On
the other hand, she always keeps to the metre, and that with the most
graceful intonation; never a faulty verse:
Fior di giacinto!
La donna che per l'uomo piange tanto--
Il pianto delle donne e pianto finto.
Amore mio!
Non prendite le fiori di nessuno,
Se vuoi un garofletto, lo do io.
Fior di limone!
Limone e agra, e le fronde son' amare,
Ma son' piu' amare le pene d'amor'.
Lo mi' amore che si chiama Peppe,
Lo primo giuocatore delle carte
Prende 'sto cuore e giuoca a tre-sette.
[Footnote:
Flower of the hyacinth!
The woman who weeps so much for the man's sake--
Yet, the complaint of women is a feigned one.
My love!
Do not accept flowers from anyone.
If thou wilt have a wall-flower, I will give it thee.
Flower of the lemon!
The lemon is sharp, and its leaves are bitter;
But more bitter are the torments of love.
My beloved, whose name is Peppe,
He is the first to play cards,
He has taken this heart and is playing a game of Three to Seven with
it.]
In this way I wrote out some scores.
* * * * *
Spent an hour teaching Filomena her large letters up to N, and making
her say them by rote, and with that end in view have divided them into
three portions--ABCD--EFG--ILMN.
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