The Salamander, ​by Gaspara Stampa, translated by Nigel Stuart

This salamander in flames was recently discovered at Palazzo Grimani in Venice, from the 1500s.

The Salamander

English:

So formed by love am I, I live in
flame, a salamander in this world
new-born, 
like to that other beast, as strange, forlorn, who in
one place both lives and breathes the same. 

All these are my delights, these joys my aim, to
live alight, all sense of pain forsworn, nor seek
from him who’s made my state so worn, his
grant of pity, great or small to claim. 

Scarce were the fires of that first passion
done when love another lit, which only went
to prove itself the larger livelier one – 

and of such ardent love I’ll not repent 
as long as he, who my heart’s lately won, will
with my unquenched furnace rest content. 

Italian:
​
Amor m’ha fatto tal ch’io vivo in foco,
qual nova salamandra al mondo, e
quale l’altro di lei non men stranio
animale, 
che vive e spira nel medesmo loco. 

Le mie delizie son tutte e ’l mio gioco 
viver ardendo e non sentire il male, 
e non curar ch’ei che m’induce a tale 
abbia di me pietà molto né poco. 

A pena era anche estinto il primo ardore,
che accese l’altro Amore, a quel ch’io sento
fin qui per prova, più vivo e Maggiore. 

Ed io d’arder amando non mi pento, 
pur che chi m’ha di novo tolto il core 
resti de l’arder mio pago e contento

​Gaspara Stampa, translated by Nigel Stuart

Rime d’Amore No. 206/208* Gaspara Stampa (* depending on edition) 16th century

Nigel Stuart is a retired professor of 20th century history and a translator of epic poetry, with a secondary professional interest in renaissance Europe, in artistic practice and in film; who also writes poetry in English and in Scots.