great, what if their hearts
For two lovers, pity did not soften,
It's really never like that
There were no happy people on earth.
But, making sure that they have their friends
Found out, Sinedekchia still say goodbye
I was in a hurry to return to the mountains.

CDXXXI

Here Girafone, and after the other

And Alimen also repays
Thanks for all her services.
Uncountable, respect and honor.
But Sinedekchia, affectionately to the spouses
Having bowed, without delay, he goes on his way,
Hurrying back to your mountains
And leaving the baby to the old people.

CDXXXII

In the mountains the news spread everywhere

Immediately, everyone around knew
How Menzola turned to water,
And many were sad about that.
But soon Diana left
From here to administer in another land
Your deeds, as usual,
And before that, she strengthened the nymphs with conversation.

CDXXXIII

Left, the nymphs of the nearby settlements

That river was called Menzola.
Let's go back to Girafon, to Alimena,
What to feed with milk from their flocks
Tried grandson not without difficulty
And they began to call Pruneo -
Through the thorns {71} in which he was found, -
As it has always been called since then.

CDXXXIV

And he grew, so beautiful, so thin

 His face, what if I created
Nature brush this child,
Slimmer, more beautiful could not do.
And ardent became more dexterous than a lion cub,
And his strength was immeasurable,
And he looked so wonderfully like his father,
It would be hard to even distinguish.

CDXXXV

And his grandfather tried to protect him,

And grandma - whether at night or during the day.
How Afriko, his father, died,
More than once he was told
So that the boy is forever afraid
Walk his deadly path,
And about the fate that his mother endured.
So he was eighteen years old.

CDXXXVI {72}

Then Atlanta appeared in Europe,

In that area, with people without number,
That after settled in Tuscany,
Those cases are described in detail {73},
And Apollo marveled with arts,
How the Fiesolan countryside blossomed
Freest, with hills and valleys,
Throughout Europe, mountain and plain.

CDXXXVII

Atlant ordered to erect here

The city of Fiesole, as he called it.
The people gradually got married
On the nymphs that I still found below;
And which of them broke through with weapons,
He left those hills forever.
So the nymphs then, as on a hunt, were driven,
And those who were captive were taken away as wives.

CDXXXVIII

All the inhabitants of the surrounding area at times

Atlant invited to his new city,
And Girafon with the first news of that
I hurried there very willingly,
He brought his wife and Pruneo with him,
That he was kind, and handsome, and sweet,
And valiant - he came to Atlanta,
He bowed to the signor with respect.

CDXXXIX

Atlanta in special favor

 Greeted the old man, caressed him,
He uttered such a good word,
Taking by the hand as a friend:
"O wise old man, if the resettlement
I decided - listen to my words:
When you decide to live here,
You will be a great adviser to me.

CDXL

And you will live in a fortress with me,

And together this beautiful son of yours."
Here the old man answered:
"To you, Atlas, my advice is feasible
Always ready, if by good will
You order. But it's amazing to me: with you
There are wise men wiser than me - you know
And yet you give me confidence."

CDXLI

"You're right, a lot of experienced people -

Atlas answered, - arrived with me;
But I see: here you are from time immemorial everywhere
It happened, your local experience is reliable;
What's good, what's bad, I'll know
We guide you to all places,
And you will be multi-useful word
On this basis, we, the newcomers."

CDXLII

He answered almost through sobs:

"Alas, Atlas, you are deeply right
that I am ancient. And bad trials
Testify of my life.
Tom is a few years old, as for suffering
I stayed here with my wife,
And only then a beautiful grandson was given to us,
His father was our unfortunate son."

CDXLIII

Then he told him everything that happened

Between Africo and Menzola him,
And after - that Diana struck
Munion to death - how and why
Died unfortunate. Word explained
The neighborhood of the settlement in total:
He told about every river,
Where did you get those nicknames from?

CDXLIV
 Then he turned to Atlanta,
Saying: "I'm ready for anything you command."
Atlas thanked, then marveled
On Pruneo - and full of good gifts,
His soul immediately fell in love with it.
And, having called him, without distant words -
"Accept, - he rivers, - my favor
And serve at my table."

CDXLV {74}

So Giraffone turned out to be soon

Advisor to Atlanta, without asking
And Pruneo is lucky and quick
He really took up the business of service,
Becoming truly a joy to the eye.
And, moreover, his nature is all
Was so ardent, strong, that dimmed
Rivals before him in every matter.

CDXLVI

In hunting, every master is deliberate,

He was the best at chasing the beasts;
And in jumping and running famous,
In competitions he was the best of all;
Diana with all the brilliant retinue
He, the archer, overcame with his shooting.
Pleasant indulgence of temper
He was so sweet that you can't tell, really.

CDXLVII

Atlas for the mind, for the life of worthy rules

Loved him like this,
That the seneschal {75} triumphantly set
Over all the people and their land
And glorified him as a ruler.
And he led the people with such kindness,
That everyone loved him sincerely -
He knew how to repay everything in due strength.

CDXLVIII

How twenty years old he had already passed,

Atlas told his bride -
The maiden was called Tironia,
Her father was a noble baron,
And she hasn't parted with him yet.
Atlant gave him the whole region,
That Menzola and Mugnone washed, -
It was as if he was given a dowry.

CDXLIX
 Higher than the church now in Maiano {76},
Pruneo built his mansions for himself -
The district opened here extensively -
And furnished the house;
And all that region, constantly rejoicing,
Turned from savagery to order,
With all my heart the fate of the native land
Arranging with great love.

CDL

Here he lived for the most part, day after day.

He spent in contentment and fun
And, they say, walking between the streams,
He often visited his father and mother,
With their souls spoke with words
And I heard their answer distinctly,
And the sighs of their sorrow, and living
Narratives about past deeds.

CDLI

And for a long time, having overcome the lessons of fate,

Girafone lived. But the turn came
The deadlines of the longest life have been fulfilled,
And he left the world forever,
Giving Alimen a deep sigh.
When the years were counted for her,
They put her in a beautiful place
Near Girafon and in the same grave.

CDLII

In the spacious lands Pruneo remained

with Tyronia. And brought ten
She sons, and everyone flaunted
Custom, deeds without number;
When did each get married
And the number of their kind increased,
In Fiesole, citizenship richly,
Over the whole neighborhood they lived tarovato.

CDLIII

Pruneo died, with tears of pain

He was buried all around.
It remains for each son to share,
What one Atlanta is exacted by him,
In landscaping and free will.
Everyone was equally endowed,
And always they are all kind of whole
They owned that vast inheritance.

CDLIV
 But Fiesole knew destruction
And everything is destroyed by the Romans {77};
The population retreated here to Rome,
And only one African tribe
All gathered in a broken fortification,
That Pruneo was built a long time ago.
Everyone, as best they could, settled better,
They built houses and hid in them.

CDLV

And Fiesole was no longer renewed {78},

When Rome built Florence {79},
And the noble population remained
In captivity, not returning to their homes.
It's mostly shattered
And settled in strange places,
Like a conquered tribe lived
And there was no one to help.

CDLVI

But little by little the anger subsided,

With the passage of time, peace has come.
The people, again free, returned
And the Romans did not remember evil,
And moved into powerful Florence
The genus Africo came among them and stood,
Welcomed by the local population
To live in honor, in love and respect.

CDLVII

And so that there is no suspicion -

The whole family was once offended, -
And to give living impulses
To love the country where he became loved,
All assurances were squandered
Were related to them there from all sides,
They were deeply loved as fellow citizens
And in every possible way, as it should be, honored.

CDLVIII

So the people, wealth and decoration grew,

Florence matured and grew,
Peace and constancy reigned.
But - this line from many books is bright -
Christianity has already arrived
When the horde of Totila swept away everything,
To the foundation of the fortress broke,
It burned, destroyed, captivated the people {80}.

CDLIX
 Then the fierce one ordered Totila
In Fiesole, renovate the entire fortress
And he called a call to go there, as it was,
Who wants to - again moved to live,
Where Fiesole promised cover,
Who can be safe
And swore eternal war to shake
A hostile world with all its country {81}.

CDLX

To this, full of proud contempt,

Rod Afriko did not want to return,
But he moved back to his estates,
On the former hill, where of old he dwelt,
Where everyone already had their own buildings,
They erected fortifications here and a rampart
For the sake of protection, if it comes to a dispute,
From the Fieolans and from their pressure.

CDLXI

And this stay lasted a long time.

But good Charlemagne {82} hurried
Italy to the rescue, updated
And the country came to life, he defended
That update. And connected
Offspring of Africa, and was collected
Council of births that lived here in the district
Like fugitives. And then they decided:

CDLXII

With an embassy to Rome at the feet of the holy father

And the great king must
The message will appear - a distinct word:
Their daughter is defeated, ruined,
Lies in the dust, there is no cover for citizens,
She was forcibly abandoned
Dwellings and deeds cannot be built from dust
And not to get rid of fear from the Fiesolans.

CDLXIIl

But it's all in the right place

Described {83}, - I will briefly convey.
Florence before the Pope in this message
Appeared to compassionate eyes,
Great Charles, with victory in the field of honor,
Without hesitation, he approached our places,
Florence he recreated from the dust {84},
She then served his strength.

CDLXIV
 And so they returned together with others
Descendants of Africa dwell here
And gradually settled everywhere,
So I can't tell about all of them.
But eminent men came
Of them everywhere - I can't name them,
Like others who followed them,
Unknown to their brethren.

CDLXV {85}

So let this thing remain

I have reached the desired port,
Where the distant seas flew,
Burning with love, my thought.
My pen wanted peace
I did my will, my heart is not melting,
One whom I dare not disobey,
Whom I call my mistress.

CDLXVI

So, crowning the end of labor,

That's why I want to bring it
Who gave me power and help,
And the syllable, and the mind of my poems to lead -
Cupid, - only to him I am in obedience
I want to stay as I was, on my way,
Give thanks with a generous offering
But to preface with a special apology;

CDLXVII

Cupid-lord, regal from time immemorial,

To whom with his greatness of powerful forces
The human heart is always obedient,
Against whom no one had power,
Though your guardianship is heavy,
Until you break him,
Once you wish - and the more powerful you are
Above the spirit that is involved in the high, -

CDLXVIII

You are the one who is free if you wish

Lead the great to completion!
You are the one who sends peace or battle
To his slaves, crown or revenge!
You are the one who transforms their hearts,
To sometimes forever uplift to the father!
You are the one who is in justification, in condemnation
You bestow power or humiliation!

CDLXIX
 I am a faithful servant from among your servants,
And I'm instructed to lay down by you
The narrative is this, and in the immeasurable
Submission, like the bottom of one
It was suggested to me, I did it without hypocrisy
I'm the thing, inspired by you
How could my mind in the humble part,
Given to me by your high authority.

CDLXX

But I pray, as it should in this case

And rightly so, give me mercy,
So that this book is never dared
Those ignoramuses are unfit to read,
What they don’t want, as they didn’t want,
To know you in your power.
I am sure that in honor of your writing
They will always meet only censure.

CDLXXI

Leave her educated soul

To whom did you put a sign on the face,
And meek angelic before you,
Where do you reign in the hearts in the glory of the forces:
For them, your story will not be bad,
But praise to the worthy is all that you have revealed.
Take them, my lord. Before you
O gentle one, let me be a servant forever.

CDLXXII {86}

"Welcome, obedient servant,

Most devoted of all people,
You, who put all your ardor straight-hearted
In the completion of this book of mine.
It has what I wanted; and welcome
I accept it; her place
I give among other stories,
Among my great deeds.

CDLXXIII

And I heard, and I will give perfection

Everything you asked of me.
I will save the book from reading
The one who never served me;
I'm not afraid: their vanity is contempt,
They do not diminish my inherent powers;
But let my name be in strict silence
They watch. You stay with God."
COMMENTS

In compiling the comments, we used the following editions

"Fiammetta" and "Nymphs of Fiesola":
1) Giovanni Boccaccio. L'Elegia di madonna Fiammetta, con le chiose
inedite. A cura di Vincenzo Pernicone. Bari and Laterza, 1939.
2) Giovanni Boccaccio. Decameron, Filocolo, Ameto, Fiammetta. A cura di
Enrico Bianchi, Carlo Salinari, Natalino Sapegno. Milano-Napoli,
Ricciardi, 1952.
3) Giovanni Boccaccio. Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta. A cura di Pia
Piccoli Addoli. Milano, Rizzoli, 1962.
4) Das "Ninfale Fiesolano" Giovanni Boccaccio s. Kritischer Text von
Rerthold Wise. Heidelberg, 1913.
5) Giovanni Boccacci. Il Ninfale Fiesolano. Introduction e note di Aldo
Francesco Massera. Torino, 1926.
6) Giovanni Boccaccio. Il Filostrato e il Ninfale Fiesolano. A cura di
Vincenzo Pernicone. Bari and Laterza, 1937.
7) Giovanni Boccaccio. Opera in version. Corbaccio. Trattatello in laude
di Dante. Prose Latin. epistole. A cura di Pier Giorgio Ricci. Milano-
Napoli, Ricciardi, 1965.
Works frequently mentioned or widely used by Boccaccio
other authors are cited in comments (except where otherwise noted)
in the following translations: Ovid. "Metamorphoses", "Love Elegies", "Sad
elegies" by S. Shervinsky, "Heroids" - by F. Zelinsky; Virgil. "Georgics" - by S.
Shervinsky, "Aeneid" - V. Bryusov (books I-VII) and S. Solovyov (books
VIII-XII); Seneca. "Medea", "Phaedra", "Thieste", "Oedipus" - S. Solovyov; Dante.
"The Divine Comedy" - M. Lozinsky.

"FIESOLAN NYMPH"

1 In a number of lists of the poem, the first stanza is preceded by the

following heading:
"The book called the Fiesolan Nymphs begins; first it is said that
that the author's love forced her to create it."
2 Reminiscence from Dante ("Hell", II, 72).
3 "Ta" is Maria d'Aquino, more than once sung by Boccaccio under the name
Fiammetta.
4 The city of Fiesole is located five kilometers northeast of
Florence on top of a big hill. The history of the city is full of dramatic
events. In ancient times there was a fortified settlement here.
Etruscans (the ruins of their fortress walls have survived to this day). In the era
In ancient Rome, the town was called Fezuly. At its walls in 295 BC.
the Erimian army was defeated by the Gauls who invaded the peninsula.
The legions of Sulla and Catiline (I century BC) passed through the city; This
the latter gathered troops here for his fatal campaign against Rome. V
in. n. e. near Fiesole there were battles between the Romans and the Vandals. Later
city
passed into the hands of the Lombards. Until the 12th century Fiesole successfully
competed with
Florence; then fell under her influence. The city of Fiesole is also mentioned in
other works of Boccaccio, including "Filocolo" (Book V), "Ameto" and
"Decamerone" (d. VII, nov. 1; d. VIII, nov. 4). In the Decameron we read: "How
every one of you knows, Fiesole, whose mountain we can see from here, was
once the most ancient and significant city, and although it is now completely
destroyed,
nevertheless, there was always a bishop" (d. VIII, nov. 4).
5 That is, the Arno River.
 6 Before this stanza in a number of lists of the poem is placed the following
subtitle: "Here Diana holds council by the brook; Africo sees her and
falls in love with one of her nymphs, who then hides in the mountains; this is
plunges him into deep sorrow, and he mourns his fate."
7 Checher Mountain - Monte Ceccheri, the highest of the mountains surrounding
Fiesole.
8 This stream flows at the foot of Monte Ceccheri.
9 This depiction of Diana was inspired by a reading of Virgil (Aeneid, I, 501:
"Having lifted the quiver on his shoulder, he goes, exceeding all the goddesses" -
transl. A. Feta) and Ovid
("Metamorphoses", III, 181-182: "However, the goddess was taller, and between them
performed up to the shoulders").
10 In Boccaccio's time, this age was considered the most attractive in
girl. For example, many heroines of the "Decameron" - Niccolose (d. IX, nov. 6),
Ginevra and Isotta (d. X, nov. 6), Sof, roniya (d. X, nov. 8) are in this
happy time.
11 Recollection of reading Dante - "Purgatory", XXVIII, 54.
12 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by a subtitle:
"Venus appears to Africo in a dream, promising her help; he is trying to find
Menzola and meets other nymphs, he turns to them with a question, but they
run away without answering the shepherd's questions.
13 This vision of Africo is reminiscent of what Dante told in ch. III "New
life"; but Dante does not have Venus with Cupid in her arms, but Cupid carrying
beloved of the poet.
14 Perhaps the memory of reading Virgil (Aeneid, XI, 858-862):

So the Thracian woman said and an arrow from a golden quiver

Quickly pulling out, she pulled her bow with a hostile soul
And took her far, until the ends were bent
They didn’t agree with each other and didn’t touch with their hands anyway
The left gland is the end, and the right chest is the bowstring.

(Translated by A. Fet)

15 i.e. Monte Ceccheri.

16 That is, the third part of the daytime, which was divided into twelve
parts - from sunrise to sunset. Depending on the season, these
parts were longer or shorter.
17 In some manuscript copies of the poem, this stanza is preceded by
the following subtitle: "Girafone gives Africo, his son, advice not to
chase more nymphs in order to avoid danger and sadness.
18 Gabriotto tells about exactly the same doe in the Decameron (d. IV,
new 6), who met "a deer so beautiful and pretty that the other
and not to be seen"; Gabriotto thinks she is "whiter than snow".
19 This nymph named Challa is also mentioned in stanza CCCXXXV.
20 The Mugnone River, a right tributary of the Arno, flows through the
Fiesolan
hills. This river is mentioned more than once in other works of Boccaccio - in
"Filocolo", "Ameto", "Decamerone".
21 Before this stanza in a number of lists of the poem is placed the following
subtitle: "Here Afriko finds Menzola and begs her, but she does not run away
answering, only throwing a spear at him, then hides.
22 Wed. in Dante ("Hell", II, 104).
23 Here Boccaccio paraphrases by shortening Polyphemus' address to Galatea
from Ovid's Metamorphoses (XIII, 789-804):

You, Galatea, are whiter than the petals of the snow-white ligustra,
Young flowering meadows and above the long-stemmed alder,
You are brighter than crystal, a young, playful goat!
 You are smoother than those shells that are always wiped by the sea;
The winter sun is sweeter, more comforting than summer shadows;
Proud plane trees are slimmer, trees are more generous than fruit trees;
Ice floes are more transparent you; ripe grapes are sweeter.
You are softer than cottage cheese and softer than swan's down, -
If I hadn't run away! - an irrigated garden is more charming.
But Galatea, she is even fiercer than the bulls,
Unsteady deceptive streams and harder than gnarled oaks,
Branches are more stubborn than willows, more stubborn than white-leaved
vines;
You are wilder than mountain rivers, more motionless than these cliffs;
You are hotter than the flames, the praised arrogant peacocks;
You are rougher than a threshing machine; you are more fierce than a she-bear
Deeper than the surf of the sea; merciless snake under the foot.

24 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by the following

subtitle: "Here in Africa, love for Menzola flared up again when he
heard her words.
25 Here it is possible to borrow from Dante ("Paradise", XVI, 28-29):

Like coal in the wind burns stronger

So this light flashed with a clear brilliance,

and also, as a number of researchers point out, in Ovid ("Metamorphoses",

VII, 79-81):

How - if the wind blew - a small spark feeds on it,

That, already imperceptible, lurked under the smoldering ashes,
It grows again and again, stirred up, gains power.

28 Before this stanza, in a number of lists, the subheading is placed: "Africo

loses Menzola and returns home in terrible anguish; he deals with
complaints to Venus and her son Amur, then falls asleep on his bed.
27 Boccaccio says that nine parts of the daytime have already passed.
Wed approx. 16.
28 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by the following
subtitle: "On how a tender mother, thinking that Afriko's longing might be
very dangerous, collects various herbs to make her son healthy again, and
prepares a bath for him.
29 This is the name of a small river that flows near Fiesole.
30 In some copies of Boccaccio's poem, this stanza is preceded by such
subtitle: "Here it is said how Afriko saw his reflection in
the water of the stream and, finding that he has become thin and pale, complains of
love
his own and on his fate.
31 Before this stanza, in a number of lists, the subheading is placed: "Africo
addresses with prayers to Venus; again piously asks her for help,
which she willingly renders to many others."
32 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by the following
subtitle:
"Here Africo guesses, looking at the altar, that Venus favorably
listened to his prayers, and he joyfully returns home; goes to bed in
Venus appears to him in a dream and shows him the way to achieve what he wants.
33 Before this stanza in a number of lists of the poem is placed the following
subtitle: "Africo, wise by the vision of Venus, dressed as a nymph,
goes in search of Menzola; finds her along with other nymphs
chasing a boar; the boar approaches and Africo kills him with an arrow on
Menzola's eyes; converges with other nymphs, and they think that he too
nymph; Menzola praises him very much."
 34 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by a subtitle:
"Africo goes with Menzola and other nymphs; they eat in a cave at one
from the nymphs the meat of a wild boar killed by them; then with fun they go on,
Afriko, still dressed as a nymph; and how then Africa connected with
Menzola."
35 Wed. Dante (Hell, VIII, III):

Both "yes" and "no" created a fierce argument.

36 The name of this "character" is made by Boccaccio from Italian. "mazza" -

stick,
sledgehammer, ram. Wed in the Decameron (Prologue to d. VI): "This man ... desires
nothing more nor less than how to convince me that Messer Taran (Madza) has entered
Chernogory (Montenero) by force and bloodshed, and I say that this
not true, on the contrary, he entered peacefully and to the great pleasure of the
inhabitants" (trans.
A. N. Veselovsky).
37 Before this stanza in a number of lists of Boccaccio's poem is placed the
following
subtitle: "Africo holds Menzola with great difficulty; he consoles her and
tells her from beginning to end the story of his love, and so she
calms down."
38 In a number of lists, this stanza is preceded by the subheading: "Africo,
seeing that Menzola accepts his consolations, at first he asks her with caresses
for
date, then appeals to her mercy."
39 Here Boccaccio paraphrases Petrarch's famous sonnet (E 47):

Blessed is the day, month, summer, hour

And the moment when my gaze met those eyes!
Blessed is that land and that long is bright,
Where I became a prisoner of beautiful eyes!

(Translated by Vyach. Ivanov)

40 Before this stanza in a number of lists of the poem is the following

subtitle: "Menzola calms down; Afriko asks her to come with him to him
home; she does not agree, but tells him that henceforth belongs to him.
41 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by the following
subtitle: "Here Menzola promises Africo to return to him and asks that
he left before they were found."
42 The original said "three miles." As the researchers point out,
once at such a distance from the valley where the streams of Africo and Menzola
flow,
in the time of Boccaccio there was a famous Benedictine monastery with a church,
called San Martino a Menzola. In this monastery and could live
a nun seduced by a poet, if this is a dubious incident
really took place.
43 Before this stanza, in some lists of the poem, a subtitle is placed:
"Africo is pushing Menzola to meet his wishes."
44 In a number of lists, this stanza is preceded by the following subheading:
"Menzola asks Afriko to leave and does not want to satisfy his desire."
45 Some of the lists have a subheading, "Africo Asks for Menzola."
46 Before this stanza, a number of lists are subtitled: "Menzola,
however, once again asks Afriko to leave in the name of their love."
47 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by a subtitle:
"Africo asks Menzola to grant his wish."
48 This stanza is preceded by a subheading in some lists: "In
eventually Menzola succumbs and does what Afriko wants and conceives
baby boy."
49 This image was quite common in the literary language of the XIV century.
Boccaccio himself also resorted to it, for example, in the Decameron (d. IV, nov.
10; d.
VIII, new. 2).
50 In a number of lists, this stanza is preceded by a subtitle: "Africo
saw that evening had already come and that he should go away, about which he was
grieving, and
it is incredibly difficult for him to leave the one that is so pleasant to him.
51 Before this stanza in a number of lists of the poem is placed the following
subtitle: "Here, having decided to part, they still cannot leave each other
friend."
52 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by a subtitle:
"Africo breaks up with Menzola and returns home after receiving a promise from her
meet again in the same place."
53 This stanza is preceded by a subheading in some lists:
"Menzola, returning to his quarters, spends a sad night mourning
the mistake she made and calling for death, for she violated the vow of virginity.
54 According to ancient Greek mythology, the nymph Callisto, seduced
Zeus and gave birth to a son Arkada from him, was a vengeful Hero - and not Diana
(Artemis)! - Turned into a bear. This myth is processed by Ovid
("Metamorphoses", II, 409 ff.).
55 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by the following
subtitle: "Africo, indulging in love dreams, spent the whole night like that, and
as soon as morning came, he returned to the same place, but did not find her.
56 That is, on Monte Ceceri.
57 This stanza is preceded in some lists by the following
subtitle: "Menzola, determined not to indulge in this love again,
returns on a date with Afriko, and he, not finding her anywhere, one day, out of
grief
commits suicide."
58 Wed. Dante (Hell, VII, 33-90):

Tirelessly she creates her judgment:

Need hurries her hourly,
And she gives everyone a short moment.

69 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by the following

subtitle: "Africo's father finds the dead body of his son in the waters of the
stream, near
whom he joined with Menzola, and carries the body home with endless
complaints and groans."
60 Paraphrase from Dante (cf. "Hell", XIII, 12).
61 This river, escaping from the Fiesolan hills, flows through the eastern
suburbs of Florence.
62 Before this stanza, in a number of lists, the subheading is placed: "Sad
Menzola feels compassion for Afriko; thinks he is in a big
sorrow, and knows nothing of his death."
63 In some lists, this stanza is preceded by the following
subtitle: "Menzola Feels Growing Heavy, But Doesn't Know
the reasons; goes for advice to one of the nymphs and says that she is heavy.
64 Lucina is one of the nicknames of the goddess Juno. Juno-Lupina was
considered
patroness of marriage and childbearing. Ancient Roman women arranged in her
honor March 1 women's holiday, the so-called. "matronalia".
65 Before this stanza, in a number of lists of the poem, a subtitle is placed:
"Menzola is relieved of her burden by a boy of amazing beauty, whom she
feeds him as best he can."
66 In a number of lists, this stanza is preceded by a subtitle: "Diana,
heard of Menzola's transgression, turns her into a river stream, which
now bears her name.
67 Possible borrowing from Ovid's "Heroid", which tells about
the sad fate of Eol's daughter Kanaka, who adopted a child from her own brother
and punished by her father (XI, 71-72):

... suddenly there was a cry from the box -

In his own voice, ah, the little one betrayed himself!

68 This transformation of Menzola into a river recalls the myth of the

transformation of a nymph
Arethuses to the source and the daughter of Miletus Biblida - to the stream, as
well as a story about
the transformation of the nymph Egeria into a river. All these myths are processed
by Ovid in
"Metamorphoses" (V, 621 lines, IX, 659 lines, XV, 547 lines). But, as indicated
Tsingarelli, this is closest to the myth of the nymph Kyanae, who could not
prevent the abduction of Proserpina and from grief and tears turned into a stream
("Metamorphoses", V, 425-437).
69 The Menzola River flows down the eastern slope of Monte Ceccheri and near
Rovedzano flows into the Arno.
70 Before this stanza in a number of lists of the poem is placed the following
subtitle: "Diana finds Menzola's baby and entrusts him to an old
nymph, I took him to my father."
71 Pruno is Italian for blackthorn.
72 In some lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by a subtitle:
"Here the author begins the story of how Atlas founded Fiesole."
73 Here Boccaccio is referring to the "Chronicle" of Giovanni Villani, widely
used. Villani tells about the origin of the city of Fiesole in ch.
VII of the first book. Boccaccio returned to the legend of Atlanta in his Latin
writings "Genealogia deorum gentilium" - listing numerous
mythological characters known by this name, he says that one
of them, "according to popular legend" (ut vulgo fertur), founded Fiesole (book IV,
ch. XXXI). In the "Commentaries" to the "Divine Comedy", explaining the verse of
121 songs
IV, he wrote: "Electra, the one about which the author has the intention here
to tell, was the daughter of Atlas and Pleione. Io that's what Atlanta - I'm not
I know. There may be two; one of them, the most famous, was the king
Mauritania, located in the west, opposite Spain, His name is still
they call a big mountain washed by the Atlantic Ocean ... The other was a Greek
and no less famous person. Let us add to them a third, who
was a Tuscan and the founder of the city of Fiesole, which, however, I never
read in some trustworthy book. However, many believe
that he was the father of Electra."
74 In a number of lists of the poem, this stanza is preceded by the following
subtitle: "Girafone returns to Fiesole with his grandson Pruneo and
lives there in joy for a long time and then dies."
75 Seneschal (Siniscalco) in medieval Italy was the name of the supreme
steward at the state, re, who also performed judicial functions.
76 Church of San Martino a Menzola (now called San
Martino a Maiano) has been known since the 11th century. Even then she was at the
monastery
Benedictines; rebuilt in the middle of the 15th century.
77 This happened in the time of Catiline (62 B.C.), who
sought to make Fiesole a stronghold against Rome. About this in detail
tells Giovanni Villani (book 1, ch. XXXI-XXXVII).
78 Here Boccaccio exactly follows the story of Villani (Book I, Ch. XXXVIII).
79 The emergence of Florence dates back to about 200 BC. e.
Initially, the city was subordinate to Fiesole (Fezula), but over the years
dominated Tuscany.
80 In 450 CE e. the army of the leader of the Ostrogoths Totila occupied and
destroyed
Florence. A story about this has been preserved in the "Chronicle" by Giovanni
Villani (book II,
ch. I) used by Boccaccio. Dante also remembers this destruction
city ("Hell", XIII, 149), but attributes it to Attila.
81 Wed. at Villani - Prince. II, ch. II.
82 Charlemagne may have been passing through Florence in December 776 during
during his second visit to Northern Italy, during the war with the duke
Friulsky.
83 Boccaccio is referring to the "Chronicle" of Giovanni Villani, namely the
book. III,
ch. I.
84 Villani dates this restoration of Florence to 801 (Book III, ch.
I).
85 Before this stanza in a number of lists of the poem is placed the following
subtitle: "Here the author comes to an end, addresses Cupid with the words
gratitude and asks him that this work does not catch the eye
unenlightened people."
86 This stanza in a number of lists of the poem is preceded by the following
subtitle: "The answer given by Amur to the author was that his request would be
favorably heard."

A. D. MIKHAILOV

FROM THE TRANSLATOR

It is necessary to preface the translation with a few remarks regarding

formal features of Boccaccio's poem and ways of their transmission.
The traditional octave of our poet is unconstrained and light, but along with
thus internally full-weighted and firmly formed. In accordance with the general
artistic style of the Fiesolan Nymphs era - slender and finished
whole. Such is the octave of this idyllic poem, now strict and chased, now
free and flowing, then as if careless, like an improvisation or a song. This
whimsical manner is manifested by a great variety in the very fabrication of the
verse and
syllable, in the very choice of language.
The internal form of the octave is varied, but definitely signified.
The arrangement of material within the octagon is systematic. This affects
external harmony. Characteristic, on the one hand, isolation, integrity,
completeness of the octave: out of 173 octaves, only 14 can not be in the full
sense
called "self-contained", a concession to periodization and lyrical or
oratorical cadence. On the other hand, this "self-conclusion" is always
characteristically given by the relative distinctness of the final couplet,
base point of the octave. This distinctness is also preserved in cases of division
into
couplets, with their known parallelism. According to the Italian
traditions, the rhyming of the octave is entirely female. This tradition is due
decisive predominance in Italian of stress on the penultimate
syllable. In the conditions of the Russian language, continuous female rhyme
throughout
a large work of a classical warehouse would lead to sophistication and not
would give that free flow, which, for all its plasticity, differs
octave of the Italian epic. That is why the Russian classical tradition is
different,
and we did not dare to retreat from it, conveying, however, a mild impression
Italian octave in that the final verse of one and the beginning of the next
collide with us on a feminine rhyme, which thereby quantitatively
prevails. In turn, an extremely refined Italian introduction
masculine rhyme into the final couplet of the octave, admitted four times
Boccaccio (Oct. 239, 300, 310, 393), retains its effect for Russian hearing
exclusivity and harshness, facing the masculine ending
the previous verse. And no less is a solid male rhyme in
hexastich - the only case (Oct. 297).
Further, the arrangement of the caesuras is completely free, as well as, in
relation to
integrity of the verse, cadence of the phrase. Last we tried
adhere, except in some cases of periodization: it is sometimes
covers more than one octave, and in general in Russian it is more difficult to put
up with that easy
fluidity that Boccaccio has, and in the intentions of our translation, on the first
plan. The free language of Boccaccio sometimes affects the syntax, as
noted, characteristic irregularities - in interruptions in the structure (for
example, Oct.
263, 456), or in a well-known live colloquialism; on the choice of words
archaism, then common people, then almost prosaism of everyday speech (why,
for example, we translate bene - excellent, oct. 266), sometimes in the shade of
forms
(why do we allow ourselves, for example, the forms: "heard" instead of the classic
"heard", Oct. 411; or "seen" without the meaning of multiplicity, Oct. 415).
Below are some particulars. Pleonasm is sometimes justified by emotional
animation (Oct. 396), as well as cases of repetition of words (Oct. 221, 410) or
turns like: priego preghiate (translated: "I beg you," Oct. 4); Luceva
piu ch'una lucente stella ("She shone with such a radiant star", Oct. 11).
Occasionally an indescribable pun: as a combination of Aquelli (stream) and, in
following verse: Intorno a quella (Oct. 19), or, also hardly transmissible,
complex sound play of final and inner rhymes with different strikes
vowels and identical stressed Sounds: arti - averti, piacerti -
lasciarti (Oct. 296).
We have already indicated the role of masculine rhymes. As for the other sides
of the rhyme,
then very often we see very simplified methods and sometimes -
extremely complex. (Note that in both it is necessary to take into account taste
and hearing
epoch.) At least, for example, continuous rhyming of three identical
verb forms and between them three identical case forms of adjectives
or nouns. Sometimes words that come from the same root rhyme
occasionally even the same word, differing only in a prefix, such as:
"come" and "leave" (which we avoided to convey in Russian), and in two cases
even directly instead of a rhyme - the repetition of a word that ended one of
corresponding verses of six lines (which we do not transmit). As for sound
side, then rhymes come across not only poor, but even incomplete and inaccurate
(we avoid them in translation).
All this in Boccaccio has the character of captivating light negligence,
admitted in advance, not always random and unaccountable, but on the contrary,
often
clearly appropriate and, in general, artistically expedient. Along with leu - ta
sophisticated chasing, examples of which we indicated in the instrumentation. AT
In particular, from the methods of complex rhyming, internal rhymes are interesting
(as,
for example, in Art. Oct 4 219), especially double rhyme, as in quanto
pianto - "with what anguish" (Oct. 287, p. 6). Sometimes associated with rhyme
the most complex sound play within the verse (as in the indescribable Oct. 301). We
are not
we will talk specifically about internal assonances, as well as about other
details,
more or less elementary - alliterations, etc. We only add that,
trying in general to transmit the Boccaccean technique, we sometimes
we transfer to others according to the conditions of Russian poetic speech.
According to the idea of this "charming idyll, ancient and at the same time
reminiscent of the realism of the Italian village", told "in octaves of careless
like prose, with ingenuous appeals to the reader, with going back and
here and there with naive turns of a folk song and its lyrical repetitions"
(Veselovsky), - her language is simple and at the same time whimsical with all its
transitions from
epic "high style" to "common people" and "vernacular", from
from a primitive song warehouse to the sophisticated boldness of a realistic short
story.
In concluding this brief review of literary devices, let us say that when
transfer of some turns of the syllable and language of the poem, we tried to learn
from
exemplary translator of the "Decameron" A. N. Veselovsky.
When translating, we follow the text of the edition:
"Das "Ninfale Fiesolano" Giovanni Boccaccios". Kritischer Text von Ber-
hold Wiese. Heidberg. 1913; in the series "Sammlung romanischer Elementar - und
Handbiicher". Herausgegeben von W. Meyer-Lubke. V. Reihe, 3.
In older editions, the poem is divided into VII parts, which embrace
octaves (according to the account adopted here): I \u003d 1-72; II = 73-149; III =
150208; IV =
209-265; V = 266-327; VI = 328-400; VII = 401-473. Wed Opera volgari di
Giovanni Boccaccio corrette sui testi a penna. Edizione prima, vol. XVII.
firenze. Per Ig. Moutier MD CCCXXXIV. pp. 3-164. It's accepted here
common title: "Ninfale Fiesolano ossia l'innamoramento di
Affrico e Mensola".

Y. Verkhovsky
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