Renaissance in Italy Volume IV Part 41

Why didst thou so wound me?

Why breaks my heart through thee, My heart which burns with Love?

It burns and glows and finds no place to stay; It cannot fly, for it is bound so tight; It melts like wax before the flame away; Living, it dies; swoons, faints, dissolves outright; Prays for the force to fly some little way; Finds itself in the furnace fiery-white; Ah me, in this sore plight, Who, what consumes my breath?

Ah, thus to live is death!

So swell the flames of Love.

Or ere I tasted Jesus, I besought To love him, dreaming pure delights to prove, And dwell at peace mid sweet things honey-fraught, Far from all pain on those pure heights above: Now find I torment other than I sought; I knew not that my heart would break for love!

There is no image of The semblance of my plight!

I die, drowned in delight, And live heart-lost in Love!

Lost is my heart and all my reason gone, My will, my liking, and all sentiment; Beauty is mere vile mud for eyes to shun; Soft cheer and wealth are naught but detriment; One tree of love, laden with fruit, but one, Fixed in my heart, supplies me nourishment: Hourly therefrom are sent, With force that never tires But varies still, desires, Strength, sense, the gifts of Love.

Let none rebuke me then, none reprehend, If love so great to madness driveth me!

What heart from love her fortress shall defend?

So thralled, what heart from love shall hope to flee?

Think, how could any heart not break and rend, Or bear this furnace-flame's intensity?-- Could I but only be Blest with some soul that knows, Pities and feels the woes Which whelm my heart with Love!

Lo, heaven, lo, earth cries out, cries out for aye, And all things cry that I must love even thus!

Each calls:--With all thy heart to that Love fly, Loving, who strove to clasp thee, amorous; That Love who for thy love did seek and sigh, To draw thee up to him, He fas.h.i.+oned us!-- Such beauty luminous, Such goodness, such delight, Flows from that holy light, Beams on my soul from Love!

For thee, O Love, I waste, swooning away!

I wander calling loud with thee to be!

When thou departest, I die day by day; I groan and weep to have thee close to me: When thou returnest, my heart swells; I pray To be trans.m.u.ted utterly in thee!

Delay not then!--Ah me!

Love deigns to bring me grace!

Binds me in his embrace, Consumes my heart with Love!

Love, Love, thou hast me smitten, wounded sore!

No speech but Love, Love, Love! can I deliver!

Love, I am one with thee, to part no more!

Love, Love, thee only shall I clasp for ever!

Love, Love, strong Love, thou forcest me to soar Heavenward! my heart expands; with love I quiver; For thee I swoon and s.h.i.+ver, Love, pant with thee to dwell!

Love, if thou lovest me well, Oh, make me die of Love!

Love, Love, Love, Jesus, I have scaped the seas!

Love, Love, Love, Jesus, thou has guided me!

Love, Love, Love, Jesus, give me rest and peace!

Love, Love, Love, Jesus, I'm inflamed by thee!

Love, Love, Love, Jesus! From wild waves release!

Make me, Love, dwell for ever clasped with thee!

And be transformed in thee, In truest charity, In highest verity, Of pure trans.m.u.ted Love!

Love, Love, Love, Love, the world's exclaim and cry!

Love, Love, Love, Love, each thing this cry returns!

Love, Love, Love, Love, thou art so deep, so high: Whoso clasps thee, for thee more madly yearns!

Love, Love, thou art a circle like the sky; Who enters, with thy love for ever burns!

Web, woof, art thou; he learns, Who clothes himself with thee, Such sweetness, suavity, That still he shouts, Love, Love!

Love, Love, Love, Love, thou giv'st me such strong pain!

Love, Love, Love, Love, how shall I bear this ache?

Love, Love, Love, Love, thou fill'st my heart amain!

Love, Love, Love, Love, I feel my heart must break!

Love, Love, Love, Love, thou dost me so constrain!

Love, Love, Love, Love, absorb me for Love's sake!

Love-languor, sweet to take!

Love, my Love amorous!

Love, my delicious!

Swallow my soul in Love!

Love, Love, Love, Love, my heart it is so riven!

Love, Love, Love, Love, what wounds I feel, what bliss!

Love, Love, Love, Love, I'm drawn and rapt to heaven!

Love, Love, I'm ravished by thy beauteousness!

Love, Love, life's naught, for less than nothing given!

Love, Love, the other life is one with this!

Thy love the soul's life is!

To leave thee were death's anguis.h.!.+

Thou mak'st her swoon and languish, Clasped, overwhelmed in Love!

Love, Love, Love, Love, O Jesus amorous!

Love, Love, fain would I die embracing Thee!

Love, Love, Love, Love, O Jesus my soul's Spouse!

Love, Love, Love, Love, death I demand of thee!

Love, Love, Love, Love, Jesus, my lover, thus Resume me, let me be transformed in thee!

Where am I? Love! Ah me!

Jesus, my hope! in thee Ingulf me, whelm in Love!

APPENDIX V.

_Pa.s.sages translated from the Morgante Maggiore of Pulci._

(See Chapter VII. pp. 444 _et seq._) Morgante xviii. 115.

Answered Margutte: "Friend, I never boasted: I don't believe in black more than in blue, But in fat capons, boiled, or may be roasted; And I believe sometimes in b.u.t.ter too, In beer and must, where bobs a pippin toasted; Sharp liquor more than sweet I reckon true; But mostly to old wine my faith I pin, And hold him saved who firmly trusts therein.

"I believe in the tartlet and the tart; One is the mother, t'other is her son: The perfect paternoster is a part Of liver, fried in slips, three, two, or one; Which also from the primal liver start: And since I'm dry, and fain would swill a tun, If Mahomet forbids the juice of grape, I reckon him a nightmare, phantom, ape.

"Apollo's naught but a delirious vision, And Trivigant perchance a midnight specter; Faith, like the itch, is catching; what revision This sentence needs, you'll make, nor ask the rector: To waste no words, you may without misprision Dub me as rank a heretic as Hector: I don't disgrace my lineage, nor indeed Am I the cabbage-ground for any creed.