Dic' ella, ch'i lasciai gli occhi tuoi molli,
E sforzata dal tempo me n' andai?
I' non te'l potei dir all or, né volli:
Or te'l dico per cosa esperta e vera;
Non sperar di vedermi in terra mai."
Francesco Petrarca (Sonnetto CCXI.)
CHAPTER IV
PETRARCH AND LAURA
How well one understands why it is that the South has produced so much art and so little philosophy! We found ourselves spending hours basking in this delicious sun, while we idly wondered how often the beautiful Laura crossed the square, exactly how she looked, and spoke, and smiled; above all, how she felt: the real truth about that mysterious romance. The customs of the day, the universal habit of love-making as part of the necessary accomplishments of a gentleman, make it difficult to recognise the genuine love-story when one finds it.