Sonet of Venus and Cupid
Fra banc to banc, fra wod to wod, I rin
Ourhailit with my feble fantasie,
Lyk til a leif that fallis from a trie
Or til a reid ourblawin with the wind.
Twa gods gyds me: the ane of tham is blind,
Ye, and a bairn brocht up in vanitie;
The nixt a wyf ingenrit of the se,
And lichter nor a dauphin with hir fin.
Unhappie is the man for evirmair
That teils the sand and sawis in the aire;
Bot twyse unhappier is he, I lairn,
That feidis in his hairt a mad desyre,
And follows on a woman throw the fyre,
Led be a blind and teichit be a bairn.
Translations of this Poem
Sonnet of Venus and Cupid
From bank to bank, from wood to wood, I run
Overcome with my feeble fantasy,
Likened to a leaf that falls from a tree
Or to a reed blown over with the wind.
Two gods guide me: the one of them is blind,
True, and a child brought up in vanity;
The next, a wife, engendered by the sea,
And lither than a dolphin with her fin.
Unhappy is the man for evermore
That tills the sand and sows in the air;
But twice unhappier is he, I learn,
That finds in his heart a mad desire,
And follows on a woman through the fire,
Led by a blind and taught be a child.
