56r

[rubric: Tramontana.]

¶ Vegio la stella in su ch'el polo gira
Cum quelle septe e due che vano intorno
Le qual per necessita molto si mira
Da navicanti quando mancha il giorno
Chi la cercasse e trovar la desira
L’ochio suo guardi la bocha d’un corno
Chi piu s’apressa ad veder le supine
Piu freddo sente et giaço confine

[rubric: L’altra tramontana]

¶ Da l’opposita parte e l’altro polo
Simile a quello e freddo de natura
Che non se puo mirar dal nostro suolo
Perche tra noi e quello ch'a grande arsura
[Marginal rubric: Equinocio] Lo quale e sempre sotto un cerchio solo
Che fa la nocte el di d'ogual mesura
Tra questa calda e le due fredde çone
Sono i luogi habitati da le persone

[rubric: Stelle.]

¶ Dentro a si grande e tal circumferentia
Di stelle sono un numero infinito
E ciascuna produce sua influentia
Che corpi mortali e nel terresto sito
Benche pochi se n’abi in scientia
Perche sovente riman smarito
Chi da iuditio di cosse future
Perche di tute non sa lor nature

[image, right margin at ¶ 1: Pen-drawn diagram of a sphere within a sphere representing climate zones of the Earth. Outer sphere tinted blue with eight-pointed star, tinted yellow, positioned at 9 o’clock. Outer sphere labelled, in black ink: (label: Polo articho) at 9 o’clock, (label: Oriente) at 12 o’clock, (label: Polo antarticho) at 3 o’clock, (label: Occidente.) at 6 o’clock. Inner sphere divided, vertically, into five sections, labelled in black ink and tinted (left to right): (label: Frigida Zona) in blue, (label: Temperata Zona) in yellow, (label: Torida Zona.) in red, (label: Temperata Zona.) in yellow, (label: Frigida Zona) in blue.]

[image, right margin at ¶ 3: Pen-drawn diagram of a sphere within a sphere. The outer sphere tinted with blue wash with red ink (label: Ciello) at 12 o’clock position. Inner sphere, untinted, bears red ink (label: Terra) at 12 o’clock position, along with black ink (label: Oriente) at 12 o’clock, (label: Occidente) at 6 o’clock, (label: Tramontana.) at 9 o’clock, running vertically. A single red line—running vertically, with black ink (label: Circulo equinocio)—bisects both spheres.]

The North Pole.^{*Literally, "the North."}

I see the star that turns above the Pole^{*the North Star}
with the seven and two [stars] that go around it.
This [star] is what sailors often need to track
when there is no daylight.
He who looks for it, and wishes to find it,
should turn his eyes toward the mouth of a horn,^{*the Great Bear or Big Dipper}
and he who gets close enough to see them overhead
will feel increasing cold and icy extremities.***

The South Pole.^{*Literally, "the other North [Pole]."}

On the opposite side [of the globe], there is the other pole
Which is also cold by nature
And you can't see it from our region
Because there is an immense desert between us and it [the South Pole]
[Marginal rubric: Celestial Equator] And that [pole] is always under a single circle [the equator]
Which makes night and day of the same length.
Between this hot zone and the two cold ones
There are areas inhabited by people.

[rubric: Stars.]

Inside such a big circumference
There is an infinite number of stars,
And each of them exerts an influence
upon mortal bodies and on earthly locales
However, few are aware of [the science],
because those who prophesy about
what will happen in the future often get confused,
as they do not know all about their nature.

[rubric: Tramontana.]

¶ Vegio la stella in su ch'el polo gira
Cum quelle septe e due che vano intorno
Le qual per necessita molto si mira
Da navicanti quando mancha il giorno
Chi la cercasse e trovar la desira
L’ochio suo guardi la bocha d’un corno
Chi piu s’apressa ad veder le supine
Piu freddo sente et giaço confine

[rubric: L’altra tramontana]

¶ Da l’opposita parte e l’altro polo
Simile a quello e freddo de natura
Che non se puo mirar dal nostro suolo
Perche tra noi e quello ch'a grande arsura
[Marginal rubric: Equinocio] Lo quale e sempre sotto un cerchio solo
Che fa la nocte el di d'ogual mesura
Tra questa calda e le due fredde çone
Sono i luogi habitati da le persone

[rubric: Stelle.]

¶ Dentro a si grande e tal circumferentia
Di stelle sono un numero infinito
E ciascuna produce sua influentia
Che corpi mortali e nel terresto sito
Benche pochi se n’abi in scientia
Perche sovente riman smarito
Chi da iuditio di cosse future
Perche di tute non sa lor nature

[image, right margin at ¶ 1: Pen-drawn diagram of a sphere within a sphere representing climate zones of the Earth. Outer sphere tinted blue with eight-pointed star, tinted yellow, positioned at 9 o’clock. Outer sphere labelled, in black ink: (label: Polo articho) at 9 o’clock, (label: Oriente) at 12 o’clock, (label: Polo antarticho) at 3 o’clock, (label: Occidente.) at 6 o’clock. Inner sphere divided, vertically, into five sections, labelled in black ink and tinted (left to right): (label: Frigida Zona) in blue, (label: Temperata Zona) in yellow, (label: Torida Zona.) in red, (label: Temperata Zona.) in yellow, (label: Frigida Zona) in blue.]

[image, right margin at ¶ 3: Pen-drawn diagram of a sphere within a sphere. The outer sphere tinted with blue wash with red ink (label: Ciello) at 12 o’clock position. Inner sphere, untinted, bears red ink (label: Terra) at 12 o’clock position, along with black ink (label: Oriente) at 12 o’clock, (label: Occidente) at 6 o’clock, (label: Tramontana.) at 9 o’clock, running vertically. A single red line—running vertically, with black ink (label: Circulo equinocio)—bisects both spheres.]

[rubric: Tramontana.]

I see the star that rotates above the Pole
With those seven and the two [stars] that go around it.
This [star] is necessarily often aimed at
By sailors when there is no daylight.
He who looks for it, and wishes to find it [the North Star],
should turn his eyes toward the mouth of a horn [the Great Bear or Big Dipper]
And he who gets close enough to see the [stars] below
Will feel increasing cold and icy extremities.

[rubric: The other Tramontana]

On the opposite side [of the globe], there is the other pole
Which is also cold by nature
And you can't see it from our region
Because there is an immense desert between us and it [the South Pole]
[Marginal rubric: Celestial Equator] And that [pole] is always under a single circle [the equator]
Which makes night and day of the same length.
Between this hot zone and the two cold ones
There are areas inhabited by people.

[rubric: Stars.]

Inside such a big circumference
There is an infinite number of stars,
And each of them exerts an influence
upon mortal bodies and on earthly locales
However, few are aware of [the science],
because those who prophesy about
what will happen in the future often get confused,
as they do not know all about their nature.