RE>>R: translation help                      21/12/97

Dear Laurie and other friends,

I agree that the text requires «Sentiam» l. 4, which does not make sense, to be amended to «Sentian». Perhaps you can read «Sentiam» in the partbook, but people were not very careful with spelling or correctness in those times. I would transcribe Secchia with a capital S, to make it clear that it's the name of the river. I agree with Romei that the sonnet is not a parody of Petrarch CLXIV but a serious poem inspired by it, down to the echoes of Dante's Divina Commedia (l. 1, both here and in Petrarch, from Inf. V, 96, and «soffolce» from Par. XXIII, 130). If there is no evidence that the sonnet is by Pigna, could it be by Ingegneri himself? I have studied 14th century musical texts (watch the forthcoming Musica Disciplina for a paper of mine on the London Ms), and have come to the conclusion that it was common for composers to write their own texts, in which case their comparative lack of literary polish made their poems rather difficult to understand.

The first eight lines of the sonnet are quite easy. «'Now that the Heavens, Earth and the wind are silent', began she who sweetens the air with her angelic voice, and, speaking a melodious language brightens Secchia with a Tuscan flame. The souls of her audience [altrui =lit. the others] felt a blissful peace; all bitterness was changed to sweetness. And my heart, which far from her lies a-dying, was taken up to Heaven.»  So far, so good.

The following «Che poi» is a rather colloquial opening, difficult to render in English: something like «Well then*».The remaining two tercets are capable of two interpretations, hence Otfried's doubts. If one takes 'o' in the last lines as 'oh' then I see no difficulty in translating :«If she displays new treasures to me, oh open skies, oh Paradise!" But 'o * o*' might also be 'either* or*'. The second 'o' might also be an 'e' or be interpretable as such.  «Well then, if my eye, which is now being led astray by a vain vision, saw the motions of her shiny ivories [in Ingegneri's times it could be a keyboard but I prefer to think it's her teeth], of her charming eyes and lovely face; well then, if one day she displays new treasures to me, either she is worth of the name of Tyrant and Enemy, or down here open skies or [and?] Paradise». In other words: perhaps the author eye is attracted by another woman, but the vision of Tarquinia Molza performing shows him that the other woman is a vana vista; if Tarquinia reveals to him her treasures (her beauty, her singing, dare we think of something else?) the author will be plunged in the peculiar icy fire Petrarchan dichotomy, so well described in 'Hor che 'l ciel etc.' among others: l. 5 Vegghio, penso, ardo, piango: I see, I think, I burn with love, I weep. And l. 11 Una man sola mi risana e punge, one hand heals and wounds me. Thus the full revelation of Tarquinia's beauties is bound to appear alternatively tyranny and Paradise, skies opening to welcome the poet's ascending heart (l.7) and enmity. It's an idea *
Best Season wishes to you all.


Prof. Giovanni Carsaniga
Dept. of Italian, A26,University of Sydney
SYDNEY NSW 2006 Australia

Fax. 61. 2. 9351 3407
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]

--------------------------------------
Date: 22/12/97 05:32 AM
To: Giovanni Carsaniga
From: [log in to unmask]
Caro Danilo,

grazie per un intervento tanto istruttivo! L'allusione al nome di Tarquinio
Superbo (v.13) mi era completamente sfuggita, e anche la tua costruzione
sintattica di "nemica" (ibd.) mi pare piu' convincente che la mia propria
traduzione. Ma il punto piu' importante, secondo me, e' la tua distinzione
sottile tra "o" vocativo e "oh" optativo (vv.13-14): dobbiamo dunque -- e
io lo faro' volentieri -- rinunciare a trovare, nel secondo terzetto, una
conclusione logica ai due periodi ipotetici dei due terzetti, accettando
invece un anacoluto dove la logica e casuistica d'amore cede il posto, per
cosi' dire, alla passione.

Per quanto riguarda i tuoi dubbi sul senso di "tersi avori" (v.9), mi pare
che ci sia non solo il tuo esempio "d'avorio uscio" in Petrarca (Rvf
325,17), ma anche il plurale (che non occorre mai dove in Petrarca, secondo
il modello biblico Ct 5,14, l'avorio circonscrive il candore della pelle)
per confermare il riferimento ai denti.

Cordialmente,

Tuo

  Otfried

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