Bissula was born beyond the frozen Rhine
She has seen the headwaters of the Danube.
Enslaved but freed by his master,
For which she was prey of war.
Without the mother, he needed a nurse,
So she never knew the rule of a mistress,
She has not shared the misfortune of her country,
Because I loosed my slave.
Despite she learned the Latin ways, Germanic remained.
So lovable, with the blue eyes and the golden hairs.
The language defines her one and her look another,
She speaks latin, but with the flow of the Rhine.
Delight, endearment, play, love, pleasure,
She, the barbarian, excels on all the Latium’s coquettes,
Bissula, a name a bit ‘rough for such a loving girl,
A little gross to the ignorants, but pleasant for her lord.
The Grecian Urn 