L'Amante e Amore
 
  Con grande umilitate e pacïenza 
Promisi a Amor a sofferir sua pena, 
E c[h]'ogne membro, ch'i' avea, e vena 
Disposat' era a farli sua voglienza; 
  E solo a lui servir la mia credenza 
E` ferma, né di ciò mai nonn-alena: 
«Insin ched i' avrò spirito o lena, 
I' non farò da·cciò giamà' partenza». 
  E quelli allor mi disse: «Amico meo, 
I' ò da·tte miglior pegno che carte: 
Fa che m'adori, ched i' son tu' deo; 
  Ed ogn' altra credenza metti a parte, 
Né non creder né Luca né Matteo 
Né Marco né Giovanni». Allor si parte.  

Lover and Love 
 
  With much humility and patience I promised Love  
that I would suffer his pain  
and that my every limb and vein  
were prepared to do his will. 
  And my mind is set to serve him and him alone  
and will never cease to do so:  
"As long as I live and breathe,  
I will never depart from this promise." 
  And Love then said to me: "My friend,  
your pledge is better than any written promise:  
be sure to worship me, for I am your god; 
  and set aside every other belief:  
do not believe Luke or Matthew,  
Mark or John." And then he departs.  

L'Amante e lo Schifo 

  Partes' Amor [le] su' ale battendo 
E 'n poca d'or sì forte isvanoìo 
Ched i' no'l vidi poi, né no·ll'udìo, 
E·llui e 'l su' soccorso ancor atendo. 
  Allor mi venni forte ristrignendo 
Verso del fior, che·ssì forte m'ulìo, 
E per cu' feci homag[g]io a questo dio, 
E dissi: 'Chi mi tien, ched i' no'l prendo?'; 
  Sì ch'i' verso del fior tesi la mano, 
Credendolo aver colto chitamente; 
Ed i' vidi venir un gran villano 
  Con una maz[z]a, e disse: «Or ti ste' a mente 
Ch'i' son lo Schifo, e sì son ortolano 
D'esto giardin; i' ti farò dolente». 
 
 

Lover and Resistance 
 
  Love departs with a flutter of wings,  
and in a moment he disappeared so rapidly  
that I no longer saw or heard him;  
yet still I wait for him and his assistance. 
  Then I moved closer and closer  
to the Flower whose fragrance bewitched me  
and for whom I had pledged my fealty to this god.  
I said: "Who keeps me from plucking it?" 
  And so I stretched my hand toward the Flower,  
thinking I would be able to pluck it freely. 
But I saw a big uncouth man approaching 
  with club in hand, saying: "Now keep in mind  
that I am Resistance, and that I am the keeper  
of this garden. I'll make you suffer." 

L'Amante 

  Molto vilmente mi buttò di fora 
Lo Schifo, crudo, fello e oltrag[g]ioso, 
Sì che del fior non cred' esser gioioso, 
Se Pietate e Franchez[z]a no·ll'acora; 
  Ma prima, credo, conver[r]à ch'eo mora, 
Perché 'l me' cor [i]stà tanto doglioso 
Di quel villan, che stava là nascoso, 
Di cu' no·mmi prendea guardia quell'ora. 
  Or m'à messo in pensero e in dottanza 
Di ciò ched i' credea aver per certano, 
Sì c[h]'or me ne par essere in bilanza. 
  E tutto ciò m'à fatto quello strano; 
Ma di lui mi richiamo a Pietanza, 
Che venga a·llui collo spunton i·mmano. 
 
 

Lover 
 
  With much rudeness he threw me out,  
that cruel, vicious and abusive Resistance did,  
so that I think I'll not have pleasure with the Flower,  
unless Mercy and Sincerity do away with him. 
  But before that happens I think I'll die,  
since my heart is in so much pain  
because of that uncouth man, who was hiding there  
and against whom I took no precaution at that crucial moment. 
  Now this has made me worried and fearful,  
for what I thought I had for certain  
now seems to me to be at risk. 
  And all this that savage one did to me!  
But I will appeal to Mercy about him,  
so that she may confront him with spear in hand. 

L'Amante 
 
  Se mastro Argus[so], che fece la nave 
In che Giason andò per lo tosone, 
E fece a conto regole e ragione 
E le diece figure, com' on save, 
  Vivesse, gli sareb[b]e forte e grave 
Multiplicar ben ogne mia quistione 
C[h]'Amor mi move, sanza mesprigione; 
E di ciascuna porta esso la chiave, 
  Ed àllemi nel cor fermate e messe 
Con quella chiavicella ch'i' v'ò detto, 
Per ben tenermi tutte sue promesse: 
  Per ch'io a·ssue merzé tuttor mi metto; 
Ma ben vor[r]è' che, quando gli piacesse, 
E' m'alleg[g]iasse il mal che·ssì m'à stretto. 
 
 

Lover 
 
      If Master Argus, who built the ship  
that Jason used to seek the Golden Fleece,  
and who invented the rules and rationale for computation  
and the ten numerical signs, as everyone knows, 
      if he were alive, it would be difficult for him  
to calculate all the problems  
that Love gives me, without mistakes.  
Yet, for every door Love has the key, 
      and with this little key that I just mentioned to you  
he has placed and locked them in my heart  
in order to keep all his promises to me. 
      For this reason I am always ready to do his bidding;  
however, I would like for him --whenever he would like-- 
to ease the pain that has so conquered me. 
 

L'Amante e Ragione 
 
  Dogliendomi in pensando del villano 
Che·ssì vilmente dal fior m'à 'lungiato, 
Ed i' mi riguardai dal dritto lato, 
E sì vidi Ragion col viso piano 
  Venir verso di me, e per la mano 
Mi prese e disse: «Tu·sse' sì smagrato! 
I' credo che·ttu à' troppo pensato 
A que' che·tti farà gittar in vano, 
  Ciò è Amor, a cui dat' ài fidanza. 
Ma·sse m'avessi avuto al tu' consiglio, 
Tu non saresti gito co·llui a danza: 
  Ché, sie certano, a cu' e' dà di piglio, 
Egli 'l tiene in tormento e malenanza, 
Sì che su' viso nonn-è mai vermiglio». 
 
 

Lover and Reason 
 
      While thinking sadly about that savage one  
who so savagely chased me from the Flower,  
I looked on my right side and saw  
Reason, who, with tranquil face, 
      was coming towards me. She took me by the  
hand and said: "You have become so thin!  
I believe that you have thought too much  
about that one who'll make you work in vain: 
      that person is Love, to whom you've given loyalty.  
But if you had listened to my advice,  
you would not have gone with him to dance. 
      For you can be sure the one he seizes  
He'll keep in torment and in sorrow,  
such that his face will never be red."