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Pon' freno al gran dolor che ti trasporta,
ché per soverchie voglie
si perde 'l cielo, ove 'l tuo core aspira,
dove è viva colei ch'altrui par morta,
et di sue belle spoglie
seco sorride, et sol di te sospira;
et sua fama, che spira
in molte parti anchor per la tua lingua,
prega che non extingua,
anzi la voce al suo nome rischiari,
se gli occhi suoi ti fur dolci né cari.
Canzoniere 268, stanza 7
English translation
'Rein in the great grief that transports you,
lest your over-riding desire
loses you heaven, to which your heart aspires,
where she lives who seems dead to others,
and smiles to herself at her
own lovely leavings, and only sighs for you:
and prays that her fame, that breathes
still in many places, through your words,
is not extinguished,
rather that, if her eyes were ever dear
and sweet to you, your voice illuminate her name.'