Petrarch - Quando ad un giogo ed in Un tempo quivi lyrics

When to one yoke at once I saw the height Of gods and men subdued by Cupid's might, I took example from their cruel fate, And by their sufferings eased my own hard state; Since Phœbus and Leander felt like pain, The one a god, the other but a man; One snare caught Juno and the Carthage dame (Her husband's d**h prepared her funeral flame— 'Twas not a cause that Virgil maketh one); I need not grieve, that unprepared, alone, Unarm'd, and young, I did receive a wound, Or that my enemy no hurt hath found By Love; or that she clothed him in my sight, And took his wings, and marr'd his winding flight; No angry lions send more hideous noise From their beat breasts, nor clashing thunder's voice Rends heaven, frights earth, and roareth through the air With greater force than Love had raised, to dare Encounter her of whom I write; and she As quick and ready to a**ail as he: Enceladus when Etna most he shakes, Nor angry Scylla, nor Charybdis makes So great and frightful noise, as did the shock Of this (first doubtful) battle: none could mock Such earnest war; all drew them to the height To see what 'mazed their hearts and dimm'd their sight. Victorious Love a threatening dart did show His right hand held; the other bore a bow, The string of which he drew just by his ear; No leopard could chase a frighted deer (Free, or broke loose) with quicker speed than he Made haste to wound; fire sparkled from his eye. I burn'd, and had a combat in my breast, Glad t' have her company, yet 'twas not best (Methought) to see her lost, but 'tis in vain T' abandon goodness, and of fate complain; Virtue her servants never will forsake, As now 'twas seen, she could resistance make: No fencer ever better warded blow, Nor pilot did to shore more wisely row To shun a shelf, than with undaunted power She waved the stroke of this sharp conqueror. Mine eyes and heart were watchful to attend, In hope the victory would that way bend It ever did; and that I might no more Be barr'd from her; as one whose thoughts before His tongue hath utter'd them you well may see Writ in his looks; "Oh! if you victor be Great sir," said I, "let her and me be bound Both with one yoke; I may be worthy found, And will not set her free, doubt not my faith:" When I beheld her with disdain and wrath So fill'd, that to relate it would demand A better muse than mine: her virtuous hand Had quickly quench'd those gilded fiery darts Which, dipp'd in beauty's pleasure, poison hearts. Neither Camilla, nor the warlike host That cut their breasts, could so much valour boast Nor Cæsar in Pharsalia fought so well, As she 'gainst him who pierceth coats of mail; All her brave virtues arm'd, attended there, (A glorious troop!) and marched pair by pair: Honour and blushes first in rank; the two Religious virtues make the second row; (By those the other women doth excel); Prudence and Modesty, the twins that dwell Together, both were lodgèd in her breast: Glory and Perseverance, ever blest: Fair Entertainment, Providence without, Sweet Courtesy, and Pureness round about; Respect of credit, fear of infamy; Grave thoughts in youth; and, what not oft agree, True Chastity and rarest Beauty; these All came 'gainst Love, and this the heavens did please, And every generous soul in that full height. He had no power left to bear the weight; A thousand famous prizes hardly gain'd She took; and thousand glorious palms obtained. Shook from his hands; the fall was not more strange Of Hannibal, when Fortune pleased to change Her mind, and on the Roman youth bestow The favours he enjoy'd; nor was he so Amazed who frighted the Israelitish host— Struck by the Hebrew boy, that quit his boast; Nor Cyrus more astonish'd at the fall The Jewish widow gave his general: As one that sickens suddenly, and fears His life, or as a man ta'en unawares In some base act, and doth the finder hate; Just so was he, or in a worse estate: Fear, grief, and shame, and anger, in his face Were seen: no troubled seas more rage: the place Where huge Typhœus groans, nor Etna, when Her giant sighs, were moved as he was then. I pa** by many noble things I see (To write them were too hard a task for me), To her and those that did attend I go: Her armour was a robe more white than snow; And in her hand a shield like his she bare Who slew Medusa; a fair pillar there Of jasp was next, and with a chain (first wet In Lethe flood) of j**els fitly set, Diamonds, mix'd with topazes (of old 'Twas worn by ladies, now 'tis not) first hold She caught, then bound him fast; then such revenge She took as might suffice. My thoughts did change And I, who wish'd him victory before, Was satisfied he now could hurt no more. I cannot in my rhymes the names contain Of blessèd maids that did make up her train; Calliope nor Clio could suffice, Nor all the other seven, for th' enterprise; Yet some I will insert may justly claim Precedency of others. Lucrece came On her right hand; Penelope was by, Those broke his bow, and made his arrows lie Split on the ground, and pull'd his plumes away From off his wings: after, Virginia, Near her vex'd father, arm'd with wrath and hate. Fury, and iron, and love, he freed the state And her from slavery, with a manly blow; Next were those barbarous women, who could show They judged it better die than suffer wrong To their rude chastity; the wise and strong— The chaste Hebræan Judith follow'd these; The Greek that saved her honour in the seas; With these and other famous souls I see Her triumph over him who used to be Master of all the world: among the rest The vestal nun I spied, who was so bless'd As by a wonder to preserve her fame; Next came Hersilia, the Roman dame (Or Sabine rather), with her valorous train, Who prove all slanders on that s** are vain. Then, 'mongst the foreign ladies, she whose faith T' her husband (not Æneas) caused her d**h; The vulgar ignorant may hold their peace, Her safety to her chastity gave place; Dido, I mean, whom no vain pa**ion led (As fame belies her); last, the virtuous maid Retired to Arno, who no rest could find, Her friends' constraining power forced her mind. The Triumph thither went where salt waves wet The Baian shore eastward; her foot she set There on firm land, and did Avernus leave On the one hand, on th' other Sybil's cave; So to Linternus march'd, the village where The noble Africane lies buried; there The great news of her triumph did appear As glorious to the eye as to the ear The fame had been; and the most chaste did show Most beautiful; it grieved Love much to go Another's prisoner, exposed to scorn, Who to command whole empires seemèd born. Thus to the chiefest city all were led, Entering the temple which Sulpicia made Sacred; it drives all madness from the mind; And chastity's pure temple next we find, Which in brave souls doth modest thoughts beget, Not by plebeians enter'd, but the great Patrician dames; there were the spoils display'd Of the fair victress; there her palms she laid, And did commit them to the Tuscan youth, Whose marring scars bear witness of his truth: With others more, whose names I fully knew, (My guide instructed me,) that overthrew The power of Love: 'mongst whom, of all the rest, Hippolytus and Joseph were the best. Anna Hume.