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Poggio Bracciolini. "The elegant reply of the Florentine poet Dante." Global Medieval Sourcebook.Transcription from Basel 1538 (Reprinted in Poggio Bracciolini, Scripta in editione Basilensi anno 1538 collata. Ed. Riccardo Fulbini. Turin: Bottega d'Erasmo, 1964.) .
Responsio elegans dantis poete florentini | The elegant reply of the Florentine poet Dante
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Responsio elegans dantis poete florentini | The elegant reply of the Florentine poet Dante
by Poggio Bracciolini
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- Transcription from Basel 1538 (Reprinted in Poggio Bracciolini, Scripta in editione Basilensi anno 1538 collata. Ed. Riccardo Fulbini. Turin: Bottega d'Erasmo, 1964.)
- Translation by Robin Wahlsten Böckerman
- Encoded in TEI P5 XML by Danny Smith
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Facetia LVII Joke 57
Dantes Alligerius, poeta noster Florentinus, aliquamdiu sustentatus est Veronae opibus Canis veteris Principis de la Scala, admodum liberalis. Our Florentine poet Dante Alighieri dwelled for a while in Verona, sustained by the older Cangrande della Scala, a very noble ruler. Erat autem et alter penes Canem Florentinus, ignobilis, indoctus, imprudens, nulli rei praeterquam ad iocum risumque aptus, However, there was also another Florentine at Cangrande’s, an ignoble, unlearned, and ignorant man, not fit for anything excepts for jokes and laughter. cuius ineptiae, ne dicam facetiae, Canem perpulerant ad se ditandum. His fooleries (I will not call them jokes!) had made Cangrande enrich him. Cum illum veluti belluam insulsam, Dantes, vir doctissimus, sapiens ac modestus, ut aequum erat, contemneret: When Dante, who is most learned, wise, and modest, showed contempt for this inelegant beast of a man, which was just, he said: 'Quid est' inquit ille, 'quod tu, cum habearis sapiens ac doctissimus, tamen pauper es et egenus, ego autem stultus et ignarus divitiis praesto?' “How is it that you, who think yourself wise and very learned, still is poor and destitute, while I, who is stupid and ignorant, am very rich?” Tum Dantes: 'Quando ego reperiam dominum,' inquit, 'mei similem et meis moribus conformem, sicuti tu tuis, et ipse similiter me ditabit.' To which Dante replied: “When I have found a lord who is like me and my manners, just as you have, then he will reward me in a similar manner.” Gravis sapiensque responsio! A deep and wise answer! Semper enim domini eorum consuetudine qui sibi sunt similes delectantur. For the lords always find pleasure in the habits of those who are like themselves.
Facetia LVII Joke 57
Dantes Alligerius, poeta noster Florentinus, aliquamdiu sustentatus est Veronae opibus Canis veteris Principis de la Scala, admodum liberalis. Our Florentine poet Dante Alighieri dwelled for a while in Verona, sustained by the older Cangrande della Scala, a very noble ruler. Erat autem et alter penes Canem Florentinus, ignobilis, indoctus, imprudens, nulli rei praeterquam ad iocum risumque aptus, However, there was also another Florentine at Cangrande’s, an ignoble, unlearned, and ignorant man, not fit for anything excepts for jokes and laughter. cuius ineptiae, ne dicam facetiae, Canem perpulerant ad se ditandum. His fooleries (I will not call them jokes!) had made Cangrande enrich him. Cum illum veluti belluam insulsam, Dantes, vir doctissimus, sapiens ac modestus, ut aequum erat, contemneret: When Dante, who is most learned, wise, and modest, showed contempt for this inelegant beast of a man, which was just, he said: 'Quid est' inquit ille, 'quod tu, cum habearis sapiens ac doctissimus, tamen pauper es et egenus, ego autem stultus et ignarus divitiis praesto?' “How is it that you, who think yourself wise and very learned, still is poor and destitute, while I, who is stupid and ignorant, am very rich?” Tum Dantes: 'Quando ego reperiam dominum,' inquit, 'mei similem et meis moribus conformem, sicuti tu tuis, et ipse similiter me ditabit.' To which Dante replied: “When I have found a lord who is like me and my manners, just as you have, then he will reward me in a similar manner.” Gravis sapiensque responsio! A deep and wise answer! Semper enim domini eorum consuetudine qui sibi sunt similes delectantur. For the lords always find pleasure in the habits of those who are like themselves.
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