2 — Ecclesiaste

1I said in my heart: I will go, and abound with delights, and enjoy good things. And I saw that this also was vanity.Io dissi in cuor mio: Anderò a provarla copia delle delizie, e a godere dei beni. E riconobbi, che questo pure è vanità.ISayde therfore in my hart: I wil goe, & flow in delightes, and enioy good thinges. And I saw that this also was vanitie.Dixi ego in corde meo: Vadam, / et affluam deliciis, et fruar bonis; / et vidi quod hoc quoque esset vanitas. 2Laughter I counted error: and to mirth I said: Why art thou vainly deceived?Il riso lo condannai di pazzia: e al gaudio dissi: Come vanamente ti inganni!Laughter I haue reputed errour: and to ioy I haue saide: Why art thou deceiued in vaine?Risum reputavi errorem, / et gaudio dixi: Quid frustra deciperis ? 3I thought in my heart, to withdraw my flesh from wine, that I might turn my mind to wisdom, and might avoid folly, till I might see what was profitable for the children of men: and what they ought to do under the sun, all the days of their life.Risolvei in cuor mio di divezzar la mia carne dal vino per rivolgere l'animo alla sapienza, e per fuggir la stoltezza; sino a tanto che io avessi veduto quel, che sia utile pe' figliuoli degli uomini, e quel, che sia necessario di fare sotto del sole nei giorni contati della sua vita.I haue thought in my hart, to withdraw my flesh from wine, that I might transferre my minde to wisdom, and might auoid follie, til I might see what should be profitable for the children of men: what is nedeful to be done vnder the sunne, in the number of the dayes of their life.Cogitavi in corde meo abstrahere a vino carnem meam, / ut animam meam transferrem ad sapientiam, / devitaremque stultitiam, / donec viderem quid esset utile filiis hominum, / quo facto opus est sub sole numero dierum vitæ suæ. 4I made me great works, I built me houses, and planted vineyards,Or io feci opere grandi, fabbricai delle case, e piantai delle vigne.I haue magnified my workes, I haue built me houses, & planted vineyards,Magnificavi opera mea, / ædificavi mihi domos, / et plantavi vineas; 5I made gardens, and orchards, and set them with trees of all kinds,Piantai orti, e giardini, e vi messi ogni specie di piante.I haue made gardens, and orchards, and set them with trees of al kindes,feci hortos et pomaria, / et consevi ea cuncti generis arboribus; 6And I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood of the young trees,E formai delle peschiere di acque per annaffiare la selva de' giovani arboscelli.and I haue made me ponds of waters, to watter the wood of springing trees,et exstruxi mihi piscinas aquarum, / ut irrigarem silvam lignorum germinantium. 7I got me menservants, and maidservants, and had a great family: and herds of oxen, and great flocks of sheep, above all that were before me in Jerusalem:Ebbi in mio dominio dei servi, e delle serve con molta famiglia, ed armenti, e greggi di pecore numerosi, sorpassando tutti quelli, che furono avanti a me in Gerusalemme:I haue possessed menseruants and wemenseruants, and haue had a great familie: heardes also, and great flockes of shepe, aboue al that were before me in Ierusalem:Possedi servos et ancillas, / multamque familiam habui: / armenta quoque, et magnos ovium greges, / ultra omnes qui fuerunt ante me in Jerusalem;

8I heaped together for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings, and provinces: I made me singing men, and singing women, and the delights of the sons of men, cups and vessels to serve to pour out wine:Ammassai argento, ed oro, e quel, che aveano di più prezioso i regi, e le provincie: e mi scelsi de' cantori, e delle cantatrici, e le delizie de' figliuoli degli uomini, delle coppe, e de' vasi per mescere i vini.I haue heaped together to myself siluer, and gold, and the substance of kinges, and prouinces: I made me singingmen, & singingwemen, and the delightes of the children of men: cuppes, and goblets to serue to powre out wines:coacervavi mihi argentum et aurum, / et substantias regum ac provinciarum; / feci mihi cantores et cantatrices, / et delicias filiorum hominum, / scyphos, et urceos in ministerio ad vina fundenda; 9And I surpassed in riches all that were before me in Jerusalem: my wisdom also remained with me.E superai nelle ricchezze tutti quei che furono prima di me in Gerusalemme; e la sapienza ancora fu sempre meco.and I surpassed in riches al, that were before me in Ierusalem: wisdom also hath perseuered with me.et supergressus sum opibus / omnes qui ante me fuerunt in Jerusalem: / sapientia quoque perseveravit mecum. 10And whatsoever my eyes desired, I refused them not: and I withheld not my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and delighting itself in the things which I had prepared: and esteemed this my portion, to make use of my own labour.E non negai agli occhi miei nulla di tutto quel, ch'ei desiderarono, e non vietai al mio cuore, il godere di ogni piacere, e il deliziarsi in tutte queste cose preparate da me, e questa credetti la mia porzione, il godere di mie fatiche:And al thinges, that myne eies desired, I haue not denied to them: neither haue I stayed my hart, but that it enioyed al pleasure, & delighted itself in these thinges, which I had prepared: and this I estemed my portion, if I did vse my labour.Et omnia quæ desideraverunt oculi mei / non negavi eis, / nec prohibui cor meum quin omni voluptate frueretur, / et oblectaret se in his quæ præparaveram; / et hanc ratus sum partem meam si uterer labore meo. 11And when I turned myself to all the works which my hands had wrought, and to the labours wherein I had laboured in vain, I saw in all things vanity, and vexation of mind, and that nothing was lasting under the sun.Ma volgendomi poi a tutte le opere fatte dalle mie mani, e alle fatiche, nelle quali io avea sudato inutilmente, in ogni cosa io vidi vanità, e afflizione di cuore, e che niente dura sotto il sole.And when I had turned myself to al the workes, which my handes had done, & to the laboures, wherin I had swette in vaine, I saw in al thinges vanitie, and affliction of minde, & nothing to be permanent vnder the sunne.Cumque me convertissem ad universa opera quæ fecerant manus meæ, / et ad labores in quibus frustra sudaveram, / vidi in omnibus vanitatem et afflictionem animi, / et nihil permanere sub sole.

12I passed further to behold wisdom, and errors and folly, (What is man, said I that he can follow the King his maker?)Passai a contemplar la saggezza, e gli errori, e la stoltezza. Che è egli l'uomo (dissi io) che seguir possa il re suo Creatore?I passed further to contemplate wisdom, and errors, and follie (what is man, quoth I, that he can folow the king his Maker?)Transivi ad contemplandam sapientiam, / erroresque, et stultitiam. / (Quid est, inquam, homo, / ut sequi possit regem, factorem suum ?) 13And I saw that wisdom excelled folly, as much as light differeth from darkness.E riconobbi, come tanto va avanti la sapienza alla stoltezza, quanto la luce è distante dalle tenebre.and I saw that wisdom so much excelled follie, as light differeth from darknes.Et vidi quod tantum præcederet sapientia stultitiam, / quantum differt lux a tenebris. 14The eyes of a wise man are in his head: the fool walketh in darkness: and I learned that they were to die both alike.Il saggio ha occhi in testa: lo stolto cammina al buio: ma io appresi, che e l'uno, e l'altro vanno egualmente alla morte.The eyes of a wiseman are in his head: the foole walketh in darknes: and I haue lerned that there was one death of both.Sapientis oculi in capite ejus; / stultus in tenebris ambulat: / et didici quod unus utriusque esset interitus. 15And I said in my heart: If the death of the fool and mine shall be one, what doth it avail me, that I have applied myself more to the study of wisdom? And speaking with my own mind, I perceived that this also was vanity.Onde io dissi in cuor mio: Se e lo stolto, ed io egualmente morremo, che giova a me l'aver fatto maggior studio della sapienza? E dopo averla discorsa coll'animo mio, conobbi, che questo stesso è vanità:And I sayd in my hart: If the fal of the foole & myne shal be one, what doth it profite me, that I haue bestowed greater labour for wisdom? And speaking with my minde, I perceiued that this also was vanitie.Et dixi in corde meo: / Si unus et stulti et meus occasus erit, / quid mihi prodest quod majorem sapientiæ dedi operam ? / Locutusque cum mente mea, / animadverti quod hoc quoque esset vanitas. 16For there shall be no remembrance of the wise no more than of the fool forever, and the times to come shall cover all things together with oblivion: the learned dieth in like manner as the unlearned.Perocché non sarà eterna la memoria del saggio, come neppure dello stolto; e i tempi avvenire seppelliran nell'oblio tutte a un modo le cose: muore il dotto appunto, come l'indotto.For there shal be no memorie of the wise in like maner as of the foole for euer, and the times to come shal couer al thinges together with obliuion: the lerned dieth in like maner as the vnlerned.Non enim erit memoria sapientis similiter ut stulti in perpetuum, / et futura tempora oblivione cuncta pariter operient: / moritur doctus similiter ut indoctus.

17And therefore I was weary of my life, when I saw that all things under the sun are evil, and all vanity and vexation of spirit.E perciò mi venne a noja la vita o in veggendo come i mali tutti si trovano sotto del sole, e che tutto è vanità, ed è afflizione di spirito.And therfore I haue bene wearie of my life, seing al thinges vnder the sunne to be euil, and al thinges vanitie and affliction of spirite.Et idcirco tæduit me vitæ meæ, / videntem mala universa esse sub sole, / et cuncta vanitatem et afflictionem spiritus. 18Again I hated all my application wherewith I had earnestly laboured under the sun, being like to have an heir after me,Detestai di poi tutta la mia sollecitudine, onde con tanto studio mi affannai sotto del sole, mentr'io son per avere un erede dopo di me,Againe I detested al myne industrie, wherwith I haue laboured vnder the sunne most studiously, being like to haue an heyre after me:Rursus detestatus sum omnem industriam meam, / qua sub sole studiosissime laboravi, / habiturus hæredem post me, 19Whom I know not whether he will be a wise man or a fool, and he shall have rule over all my labours with which I have laboured and been solicitous: and is there anything so vain?Il quale io non so se sia per essere sapiente, o stolto, e il quale possederà le mie fatiche, che a me costarono sudori, ed affanni. Or v'ha egli cosa vana più di questa?whom I know not, whether he wil be a wiseman or a foole, and he shal rule in my labours, wherewith I haue swette and haue bene careful: and is there anie thing so vaine?quem ignoro utrum sapiens an stultus futurus sit, / et dominabitur in laboribus meis, / quibus desudavi et sollicitus fui: / et est quidquam tam vanum ? 20Wherefore I left off and my heart renounced labouring anymore under the sun.Per la qual cosa io mi presi riposo, e il cuor mio rinunziò a travagliarsi mai più sotto del sole.Wherfore I ceased, and my hart hath renounced to labour anie more vnder the sunne.Unde cessavi, / renuntiavitque cor meum ultra laborare sub sole. 21For when a man laboureth in wisdom, and knowledge, and carefulness, he leaveth what he hath gotten to an idle man: so this also is vanity, and a great evil.Conciossiachè dopo che uno ha faticato con saggezza, e prudenza, e sollecitudine, gli acquisti suoi lascia ad un infingardo: e questo è certamente vanità, e male grande.For whereas one laboreth in wisdom, and doctrine, and carefulnes, he leaueth the thinges gotten to an idle man: and this therfore is vanitie, and great euil.Nam cum alius laboret in sapientia, / et doctrina, et sollicitudine, / homini otioso quæsita dimittit; / et hoc ergo vanitas et magnum malum.

22For what profit shall a man have of all his labour, and vexation of spirit, with which he hath been tormented under the sun?Imperocché qual vantaggio trarrà l'uomo di tutte le sue fatiche, e delle afflizioni di spirito, ond'egli si è straziato sotto del sole?For what profite shal be to a man of al his labour, and affliction of spirite, wherwith he is vexed vnder the sunne?Quid enim proderit homini de universo labore suo, / et afflictione spiritus, / qua sub sole cruciatus est ? 23All his days are full of sorrows and miseries, even in the night he doth not rest in mind: and is not this vanity?Di dolori, e di amarezze sono pieni tutti i suoi giorni, e neppure la notte ha posa il suo spirito: e questo non è egli vanità?Al his daies are ful of sorowes and miseries, neither by night doth he rest in minde, and is not this vanitie?Cuncti dies ejus doloribus et ærumnis pleni sunt, / nec per noctem mente requiescit. / Et hoc nonne vanitas est ? 24Is it not better to eat and drink, and to shew his soul good things of his labours? and this is from the hand of God.Non è egli meglio mangiare, e bere, e far del bene all'anima propria colle proprie fatiche? E questo è pur dalla mano di Dio.Is it not better to eate and drinke, and shew vnto his soule good thinges of his laboures? & this is of the hand of God.Nonne melius est comedere et bibere, / et ostendere animæ suæ bona de laboribus suis ? / et hoc de manu Dei est. 25Who shall so feast and abound with delights as I?Chi consumerà, e accumulerà delizie, come ho fatto io?Who shal so deuour, and flow with delightes as I?Quis ita devorabit et deliciis affluet ut ego ? 26God hath given to a man that is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he hath given vexation, and superfluous care, to heap up and to gather together, and to give it to him that hath pleased God: but this also is vanity, and a fruitless solicitude of the mind.All'uomo, che è retto dinanzi a lui, ha data Dio la sapienza, e la scienza, e la letizia; ma al peccatore ha date le afflizioni, e la inutile cura di accumulare, e ammassare de' beni per lasciarli a chi Dio vorrà: e questo pure è vanità, e inutile angoscia di animo.To a man good in his sight, God hath geuen wisdom, and knowlege, and ioy: but to the sinner he hath geuen affliction, and superfluous care, to adde, and to gather together, and deliuer it to him that hath pleased God: but this also is vanitie, & vaine carefulnes of the minde.Homini bono in conspectu suo / dedit Deus sapientiam, et scientiam, et lætitiam; / peccatori autem dedit afflictionem et curam superfluam, / ut addat, et congreget, / et tradat ei qui placuit Deo; / sed et hoc vanitas est, et cassa sollicitudo mentis.