Love
Sonnet CLXXI (In Life): He Rejoices at Being on Earth with Her, as He is Thereby Enabled Better to Imitate Her Virtues
Translated by Major Macgregor (in Bohn, 1879) · From To Laura in Life
Soul! with such various faculties endued
To think, write, speak, to read, to see, to hear;
My doting eyes! and thou, my faithful ear!
Where drinks my heart her counsels wise and good;
Your fortune smiles; if after or before,
The path were won so badly follow'd yet,
Ye had not then her bright eyes' lustre met,
Nor traced her light feet earth's green carpet o'er.
Now with so clear a light, so sure a sign,
'Twere shame to err or halt on the brief way
Which makes thee worthy of a home divine.
That better course, my weary will, essay!
To pierce the cloud of her sweet scorn be thine,
Pursuing her pure steps and heavenly ray.
Cite this poem
MLA
Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch). “Sonnet CLXXI (In Life): He Rejoices at Being on Earth with Her, as He is Thereby Enabled Better to Imitate Her Virtues.” Translated by Major Macgregor. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/petrarch/203/.
Chicago
Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch). “Sonnet CLXXI (In Life): He Rejoices at Being on Earth with Her, as He is Thereby Enabled Better to Imitate Her Virtues.” Translated by Major Macgregor. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/petrarch/203/.
Read this poem with the Codex →
More by Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch)
- Sonnet XI (In Life): He Hopes That Time Will Render Her More Merciful
- Sonnet LXV (In Life): Better is It to Die Happy Than to Live in Pain
- Sonnet CXXVI (In Life): He Extols the Beauty and Virtue of Laura
- Sonnet CXCIX (In Life): He Excuses Himself for Visiting Laura Too Often, and Loving Her Too Much
- Sonnet XL (In Death): He Attempts to Paint Her Beauties, but Not Her Virtues