Dio d'Amore e Falsembiante
«Dì, Falsembiante: in che maniera puote
Seguire Idio chi à tutto venduto,
Ed àllo tutto a' pover' dispenduto,
E le sue borse son rimase vote,
Ed è forte e possente e à grosse gote?
Gli sarebbe per dritto conceduto
C[h]'a trar sua vita domandasse aiuto,
Come quest'altri che·ttu or mi note?».
«Dico di no: che se Dio fe' comando
C[h]'on desse tutto a' poveri, e po' 'L sieva,
La Sua 'ntenzion non fu in truandando,
E questo intendimento ti ne lieva,
Ma con buon' opre tuttor lavorando,
C[h]'uon forte in truandar l'anima grieva.
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The God of Love and False Seeming
"Tell me, False Seeming: in what way can a man
follow God, who has sold everything
and given it to the poor,
and whose purse remains empty,
and who is strong and vigorous and has fleshy cheeks?
Would it be right to allow him
to beg in order to survive,
just like the others whom you've listed for me now?"
"The answer is no; because when God ordered
that one should give everything to the poor, and then follow Him,
His intention was not concerned with begging for alms
--and get this opinion out of your head
but rather with working always toward good ends,
for a strong man who begs weighs down his soul."
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Falsembiante
«Ancor una crudel costuma ab[b]iamo:
Contra cui no' prendiamo a nimistate,
Quanti no' siamo, in buona veritate,
In difamarlo noi ci asottigliamo;
E se per aventura noi sap[p]iamo
Com' e' possa venire a dignitate,
Nascosamente noi facciàn tagliate,
Sì che di quella via noi 'l ne gittiamo.
E ciò facciamo noi sì tracelato
Ch'e' non saprà per cui l'avrà perduto
Infin ch'e' non ne fia di fuor gittato.
Che s'e' l'aves[s]e da prima saputo,
Per aventura e' si saria scusato,
Sì ch'i' ne saria menzonier tenuto».
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False Seeming
"We still have a cruel custom:
in truth, all of us act
against the person we hate
by contriving to ruin his reputation;
and if, by chance, we learn
how he may come to an exalted post,
in secret we plan to cut him off
and cast him off the road.
And this we do so secretly
that he'll not know who made him lose it
until he has been cast out.
For if he had known it from the start,
perhaps he would have found a way to protect himself,
and thus I would be considered a liar."
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Amore e Falsembiante
«Cotesta mi par gran dislealtate»,
Rispose Amore, «Or non credi tu 'n Cristo?».
«I' non, chéd e' sarà pover e tristo
Colù' che viverà di lealtate:
Sì ch'io non vo' per me quelle ghignate,
Ma, come ched i' possa, i' pur a[c]quisto,
Ché da nessun nonn-è volontier visto
Colui che man terrà di povertate,
Anzi l'alunga ciascuno ed incaccia;
Già no·lli fia sì amico né parente
Ch[ed] egli il veg[g]a volontieri in faccia:
Sì ch'i' vogl[i]' anzi c[h]'on mi sia ubidente,
Come ch[ed] io a Cristo ne dispiaccia,
Ched es[s]er in servag[g]io della gente.
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Love and False Seeming
"This seems to me to be a great treachery,"
answered Love. "Do you not believe in Christ?"
"Not I, for the one who lives for loyalty
will be poor and sad.
I certainly don't want that mockery for myself;
but I continue to accumulate wealth in any way possible,
because no one thinks well
of the person who's faithful to poverty;
rather, everyone keeps him far away and chases him off.
He has no friend or relative
who would look him gladly in the face.
Even though I may not please Christ on this account,
I prefer that people be obedient to me
and not be servants to others."
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Falsembiante
«Vedete che danari ànno usorieri,
Siniscalchi e provosti e maggiori,
Che tutti quanti son gran piatitori
E sì son argogliosi molto e fieri.
Ancor borghesi sopra i cavalieri
Son og[g]i tutti quanti venditori
Di lor derrate e aterminatori,
Sì ch'ogne gentil uon farà panieri.
E' conviene ch'e' vendan casa o terra
Infinché i borghesi siar pagati,
Che giorno e notte gli tegnono in serra.
Ma io, che porto panni devisati,
Fo creder lor che ciascheun sì erra,
E 'nganno ingannatori e ingannati.
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False Seeming
"See how much money the usurers,
seneschals, provosts and mayors have!
All of them are big swindlers,
and they are very proud and fierce.
Moreover, all of the bourgeoisie, to the detriment of the knights,
now sell their own goods
at inflated prices and on credit,
so that every nobleman will be robbed.
They must sell their house and land
so that the bourgeoisie can be paid,
they who day and night keep the nobles in tight straits.
But I, who clothe myself in various garbs,
make each of them believe the other's wrong,
and I deceive both the deceivers and the deceived."
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Falsembiante
«Chi se 'n vuol adirar, sì se n'adiri,
Chéd i' vi pur conterò ogne mio fatto,
S'i' dovess' es[s]er istrutto intrafatto,
O morto a torto com' furo i martìri,
O discacciato come fu 'l buon siri
Guiglielmo che di Santo Amor fu stratto:
Così 'l conciò la mogl[i]e di Baratto,
Però ch'e' mi rompea tutti mie' giri.
Chéd e' sì fu per lei sì discacciato,
E sol per verità ch'e' sostenea,
Ched e' fu del reame isbandeg[g]iato.
De mia vita fe' libro, e sì leg[g]ea
Ch'e' non volea ch'i' gisse mendicato:
Verso mia madre troppo misprendea!
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False Seeming
"Whoever wishes to get mad, let him get mad,
because I'll tell you about all my deeds,
even if I should be immediately destroyed
or unjustly killed just as the martyrs were,
or persecuted just like the good lord
William who was a native of St. Amour.
In this way the wife of Deceit fixed his hash,
because he was ruining all my deceptive plans.
For William was so persecuted by her,
and only for the truth that he maintained,
that he was banished from the realm.
Of my life he wrote a book, and he taught
that he did not want me to go begging alms:
towards my mother he committed a grievous error!"
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