149. ‘Di tempo in tempo mi si fa men dura’

From time to time they are less harsh to me

the angelic figure and the sweet smile,

and the expression on her face

and the charming eyes are less dark.

What have these sighs now to do with me

which were born of grief

and served to show

my anguish and my desperate life?

If I turn my look that way

to quiet my heart,

I see Love with me

arguing my case, and giving aid:

yet I still see no end to my war,

nor any tranquil state in my heart,

since my desire blazes out the more,

the more hope should reassure me.