Love

Vita Nuova: 'Canst thou indeed be he that still would sing'

by Dante Alighieri 1265–1321

Translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1861; text of the Ellis and Elvey edition, 1899) · From La Vita Nuova

Love

Canst thou indeed be he that still would sing
Of our dear lady unto none but us?
For though thy voice confirms that it is thus,
Thy visage might another witness bring.
And wherefore is thy grief so sore a thing
That grieving thou mak’st others dolorous?
Hast thou too seen her weep, that thou from us
Canst not conceal thine inward sorrowing?
Nay, leave our woe to us: let us alone:
’Twere sin if one should strive to soothe our woe,
For in her weeping we have heard her speak:
Also her look’s so full of her heart’s moan
That they who should behold her, looking so,
Must fall aswoon, feeling all life grow weak.

MLA

Dante Alighieri. “Vita Nuova: 'Canst thou indeed be he that still would sing'.” Translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/dante/14/.

Chicago

Dante Alighieri. “Vita Nuova: 'Canst thou indeed be he that still would sing'.” Translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/dante/14/.

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