The Strife of Love in a Dream

worthy of gratitude, especially considering that he extracted it from an Italian language mixed with Greek and Latin original: "Italien meslé de Grec & de Latin", so confusedly put together that even the Italians themselves—unless they are highly practiced—[would struggle]; but furthermore, to transpose the structure: and yet so fashioned by the rules of Art, that it is reduced to a French brevity which will satisfy many people. But if there are some who are annoyed that I have not entirely restored it according to the Italian: so that they do not blame me, I wish to pray them to understand how I was induced to set my hand to this work.

Immediately after I had brought to light my Arcadia by Sannazaro Jacopo Sannazaro (1458–1530), an Italian poet whose "Arcadia" was a major influence on Renaissance literature, a friend of mine who had a copy of this book brought it to me to share it with me; and after much discussion, he prayed me that for the love of him I would take the charge of revising it. This I granted him, as to one for whom I would wish to do much greater things: and in fact, finding myself for the hour with a little leisure, I began in his presence to change not only some spellings which are no longer in use among us, but furthermore to transpose some words which still retained the Italian phrasing original: "fraze Italienne", so corrupted that truly I was amazed how this gentleman had been able to come through it so well: and certainly that made me so scrupulous original: "religieux" in his regard, that I never wished to amplify nor diminish anything in the clauses he had made, except sometimes to change their order, to the end of making them easier. This, My Lords, is how the interpretation and printing of this book proceeded: which you will receive, if it please you, with as much good affection as it is presented to you.

The book

Large decorative initial 'C' > This excellent and new book, > Comparable to the ancients, > Tells of all that is beautiful > Upon the fertile and arable earth. > But it would have been miserable > If its second loving father > Had not, by his helping hand, > Returned it to the world, and made it happy.

Poliphilus The protagonist of the story, "The Dream of Poliphilus" first
Gave it what is called essence:
And the other has secondly
Guarded it from death by his power,
Which was taking its enjoyment
By plunging it into the river of oblivion The Lethe, the mythological river of forgetfulness:
But he brings it into knowledge
To be ennobled by praise.

The French will now read it,
Who did not think it was in the world:
And many praises they will say
Of chaste, pure, and clean friendship:
In which, when a good heart is founded,
Nothing but good can come to it:
Whereas he who abounds in lewdness,
Cannot attain to honor.

Bacchus was fathered twice,
As the Poets tell us,
And this book speaks with two voices,
At the very least to those who read it.

Now since foreigners prize
These two, I am quite deceived,
And I shall say the stars are harmful,
If its discourse is not well received.

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