L'Amante 
 
  Quand' el[l]' eb[b]e il castel di guernigione 
Fornito sì com' egli era mestiere, 
Ad ogne porta mise su' portiere, 
De' più fidati c[h]'avea in sua magione: 
  E perch'ella dottava tradigione, 
Mise lo Schifo in sul portal primiere, 
Perch'ella il sentia aspro cavaliere; 
Al secondo, la figlia di Ragione, 
  Ciò fu Vergogna, che fe' gran difensa; 
La terza porta sì guardò Paura, 
Ch'iera una donna di gran provedenza; 
  Al quarto portal, dietro da le mura, 
Fu messo Mala-Boc[c]a, la cui 'ntenza  
Ferm' iera a dir mal d'ogne crïatura. 

Lover 
 
      As soon as she had the castle supplied  
with weapons as was necessary,  
she put watchmen at every door:  
these were the most trusted in her household. 
      And since she feared betrayal,  
she placed Resistance at the main door,  
because she knew he was a determined knight.  
At the second gate she put Reason's daughter  
      --Modesty-- who provided great defense;  
the third gate was guarded by Fear,  
a lady famous for her shrewdness; 
      and at the fourth gate, behind the wall,  
Bad Mouth stood: his constant purpose 
was to say evil things about everyone. 
 

L'Amante 
 
  Bellacoglienza fu nella fortez[z]a 
Per man di Gelosia mess' e fermata. 
Ad una vec[c]hia l'eb[b]e acomandata 
Che·lla tenesse tuttor in distrez[z]a; 
  Ch'ella dottava molto su' bellez[z]a, 
Che Castità à tuttor guer[r]eg[g]iata, 
E Cortesïa, di cu' era nata, 
No·lle facesse far del fior larghez[z]a. 
  Ver è ched ella sì 'l fece piantare 
Là 've Bellacoglienza era 'n pregione, 
Ch'altrove no'l sapea dove fidare. 
  Lassù non dottav' ella tradigione, 
Ché quella vec[c]hia, a cu' 'l diede a guardare, 
Sì era del lignag[g]io Salvagnone. 
 
 

Lover 
 
      Fair Welcome was put and enclosed  
inside the fortress by Jealousy,  
who charged an old woman  
to keep her always under lock and key. 
      Jealousy greatly feared her beauty,  
which Chastity has always defended,  
and that Lady Courtesy, who is her mother,  
might make her give away the Flower. 
      And so it is true that she had it planted  
there where Fair Welcome was imprisoned,  
for she knew of no other safe place. 
      There on top she feared no betrayal,  
for that old woman, to whom she gave it for safekeeping,  
was a descendant of Salvagnone. 
 

L'Amante 
 
  Gelosia andava a proveder le porte, 
Sì trovava le guardie ben intese 
Contra ciascuno star a le difese 
E per donar e per ricever morte; 
  E Mala-Bocca si sforzava forte 
In ogne mi' sacreto far palese: 
Que' fu 'l nemico che più mi v'afese, 
Ma sopra lui ricad[d]or poi le sorte. 
  Que' non finava né notte né giorno 
A suon di corno gridar: «Guarda, guarda!»; 
E giva per le mura tutto 'ntorno 
  Dicendo: «Tal è putta e tal si farda, 
E la cotal à troppo caldo il forno, 
E l'altra follemente altrù' riguarda». 
 
 

Lover 
 
      Jealousy went to check the doors  
and found the guards alert and ready  
to ward off all attacks,  
as well as to give and to suffer death. 
      Bad Mouth was trying very hard  
to make me reveal all my secrets:  
he was the enemy who gave me the most trouble,  
but it was he instead who received the most harm. 
      All day and night to the sound of his horn  
that one kept on shouting: "Look, look!"  
And he circled all around the walls, 
      saying: "That one is a whore, and that one paints her face;  
that other one has a really hot oven, 
and that other one casts her rash and roving eye on men." 
 

L'Amante  
 
  Quand' i' vidi i marosi sì 'nforzare 
Per lo vento a Provenza che ventava, 
C[h]' alberi e vele e ancole fiac[c]ava, 
E nulla mi valea il ben governare, 
  Fra me medesmo comincià' a pensare 
Ch'era follïa se più navicava, 
Se quel maltempo prima non passava 
Che dal buon porto mi facé' alu[n]giare: 
  Sì ch'i' allor m'ancolai a una piag[g]ia, 
Veg[g]endo ch'i' non potea entrar in porto: 
La terra mi parea molto salvaggia. 
  I' vi vernai co·molto disconforto. 
Non sa che mal si sia chi non asaggia 
Di quel d'Amor, ond'i' fu' quasi morto. 
 
 

Lover 
 
      When I saw the waves rise ever higher,  
because of the wind that blew from Provence, 
such that masts and sails and anchors broke,  
and my good steering was to no avail, 
      I began to think in my heart of hearts  
that it was madness to pursue my course,  
until that bad weather passed,  
which was keeping me far from the good harbor. 
      Thus, I anchored myself upon a beach,  
seeing that I could not enter the harbor;  
the land seemed very inhospitable to me. 
      There I passed the winter in much discomfort.  
He does not know what pain is who has not experienced  
the pain of Love, because of which I almost died. 
 

L'Amante 
 
  Pianto, sospiri, pensieri e afrizione 
Eb[b]i vernando in quel salvag[g]io loco, 
Ché pena de·ninferno è riso e gioco 
Ver' quella ch'i' soffersi a la stagione 
  C[h]'Amor mi mise a tal distruzïone 
Ch'e' no·mi die' sog[g]iorno as[s]à' né poco: 
Un'or mi tenne in ghiaccio, un'altra 'n foco. 
Molto m'atten[n]e ben sua promessione, 
  Ma non di gioia né di nodrimento: 
Ch'e' di speranza mi dovea nodrire 
Insin ched e' mi desse giug[g]iamento. 
  Digiunar me ne fece, a ver vo dire; 
Ma davami gran pez[z]e di tormento, 
Con salsa stemperata di languire. 
 
 

Lover 
 
      With weeping, sighs, thoughts and affliction  
I passed the winter in that harsh place,  
for the pain of Hell is laughter and play  
compared to that which I suffered that season 
      when Love put me in such distress  
and gave me no truce, neither little nor great:  
one moment he kept me cold as ice, another on fire:  
Love certainly kept the promise he made to me, 
      but not his promise of joy or nourishment!  
He should have nourished me with hope,  
at least until he pronounced his verdict. 
      To tell you the truth he made me fast,  
while giving me large servings of torment,  
with a piquant sauce of anguish.