Tuscan-English Parallel Translation

Casanova’s Tuscan Iliad, stanzas 43–51, each verse translated line by line into deliberately “faithful” English (just AI generated).

43

	Tuscan (vesum009)	English (vesum001)
43.1	Là, mentre Giugno al Gargaro salìo,	There, while Juno climbed to Gargarus,
43.2	Ei cheto rimpiattossi, e sotto il velo	He quietly hid himself, and under the veil
43.3	Dell’augello canoro si coprìo,	Of the singing bird he covered himself,
43.4	Detto Cimindi in terra, Calci in cielo.	Called Cymindis on earth, Chalcis in heaven.
43.5	Quando Giove la vide, di desìo	When Jove saw her, with desire
43.6	Amor l’accese col pungente telo,	Love inflamed him with the piercing shaft,
43.7	Come la prima volta, che in nascosto	As on the first time, when in secret
43.8	S’è, de’ parenti, secon a letto posto.	She had, from her parents, laid herself in bed with him.

44

	Tuscan (vesum009)	English (vesum001)
44.1	Giunta, che fugli innanzi: eh perché mai	Arrived, when she was before him: ah, why ever
44.2	Lasciasti Olimpo? dissele il gran Giove;	Did you leave Olympus? great Jove said to her;
44.3	A che vieni tu qui, dove ten vai,	For what do you come here, where are you going,
44.4	Dove sono i tuoi cocchj, e i destrier dove?	Where are your chariots, and where the steeds?
44.5	In capo al mondo, a dar patenti prove	To the end of the world, to give open proofs
44.6	Di amor costante ad Oceano padre,	Of constant love to father Ocean,
44.7	Che in sua casa allevommi, e a Teti madre.	Who raised me in his house, and to mother Tethys.

45

	Tuscan (vesum012)	English (vesum002)
45.1	Vado que’ nodi a scior, se mel concedi,	I go to loosen those knots, if you grant it to me,
45.2	Delle riffe antichissime, che fanno,	Of the most ancient quarrels, which make it so
45.3	Che vivan separati. D’Ida a piedi	That they live apart. At Ida’s foot
45.4	Lasciai i destrier, che mi vi condurranno.	I left the steeds, which will conduct me there.
45.5	Dall’Olimpo qui venni, come vedi,	From Olympus I came here, as you see,
45.6	Acciò, tu ’l sappia, e che non n’abbia affanno	So that you may know it, and may have no distress from it
45.7	Nè ti sdegni del cheto partir mio.	Nor take offense at my quiet departure.
45.8	Così ella diss, e le rispose il Dio.	Thus she said, and the God answered her.

46

	Tuscan (vesum012)	English (vesum002)
46.1	Di far questo viaggio il tempo avrai,	To make this journey you will have time,
46.2	Giunon mio dolce ben, da qui un pochetto,	Juno, my sweet dear, a little while from now,
46.3	Poich’or d’uopo ho di te, bramando assai,	Since now I have need of you, greatly desiring
46.4	Che ci ponghiamo in amistate a letto.	That we place ourselves in loving friendship in bed.
46.5	Per donna, o Dea non mi domò giammai,	For woman or goddess it never subdued me,
46.6	Com’ora, il caldo amor nè il cor, nè il petto	As now, warm love, neither the heart nor the breast,
46.7	E neppur quando d’Ission mi piacque	And not even when Ixion’s wife pleased me,
46.8	La mogliera, cui Piritoo nacque.	The woman to whom Pirithous was born.

47

	Tuscan (vesum018)	English (vesum003)
47.1	Tal non mi accese fiamma alta, e felice,	Such a high and happy flame did not kindle me,
47.2	Quando Danae godei, d’Acriso figlia,	When I enjoyed Danae, daughter of Acrisius,
47.3	Che del nobil Perseo fei genitrice,	Whom I made mother of noble Perseus,
47.4	Sovrano eroe, del mondo maraviglia;	Sovereign hero, marvel of the world;
47.5	Nè l’ardor, che la figlia di Fenice	Nor does the ardor that the daughter of Phoenix
47.6	Mi fè sentire, a questo rassomiglia:	Made me feel resemble this:
47.7	Ebbi da lei Minosse, e Radamanto	From her I had Minos and Rhadamanthus,
47.8	Ma d’ottenerla non bramai cotanto.	But to obtain her I did not long so much.

48

	Tuscan (vesum018)	English (vesum003)
48.1	Nè tanto arsi per Semele, da cui	Nor did I burn so much for Semele, from whom
48.2	Il dilettevol Bacco al mondo venne;	Delightful Bacchus came into the world;
48.3	Nè d’Alcmena si vago a Tebe io fui,	Nor was I so enamored of Alcmena at Thebes,
48.4	Da cui la terra il grande Alcide ottenne;	From whom the earth obtained great Alcides;
48.5	Neppur per i medesmi amplessi tui,	Not even for your very embraces,
48.6	Nè per Latona, o Cerere mi avvenne	Nor for Latona, or Ceres, did it happen to me
48.7	D’arder com’ora il cor arder mi sento	To burn as now I feel my heart burn
48.8	Dal cupido d’amor dolce tormento.	From the desirous sweet torment of love.

49

	Tuscan (vesum022)	English (vesum004)
49.1	Come vuoi, gli rispose, o Dio importuno,	How do you wish, she answered him, O importunate God,
49.2	Che ci corichiamo adesso in cima d’Ida,	That we lie down now on Ida’s summit,
49.3	Dove può darsi, che fra numi alcuno	Where it may be that among the gods someone
49.4	Ci scuopra, ci schernisca, e di noi rida?	Discovers us, mocks us, and laughs at us?
49.5	Ch’indi a’ Dei corra, e che qui venga ognuno	That thence he runs to the Gods, and that everyone comes here
49.6	A vederci, a beffarci, e ci derida.	To see us, to jeer at us, and to deride us.
49.7	Se tal fatto avvenisse, si arroscisco,	If such a thing happened, I would blush so much,
49.8	Che a casa ritornar più non ardisco.	That to return home I would no longer dare.

50

	Tuscan (vesum022)	English (vesum004)
50.1	Ma se è ver, che ti abbruci un si gran foco,	But if it is true that so great a fire burns you,
50.2	Pronta a te m’offro, e la tua voglia adoro,	Ready I offer myself to you, and I adore your desire,
50.3	Purchè andiam giunti al destinto loco,	Provided that we go together to the destined place,
50.4	Che fè Vulcan con inclito lavoro.	Which Vulcan made with renowned workmanship.
50.5	Non temer, moglie mia, molto, nè poco,	Do not fear, my wife, much or little,
50.6	Ripigliò il Dio, poichè con nube d’oro	The God resumed, since with a cloud of gold
50.7	Sì copriremci, che non sia concesso	We shall so cover ourselves that it will not be allowed
50.8	Il vederci nell’atto al Sole istesso.	For the very Sun to see us in the act.

51

	Tuscan (vesum024)	English (vesum005)
51.1	Disse. L’abbraccia, e al suol la corca in fretta,	He said. He embraces her, and lays her on the ground in haste,
51.2	Mentre sott’essi Loto producea,	While beneath them Lotus was producing,
51.3	Giacinto, e Croco, ed ogni molle erbetta	Hyacinth, and Crocus, and every soft little grass
51.4	La madre terra, ch’alto li reggea:	Mother earth, which held them high:
51.5	Giacquero ascosi, e dalla nube eletta	They lay hidden, and from the chosen cloud
51.6	Bella rugiada sopar lor cadea;	Beautiful dew fell upon them;
51.7	Nè molto andò, che il Dio, non avvertito,	Nor did much time pass before the God, unawares,
51.8	Da sonno, e da piacer giacque sopito.	By sleep and by pleasure lay lulled.