“The youth, who pants to gain the amorous prize,
Forgets that Heaven with all-discerning eyes
Surveys the secret heart; and when desire
Has, in possession, quenched its short-lived fire,
The devious winds aside each promise bear,
And scatter all his solemn vows in air!”

— Ludovico Ariosto , book Orlando Furioso

L'amante, per aver quel che desia,
Senza guardar che Dio tutto ode e vede,
Aviluppa promesse e giuramenti,
Che tutti spargon poi per l'aria i venti.
Canto X, stanza 5 (tr. John Hoole)
Orlando Furioso (1532)

Original

L'amante, per aver quel che desia, | senza guardar che Dio tutto ode e vede, | aviluppa promesse e giuramenti, | che tutti spargon poi per l'aria i venti.

canto X, ottava V, versi 5-8
Orlando furioso
Variant: L'amante, per aver quel che desia,
Senza guardar che Dio tutto ode e vede,
Aviluppa promesse e giuramenti,
Che tutti spargon poi per l'aria i venti.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Ludovico Ariosto 97

Italian poet 1474–1533

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“The youth, who pants to gain the amorous prize,
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Surveys the secret heart; and when desire
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The devious winds aside each promise bear,
And scatter all his solemn vows in air!”

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