has disappeared. She has gone into her hole, hides
herself there, rolls herself up, and retires.
Take the poker, take a staff, a cudgel, a cane, raise
them, strike the wench, and rave at her, she moans;
strap her, she moans; caress her, fondle her, she
moans; kiss her, say to her, “Here, little one,”
she moans. Now she’s cold, now she is going
to die; adieu to love, adieu to laughter, adieu to
merriment, adieu to good stories. Wear mourning
for her, weep and fancy her dead, groan. Then
she raises her head, her merry laugh rings out again;
she spreads her white wings, flies one knows not wither,
turns in the air, capers, shows her impish tail, her
woman’s breasts, her strong loins, and her angelic
face, shakes her perfumed tresses, gambols in the
rays of the sun, shines forth in all her beauty, changes
her colours like the breast of a dove, laughs until
she cries, cast the tears of her eyes into the sea,
where the fishermen find them transmuted into pretty
pearls, which are gathered to adorn the foreheads
of queens. She twists about like a colt broken
loose, exposing her virgin charms, and a thousand
things so fair that a pope would peril his salvation
for her at the mere sight of them. During these
wild pranks of the ungovernable beast you meet fools
and friends, who say to the poor poet, “Where
are your tales? Where are your new volumes?
You are a pagan prognosticator. Oh yes, you are
known. You go to fetes and feasts, and do nothing
between your meals. Where’s your work?”
Although I am by nature partial to kindness, I should like to see one of these people impaled in the Turkish fashion, and thus equipped, sent on the Love Chase. Here endeth the second series; make the devil give it a lift with his horns, and it will be well received by a smiling Christendom.