[.................] 
 
  Pe·più volte fallì' a·llui ficcare, 
Perciò che 'n nulla guisa vi capea; 
E·lla scarsella c[h]'al bordon pendea, 
Tuttor di sotto la facea urtare, 
  Credendo il bordon me' far entrare; 
Ma già nessuna cosa mi valea. 
Ma a la fine i' pur tanto scotea 
Ched i' pur lo facea oltre passare: 
  Sì ch'io allora il fior tutto sfogl[i]ai, 
E la semenza ch'i' avea portata, 
Quand' eb[b]i arato, sì·lla seminai. 
  La semenza del fior v'era cascata: 
Amendue insieme sì·lle mescolai, 
Che molta di buon' erba n'è po' nata. 
 
 

[*] 
 
      Time and again I failed to stick it in,  
since it wouldn't fit in there in any way;  
and my moneybag that was hanging from my staff,  
I continued banging it down below, 
      thinking thus to ease my staff inside;  
but nothing worked for me.  
However, in the end I shook it so much  
that I finally got it to go inside: 
      thus I succeeded in deflowering the Flower, 
and with the seed that I had carried,  
after the plowing, so came the sowing. 
      The seed of the Flower had descended; 
I mixed the two of them together  
such that much good fruit has issued forth. 

[.................] 
 
  Quand' i' mi vidi in così alto grado, 
Tutti i mie' benfattori ringraziai, 
E più gli amo og[g]i ch'i' non feci mai, 
Che molto si penâr di far mi' grado. 
  Al Die d'Amor ed a la madre i' bado, 
E a' baron' de l'oste chiamo assai 
D'esser lor[o] fedele a sempremai 
E di servirgli e non guardar ma' guado. 
  Al buono Amico e a Bellacoglienza 
Rendé' grazïe mille e mille volte; 
Ma di Ragion non eb[b]i sovenenza, 
  Che·lle mie gioie mi credette aver tolte. 
Ma contra lei i' eb[b]i provedenza, 
Sì ch'i' l'ò tutte quante avute e colte. 
 
 

      

      When I saw myself in such an exalted state, 
I gave thanks to all my benefactors,  
and I love them more today than ever before,  
for they worked hard to make my pleasure possible. 
      I follow the commands of Love and his mother,  
and to the army of Love I proclaim  
that I will be loyal to them forever  
and will serve them and always honor my pledge. 
      To the good Friend and Fair Welcome 
I gave thanks a thousand times and more,  
but I never gave a thought to Reason, 
      who thought she had taken away my joys. 
But against her I used such shrewdness 
that I have enjoyed and gathered them all. 

[.................] 
 
  Malgrado di Ric[c]hez[z]a la spietata, 
Ch'unquanche di pietà non seppe usare, 
Che del camin c[h]'à nome Troppo-Dare 
Le pia[c]que di vietarmene l'entrata! 
  Ancor di Gelosia, ch'è·ssì spietata 
Che dagli amanti vuole il fior guardare! 
Ma pure 'l mio non sep[p]' ella murare, 
Ched i' non vi trovasse alcuna entrata; 
  Ond' io le tolsi il fior ch'ella guardava: 
E sì ne stava in sì gran sospez[z]one 
Che·lla sua gente tuttor inveg[g]hiava. 
  Bellacoglienza ne tenne in pregione, 
Perch'ella punto in lei non si fidava: 
E sì n'er' ella don[n]a di ragione. 

      I've had all this despite heartless Wealth, 
who never showed any compassion  
and who delighted in denying me access 
to the path whose name is Extravagance! 
      All this despite Jealousy, who is so heartless  
that she wants to protect the Flower from lovers!  
But still she was unable to imprison my Flower so well 
that I could not find an entranceway. 
      Thus, I took from her the Flower she was guarding: 
so great was her concern  
that her henchmen were always keeping watch. 
      Jealousy kept Fair Welcome in prison,  
because she placed no trust in her at all:  
and yet Fair Welcome was the proper mistress of the Flower.