How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
[...] kind branch on which it pleased her
(I sigh to think of it)
to make a column for her lovely side (4-6)
It's important to keep in mind that Petrarch is reflecting back to a time when he actually saw Laura lounging in this beautiful place. He's revisiting all of this in his mind and continuously wishing for something to happen that will make her aware of his desire. Yeah, it's a lot like a teenage crush.
Quote #2
[...] then death would be less harsh
if I could bear this hope
into that fearful crossing (20-22)
This one is a bit more complex. The poet is imagining his future death, but reflecting on a memory that he wishes to carry with him on the flipside. And that memory? It's open to interpretation, of course, but it might just be his hopeful desire for Laura.
Quote #3
And there will come a time, perhaps,
to that well-known place
the lovely animal returns, and tamed,
and there where she first saw me
that day which is now blessed,
she turns her eyes with hope and happiness
in search of me (27-33)
Petrarch bends the space-time continuum again here, fantasizing about a future time when Laura will change her mind about him and come running back. But in thinking about this great and glorious future, he reaches back to the first moment he laid eyes on her, at the church of St. Claire in Avignon.