La Vec[c]hia
«Figl[i]uola mia cortese ed insegnata,
La tua gran gioia sì è ancor a venire.
Or me convien me pianger e languire,
Ché·lla mia sì se n'è tutta passata
Né non fie mai per me più ritrovata,
Chéd ella mi giurò di non reddire.
Or vo' consigliar te, che dé' sentire
Il caldo del brandon, che sie avisata
Che non facessi sì come fec' io:
De ch'i' son trista quand' e' me'n rimembra,
Ch'i' non posso tornare a·lavorio.
Per ch'i' te dico ben ched e' mi sembra:
Se·ttu creder vor[r]à' 'l consiglio mio,
Tu sì non perderai aver né membra.
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The Old Woman
"My dear noble and well-bred daughter,
your great joy is yet to come.
Now it's my time to cry and languish,
because my joy is completely over,
and I will not find it ever again,
for it swore to me that it would not return.
Now I want to advise you, who must feel
the heat of Love's flame: you must be careful
not to do as I did;
for which I'm sad when I remember
that I cannot return to love's labor.
Therefore, I'll tell you how things seem to me:
if you will follow my advice,
you'll not lose men's riches or their bodies."
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La Vec[c]hia
«Se del giuoco d'amor i' fosse essuta
Ben sag[g]ia quand' i' era giovanella,
I' sare' ric[c]a più che damigella
O donna che·ttu ag[g]ie og[g]i veduta:
Ch'i' fu' sì trapiacente in mia venuta
Che per tutto cor[r]ëa la novella
Com'i' era cortese e gente e bella;
Ma·cciò mi pesa, ch'i' non fu' saputa.
Or sì mi doglio quand' i' mi rimiro
Dentro a lo spec[c]hio, ed i' veg[g]o invec[c]hiarmi:
Molto nel mï[o] cuore me n'adiro.
Ver è ched i' di ciò non posso atarmi,
Sì che per molte volte ne sospiro
Quand' i' veg[g]io biltate abandonarmi.
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The Old Woman
"If I had been a true expert
in the game of love when I was young,
I would be richer than any young noble woman
or lady, whom you can see today.
I was so greatly pleasing in my youth
that the news spread everywhere
of how gracious and noble and beautiful I was;
but what troubles me is that I was not wise.
So now I grieve, when I look at myself
in the mirror and see myself grown old:
I get very angry in my heart.
To be sure, I cannot help myself in this,
and so I frequently sigh,
when I see my beauty abandoning me."
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La Vec[c]hia
«Per tutto 'l mondo i' era ricordata,
Com' io t'ò detto, de la mia bieltate,
E molte zuffe ne fur cominciate,
E molta gente alcun' ora piagata;
Ché que' che mi crede' aver più legata,
Assà' mostrav' i' più di duritate:
Le mie promesse gli venian fallate,
C[h]'altre persone m'avieno inarrata.
Per molte volte m'era l'uscio rotto
E tentennato, quand' io mi dormia;
Ma già per ciò io non facea lor motto,
Perciò ched i' avea altra compagnia,
A cui intender facea che 'l su' disdotto
Mi piacea più che null' altro che·ssia.
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The Old Woman
"As I told you, I was celebrated
throughout the world for my beauty,
and many fights were begun because of this,
and many people were often wounded.
To the one who thought he had me all to himself
I showed more harshness;
my promises to him were not kept,
because other men had engaged me with their pledges.
Many times my door was broken down
and battered, when I was sleeping;
but despite this I said nothing to them,
since I had the company of another man;
I made him believe that his sexual pleasure
pleased me more than any other thing in the world."
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La Vec[c]hia
«I' era bella e giovane e folletta,
Ma non era a la scuola de l'amore
Istata; ma i' so or ben per cuore
La pratica la qual ti fie qui detta.
Usanza me n'à fatta sì savietta
Ched i' non dotterei nessun lettore
Che di ciò mi facesse desinore,
Ma' ched i' fosse bella e giovanetta:
Chéd egli è tanto ched i' non finai
Che·lla scïenza i' ò nel mi' coraggio;
Sed e' ti piace, tu l'ascolterai,
Ma i' no l'eb[b]i sanza gran damag[g]io:
Molta pen' e travaglio vi durai;
Ma pur almen sen[n]' è [re]mas 'e usag[g]io.
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The Old Woman
"I was beautiful and young and without cares,
but to the school of love I'd not yet
been; but now I know by heart
the techniques that will be related to you here.
Experience has made me so wise
that I would not fear any teacher
who might make me lose face in this subject,
if only I were beautiful and young.
I have been studying this subject for so long
that I have full knowledge of it in my heart.
If you like, you will hear it,
but I did not obtain it without great hardship:
much anguish and suffering I endured;
but at least wisdom and experience have remained."
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La Vec[c]hia
«Molti buon' uomini i' ò già 'ngannati,
Quand'i' gli tenni ne' mie' lacci presi:
Ma prima fu' 'ngannata tanti mesi
Che ' più de' mie' sollaz[z]i eran passati.
Centomilia cotanti barattati
N'avrei, s'i' a buon' or gli avesse tesi,
E conti e cavalieri e gran borgesi,
Che molti fiorin' d'oro m'avrian dati.
Ma quand' i' me n'avidi, egli era tardi,
Chéd i' era già fuor di giovanez[z]a,
Ed eranmi falliti i dolzi isguardi,
Perché 'n sua bàlia mi tenea vec[c]hiez[z]a.
Or convien, figlia mia, che tu ti guardi
Che·ttu non ti conduchi a tale strez[z]a.
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The Old Woman
"Many valorous men I once deceived,
when I had them caught in my amorous snares:
but I myself was deceived for many months
before most of my pleasure-giving features had faded.
I would have tricked a hundred thousand men
and more, if I had set my snares in time,
and counts and knights and rich merchants
would have given me lots of gold florins.
But when I realized this, it was late,
for I was already past my youth,
and my sweet looks were already gone,
since old age had me in her power.
Now, my daughter, you must take care,
so that you will not come to the same harsh pass."
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