Hi Koen, "stella diana" is a strange expression and I was puzzled by it as well. As you say, it likely derives from the Latin "dies" (day) and in modern Italian would be "stella diurna" (the star of the day i.e. the morning star).
Peter Lucia published his English translation of the sonnet in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (p.69, translation by Ezra Pound p.89).
In modern Italian the verse would be:
sovr'ogn'altra me par che dea splendore
sopra ogni altra mi pare che dia splendore
beyond every other to me seems that it gives splendor [Lucia]
Above all else meseems it gives splendor [Pound]
"dea" here corresponds to "dia", the third-person singular present subjunctive of "dare" (it gives). In the sonnet, Guinizzelli identifies the star with his beloved, which of course makes sense with the star being Venus. In the Ham. 390 misogynous "Proverbia", it is much less clear that there is a similar symbolic meaning (unless maybe turned upside down in a sarcastic way?). Anyway, the goddess alluded to, if any, is Venus, not Diana.
Peter Lucia published his English translation of the sonnet in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (p.69, translation by Ezra Pound p.89).
Quote:Seen I have the shining star Diana [Venus, the morning star],
which appears before the day renders clarity,
that has taken form of a figure human;
beyond every other to me seems that it gives splendor:
In modern Italian the verse would be:
sovr'ogn'altra me par che dea splendore
sopra ogni altra mi pare che dia splendore
beyond every other to me seems that it gives splendor [Lucia]
Above all else meseems it gives splendor [Pound]
"dea" here corresponds to "dia", the third-person singular present subjunctive of "dare" (it gives). In the sonnet, Guinizzelli identifies the star with his beloved, which of course makes sense with the star being Venus. In the Ham. 390 misogynous "Proverbia", it is much less clear that there is a similar symbolic meaning (unless maybe turned upside down in a sarcastic way?). Anyway, the goddess alluded to, if any, is Venus, not Diana.