Here is a line-by-line translation and explanation. Keep in mind that there is not only one way to translate poetry. If you look for translations of this sonnet on the Internet, you will find various versions. The most important thing is to understand it enough to get the gist of the poem. Some words are different from modern Italian, for example, duo instead of due (two), ove instead of dove (where), loco instead of luogo (place), desio instead of desiderio (desire).

1. Benedetto sia ’l giorno, e ’l mese, e l’anno,

Blessed be the day, and the month, and the year
→ The poet is blessing the moment in time when he first saw the woman he loves.

2. e la stagione, e ’l tempo, e l’ora, e ’l punto,

and the season, and the time, and the hour, and the exact point [in time].
→ He continues the list, blessing every detail of that moment.

3. e ’l bel paese, e ’l loco ov’io fui giunto

and the beautiful place, and the spot where I was joined
→ He adds the physical place where he happened to be when it happened that he was struck

4. da’ duo begli occhi che legato m’hanno;

by two beautiful eyes that bound me;
→ Her eyes “tied” him to her

5. e benedetto il primo dolce affanno

and blessed be the first, sweet agony
→ He is also blessing the first "sweet" pain of love

6. ch’i’ ebbi ad esser con Amor congiunto,

that I felt when I became joined with Love,
→ When he first fell in love. Amor is another name for Cupid.

7. e l’arco, e le saette ond’i’ fui punto,

and the bow and the arrows where I was struck,
→ Love is imagined as Cupid shooting arrows. Saetta is another word for freccia (arrow). 

8. e le piaghe che ’nfin al cor mi vanno.

and the wounds that go all the way to my heart.
→ His love wounds are deep — another poetic metaphor.

9. Benedette le voci tante ch’io

Blessed be the many voices (words) that I
→ Beginning again with a blessing (implicit subjunctive).

10. chiamando il nome de mia donna ho sparte, 

have scattered while calling my lady’s name, — sparte is another past participle (in the feminine plural to agree with voci) of the verb spargere (to scatter)
→ All the times he has spoken her name.

11. e i sospiri, e le lagrime, e ’l desio;

and the sighs, the tears, and the desire; desio is an archaic form of desiderio (desire)
→ All the feelings his love caused — also blessed.

12. e benedette sian tutte le carte

and blessed be all the pages
→ “The pages” = the poems he has written about her.

13. ov’io fama l’acquisto, e ’l pensier mio,

where I gain fame (through writing), and my thoughts,  — Ove is another form of dove (where)
→ His poetry gives him fame; his thoughts 

14. ch’è sol di lei, sì ch’altra non v’ha parte.

which belong only to her, so that no other woman has any share in them.
→are entirely of her; there is no place for any other woman. 

E il {loco} ov'io fui giunto [e il luogo dove io sono giunto] da duo begli occhi [grazie a quei due begli occhi]

And the place where I was joined by two beautiful eyes

Captions 6-7, La compagnia del cigno EP 5 - Part 3

 Play Caption

banner5 PLACEHOLDER

Francesco Petrarca (known as Petrarch in English) was born in the area of Arezzo, Tuscany in around 1304, in other words, at the beginning of the century known as il trecento ('300). He spent many years in France, living in Montpellier and especially in Avignon. Legend has it that he fell in love with a woman named Laura in Avignon, whom he met in a church there.

The present sonnet, dedicated to Laura, is part of "Rerum vulgarium fragmenta" (fragments composed in the vernacular). This is notable because most of his works were composed in Latin. Another name for this collection of poems in Italian was Rime sparse (scattered rhymes or verses). It was also called il canzoniere (the songbook). 

banner PLACEHOLDER

Why are we talking about this particular sonnet? Barbara, a character in La compagnia del cigno, on Yabla, recites the sonnet perfectly when she joins an Italian class in her new school. It seemed like a perfect occasion for us to discuss some interesting features of the sonnet. One feature is the use of the subjunctive (il congiuntivo), a grammar topic we've talked about in previous lessons, so this is a chance to look at one more way to use this tricky verbal conjugation. 

Benedetto sia il giorno e il mese, e l'anno.

Blessed be the day and the month, and the year.

Captions 1-2, La compagnia del cigno EP 5 - Part 3

 Play Caption

 

That is how she begins. Here is the entire sonnet:

Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374)
Sonetto LXI dal Canzoniere (sonnet 61 from the "songbook")

Benedetto sia 'l giorno, e 'l mese, e l'anno,
e la stagione, e 'l tempo, e l'ora, e 'l punto,
e 'l bel paese, e 'l loco ov'io fui giunto
da' duo begli occhi che legato m'hanno;
e benedetto il primo dolce affanno
ch'i' ebbi ad esser con Amor congiunto,
e l'arco, e le saette ond'i' fui punto,
e le piaghe che 'nfin al cor mi vanno.
Benedette le voci tante ch'io
chiamando il nome de mia donna ho sparte,
e i sospiri, e le lagrime, e 'l desio;
e benedette sian tutte le carte
ov'io fama l'acquisto, e 'l pensier mio,
ch'è sol di lei, sì ch'altra non v'ha parte. 

The poem starts out with the subjunctive (Benedetto sia…). How does this work?  The poet is expressing a wish, a blessing, or a devotional hope. That's one way the subjunctive is used in Italian.

We have spoken from time to time about how to say, "I can't wait" in Italian. It's an informal way of saying, "I am very much looking forward to something."  In Italian, it's Non vedo l'ora. For the record, Non vedo l'ora! translates, literally, as "I can't see the hour," (which makes no sense). We can use the expression just as it is, conjugating the verb vedere.

Vuoi assaggiare un poco di... -Certo. -arancello? -Non vedo l'ora.

Do you want to taste a bit of... -Of course. -arancello? -I can't wait.

Caption 51, Adriano L'arancello di Marina

 Play Caption

Ma se anche lui non vede l'ora!

But if even he can't wait!

Caption 70, Il Commissario Manara S2EP1 - Matrimonio con delitto - Part 3

 Play Caption

Although we can use the expression as is, we can also continue it, specifying what it is we can't wait for. Here's where it can get a bit more complex. There are basically 2 ways to continue the phrase.

banner PLACEHOLDER

1) We use di plus the infinitive of the verb in question:

Non vedo l'ora di vederti (I can't wait to see you).

Non vedo l'ora di partire in vacanza (I can't wait to leave on vacation).

Ma invece adesso sono convintissima, motivata e non vedo l'ora di cominciare.

But now however I'm totally convinced, motivated and I can't wait to start.

Caption 4, Francesca alla guida - Part 2

 Play Caption

These sentences are all about you, in other words, something you are going to or want to do. It can also be about another person but the structure of the sentence remains the same: 

Pietro non vede l'ora di cominciare il corso di francese (Pietro can't wait to start the French course).

Maybe you can come up with some on your own. Try using: 

visitare Firenze (to visit Florence)

vederti (to see you)

finire questo libro (to finish this book)

cenare (to have dinner)

2) We use the conjunction che (that). With che, we start a new (subordinate) clause and here, we need the subjunctive form of the verb.

So let's say you are on the train, traveling from Milan to Venice. It may be fun to look out the window, but you really want to get to Venice!

You can say:

Non vedo l'ora di arrivare a Venezia (I can't wait to arrive  in Venice).

You can also refer to the train or to "us.":

Non vedo l'ora che questo treno arrivi a Venezia (I can't wait for this train to arrive in Venice).

Non vedo l'ora che arriviamo a Venezia (I can't wait for us to arrive in Venice)

Non vedo l'ora che finisca il viaggio (I can't wait for this trip to end).

From a translating standpoint, when you use "for" plus a verb in English in this expression, you will likely need che + the verb in the subjunctive (agreeing with noun, expressed or implied) in Italian.

Noi li amiamo tantissimo e non vediamo l'ora che un giorno possano  anche giocare.

We love them very much and we can't wait for the day when they can also play.

Captions 59-60, Andromeda La storia di Ulisse

 Play Caption

There are various things we can imagine a couple expecting a baby to say, as they try to wait patiently.

One of them can say:

Non vedo l'ora di veder nascere questo bambino (I can't wait to see this baby be born).

We've used di + the verb vedere. 

Or, one of them can say:

Non vediamo l'ora che nasca questo bambino (we can't wait for  this baby to be born).

Here, we have used che + the verb nascere, which refers to the baby (third person), and thus we need the subjunctive. 

And if they happen to be expecting twins?

Non vediamo l'ora che nascano questi bambini (we can't wait for these babies to be born).

So, as you can see, there are easy ways to use the expression Non vedo l'ora: by itself, or with di + infinitive. There is also the harder way, which entails knowing the subjunctive form of the verb you want to use. But as you become fluent in Italian, you will find that we tend to say the same things over and over again, so maybe you might want to learn the subjunctive forms of certain verbs you might need, such as cominciare (to begin), finire (to finish), chiamare (to call).

Tip: You can sidestep the subjunctive by forming 2 different sentences. 

Comincierà presto la lezione? Non vedo l'ora (is the lesson going to start soon? I can't wait). 

Meanwhile, keep an eye out for this expression in Yabla videos. See how people use it — by itself, with di + infinitive, or with che + subjunctive. 

Some of us have been following Daniela’s lessons about the subjunctive. It can be tricky for English speakers to grasp because we use the subjunctive so rarely.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Italian gives us a rich variety of connecting words — words that connect the main clause in a sentence to a subordinate clause. Some of them are interchangeable and some are very unique. Some are used in formal situations and instructions, for the most part, like qualora (in the event that), and some are used in everyday speech. Sometimes there are ways to get around using these words if they don’t feel comfortable yet. On the other hand, they can be fun to learn, too.

As with other words we’ve looked at, many of these fancy conjunctions and adverbs are the result of two or more words having merged. Let’s take qualora. It’s made up of quale (which) and ora (hour). So it means “in whichever hour,” or “if at any time,” or something to that effect.

Daniela uses this example:

"Qualora non ci siano abbastanza partecipanti,

“In the event there aren't enough participants,

il corso non ci sarà".

the class won't take place.”

Captions 2-3, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Il congiuntivo

 Play Caption

Note that siano is the third person plural subjunctive of essere (to be). The indicative would be sono.

But we could also say, in a simpler way, with se (if):

Se non ci sono abbastanza partecipanti, Il corso non ci sarà.
If there aren’t enough participants the course won’t happen.

Here’s another example.

E qualora si presentassero cattivi odori,

And if at any time a bad smell presents itself,

la soluzione migliore è l'aggiunta di foglie, cenere e lo stesso terriccio.

the best solution is adding leaves, ashes, and some soil itself.

Captions 35-36, Raccolta differenziata - Campagna di sensibilizzazione del Comune di Alliste (LE)

 Play Caption

We’re pretty direct in English, but if we wanted to get fancy, we could say,

“And in the event a bad smell should present itself...” and it would mean pretty much the same thing.

******

Affinché is a wonderful conjunction. We can take this apart too, and we get a (“to” or “at”) fine (“scope,” “end”), and che (that). So, we’re talking about a result we are looking for. In informal speech, we might say, “in order for,” “so that.” But the Italian word really gives the specific idea of an objective or goal.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

In the following example, we can see that Marika’s use of affinché points to the result she would like to have: a life that’s a marvelous dream.

E quindi dipende da te, fare le scelte giuste,

So it depends on you, to make the right choices,

impegnarti affinché la vita sia sempre un sogno meraviglioso.

to work hard so that your life is always a marvelous dream.

Captions 18-19, Amiche - Filosofie

 Play Caption

Attenzione! It’s easy to mix up affinché (in order that) with finché (as long as) and finché non (until), so check out this lesson, and check this lesson out, too. It discusses fine,  a noun that means a few different things.
 

Ammettere (to admit) is somewhat of a true cognate when used in the indicative.
We can use it when referring to gaining access, say, to a course or school.

Non è facile essere ammesso alla facoltà di medicina.
It’s not easy to get admitted to the pre-med program.

It also refers to acknowledging something, like an opinion or an error. Here, too, ammettere is a true cognate.

Ammetto di aver reagito troppo in fretta.
I admit I reacted too hastily.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

But, when we find ammettere with che (that), and it’s often in the past participle ammesso, it calls for the subjunctive, as Daniela mentions in a recent lesson on the subjunctive. But be careful because the meaning changes. Here it means “to assume” or “to suppose.” We are not confirming something, we are assuming. We're talking about something unsure, which is why the subjunctive is used.

Allora, un amico mi dice una cosa,

So, a friend tells me something,

io non sono sicura se è vero o no,

I'm not sure whether it's true or not,

e dico: "Ammesso che sia vero, è interessante".

and I say: “Assuming it's true, it is interesting.”

Captions 39-41, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Il congiuntivo

 Play Caption

Amettiamo che lui l'abbia uccisa.

Let's assume that he killed her.

Caption 38, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP10 - Un morto di troppo

 Play Caption

A common expression in Italian uses this form: Ammesso e non concesso (assuming, for the sake of argument).

Ammesso e non concesso che quest’uomo sia innocente, lui non avrà problemi a dire la verità.
Assuming, for the sake of argument, that this man is innocent, he won't have any trouble telling the truth.

or, more literally:

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Assuming, but not granting, that this man is innocent, he won't have any trouble telling the truth.

The verb assumere exists as well in Italian. But that’s another story, which we'll get to in a future lesson.