Ugo Foscolo: All'amica risanata
As out of ocean caves the star.That Venus held most dear,With dewy tresses doth athwartThe paling dusk appear,Wreathing around about her wayA gleam of the eternal ray ;
So from a bed of sickness riseThy limbs divine again.And peerless beauty is rebornIn thee, whence for his painEach dream-enchanted human mindSole remedy was wont to find.
Once more in thy beloved cheeksI see the roses wile.And to thy luminous eyes returnThe old bewitching smile ;Through thee suspicious lovers keep,With anxious mothers, watch, and weep.
The Hours, who came with healing balmsAwhile ago forlorn,Bring hither now the silken dressAnd jewels that adornThe sculptured Gods, most nobly plannedBy the Achéan chisler's hand.
White buskins, too, with charms they bring,Whence in nocturnal round,O Goddess, youths forget the dance,Gazing on thee spell-bound,On thee who art indeed the springOf hope as well as suffering.
When sweetly to the harp dost lean,And with new numbers told,And with thy softly rounded formThat muslin's supple foldDrapeth about in faithful wiseWhile thy song soars amid low sighs,
Most dangerous thou ; or when dost dance,Confiding to the airThy body's grace, when hithertoUnguessed attractions fareFrom mantle and neglected shawl,Stirred by thy bosom's rise and fall.
As hither, thither thou dost sway,Gently thy tresses roam,Bright from ambrosia lately pouredAnd false to golden comb,And to rose-wreath that with good healthApril hath sent unto thyself.
The Hours around about thee flit,The handmaidens of Love,Envied by all ; the Graces gazeSadly on who would proveThee beauty's ever fugitive breath,And the eternal peace of death.
Her, the immortal guardian ofThe virgins of the deep,Chaste Artemis, who used to dwellOn the Parrhasian steep,Where her Cydonian bow-string's clearWhistling pursued the startled deer ;
The children of Olympus praised,And the whole world afraidHailed as a goddess, and to herThe Elysian threshold madeSacred, the fatal dart, the highHill, the moon's chariot in the sky.
Altars unto Bellona, onceFamed amazon, did restOn tuneful Helicon ; to-dayShe readies shield and crest'Gainst avid Anglia fain to speedWith battle wrath and flying steed.
And she whose image I beholdThee crown devotedlyWith sacred myrtles, who presidesIn marble effigyOver thy lares' secrecy.Where thou sole priestess art to me,
Was queen, where fragrantly doth breatheSweet spring for evermore ;At Cyprus and Cythera sheOnce reigned in bliss, and o'erThe isles whose wooded heights impedeEuros and great Ionio's speed.
This sea 'twas cradled me, and hereThe parted spirit errsOf Phaon's love, and if at nightA zephyr lightly stirsThe water, then the mournful soundOf a lyre thrills the shores around.
Thus I, inspired by the divineHome breezes, strike for theeUpon a grave Italic lyreAiolian melody,O Goddess, whence will honour theeInsubrian posterity.
Words in this poem 23
- paling n.
- Pales, in general; a fence formed with pales or pickets; a limit; an inclosure.
- wile n.
- A trick or stratagem practiced for insnaring or deception; a sly, insidious; artifice; a beguilement; an allurement. [OE. wile, AS. wil; cf. Icel. v, væl. Cf. Guile.]
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- forlorn a.
- Deserted abandoned; lost. [OE., p.p. of forlesen to lose utterly, AS. forleósan (p.p. forloren); pref. for- + leósan (in comp.) to lose; cf. D. verliezen to lose, G. verlieren, Sw. förlor]
- nobly adv.
- Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- confiding a.
- That confides; trustful; unsuspicious.
- hitherto adv.
- To this place; to a prescribed limit.
- flit a.
- Nimble; quick; swift. See Fleet.
- sadly adv.
- Wearily; heavily; firmly.
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- elysian a.
- Pertaining, or the abode of the blessed after death; hence, yielding the highest pleasures; exceedingly delightful; beatific. [L. Elysius, fr. Elysium.]
- bellona n.
- The goddess of war. [L., from bellum war.]
- tuneful a.
- Harmonious; melodious; musical; as, tuneful notes.
- helicon n.
- A mountain in Boeotia, in Greece, supposed by the Greeks to be the residence of Apollo and the Muses.
- avid a.
- Longing eagerly for; eager; greedy. [L. avidus, fr. av to long: cf. F. avide. See Avarice.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- steed n.
- A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
- priestess n.
- A woman who officiated in sacred rites among pagans. Abp.
- evermore adv.
- During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
- cyprus n.
- A thin, transparent stuff, the same as, or corresponding to, crape. It was either white or black, the latter being most common, and used for mourning. [OE. cipres, cypirs; perh. so named as being first manufactured in Cyprus. Cf. Cipers.]
- zephyr n.
- The west wind; poetically, any soft, gentle breeze. [L. zephyrus, Gr. zéphyr.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Ugo Foscolo: All'amica risanata is in the public domain. This text is taken from An Anthology of Italian Poems, 13th to 19th Century, Selected & Translated by Lorna de' Lucchi, Internet Archive, the Lorna de' Lucchi translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Various, Ugo Foscolo: All'amica risanata, in An Anthology of Italian Poems (Selections), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/italian-anthology-de-lucchi/ugo-foscolo-all-amica-risanata.html, id L26503.
Form and metre
Ugo Foscolo: All'amica risanata is 96 lines in 16 stanzas of 6 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -A-ABB star · dearA · athwart · appearA · wayB · rayB
- 2 -A-ABB rise · againA · reborn · painA · mindB · findB
- 3 -A-ABB cheeks · wileA · return · smileA · keepB · weepB
- 4 -A-ABB balms · forlornA · dress · adornA · plannedB · handB
- 5 AB-BAA bringA · roundB · dance · boundB · springA · sufferingA
- 6 -A-ABB lean · toldA · form · foldA · wiseB · sighsB
- 7 -A-ABB dance · airA · hitherto · fareA · shawlB · fallB
- 8 -A-A-- sway · roamA · poured · combA · health · thyself
- 9 -A-ABB flit · loveA · gaze · proveA · breathB · deathB
- 10 -A-ABB of · deepA · dwell · steepA · clearB · deerB
- 11 -A-ABB praised · afraidA · her · madeA · highB · skyB
- 12 -A-ABB once · restA · day · crestA · speedB · steedB
- 14 ----AA breathe · evermore · she · o'er · impedeA · speedA
- 15 ----AA here · errs · night · stirs · soundA · aroundA
- 16 -A--A- divine · theeA · lyre · melody · theeA · posterity
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| As out of ocean caves the star. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| That Venus held most dear, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| With dewy tresses doth athwart | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| The paling dusk appear, | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| Wreathing around about her way | 8 | /˘······ |
| A gleam of the eternal ray ; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| So from a bed of sickness rise | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Thy limbs divine again. | 6 | ··˘/˘/ |
| And peerless beauty is reborn | 8 | ·/˘/˘·// |
| In thee, whence for his pain | 6 | ······ |
| Each dream-enchanted human mind | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| Sole remedy was wont to find. | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| Once more in thy beloved cheeks | 7 | ····˘/· |
| I see the roses wile. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And to thy luminous eyes return | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| The old bewitching smile ; | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Through thee suspicious lovers keep, | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| With anxious mothers, watch, and weep. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| The Hours, who came with healing balms | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| Awhile ago forlorn, | 6 | ˘/˘/˘/ |
| Bring hither now the silken dress | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And jewels that adorn | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| The sculptured Gods, most nobly planned | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| By the Achéan chisler's hand. | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| White buskins, too, with charms they bring, | 8 | ········ |
| Whence in nocturnal round, | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| O Goddess, youths forget the dance, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Gazing on thee spell-bound, | 6 | /˘···· |
| On thee who art indeed the spring | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Of hope as well as suffering. | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| When sweetly to the harp dost lean, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And with new numbers told, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And with thy softly rounded form | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| That muslin's supple fold | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Drapeth about in faithful wise | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| While thy song soars amid low sighs, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Most dangerous thou ; or when dost dance, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Confiding to the air | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| Thy body's grace, when hitherto | 8 | ·/˘··/·/ |
| Unguessed attractions fare | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| From mantle and neglected shawl, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Stirred by thy bosom's rise and fall. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| As hither, thither thou dost sway, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Gently thy tresses roam, | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Bright from ambrosia lately poured | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| And false to golden comb, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And to rose-wreath that with good health | 8 | ········ |
| April hath sent unto thyself. | 8 | /˘····˘/ |
| The Hours around about thee flit, | 8 | ·/······ |
| The handmaidens of Love, | 6 | ······ |
| Envied by all ; the Graces gaze | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| Sadly on who would prove | 6 | /˘···· |
| Thee beauty's ever fugitive breath, | 8 | ·/˘//˘˘· |
| And the eternal peace of death. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Her, the immortal guardian of | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| The virgins of the deep, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Chaste Artemis, who used to dwell | 8 | ········ |
| On the Parrhasian steep, | 6 | ······ |
| Where her Cydonian bow-string's clear | 8 | ········ |
| Whistling pursued the startled deer ; | 8 | /˘˘/·/˘· |
| The children of Olympus praised, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| And the whole world afraid | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Hailed as a goddess, and to her | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The Elysian threshold made | 7 | ·˘/˘/·· |
| Sacred, the fatal dart, the high | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| Hill, the moon's chariot in the sky. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Altars unto Bellona, once | 8 | /˘··˘/˘· |
| Famed amazon, did rest | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| On tuneful Helicon ; to-day | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| She readies shield and crest | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| 'Gainst avid Anglia fain to speed | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| With battle wrath and flying steed. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And she whose image I behold | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Thee crown devotedly | 6 | ······ |
| With sacred myrtles, who presides | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| In marble effigy | 6 | ·/˘/˘˘ |
| Over thy lares' secrecy. | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
| Where thou sole priestess art to me, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Was queen, where fragrantly doth breathe | 8 | ········ |
| Sweet spring for evermore ; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| At Cyprus and Cythera she | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Once reigned in bliss, and o'er | 6 | ······ |
| The isles whose wooded heights impede | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Euros and great Ionio's speed. | 7 | /˘····· |
| This sea 'twas cradled me, and here | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The parted spirit errs | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Of Phaon's love, and if at night | 7 | ······· |
| A zephyr lightly stirs | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| The water, then the mournful sound | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Of a lyre thrills the shores around. | 8 | ········ |
| Thus I, inspired by the divine | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| Home breezes, strike for thee | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Upon a grave Italic lyre | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Aiolian melody, | 5 | ··/˘˘ |
| O Goddess, whence will honour thee | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Insubrian posterity. | 7 | ···˘/˘˘ |
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