Ἔρος ὃς ἐν κτήμασι πίπτεις,
ὃς ἐν μαλακαῖς παρειαίς
νεάνιδος ἐννυχεύεις,
φοιτᾷς δ' ὑπερπόντιος ἔν τ' ἀγρονόμοις αὐλαῖς·
καί σ' οὔτ' ἀθανάτων φύξιμος οὐδεὶς
οὔθ' ἁμερίων ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων, ὁ δ' ἔχων μέμηνεν·"
Yet when he wrote the Filocolo Boccaccio knew no Greek.
[91] See Filocolo, ed. cit., I, p. 5 et seq. The scene is described also in the Filostrato, i. xxvi.-xxxiv. In the Fiammetta, cap. i., it is described from Fiammetta's point of view.
[92] In the Fiammetta (Opere Minori, Milano, 1879, p. 25) Boccaccio thus describes himself on that morning through the eyes of Fiammetta; it is in keeping with the topsy-turveydom of that extraordinary work: "Dico che, secondo il mio giudicio, il quale ancora non era da amore occupato, elli era di forma bellissimo, nelli atti piacevolissimo ed onestissimo nell' abito suo, e della sua giovinezza dava manifesto segnale la crespa lanugine, che pur ora occupava le guancie sue; e me non meno pietoso che cauto rimirava tra uomo e uomo."
[93] Ameto (ed. cit.), p. 228. We should have expected a green dress to agree with the prevision; but it was Sabbato Santo. On Easter Day she is in green. See infra.