360 THE PATHOS OF THE ROSE IN POETRY 



metre of the original. And Mrs. Boyle might have done well 

 to use the two stanzas in which Fairfax availed himself of 

 Spenser's splendid paraphrase. Those who are curious in 

 subtle points of translation should consult a letter which 

 appeared not long ago in the Academy upon the various 

 renderings of Tasso's song. The writer of that letter put 

 together with much skill one version, combining the best 

 portions of all. 



Before leaving Italy for the North, let us see how Guarini 

 handled the rose bequeathed to him from Catullus and 

 Ausonius by Lorenzo de' Medici, Poliziano, Ariosto, and 

 Tasso. Amarilli, the heroine of the ' Pastor Fido,' has been 

 betrothed, for high reasons of state, to Silvio, a young hunter, 

 who has no mind for marriage ; and her father is naturally 

 anxious lest a long engagement in these circumstances should 

 prove the ruin of her happiness. He uses this beautiful, bui 

 somewhat too artificial, expansion of the Catullian them* 

 combined with Ariosto's simile of Zerbino's death, for th( 

 expression of his uneasiness : 



Come in vago giardin rosa gentile 



Che nelle verdi sue tenere spoglie 



Pure dianzi era rinchiusa, 



E sotto 1' ombra del notturno velo 



Incolta e seonosciuta 



Stava, posando in sul materno stelo ; 



Al subito apparir del primo raggio, 



Che spunti in Oriente, 



Si desta e si risente, 



E scopre al sol, che la vagheggia e mira, 



II suo vermiglio ed odorato seno, 



Dov' ape susurrando 



Nei mattutini albori 



Vola, suggendo i rugiadosi umori ; 



Ma s' allor non si coglie, 



Sicche del mezzodi senta le fiamme, 



Cade al cader del sole 



Si scolorita in sulla siepe ombrosa, 



Ch' appena si pu6 dir : questa f u rosa. 



Cosi la verginella, 



Mentre cura materna 



