Cecco d'Angiolieri, da Siena. “Sonnet. Concerning his Father.” Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1 1860
abbaabbacdecde 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>DGR's <xref doc="a.1-1861.rad" from="413" workcode="56d-1861">note</xref> to the sonnet explaining that he moderated “one of two expressions” in Cecco's poem refers to lines 7 and 14: the former has an anti-semitic reference and the latter says literally that Cecco ought to eat his father alive.</p> <p>Except for the elision in line 7, which breaks the colloquial tone, DGR manages to render Cecco's invectivew pretty well. This is one of the famous sequence of sonnets Cecco wrote against his father—splendid pieces of venomous verse. See also the even more remarkable <xref doc="a.73d-1861.raw"> <title level="wrk">“Let not the inhabitants of Hell despair” and “Who utters of his father aught but praise” .

DGR's source text was Villaroso's <hi rend="i">Raccolta di Rime Antiche Toscane</hi> (II. 163). For further general information about Cecco and his work see the commentary for “Dante Alighieri, Cecco, your good friend” ).

Textual History: Composition

This seems to have been a later translation, as we judge from DGR's fair copy of his Italian source text, which is copied on paper stock with an 1860 watermark. This text is very different from the text now considerd authoritative by scholars.

Textual History: Revision

Production History

Reception

Iconographic

Printing History

The translation was first published in 1861 in <hi rend="i">The Early Italian Poets</hi> ; it was reprinted in 1874 in <hi rend="i">Dante and his Circle</hi> .

Pictorial

Historical

Literary

Translation

Autobiographical

Bibliographic

“Introduction to Part II” (in Early Italian Poets) 212-217 Lanza, ed., <hi rend="i">Rime. Cecco Angiolieri</hi> , 156 Massera, ed., <hi rend="i">Sonetti Burleschi e Realistici</hi> , 116 (II. 130)

Early Italian Poets text Methusalem: the word in DGR's source is “Buradeo”, which scholars emend to “Botadeo”—the reference being to the Wandering Jew. Early Italian Poets 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