from Canto III

11

Some persons say that Dante meant theology
     By Beatrice, and not a mistress—I,
Although my opinion may require apology,
     Deem this a commentator’s phantasy,
Unless indeed it was from his own knowledge he
     Decided thus, and show’d good reason why;
I think that Dante’s more abstruse ecstatics
Meant to personify the mathematics.

12

Haide and Juan were not married, but
     The fault was theirs, not mine: it is not fair,
Chaste reader, then, in any way to put
     The blame on me, unless you wish they were;
Then if you’d have them wedded, please to shut
     The book which treats of this erroneous pair,
Before the consequences grow too awful;
‘Tis dangerous to read of loves unlawful.

13

Yet they were happy,—happy in the illicit
     Indulgence of their innocent desires;
But more imprudent grown with every visit,
     Haide forgot the island was her sire’s;
When we have what we like, ‘tis hard to miss it,
     At least in the beginning, ere one tires;
Thus she came often, not a moment losing,
Whilst her piratical papa was cruising.

14

Let not his mode of raising cash seem strange,
     Although he fleeced the flags of every nation,
For into a prime minister but change
     His title, and ‘tis nothing but taxation;
But he, more modest, took an humbler range
    Of life, and in an honester vocation
Pursued o’er the high seas his watery journey,
And merely practised as a sea-attorney.

15

The good old gentleman had been detain’d
     By winds and waves, and some important captures;
And, in the hope of more, at sea remain’d,
    Although a squall or two had damp’d his raptures,
By swamping one of the prizes; he had chain’d
     His prisoners, dividing them like chapters
In number’d lots; they all had cuffs and collars,
And averaged each from ten to a hundred dollars.

16

Some he disposed of off Cape Matapan,
    Among his friends the Mainots; some he sold
To his Tunis correspondents, save one man
     Tossed overboard unsaleable (being old);
The rest—save here and there some richer one,
     Reserved for future ransom in the hold—
Were link’d alike, as for the common people he
Had a large order from the Dey of Tripoli.

17

The merchandise was served in the same way,
     Pieced out for different marts in the Levant,
Except some certain portions of the prey,
     Light classic articles of female want,
French stuffs, lace, tweezers, toothpicks, teapot, tray,
    Guitars and castanets from Alicant,
All which selected from the spoil he gathers,
Robbed for his daughter by the best of fathers.

18

A monkey, a Dutch mastiff, a mackaw,
     Two parrots, with a Persian cat and kittens,
He chose from several animals he saw—
     A terrier, too, which once had been a Briton’s,
Who dying on the coast of Ithaca,
     The peasants gave the poor dumb thing a pittance;
These to secure in this strong blowing weather,
He caged in one huge hamper altogether.

19

Then having settled his marine affairs,
    Despatching single cruisers here and there,
His vessel having need of some repairs,
     He shaped his course to where his daughter fair
Continued still her hospitable cares;
    But that part of the coast being shoal and bare,
And rough with reefs which ran out many a mile,
His port lay on the other side o’ the isle.

20

And there he went ashore without delay,
     Having no custom-house nor quarantine
To ask him awkward questions on the way
     About the time and place where he had been:
He left his ship to be hove down next day,
     With orders to the people to careen;
So that all hands were busy beyond measure,
In getting out goods, ballast, guns, and treasure.