Pier Antonio Viti Boiardo Comment
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[edit] About this translation
This text is a comment of the Boiardo Tarocchi Poem
The following translation originally was a Google translation of the text found on http://trionfi.com/0/h/03/ This translation is in need for human revision. If you read a paragraph whose meaning is not clear to you, please check if you can improve its English.
[edit] Introduction
The cards are in the number of eighty; the first card contains a sonnet that briefly describes the quality of them all. The last similarly explains to the readers, with another sonnet, that the intention of the composer was to invent this game, so that time, that passes tediously, is alleviated with some fun, for those who perchance live idly. The remainder of the cards can be divided in two parts: one contains 21 Triumphs and the Fool; the other contains forty cards of four suits, with sixteen figures in sixteen painted cards: and in this respect it fits with the common game of cards. There are four suits: one is Love, the other Hope, the third Jealousy, the fourth Fear. And in everyone of these suits there are fourteen cards, between which there are four figures, which bear signs like common tarot cards do. And, not to leave anything out, I want to reproduce the sonnet that is written on the first card. It declares the order of all this game, which therefore begins in the following way:
[edit] Love
Beginning from Love, know that darts are painted on its ten cards: a dart on the first, by which the Chapter of Love begins; and the chapter is made up of all the cards of Love, since it contains as many tercets as the number of the cards. Each tercet begins with the word "Love", following behind this word the number of the darts: as it is of the first card saying "Love one that" etc; in that verse "one" was written and one dart is pictured on the card. And of the second card, after Love is placed "two"; and therefore subsequently of all the others in that suit. It is true that neither two, neither three, neither four, and neither the other numbers are thereby explicitly mentioned in the verse written alongside that of Love, as it should have been, but in the following way: "Love (DUE = two) doubt (DUBIO) is not that jealousy"; and of the three it is said: "Love (TER=three) term and end of your gain"; and therefore of the others declaring the same sequence.
After the verses of Love one finds again the two and three and so on of the other suits: and this the author says to have composed because initially the cards were only painted with three verses, beginning Love one, Love two, and Love three, within the suit of Love; and likewise in the other three suits of Hope, Jealousy, and that of Fear. In this way he made clear which were the cards of Love, and which suit the others were; and moreover which was the card of one, two, and three, and four, without the necessity of writing numbers on all of them. But now it is clearer; leaving these verses as they were in the suit of Love, whereupon he has painted darts with the tercets that follow about Love, beginning as I said before. And on the first card there is a dart, on the second two darts, on the third three darts, and therefore onwards until ten. The darts are like wands (clubs) in the common game are crossed, with the tercet in the middle of the card. The background of these cards in the suit of Love is coloured brown or violet; and in the suit of Hope they are coloured green, which signifies hope; and therefore those others too that you play with are coloured to their suit. Alongside these numbered cards are four illustrated with figures; so that in the suit of Love there is the Page, the Horse (knight), the Queen and the King.
[edit] Court Cards of Love
The Page of Love is represented by the one-eyed Cyclops who was truly in love with Galatea. He is painted in the shape of a peasant giant, with only one eye in his forehead, but in order to represent him well, I would dress him in a single sheepskin, armed with a dart in one hand and bagpipes at his feet, accompanied with a little flock of sheep that eat the grass, as poets usually describe him. I would make the colour of his skin brown in order to signify Love. With a tercet written over his head, within which one can read the name of the figure, like all the other figure cards have to indicate exactly who they are.
The Horse of Love is a young man on horseback, armed with a dart in hand, dressed of dress and of arms browns, with three crowns of gold in the shield, who is Paris of Troy; with the accompanying tercet over his head.
The Queen of Love is represented by the goddess Venus, illustrated riding a chariot with two wheels, dressed in brown; and similarly the chariot is drawn by two white swans, with brown reins at their necks. She holds a dart in her hand with a gold crown on her head. Two white doves are flying in the air; one flies before her head, the other behind; and over her is the tercet that speaks about Venus, then follows the next card.
The King is a brown figure royally dressed, seated with a dart in one hand. Beside his feet he has the eagle on one side, while on the other he has a smaller Ganymede beside his feet, dressed in a thin veil, with crepe tissue of colour painted brown; in his left hand he holds the lightning, and on his head one gold crown: and over that a tercet with the name of Giove himself. And it is the last figure in the Chapters of the suit of Love: which Chapter from that principle begins in the following way. "And know Your Lady", then the first tercet is on the card that has in itself a dart; the second likewise that contains two, and the third party of third, and therefore until the XIVth tercet that is the last one of each chapter, over which Jove presides. The first tercet of this Chapter of Love begins:
This is the Chapter, that all the cards in the suit of Love describes, as already said.
[edit] Hope
The suit of Hope he describes in the following way; The field of all the fourteen cards is coloured green, and on the tenth in a green field are painted yellow vases with a cover or lid, with one handle on which is written "Speranza" (Hope) or simply "Spe". And this is because it describes the fable in which Jove had enclosed all the evils within the vase of Pandora, yet Hope was not within enclosed, but outside at the hem of the vase it remained. And for this reason the vases here denote Hope. Of the first card on which there is a large, single vase coloured yellow, the same colour of all the other vases. There is a tercet over it that begins with the word Hope; following this word, that is the first word in all the tercets in the Chapter of Hope, the number of the card is given: just as it is in the suit of Love as it was previously said. On the second card there are two vases, and in the middle of the card is the tercet; and of the third three, and similarly with the fourth, until the tenth one; and in the middle of these all the tercets are written appropriate to the suit of Hope.
[edit] Court Cards of Hope
The four figures of which they are in this shape described. First is the page, and it represents Oratio Cocle, who stood alone in Rome against Tuscany while defending the bridge, hoping to make free both himself and his native land, in order that the Romans could cut the bridge behind its shoulders. The painting is of an armed man, with a sword in hand, over a bridge under which a river passes; and the arms are painted in the colour green, and so too is the shield. And it has on one side a small vase, and the tercet over his head with his name inscribed.
The Horse is represented by Jason, armed with green arms painted, over a horse, with the sword in hand: with hope he took much danger at sea with the Argonauts in order to acquire the golden fleece; and it has from a side a vase, and over the head the tercet that of him speaks.
The Queen of Hope is that Hebrew Judith, of which the Petrarch says: "Hebrew, the wise, chaste and strong Judith". She is painted like a nymph, with a sword in her right hand and in the left she holds a vase, standing in dresses of green colour painted; and on her head a golden crown, with one tercet over that describes the scene; and at her feet lies a man called Oloferne, killed by Judith, and she holds in her hand his bearded head cut from his neck, [...text missing ...] gloomy colour in the face; with one garment in way of a mantle, with the sleeves all listed of green; dark-skinned in the head like a moor, with a cloth many times wrapped around, also painted green.
The King of this suit is the pious Aeneas, that with hope of finding Italy and founding his city there, left from Troy. He is dressed in a green mantle, seated with a vase in his hand, having around his head a cloth wrapped in a Moorish style, with a crown over, and with the tercet containing his speech; that this is the last one in the Chapter in the suit of Hope as for all its XIV cards it finds itself aptly described. In which order it is like that one of Love, the first one to the card before, and the second to the second one, and similarly as in all the others, it begins in this way:
[edit] Jealousy and Fear
In the suit of the Jealousy the ten cards are of colour blue or light blue, and on them are painted eyes, like those from which in the mind of the envious that jealousy is increasing and proceeding. And on the first card there is a single, large eye, with a tercet over it; and on the other cards according to the ordered number, with a rectangle in the middle, in which the tercets are written starting with that of "Jealousy", as in the two suits of Love and Hope they also begin with the name of the suit; along with the number in the way already written, then follows the word "Jealousy".
Court Cards of Jealousy In this suit the four figures are in this shape painted: First in place of the Page is Argo, in whom jealousy was beyond bounds, doubting that Ios, given to him in guardship by Juno, could be stolen; and the face is painted loaded with eyes, with an eye in his left hand and in the right a shepherd's wand, a shepherd dress in some part of blue colour; beside his feet is a peacock, with an open tail, into which he was turned by Juno; and the tercet has over his head in which he reasons poorly. The Horse is represented by Turn: which for jealousy of Aenea he was won, as you may read in Virgil; and he is over a horse of all arms armed, blue coloured, with one eye in hand and his three verses over his head. As a Queen of Jealousy, the goddess Juno in this suit is illustrated; because she was always jealous of Jove. And she is dressed royally of blue, astride a blue chariot with two wheels, pulled by two peacocks; with an eye in one hand, and the Iris, said by the others symbolic of the rainbow, that from head to feet encircles her and with a gold crown. Above her are descriptive verses of her speeches.
The last figure of this suit is the King of Jealousy, Vulcan, who being jealous of all the gods, diligently observed Venus, in order to reveal her adultery, and finding her flagrantly with Mars thanks to the accusations or rays of the Sun, who beheld her while circling its daily orbit. Vulcan is painted naked, with the hammer in his right hand; and in the left a wing of love over an anvil; and at his feet there is a fire; and over his arm that holds the wing, again an eye; the less beautiful parts are covered with a blue tissue that is knotted twice over his shoulders; he wears a golden crown on his head. Above Vulcan there is the tercet that describes him. This card is the last one of all the Chapter of Jealousy. The tercets are associated to the fourteen cards; the first tercet to the first card, and the second to the second one; and similarly of all the others. All these verses form a Chapter that begins in the following way:
Ended the third suit, of the fourth reasoning, that it is called the suit of Fear, in which scourges are described, as them darts are in the suit of Love. These are painted with a long handle of wood; and on the top with three drakes a little curved; and such scourges by everyone were feared...
[edit] Trumps
After I have written of the four suits, now I must speak of the Triumphs: to make clear what they mean, and the paintings, and the verses written on them. And in order to make a good start, I will first speak of that which, for what I already said, who is very similar to me: and in this game he is called the Fool. He is herein depicted riding an ass, without a bridle, dressed in red, with a yellow hood on his head, and with two round little bells, stuck to two ears that are in the hood, one for each side; and this hood has a green tail (and the ears also are green) that begins from behind the shoulders turning towards the head. And it is encircled with the garment wrapping around making it shorter; and the mouth of the sleeve is wide, with a yellow decoration on the hem, and at the very end of the sleeve is another little bell. And in the foot he has an ankle boot turned under the knee, and the part that is turned is yellow; and the rest is of a red colour. The other foot and the other hand are not visible being in side all painting, except the face: which is not white, with two big, black eyes, a punched nose, and large lips and an open mouth, with two eyelash of black colour, and with wrinkled forehead. And for what I seeing it could estimate, it seemed to me to see the image of that man: and beyond all these things, he holds a round world in his hand: in which sea, rivers, mountains, and cities are seen; and it is over this world with the leaning chest and the chin, and holds the retired legs: to which the ass turns its head, as if it wanted to kiss his feet; and above that are three verses, that embodies the principle of the fifth Chapter, than for all them Triumphs it explains. In which verses that, with the other trumps, all described below, is presented. I have described the Fool in particualr and at length because his blood is very much closer to mine.
[edit] I Leisure
The first Triumph, having value of one point, deals with Leisure; and the figure is of Sardanapalo king, if I remember well, of the Assirii; which for love of luxury and gluttony, did not rule his kingdom, and he was the first one that invented the feathers of which it was slept. This seemed to me to be appropriate to say, of Sardanapalo reasoning. The figure of which is delicate: he wears a white manthl of light blue color, and has on his head the golden crown; and seats over a yellow seat; and under the mantle he is dressed in brown; and at his foot there is a marmot, that is a lazy and sleepy animal; and over him are the verses that speak of him which begin with the word Leisure. And in all the Chapter the Trionfi tercets start with that word that means the figure of the Triumph under them painted. And at the foot of all the Triumphs are animals of that same nature as the Triumph.
The number of the Triumphs, beginning from Leisure, that has number one, is found written in a side of the rectangles, that are painted at the top of the cards.
[edit] II Fatigue
The second Triumph, which is marked with number two, is Fatigue, exemplified by Ippolita. She was, with great fatigue, the Queen of the Amazons. She is painted as a nymph , with chest and right sleeve dressed of brown; wearing a bend of similar color, than is shown high and skewed behind her shoulders; on her head, she wears a green veil; and with the shirt, from the belt down, white. She holds a spear in her right hand; at the left she carries a yellow shield, with a mirror in the middle, that covers all her arm. At her foot there are many ants , that between the other animals are lovers of hard work. Above her head a tercet is read, like the others.
[edit] III Desire
Desire is the third Triumph, represented by Atteone, which the divine things desired to see, and, seeing Diana naked in a pool, was converted in a red deer when she threw water from the pool on his face. The painting is of a man in jacket of listed yellow, and all remaining of brown color; the stockings are divided in many stripes of white and blue color. The head is of red deer, with two long horns and of gold and reddish color, with the mouth open; and he holds in the left hand one rope and with his right hand expresses fear. There are two dogs that bite him. At his feet seats a leopard, which follows the other animals with much desire. According the already described order, there is a tercet over his head.
[edit] IV Reason
Reason for the fourth Triumph is written, and the figure that demonstrates it is Laura of our Petrarch, dressed like Ippolita. She holds a banner on which, in green field, a candid ermin can be seen; and before her there is Love, with his hands ligate behind and with the plucked wings; and under his feet the bow and his quivers. And at a side there is a honeycomb, with its holes, and the bee that fly around it, because those animals proceed in their actions with the greatest reason. Above the head of Laura there are verses that speak of her, but not as sweetly as it has previously been done.
[edit] V Secret
In the place of the fifth Triumph you can see Secret, represented buy Antioco. He is dressed of a brown mantle which should be dark; with blond hair and delicate face; and an ostrich at his feet, that bird is believed to eat every hard thing, and to convert it in its blood , not sending it outside through the secret place. And, as the other Triumphs, over the head his three verses are tied.
[edit] VI Grace
We see Grace as the sixth Triumph, and it is represented by three women: the three Graces. They are naked, with golden hair down their shoulders; the less beautiful parts are hidden with white and thin veils, and they do not seem to hide, but just to hold the veils in their hands. They look at each other, as if they were speaking. At their feet there is a Phoenix, hitting herself with her beak within a fire, with opened wings. And the Phoenix is associated to the three Graces because, at any single moment in time, they can only be found in a single subject. Above the Graces the three verses are much appropriately placed.
[edit] VII Disdain
Disdain by the seventh Triumph is demonstrated, and it is represented by King Erodes. He brought to death his beloved Marianna, afterwards calling her and suffering with love . He wears a golden crown, covered with a brown mantle, and under dressed of blue; with his hands striking his chest, and his mouth opened, crying; he seats over a yellow seat, with a bear at his feet, disdainful between all the other animals: so that by ripping its little wounds it kills itself with its own paws. Also in this Triumph as in the others there are three verses.
[edit] VIII Patience
Patience follows Disdain in the eight place. It is represented by Psyche, who suffered with great patience many adverse events, deserving to enter the number of the Goddesses. She represents our soul, that with the hardest work frees itself from the dirt of this world, takes her wings, received from the grace of Jove, and rises with the divine help up to the Sky, where, for merit of her fatigue, the happy life taking, becomes Goddess. The painting of Psyche is in shape of a Nymph, dressed of a brown mantle, with a white shirt under it, and holds her mantle with both hands. She has to her feet, from a side, a broken arc, with a writing reversed under it; and at the other side two plucked wings and a horse, with brown brake, that being patient and generous, suffers every hard work. And above the head of Psyche, there are three verses speak of her.
[edit] IX Error
Error is the subject of the ninth Triumph, represented by the figure of Jacob. Having served Lia for seven years, he believed to have deserved Rachel, and in this largely erred. For love of Rachel, he had to serve Labaan for seven more years. So our Petrarch says: "Seven and seven years he served for Rachel". The figure of Jacob is a young man dressed as a shepherd, with an hat behind his shoulders and a flask at his side; he wears a brown jacket and brown shoes; he leans on a staff, circling it with his right leg. Around him there are many sheep, that are easily subject to error, since all of them follow the error of one of them. At a side a dog lies on the ground, it wears a collar of iron thorns so that it cannot be killed by wolves. Above the head of the figure, there are the verses that speak of the stupidity of Jacob.
[edit] X Perseverance
Behind the Error it follows the Perseverance, with the verses as it is ditto, for which Penelope is looked at painted, that with great Perseverance many years it wove and it unravelled texuta the burlap, waiting for its beloved husband, than for the world it went erring. This in a loom is painted of thread, and comb and small boat and calculations that with the feet if they move, and from every other supplied thing. Over which they are some swallows that are, and some that around to they fly. The color of the loom is berettino, and the garment of Penelope is dark brown, with the green chest; and it is in shape of that with feet and the hands, having the hats behind the shoulders, weaving work.
[edit] XI Doubt
Doubt is found in eleventh place with verses to it appropriates to you, and for the Aegean King it is meant: that doubt being of the come one of its Teseo boy for having
... [text missing] ...
[edit] XVII Danger
[ Danger]... for the figure of described Cesar, which from Bruto and Cassio was killed in the Senate; dressed of the painting of one mantle brown, and under of gold garment: which mantle falls from the shoulders. and nearby of he they are and Bruto and Cassio, covered of red: one with the dagger in the chest of Cesar stuck: the other in action to hunt it; to foot of which a furious Taurus looks at, that danger means, because he with the horns hurts not seeing the way, that to the injurer it is most dangerous.
[edit] XVIII Experience
In 18th the Triumph it is seen the Experience, with its tercet, for meant Rea, that she was of Jove mother; which for much experience removed the born child in order to escape it from the rage of Saturno and gave him to the Corifanti: that with cymbals over to a Crete mount they educated it, and with river basins making I make a din, to that screaming was not from felt Saturno. of the which Rea, the painting is a woman, with the veiled head of black, of brown clearly dressed, with the chest blue, that it watches to the top of a mount, where some small men is discerned. and a child in bands has this before to himself little, with one eagle to he of over, with the opened wings, of black color; like that in many things expert, for the length of the life, and the distance of the places that to have seen it is found, from Jove for its trusting bird was elect.
[edit] XIX Time
Time after Experience follows, with its the verses, as the XIX Triumph. This is painted in shape of Old Man , with brown garment and mantle of iridescent color; limping with a crutch in his tired hand. On the right side is a deer with long horns; it is placed with Time for being of very long life.
[edit] XX Oblivion
It follows, behind Time, in 20th the native place the Oblivion, with ternary its, in painted shape of old woman, than the head of a yellow veil and the neck holds wrapped; with sleeves browns and garment blue, but for length of time of such places much worn out color; and chain in hand rolled up to one holds one lynx; that it drinks of a aqua that for the Lethe river is placed, which it uses, who within drinks them, of every memory to deprive. These figures for such triumph are mail, for that the old age it means oblivion, and the lynx is animal oblivious a lot; and Lethe is river that places of it the minds of who drinks it oblivion: which tole of memory of men, and brings to Lethe all the famous things, as a lot was Dido from name Virgilio.
[edit] XXI Inner Strength
The last Triumph in XXI place, and with the verses its, is the Strength of mind, for Roman Lucrezia (and not for Sister Felice, like the composer wanted) meant; which for strength of mind with the own hands killed herself showing to all the open world the chaste one to want its. This is in beautiful shape of young painted, than with hats scattered with the straight hand one knife in the chest hunting; dressed of a black mantle of over and green of under, with a shirt red, and to the left it holds a lion, than between the other animals, of fortress is from all praised. These are the Triumphs tiny described; of which one Understood it law of 22 tercets, in 22 cards of Triumphs, with the Fool, you leave yourself: from which starting, the Chapter begins in this way, adapting according to tercet to according to Triumph, the third party to the third party, and therefore of the others; placing in this number the Fool. From which beginning them verses therefore say:
[edit] Conclusion
[edit] First Game
All this mine long reasoning was made in order to describe these new Triumphs, so that Your Lady, if she wants so, can have them painted. After the cards will have been painted, they can be used to play in the following way. When all the players are gathered, in any number you want, firstly one card must be given to each player; and the distribution of cards proceeds in circle until there are no more cards. They must all be given to the players: except those two that contain the sonnets, which are set in the middle of the table, with sonnet upside. And from this giving of cards, that must play first he who by chance has received the best one, is born the first pleasure: everyone reads loud the verses that the cards contain, and show them to the other players. And sometimes women and men receive tercets that are so appropriate to them that there is great laugh among those who listen.
[edit] Second Game
And then that everyone will have the cards its gathered in hand, the first one will begin to play a card, to which it must that everyone, having of the suit, replies; and not having, it gives Triumph. And of the cards, more in the suit of Love, darts, and more of vases, in the suit of Hope, win; and less them others two you play some is advanced. Because more love and more hope is better than that less; and little jealousy and fear are worth better than more than they. Of Triumphs truly the more number, of short them from one the sides marked, is winning. And that one of the players who will win, many games how many will win, many coins will be able to ask to who he will want of those who in the circle is in this game: taking an oath with those before the two cards of sonnets, than in the middle will be found. And this fact, must that everyone keep the cards in hand of them games that will be won by him, and if some palyer, by chance, as not won any card, he will not play the next game.
[edit] Third Game
With the cards each has won in hand will be made another game in such a way. Everyone will watch its cards, and who more of darts, or of vases, it will be found to have, will win over who has less; and who less of eyes, or of whips, will find in hand, will wom who is supplied of cards of these suits. And the winner will ask to the won, for prize, an obedience that, for a single time, he has the right to ask them. And in this, he who wins commands he who loses, enforcing under the said oath to obey.
[edit] Fourth Game
It is born, beyond these, a fourth game, in which he who has in his cards more tercets that follow each other, those, I say, win. And in prize they can ask in gift all what they want of the things that are around to the person who has lost the game.
These are them four games that, currently, with these new Triumphs, are made: with them many others will be made, as many as with the common trumps are continually made. Having longly reasoned about such games, in order not to tire you more, I will stop here.
