Ridon' hor per le piaggie herbett'e fiori,
esser non puo che quel angelic' alma,
non sent' il suon del' amorose note,
se nostra ria fortun' è di piu forza,
lagrimand' e cantando i nostri versi,
e col bue zopp' andrem cacciando l'aura.
Note: in the original, longer poem, of which this is the sixth verse, it is clear that the poet will be trying to catch the breeze in a net, and presumably the fact of being accompanied by a lame ox, bizarre though the image may be, would make the enterprise all the more futile. It may refer back to a poem by the 12th century troubadour Arnaut Daniel which says that securing his beloved’s favour is an endeavour as challenging as gathering up the breeze, catching a swift hare with a slow ox or swimming against the current. The breeze (l’aura) is also a pun on the name Laura, the unattainable woman that the author of this poem, Petrarch, paid homage to in so much of his writing.
English translation
Now the meadows are gaily bedecked with grass and flowers:
that beguiling angel of a young woman whom I adore
surely cannot fail to hear
the strains of music, inspired by love, that are borne upon the breeze.
But if cruel fate has gained the upper hand over me,
I shall weep as I sing my verses
and with a lame ox try to catch the breeze. Translation by Mick Swithinbank
Italian text
English translation