Was it the proud full sail of his great...
Language: English
Was it the proud full sail of his great verse,
Bound for the prize of (all too precious) you,
That did my ripe thoughts in my brain inhearse,
Making their tomb the womb wherein they grew?
Was it his spirit, by spirits taught to write,
Above a mortal pitch, that struck me dead?
No, neither he, nor his compeers by night
Giving him aid, my verse astonished.
He, nor that affable familiar ghost
Which nightly gulls him with intelligence,
As victors of my silence cannot boast,
I was not sick of any fear from thence.
But when your countenance fill'd up his line,
Then lacked I matter, that enfeebled mine.
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
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This text was added to the website: 2010-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Fu la vela orgogliosa gonfia del suo...
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the English
Fu la vela orgogliosa gonfia del suo poetare eloquente,
issata per lodare te (ed ogni tua cosa preziosa),
a farmi marcire i pensieri già maturi in mente,
rendendo tomba il grembo in cui avevano casa?
Fu l’ispirazione dei versi, da spiriti guidata,
sopra ogni stile mortale, che a morte mi ha ferito?
No, né lui, né le notturne presenze
che a lui furono di aiuto, hanno i miei versi stordito.
Né lui, né quell'affabile fantasma familiare
che a notte con abilità lo raggira,
di avermi spinto al silenzio si possono vantare,
perché di loro non ho mai avuto paura.
Ma quando il tuo viso affidasti alla sua poesia,
mancandomi l’oggetto, si indebolì la mia.
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Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2025 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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This text was added to the website: 2025-07-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 114