Guido Cavalcanti – Per man mi prese d’amorosa voglia / She took me by the hand

Paolo Veronese, Mars and Venus United by Love, c. 1570

She took me by the hand, with amorous desire,
and said she had given me her heart:
she led me beneath branches of cool leaves
where I saw flowers of every color:
and there I felt such joy and sweetness
that the god of love – I seemed to see.

(Transl. by Luciano Rebay)

Per man mi prese d’amorosa voglia
e disse che donato m’avea ‘l core:
menommi sott’una freschetta foglia
là dov’i vidi fior d’ogni colore:
e tanto vi sent’ io gioia e dolzore
che Dio d’amore parvemi vedere.