8 — Sapienza

1She reacheth, therefore, from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly.Ella pertanto arriva da una estremità all'altra: con possanza, e con soavità le cose tutte dispone.SHE reacheth therfore from end vnto end mightely, and disposeth al thinges swetely.Attingit ergo a fine usque ad finem fortiter, / et disponit omnia suaviter. 2Her have I loved, and have sought her out from my youth, and have desired to take for my spouse, and I became a lover of her beauty.Questa io amai, e ricercai dalla prima mia giovinezza, è procurai di prendermela per isposa, e divenni amatore di sua bellezza.Her haue I loued, and haue sought her out from my youth, and haue sought to take her for my spouse, and I was made a louer of her beautie.Hanc amavi, et exquisivi a juventute mea, / et quæsivi sponsam mihi eam assumere, / et amator factus sum formæ illius. 3She glorifieth her nobility by being conversant with God: yea, and the Lord of all things hath loved her.La nobiltà di lei è dimostrata gloriosamente dal convivere, che ella fa con Dio; ed anzi lo stesso Signore di tutte le cose la ama:She glorifieth her nobilitie, hauing consociation with God: yea and the Lord of al hath loued her.Generositatem illius glorificat, / contubernium habens Dei; / sed et omnium Dominus dilexit illam. 4For it is she that teacheth the knowledge of God and is the chooser of his works.Perocché della scienza di Dio ella è maestra, e delle opere di lui fa scelta.For she is the mistresse of the discipline of God, & the chooser of his workes.Doctrix enim est disciplinæ Dei, / et electrix operum illius. 5And if riches be desired in life, what is richer than wisdom, which maketh all things?E se in questa vita si appetiscono le ricchezze, che v'ha di più ricco, che la sapienza fattrice di tutte le cose?And if riches be desired in life, what is richer then wisdom, which worketh al thinges?Et si divitiæ appetuntur in vita, / quid sapientia locupletius quæ operatur omnia ? 6And if sense do work: who is a more artful worker than she of those things that are?E se l'intelligenza produce delle opere, chi più di lei in queste cose, che esistono, l'arte mostrò?And if vnderstanding doe worke: who is the worker of those things that are, more then she?Si autem sensus operatur, / quis horum quæ sunt magis quam illa est artifex ? 7And if a man love justice: her labours have great virtues: for she teacheth temperance, and prudence, and justice, and fortitude, which are such things as men can have nothing more profitable in life.E se uno ama in giustizia, le fatiche di lei hanno per obbietto delle grandi virtù; perocché ella insegna la temperanza, la prudenza, e la giustizia, e la fortezza, delle quali nissuna cosa è più utile negli uomini nella lor vita.And if a man loue iustice: her labours haue great vertues: for she teacheth sobrietie, and prudence, and iustice, and strength, then the which nothing is more profitable in life to men.Et si justitiam quis diligit, / labores hujus magnas habent virtutes: / sobrietatem enim et prudentiam docet, / et justitiam, et virtutem, / quibus utilius nihil est in vita hominibus.

8And if a man desire much knowledge: she knoweth things past, and judgeth of things to come: she knoweth the subtilties of speeches, and the solutions of arguments: she knoweth signs and wonders before they be done, and the events of times and ages.E se uno brama il molto sapere, ella è, che sa le passate cose, e fa giudizio delle future, conosce gli artifizj del discorso, e la soluzione degli enimmi, conosce i segni, e i prodigj prima che succedano, e gli avvenimenti de' tempi, e de' secoli.And if a man desire multitude of knowlege: she knoweth thinges past, & coniectureth of thinges to come: she knoweth the subtilities of wordes, and the solution of arguments: she knoweth signes and wonders before they be done, and the euentes of times and ages.Et si multitudinem scientiæ desiderat quis, / scit præterita, et de futuris æstimat; / scit versutias sermonum, et dissolutiones argumentorum; / signa et monstra scit antequam fiant, / et eventus temporum et sæculorum. 9I purposed, therefore, to take her to me to live with me: knowing that she will communicate to me of her good things, and will be a comfort in my cares and grief.Lei adunque mi risolvei di prendere a convivere con me, ben sapendo come ella comunicherà meco i suoi beni, e mi consolerà nelle cure, e negli affanni.I purposed therfore to bring her to me to liue together: knowing that she wil communicate vnto me of good thinges, and wil be a comfort of my cogitation & tediousnes.Proposui ergo hanc adducere mihi ad convivendum, / sciens quoniam mecum communicabit de bonis, / et erit allocutio cogitationis et tædii mei. 10For her sake I shall have glory among the multitude, and honour with the ancients, though I be young:Per lei io sarò illustre presso la moltitudine, e giovane sarò onorato dai seniori.I shal haue for her sake glorie with the multitudes, and honour with the ancient being yong:Habebo propter hanc claritatem ad turbas, / et honorem apud seniores juvenis; 11And I shall be found of a quick conceit in judgment, and shall be admired in the sight of the mighty, and the faces of princes shall wonder at me.E mi troveranno sottile nel giudicare, e sarò ammirato dinanzi ai grandi, e i principi mostreranno ne' volli loro com'io lor rechi stupore.and I sh•• be found sharpe in iudgement, and in the sight of the mightie I shal be meruelous, and the faces of princes wil meruel at me.et acutus inveniar in judicio, / et in conspectu potentium admirabilis ero, / et facies principum mirabuntur me:

12They shall wait for me when I hold my peace, and they shall look upon me when I speak; and if I talk much, they shall lay their hands on their mouth.S'io tacerò, aspetteranno, ch'io parli, se parlerò, saranno intenti a me, e andando io avanti nel discorso, si metteranno il dito alla bocca.Holding my peace they shal expect me, and whiles I speake manie wordes, they shallay their hands on their mouth.tacentem me sustinebunt, / et loquentem me respicient, / et sermocinante me plura, manus ori suo imponent. 13Moreover, by the means of her I shall have immortality: and shall leave behind me an everlasting memory to them that come after me.Oltre a ciò per lei avrò io l'immortalità, e lascerò a quelli, che saran dopo di me eterna la mia ricordanza.Moreouer by her I shal haue immortalitie: and I shal leaue an eternal memorie to them, that shal be after me.Præterea habebo per hanc immortalitatem, / et memoriam æternam his qui post me futuri sunt relinquam. 14I shall set the people in order: and nations shall be subject to me.Governerò i popoli, e saranno soggette a me le nazioni.I shal dispose peoples: and nations shal be subiect to me.Disponam populos, / et nationes mihi erunt subditæ: 15Terrible kings hearing, shall be afraid of me: among the multitude I shall be found good, and valiant in war.I re feroci temeranno al sentire il mio nome: col popolo parrò clemente, e forte in guerra.Horrible kings hearing shal feare me: in the multitude I shal seme good, and in battel strong.timebunt me audientes reges horrendi. / In multitudine videbor bonus, / et in bello fortis. 16When I go into my house, I shall repose myself with her: for her conversation hath no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness, but joy and gladness.Entrando nella mia casa avrò presso di lei il mio riposo: perocché atta ha di amaro il conversare con lei, e il convivere insieme con essa non ha tedio, ma consolazione, e gaudio.Entring into my house, I shal rest with her: for her conuersation hath no bitternes, nor her companie tediousnes, but ioy and gladnesse.Intrans in domum meam, conquiescam cum illa: / non enim habet amaritudinem conversatio illius, / nec tædium convictus illius, / sed lætitiam et gaudium. 17Thinking these things with myself, and pondering them in my heart, that to be allied to wisdom is immortality,Queste cose avendo io ripensate; e nel mio cuor rammentando, come nell'unione colla sapienza si ha l'immortalità,Thinking these thinges with myselfe, and recording in my hart, that immortalitie is in the kindred of wisedom,Hæc cogitans apud me / et commemorans in corde meo, / quoniam immortalitas est in cognatione sapientiæ, 18And that there is great delight in her friendship, and inexhaustible riches in the works of her hands, and in the exercise of conference with her, wisdom, and glory in the communication of her words: I went about seeking, that I might take her to myself.E nella amicizia di lei una buona dilettazione, e nelle opere delle mani di lei una inesausta ricchezza, e nel confabulare con lei la prudenza, e nell'essere a parte de' suoi ragionamenti si ha acquisto di gloria, io andava attorno in cerca di lei per farla mia.and good delectation in her frendship, and in the workes of her handes honestie without defect, and wisdom in the disputation of her talke, and glorie in the communication of her wordes: I went about seeking, that I might take her to me.et in amicitia illius delectatio bona, / et in operibus manuum illius honestas sine defectione, / et in certamine loquelæ illius sapientia, / et præclaritas in communicatione sermonum ipsius: / circuibam quærens, ut mihi illam assumerem.

19And I was a witty child, and had received a good soul.Or io era fanciullo ingegnoso, ed ebbi in sorte un'anima buona.And I was a wittie childe, and had gotten a good soule.Puer autem eram ingeniosus, / et sortitus sum animam bonam. 20And whereas I was more good, I came to a body undefiled.Ed essendo io più buono venni ad avere corpo immacolato.And wheras I was more good, I came to a bodie vndefield.Et cum essem magis bonus, / veni ad corpus incoinquinatum. 21And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, and this also was a point of wisdom, to know whose gift it was, I went to the Lord, and besought him, and said with my whole heart:E tosto ch'io seppi, come io non poteva essere continente, se Dio non mel concedeva (ed era effetto di sapienza il sapere da chi venga tal dono), io mi presentai al Signore, e lo pregai, e dissi con tutto il mio cuore:And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, vnlesse God gaue it, this verie thing also was wisdom, to know whose this gift was: I went to our Lord, and besought him, and said from my whole hart.Et ut scivi quoniam aliter non possem esse continens, nisi Deus det; / et hoc ipsum erat sapientiæ, scire cujus esset hoc donum: / adii Dominum, et deprecatus sum illum, / et dixi ex totis præcordiis meis: