| Lyrics | Poetic Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| Alcun non può saper da chi sia amato, | A man can never know who truly loves him | |
| quando felice in su la ruota siede; | When at the summit of the (Fortune's) Wheel he's seated; | |
| però c'ha i veri amici e i sent'a lato | From both true friends and those (folk) who tire of him, | |
| che mostran tutti una medesma fede. | With just the same devoted faith he's greeted. | |
| Se poi si cangia in tristo il lieto stato, | But when down to the bottom (his) Fortune shoves him, | |
| volta la turba adulatrice il piede; | Then he discovers fawning crowds retreated, | |
| e quel che di cor ama riman forte, | While one whose heart in honest love is bonded | |
| et ama il suo signor dopo la morte. | Will love his lord till death and then beyond it. | |
| Ludovico Ariosto | Carol Perry Lagemann |
See William Stewart Rose's translation at the Choral Public Domain Library.