"'Dante, che eri
La gran poeta,
Siei morto, ma vero,
II tuo spirito
E sempre rimasto,
Sempre per nostro
Nostro aiuto.

"'Ti chiamo, ti prego !
E ti scongiuro !
A voler aiutarmi.
Questa poesia
Voglio imparare ;
Di più ancora,
Non voglio soltanto
Imparar la a cantare,
Ma voglio imparare
Di mia testa
Foter le scrivere,
E cosi venire
Un bravo poeta !'

"'Thou Dante, who wert
Such a great poet,
Art dead, but thy spirit
Is truly yet with us,
Here and to aid us.

"'I call thee, I pray thee,
And I conjure thee !
Give me assistance !
I would learn perfectly
All of this poetry.
And yet, moreover,
I would not only
Learn it to sing it,
But I would learn too
How I may truly
From my head write it,
And become really
An excellent poet !'

"And then a form of a man will approach from around the statue (da canto), advancing gently-piano-piano-to the causeway, and will sit on it like any ordinary person, and begin to read the book, and the young man who has invoked the poet will not fail to obtain his wish. And the one who has come from the statue is no other indeed than Dante himself.

"And it is said that if in any public place of resort or inn (bettola) any poet sings the poems of Dante, he is always present among those who listen, appearing as a gentleman or poor man-secondo il locale-according to the place.

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