The Sonnets, Triumphs, and Other Poems of Petrarch

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Title: The Sonnets, Triumphs, and Other Poems of Petrarch
Author: Petrarch
Editor: Thomas Campbell
Release Date: January 31, 2006 [EBook #17650]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
? START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SONNETS, TRIUMPHS, AND ***
Produced by Ted Garvin, Taavi Kalju and the Online?Distributed Proofreading Team at
[Illustration: PETRARCH.]
THE SONNETS, TRIUMPHS,?AND OTHER POEMS
OF
PETRARCH.
NOW FIRST COMPLETELY TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH VERSE
BY VARIOUS HANDS.
WITH A LIFE OF THE POET?BY THOMAS CAMPBELL.
ILLUSTRATED WITH SIXTEEN ENGRAVINGS ON STEEL.
LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS, YORK STREET,?COVENT GARDEN.?1879.
[Reprinted from Stereotype plates.]
PREFACE.
The present translation of Petrarch completes the Illustrated Library series of the Italian Poets emphatically distinguished as "I Quattro Poeti Italiani."
It is rather a singular fact that, while the other three Poets of this world-famed series--Dante, Ariosto, and Tasso--have each found several translators, no complete version of the fourth, and in Italy the most popular, has hitherto been presented to the English reader. This lacune becomes the more remarkable when we consider the great influence which Petrarch has undoubtedly exercised on our poetry from the time of Chaucer downwards.
The plan of the present volume has been to select from all the known versions those most distinguished for fidelity and rhythm. Of the more favourite poems, as many as three or four are occasionally given; while of others, and those by no means few, it has been difficult to find even one. Indeed, many must have remained entirely unrepresented but for the spirited efforts of Major Macgregor, who has recently translated nearly the whole, and that with great closeness both as to matter and form. To this gentleman we have to return our especial thanks for his liberal permission to make free use of his labours.
Among the translators will be found Chaucer, Spenser, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Anna Hume, Sir John Harington, Basil Kennett, Anne Bannerman, Drummond of Hawthornden, R. Molesworth, Hugh Boyd, Lord Woodhouselee, the Rev. Francis Wrangham, the Rev. Dr. Nott, Dr. Morehead, Lady Dacre, Lord Charlemont, Capel Lofft, John Penn, Charlotte Smith, Mrs. Wrottesley, Miss Wollaston, J.H. Merivale, the Rev. W. Shepherd, and Leigh Hunt, besides many anonymous.
The order of arrangement is that adopted by Marsand and other recent editors; but to prevent any difficulty in identification, the Italian first lines have been given throughout, and repeated in an alphabetical index.
The Life of Petrarch prefixed is a condensation of the poet Campbell's two octavo volumes, and includes all the material part of that work.
York Street, Covent Garden,?June 28, 1869.
LIST OF PLATES.
PAGE
1. PORTRAIT OF PETRARCH to face title.
2. VIEW OF NAPLES xliv
3. VIEW OF NICE li
4. COAST OF GENOA lxvi
5. BRIDGE OF SIGHS, VENICE lxxviii
6. VICENZA lxxxiii
7. MILAN CATHEDRAL cvi
8. LIBRARY OF ST. MARK'S, VENICE cxv
9. FERRARA. THE OLD DUCAL PALACE cxxiii
10. PORTRAIT OF LAURA 1
11. VIEW OF ROME--ST. PETER'S IN THE DISTANCE 66
12. SOLITUDES OF VAUCLUSE (where Petrarch wrote most of his Sonnets) 105
13. GENOA AND THE APENNINES 124
14. AVIGNON (where Laura resided) 189
15. SELVA PIANA (where Petrarch received the news of Laura's death) 232
16. PETRARCH'S HOUSE AT ARQUA (where he wrote his Triumphs) 322
CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF PETRARCH'S LIFE.
A.D. PAGE
1304. Born at Arezzo, the 20th of July. ix
1305. Is taken to Incisa at the age of seven months, where
he remains seven years. x
1312. Is removed to Pisa, where he remains seven months. x
1313. Accompanies his parents to Avignon. xi
1315. Goes to live at Carpentras. xi
1319. Is sent to Montpelier. xi
1323. Is removed to Bologna. xii
1326. Returns to Avignon--loses his parents--contracts a
friendship with James Colonna. xiii
1327. Falls in love with Laura. xvii
1330. Goes to Lombes with James Colonna--forms acquaintance
with Socrates and L?lius--and returns to Avignon to live in the house of Cardinal Colonna. xviii
1331. Travels to Paris--travels through Flanders and Brabant,
and visits a part of Germany. xxiv
1333. His first journey to Rome--his long navigation as
far as the coast of England--his return to Avignon. xxxiii
1337. Birth of his son John--he retires to Vaucluse. xxxv
1339. Commences writing his epic poem, "Africa." xxxviii
1340. Receives an invitation from Rome to come and be
crowned as Laureate--and another invitation, to?the same effect, from Paris. xlii
1341. Goes to Naples, and thence to Rome, where he is
crowned in the Capitol--repairs to Parma--death?of Tommaso da Messina and James Colonna. xliii
1342. Goes as orator of the Roman people to Clement VI.
at Avignon--Studies the Greek language under?Barlaamo. xlviii
1343. Birth of his daughter Francesca--he writes his
dialogues "De secreto conflictu curarum?suarum"--is sent to Naples by Clement VI. and?Cardinal Colonna--goes to Rome for a third and?a fourth time--returns from Naples to Parma. li
1344. Continues to reside in Parma. lviii
1345. Leaves Parma, goes to Bologna, and thence to
Verona--returns to Avignon. lviii
1346. Continues to live at Avignon--is elected canon