1. The mail brought me from
Beyond the seas her letter,

2. And worse, that she
Forbade me answering her-

3. Fearing scandal should her hus-
Band learn of my reply

4. To her, him always hovering
Nearby her side.

5. Woe that this torment
Racks my senses, flames my fever!

6. That I've crossed seven seas
To reach my lover's coast

7. And that the Pleiades prolong
Their absence in the sky-

8. Dead, in either case, with no
Desire to punish her.