When thither he that Sarza’s sceptre swayed
To infect such bliss with impious venom hies,
But falls in combat; and, blaspheming loud,
To Acheron descends his spirit proud.
I, if my chart deceives me not, shall now
In little time behold the neighbouring shore;
So hope withal to pay my promised vow
To one, so long my guide through that wide roar
Of waters, where I feared, with troubled brow,
To scathe my bark or wander evermore.
But now, methinks—yea, now I see the land;
I see the friendly port its arms expand.
A burst of joy, like thunder to my ear,
Rumbles along the sea and rends the sky.
I chiming bells, I shrilling trumpets hear,
Confounded with the people’s cheerful cry;
And now their forms, that swarm on either pier
Of the thick-crowded harbour, I descry.
All seem rejoiced my task is smoothly done,
And I so long a course have safely run.
What beauteous dames and sage, here welcome me!
With them what cavaliers the shore adorn!544
What friends! to whom I owe eternity
Of thanks for their delight at my return.
Mamma, Ginevra, with the rest I see,
Correggio’s seed,545 on the harbour’s furthest horn.
Veronica de Gambara546 is here,
To Phoebus and the Aonian choir so dear.
With Julia, a new Ginevra is in sight,
Another offset from the selfsame tree;
Hippolita Sforza, and Trivultia bright,547
Bred in the sacred cavern, I with thee
Emilia Pia, and thee, Margherite,
Angela Borgia, Graziosa, see,
And fair Richarda d’ Este.548 Lo! the twain,
Blanche and Diana, with their sister train!549
Beauteous, but wiser and more chaste than fair,
I Barbara Turca, linked with Laura, know:550
Nor beams the sun upon a better pair
’Twixt Ind and where the Moorish waters flow.
Behold Ginevra! that rich gem and rare
Which gilds the house of Malatesta so,551
That never worthier or more honoured thing
Adorned the dome of Keysar or of king.
If she had dwelt in Rimini of yore,
What time, from conquered Gaul returning home,
Julius stood fearing on the river-shore,
To ford the stream and make a foe of Rome,
He every banner would have bowed before
That dame, discharged his trophies, and such doom,
Such pact would have received as liked her best;
And haply ne’er had Freedom been opprest.
The consort of my lord of Bòzzolo
Behold! the mother, sisters, cousinhood;552
Them of Torello, Bentivòglio,
Pallavigìni’s and Visconti’s brood!553
Lo! she to whom all living dames forego
The palm, and all of Grecian, Latin blood,
Or barbarous, all that ever were, whose name
For grace and beauty most is noised by Fame;
Julia Gonzaga,554 she that wheresoe’er
She moves, where’er she turns her lucid eyes,
Not only is in charms without a peer,
But seems a goddess lighted from the skies:
With her is paired her brother’s wife,555 who ne’er
Swerved from her plighted faith—aye good and wise—
Because ill Fortune bore her long despite;
Lo! Arragonian Anna, Vasto’s light!556
Anne gentle, courteous, and as sage as fair,
Temple of Love and Truth and Chastity:
With her, her sister557 dims all beauty, where
Her radiance shines. Lo! one that hath set free
Her conquering lord from Orcus’ dark repair,
And him in spite of death and destiny
(Beyond all modern instance) raised on high,
To shine with endless glory in the sky.
My ladies of Ferrara, those of gay
Urbino’s court are here; and I descry
Mantua’s dames, and all that fair array
Which Lombardy and Tuscan town supply.
The cavalier amid that band, whom they
So honour, unless dazzled is mine eye
By those fair faces, is the shining light
Of his Arezzo, and Accolti hight.558
Adorned with scarlet hat, and scarlet pall,
His nephew Benedict,559 lo! there I see;
With him Campeggio and Mantua’s cardinal;560
Glory and light of the consistory;
And (if I dote not) mark how one and all
In face and gesture show such mighty glee
At my return, no easy task ’twould seem
So vast an obligation to redeem.
With them Lactantius is, Claude Ptolemy,
Trissino, Pansa, and Capilùpi mine,561
Latino Giovenàl,562 it seems to me;
Sasso,563 and Molza,564 and Florian hight Montine;565
With him, by whom through shorter pathway we
Are led to the Ascraean font divine,
Julio Camillo;566 and meseems that I
Berna, and Sanga, and Flamìnio567 spy.
Lo! Alexander of Farnese,568 and O
Learned company that follows in his train!
Phaedro, Cappella, Maddalen’, Portio,
Surnamed the Bolognese, the Volterrane.569
Blosio, Pierio, Vida, famed for flow
Of lofty eloquence of exhaustless vein;
Mussùro, Làscari, and Navagèro,
And Andrew Maro, and the monk Sevèro.570
Lo! two more Alexanders! of the tree
Of the Orològi one, and one Guarìno:
Màrio d’Olvìto, and of royalty
That scourge, divine Piètro Aretìno.
I two Giròlamos amid them see,
Of Veritàde and the Cittadìno;
See the Mainàrdo, the Leonicèno,
Pannizzàto, Cèlio, and Teocrèno.571
Bernardo Capel, Peter Bembo here
I see, through whom our pure, sweet idiom rose,
And who, of vulgar usage winnowed clear,
Its genuine form in his example shows.
Behold an Obyson, that in his rear
Admires the pains which he so well bestows.
I Fracastòro, Bevezzàno note,
And Tryphon Gabriel, Tasso more remote.572
Upon me Nicholas Tièpoli
And Nicholas Ammànio fix their eyes;
With Anthony Fulgoso, who to spy
My boat near land shows pleasure and surprise.
There, from those dames apart, my Valery
Stands with Barignan,573 haply to devise
With him how, evermore by woman harmed,
By her he shall not evermore be charmed.
Of high and superhuman genius, tied
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