S' I' FOSSE FOCO ...	OF ALL HE WOULD DO
Cecco Angiolieri	tr. Dante Gabriel Rossetti
S' i' fosse foco, arderei ‘l mondo; S' i' fosse vento, lo tempesterei; S' i' fosse acqua, i' l'annegherei; S' i' fosse Dio, manderei l' in profondo; S' i' fosse papa, sare' allor giocondo, Che tutt' i cristiani imbrighierei: S' i' fosse ‘mperator, sa' che farei? A tutti mozzarei lo capo a tondo. S' i' fosse morte, andarei da mio padre; S' i' fosse vita, fuggirei da lui: Similmente faria da mi' madre. S' i' fosse Cecco, com' i' sono e fui, Torre le donne giovan' e leggiadre E vecchi' e laide lasserei altrui.	If I were fire, I'd burn the world away; If I were wind, I'd turn my storms thereon; If I were water, I'd soon let it drown; If I were God, I'd sink it from the day; If I were Pope, I'd never feel quite gay Until there was no peace beneath the sun; If I were Emperor, what would I have done? - I'd lop men's heads all round in my own way. If I were Death, I'd look my father up; If I were Life, I'd run away from him; And treat my mother to like calls and runs. If I were Cecco, (and that's all my hope,) I'd pick the nicest girls to suit my whim, And other folk should get the ugly ones.

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