Guido Cavalcanti. “Sonnet (to Guido Orlandi). In Praise of Guido Orlandi's Lady.” Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1 1848?; 1861
ababababcdeedc iambic pentameter sonnet
<artist/> <location/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnpictorial> <citnmythic> <name/> <culture/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnmythic> <citnhistorical> <event/> <place/> <date/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnhistorical> <citnautobiographical> <name/> <place/> <date/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnautobiographical> <citnscenic> <place/> <date/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnscenic> </listcitn> </source> <commentaries> <head>Commentary</head> <section type="intro"> <head>Introduction</head> <p>As so often in DGR's translations, the technical literalness of Cavalcanti's poem is altered slightly but significantly. The “power” (line 5) is specifically a function of the lady's virginity in Cavalcanti's poem; nor is it that DGR has not perceived this fact (see line 2), but he has certainly elided it. His purpose in doing this is clear: to represent forcefully the key idea that the divine character of the lady's power is a function of her mortal virtues.</p> <p>An even more interesting variance from Cavalcanti comes in the last line: DGR manages to suggest—the move is distinctly Blakean—that the similitude between mortal and heavenly beauties is grounded in the former rather than the latter. This suggestion is to take Cavalcanti into a line of thought that oversteps even the Averroist ideas he is known to have entertained. Finally, the freedom of the translation at lines 7-8 makes it difficult to see an important and precise textual connection between Cavalcanti's sonnet and <xref doc="a.179d-1861.raw">Guido Orlandi's response</xref>.</p> <p>DGR's source text was <xref doc="a.pq4299.c2.rad" from="12" workcode="124d-1861orig">Cicciaporci</xref> (Sonnet XXIII, page 12).</p> </section> <section type="texthistcomp"> <head>Textual History: Composition</head> <p>Probably an early translation, late 1840s.</p> </section> <section type="texthistrev"> <head>Textual History: Revision</head> <p/> </section> <section type="prodhist"> <head>Production History</head> <p/> </section> <section type="recepthist"> <head>Reception</head> <p/> </section> <section type="icon"> <head>Iconographic</head> <p/> </section> <section type="printhist"> <head>Printing History</head> <p>The translation was first published in 1861 in <xref doc="a.1-1861.rad" from="356" workcode="130d-1861"> <title level="wrk"> <hi rend="i">The Early Italian Poets</hi> ; it was reprinted in 1874 in <hi rend="i">Dante and his Circle</hi> .

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“Introduction to Part II” (in The Early Italian Poets), 193-206 Contini, <hi rend="i">Poeti de Duecento</hi> , II. 561-562 Cassata, <hi rend="i">Guido Cavalcanti. Rime</hi> , 222-226

<hi rend="i">The Early Italian Poets</hi> text. <hi rend="i">The Early Italian Poets</hi> text. The Early Italian Poets From Ciullo D'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100-1200-1300), the Fitzwilliam Proof Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1861 0 The Early Italian Poets From Ciullo D'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100-1200-1300), the Alderman annotated copy Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1861 0 The Early Italian Poets From Ciullo D'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100-1200-1300), Presentation Copy to Frederick Shields. Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1861 0 The Early Italian Poets From Ciullo D'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100-1200-1300) (the Princeton illustrated copy) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1861 0 The Early Italian Poets from Ciullo d'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100-1200-1300) (Proof Copy) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1861 0 The Early Italian Poets From Ciullo D'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100-1200-1300), the Wrenn Proof Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1861 0 The Early Italian Poets From Ciullo D'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100-1200-1300), the Yale University Beinecke Library Proof Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1861 0 Dante and His Circle: With the Italian Poets Preceding Him (1100—1200—1300). Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1874 0 The Collected Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, vol. 2 (1886) Dante Gabriel Rossetti William Michael Rossetti 1886 0 The Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1911) Dante Gabriel Rossetti William Michael Rossetti 1911 0