183. ‘Se ‘l dolce sguardo do costei m’ancide,’

If that sweet look of hers can kill me,

and the sweet subtlety of her words,

and if Love has such power over me

when she merely speaks, or when she smiles,

then what would happen, alas, if her eyes

were free of Mercy, either through my fault

or evil fate, and if I feared death itself

there where I now feel secure?

So if I tremble, and go with icy heart,

when I see her expression change,

it is a fear born of long experience.

Woman by nature is a changeable thing:

so that I know a loving mood

lasts only a little time in a lady’s heart.

Note: ‘Woman by nature’ is an adaptation of Virgil Aeneid IV 569, ‘Varium et mutabile semper Femina.’

‘Suicide of Queen Dido’ - Anonymous, ca. 1800, The Rijksmuseum