Dante's Lyric Poetry: Poems of Youth and of the 'Vita Nuova'

by Dante Alighieri

  The last poem of this volume, Per quella via che la Bellezza corre, underscores the non-finality of the itinerary charted here. To conclude this volume with the last sonnet of the Vita Nuova, Oltra la spera, would give the impression of a coherence and inevitability that is belied by what follows in Dante’s life and in his poetry. Although written about the time of the Vita Nuova, most likely circa 1292, Per quella via throws into relief the conflictual aspects of Dante’s thought, dramatizing the vital seductions of life and the difficulties of “keeping the threshold of assent” (Purg. 18.63).

  After being exiled and before starting to draft the Inferno, Dante wrote the marvelous passage on the ladder of desire that we find in the Convivio: “Onde vedemo li parvuli desiderare massimamente un pomo; e poi, più procedendo, desiderare uno augellino; e poi, più oltre, desiderare bel vestimento; e poi lo cavallo, e poi una donna; e poi ricchezza non grande, e poi grande, e poi più [Thus we see little children setting their desire first of all on an apple, and then growing older desiring to possess a little bird, and then still later desiring to possess fine clothes, then a horse, and then a woman, and then modest wealth, then greater riches, and then still more]” (Conv. 4.12.16). Dante is essentially a poet of desire – much more so than Petrarch, who is essentially a poet not of eros but of the ego fragmented by time, more metaphysical than erotic – and the problem of desire as “moto spiritale [spiritual motion]” (Purg. 18.32) never fades for him. Desire is the motor of every human journey, of the voyage to the transcendent and to the stars as much as the voyage to the abyss.

  How humans negotiate desire is the perennial question of Dante’s thought, and it is a question that is present in this commentary from the very first poem written to Dante da Maiano to the very last, Per quella via. Although the fifty-eight introductory essays can be consulted independently of one another, they form a narrative through-line that tells the story of Dante’s development in time. Most of all, I want to show how that development, beginning in Dante’s youthful lyrics, leads to the Commedia and is epistemologically essential to our understanding of the Commedia. My commentary essays on the fifty-eight poems move in a teleological direction and form a narrative in which I endeavour to tell a coherent story, one that I hope will reward a reading that moves from beginning to end.

  A Note on This Volume

  This volume is similar to the original Italian but not identical. Dante’s Lyric Poetry: Poems of Youth and of the “Vita Nuova” (1283–1292) is a translated, revised, and expanded version of Rime giovanili e della “Vita Nuova” (Rizzoli, 2009). I have taken the opportunity provided by the English translation to make necessary corrections and to develop my thinking on these poems, sometimes significantly.

  Directed toward the English-speaking world, this volume features new verse translations of Dante’s poems by Richard Lansing, who has a gift for making old Italian lyrics sound like English poetry while keeping them indelibly themselves. Lansing has masterfully translated all the Italian lyric poems in this volume into sprightly, fast-paced English verse. All of Dante’s lyrics and also all of the quotations from other Italian lyric poets are his contribution.35 Andrew Frisardi translated my Rizzoli commentary; by putting into English my Introduction to the volume and my introductory essays to the poems, which I originally wrote in Italian, he provided the foundation for the updated and amplified Introduction and essays found here.

  All translations of the prose of the Vita Nuova are from Frisardi’s 2012 translation of the libello. Translations of the Commedia are by Frisardi and me. Due to constraints of space, this English edition forgoes Manuele Gragnolati’s excellent line notes to the poems, which grace the Italian edition; those readers who want more philological and lexical assistance should consult those notes in the Italian version. The metrical annotations that follow each poem were prepared for this edition by Grace Delmolino, as too the glossary of Italian metrical terms that closes this Introduction. Beyond these specific contributions, Grace provided essential and sustaining collaboration throughout the tasks of copy-editing and proofing.

  Like so many others, I am deeply grateful to the generosity and vision of Ron Schoeffel, who welcomed this volume to the University of Toronto Press.

  My thanks also to Martin Eisner for suggesting the cover illustration, Joseph Noel Paton’s “Dante’s Dream, or Dante Meditating the Episode of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta” (1852). Dante dreaming of the Commedia is what this book is about.

  Teodolinda Barolini

  New York, 2013

  Editions Cited in the Introductory Essays and Notes

  Authors and titles are listed alphabetically; an author’s or title’s editions are listed chronologically.

  Alighieri, Dante. La Commedia secondo l’antica vulgata. Ed. Giorgio Petrocchi. 4 vols. Milan: Mondadori, 1966–7.

  – Opere minori. 2 vols. Milan-Naples: Ricciardi, 1979–8.

  – Rime. Ed. Michele Barbi. In Le opere di Dante, critical text of the Società Dantesca Italiana. Florence: Bemporad, 1921.

  – Rime. Ed. Gianfranco Contini. Turin: Einaudi, 1946, 1965.

  – Rime della “Vita Nuova” e della giovinezza. Ed. Michele Barbi and Francesco Maggini. Florence: Le Monnier, 1956.

  – Dante’s Lyric Poetry. Ed. Kenelm Foster and Patrick Boyde. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967.

  – Rime della maturità e dell’esilio. Ed. Michele Barbi and Vincenzo Pernicone. Florence: Le Monnier, 1969.

  – Rime. Ed. Domenico De Robertis. In Le Opere di Dante Alighieri. Edizione Nazionale under the aegis of the Società Dantesca Italiana. 5 vols. Florence: Le Lettere, 2002.

  – Rime. Ed. Domenico De Robertis. With commentary. Florence: Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2005.

  – Rime giovanili e della “Vita Nuova.” Ed. and introductory essays by Teodolinda Barolini, with notes by Manuele Gragnolati. Milan: Rizzoli, 2009.

  – Rime. Ed. Claudio Giunta. In Dante Alighieri, Opere. Vol. 1. Milano: Mondadori, 2011.

  – Vita Nuova. Ed. Michele Barbi. Florence: Bemporad, 1932.

  – Vita Nuova. Ed. Domenico De Robertis. Milan-Napoli: Ricciardi, 1980.

  – Vita Nova. Ed. Guglielmo Gorni. Turin: Einaudi, 1996.

  – Vita Nova. Translation, introduction, and notes by Andrew Frisardi. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2012.

  Angiolieri, Cecco. Le Rime. Ed. Antonio Lanza. Rome: Archivio Guido Izzi, 1990.

  Boccaccio, Giovanni. Decameron. Ed. Vittore Branca. Turin: Einaudi, 1980.

  Cavalcanti, Guido. Rime. Ed. Domenico De Robertis. Turin: Einaudi, 1986. (Source edition for Cavalcanti’s poems, except for Fresca rosa novella and I’ vegno ’l giorno a·tte ’nfinite volte, which are quoted from the text given in the edition with commentary of Dante’s Rime, ed. Domenico De Robertis)

  Cino da Pistoia. Poeti del Dolce stil nuovo. Ed. Mario Marti. Florence: Le Monnier, 1969. (Source edition for Cino’s poems, except for Avegna ched el m’aggia, which is quoted from the text given in the edition with commentary of Dante’s Rime, ed. Domenico De Robertis.)

  Dante da Maiano. Rime. Ed. Rosanna Bettarini. Florence: Le Monnier, 1969.

  Davanzati, Chiaro. Rime. Ed. Aldo Menichetti. Bologna: Commissione per i testi di lingua, 1965.

  Folgore da San Gimignano. Il giuoco della vita bella: Folgore da San Gimignano, studi e testi. Ed. Michelangelo Picone. San Gimignano: Città di San Gimignano, 1988.

  Giacomo da Lentini. Critical edition with commentary. Ed. Roberto Antonelli. Vol. 1 of I poeti della Scuola siciliana. Milan: Mondadori, 2008.

  Guinizzelli, Guido. Rime. Ed. Luciano Rossi. Turin: Einaudi, 2002.

  Guittone d’Arezzo. Le rime di Guittone d’Arezzo. Ed. Francesco Egidi. Bari: Laterza, 1940.

  – Poeti del Duecento. Ed. Gianfranco Contini. Vol. 1. Milan-Naples: Ricciardi, 1960.

  – Canzoniere: I sonetti d’amore del codice Laurenziano. Ed. Lino Leonardi. Turin: Einaudi, 1994. (Edition used for the sonnets, while the canzoni are quoted from Contini’s text in P
oeti del Duecento or, if not present in this volume, from Egidi’s edition)

  Petrarch, Francesco. Canzoniere. Ed. Marco Santagata. Milan: Mondadori, 1996; rev. ed., 2006.

  Sordello da Goito. Le poesie. Ed. M. Boni. Bologna: Palmaverde, 1954.

  Abbreviations

  B

  Dante Alighieri, Rime, ed. Michele Barbi

  C

  Dante Alighieri, Rime, ed. Gianfranco Contini

  DR

  Dante Alighieri, Rime, edition with commentary, ed. Domenico De Robertis

  FB

  Dante Alighieri, Dante’s Lyric Poetry, ed. Kenelm Foster and Patrick Boyde

  VN

  Vita Nuova

  Note on Italian Versification

  Lines

  hendecasyllable:

  an eleven-syllable line of verse, and the most common metre in Italian poetry. The hendecasyllable is to Italian what iambic pentameter is to English, dactylic hexameter to Latin, etc. In the notation of rhyme schemes, hendecasyllables are represented as upper-case letters, while all verses that are not hendeca-syllables are represented as lower-case letters.

  novenario:

  a nine-syllable line of verse.

  settenario:

  a seven-syllable line of verse.

  Forms

  ballata:

  a lyric poem composed of one or more metrically identical stanzas, beginning with a ripresa. One or more rhymes of the ripresa are repeated at the end of each stanza. A ballata stanza can be divided into a fronte of two piedi (also sometimes called mutazioni), followed by a single volta. Ballate may use a variety of metrical lines including hendecasyllables, settenari, and novenari.

  canzone:

  a lyric poem composed of one or more metrically identical stanzas. Dante’s canzoni are typically of five to seven stanzas, though there are also canzoni of three, two, or even a single stanza. The stanza of a canzone is divided into two parts, the first of which is called a fronte and the second a sirma. The fronte is further divided into two piedi; the sirma is sometimes an indivisible block and sometimes divided into two volte. A canzone is typically concluded with a shorter stanza called a congedo (also called invio in Italian or “envoy” in English), often following the rhyme scheme of the sirma. Canzoni often use both hendecasyllables and settenari, and sometimes even shorter metrical lines, though some canzoni may be only hendecasyllables (such as Dante’s own Donne ch’avete).

  sonetto rinterzato:

  a sonnet whose fourteen hendecasyllables have been “reinforced” or “layered” with settenari, so that the poem is longer than the fourteen lines of the standard sonnet. Also sometimes called a sonetto doppio.

  sonnet:

  the Italian sonnet consists of fourteen hendecasyllables, divided into an octave (ottava) and a sestet (sestina). These parts can be further divided into two quatrains (quartine) and two tercets (terzine), respectively. The quatrains may be rhymed either ABBA (rima incrociata) or ABAB (rima baciata); the sestet contains two or three rhymes and its rhyme scheme is variable.

  Other Metrical Terms

  congedo:

  a short stanza that concludes a canzone, often addressing the canzone directly. Its rhyme scheme often follows that of the sirma.

  fronte:

  the first part of a canzone stanza, followed by the sirma. Also the first part of a ballata stanza.

  piede:

  a smaller part into which the fronte of a canzone or ballata can be divided. A fronte will contain two piedi that must be metrically identical in their disposition of lines of verse and the relation of rhymes to each other within the piede. The presence of piedi is indicated by a space in the notation of the rhyme scheme.

  rimalmezzo:

  internal rhyme or rhyme that occurs before the end of a line of verse. Rimalmezzo is indicated in the notation of the rhyme scheme by parentheses and a number representing the number of syllables at which the rhyme occurs, e.g., “(a5).”

  ripresa:

  a short stanza that opens a ballata and some of whose rhymes will return at the end of each stanza proper. These rhymes are indicated by the final letters of the alphabet.

  sirma:

  the second part of a canzone stanza, following the fronte.

  volta:

  a smaller part into which the sirma of a canzone can, in some cases, be divided. These volte, like the piedi in the fronte, must be metrically identical in their disposition of lines of verse and the relation of rhymes to each other within the volta. The term volta may also refer to the second part of a ballata stanza, following the fronte. The presence of volte is indicated by a space in the notation of the rhyme scheme.

  RIME

  Tenzone between Dante Alighieri and Dante da Maiano

  1a Provedi, saggio, ad esta visïone: Dante da Maiano to various poets

  1 Savete giudicar vostra ragione: Dante Alighieri’s response

  The sonnet Savete giudicar vostra ragione is Dante Alighieri’s response to a riddle-sonnet, Provedi, saggio, ad esta visïone, sent by Dante da Maiano to fellow poets requesting that they provide the “vera sentenza [true significance]” (2) of the vision he recounts.1 Commonly held to be one of Dante Alighieri’s earliest poetic forays, Savete giudicar is generally dated to a little before 1283. This is the date indicated by Dante Alighieri in the Vita Nuova for his own erotic visionary riddle, A ciascun’alma presa e gentil core, a poem that also belongs to the correspondence between the two Dantes: Dante da Maiano was one of the three poets who responded to A ciascun’alma.2 If we accept the Vita Nuova’s date of 1283 for A ciascun’alma, Savete giudicar would most likely precede it by a little, both on stylistic grounds and because it seems improbable that Dante Alighieri would write to Dante da Maiano with the respectful tone that we encounter here after having received Dante da Maiano’s disrespectful response to A ciascun’alma (the sonnet Di ciò che stato sè dimandatore). Whatever the case, when we read Savete giudicar and the other correspondence poems with Dante da Maiano, we are reading the work of a very young poet, no more than seventeen or eighteen years old.

  These very early correspondence poems help us to remember that their author developed in time, that he was not born as the poet of the Commedia: even Dante Alighieri wrote early poems of more modest artistic value – frequently sharper and more interesting than the poetry of his peers, however – and experienced a diachronic process of development and change that we can study and map. Moreover, Dante Alighieri lived in a given historical moment, to which these texts bear witness – and part of the witness is that in writing about these poems we need to use his full name in order to avoid confusion. In other words, Dante was not always already Dante. He starts out in a group of poets that includes names many readers of this edition will never have encountered. Moreover, in corresponding with Dante da Maiano, “a member of Guittone’s school writing in the Provençal style” (Barbi-Maggini, p. 155), Dante Alighieri reveals that he too started his poetic life as a stylistic follower of Guittone d’Arezzo.

  It is interesting that the sonnet to which Dante Alighieri takes the trouble to respond should narrate a “vision” – “Provedi, saggio, ad esta visïone [Consider well, wise friend, this dream of mine]” [1]), writes Dante da Maiano in his opening verse – for vision will hold a privileged place in Dante Alighieri’s imaginary. Even if a taste for the enigmatic is part of the Occitan rhetorical repertory, we should not discount the fact that here, in one of his earliest poetic forays, we find Dante working to come to terms with a concept that will later mean so much to him, one that he will continue to develop in the Rime (see, for instance, the introductory essays to Ciò che m’incontra and Donna pietosa), in the Vita Nuova (where the word “visione” is prominent beginning in chapter III [1]), and above all in the Commedia.3 Not long after receiving Dante da Maiano’s visionary riddle Dante Alighieri composed a visionary riddle of his own, A ciascun’alma, to which he subsequently gave a high-profile position as the first poetic text of the Vita Nuova.

  Dan
te da Maiano narrates his vision in an explicitly diachronic form, with great attention to his speech (“Dico [I say]” [3]) and non-speech (“del più non dico [I’ll say no more]” [13]). Dante Alighieri confirms the narrativity of Provedi, saggio with the verb “narrate” (8) in his response. (Similarly, Chiaro Davanzati uses “narrasti” in his own reply to Provedi, saggio: “Amico, proveduto ha mia intenzione / a ciò che mi narrasti per tua scienza [Friend, my intellect has attentively considered that which you narrated according to your knowledge]”).4 The story that Dante da Maiano narrates, whose explicit eroticism reminds us that unsublimated sexuality is part of the tradition inherited by the stilnovist poets, is the following: first he receives the gift of a garland from a beautiful woman, then he finds himself putting on her shirt,5 then he embraces her (“dolcemente presila abbracciare [threw my arms around her tenderly]” [10]), then, seeing that “non si contese, ma ridea la bella [she offered no resistance, only laughed]” (11), he kisses her, “molto la basciai [I kissed her many times]” (12). At this point in his story, Dante da Maiano passes to “più non dico [I’ll say no more]” (13), adding only the cryptic information that with the beautiful lady a dead woman also appeared, and that she is “mia madre [my mother]” (14). The words “più non dico” remain in Dante Alighieri’s textual memory; a later variant, sharpened by the addition of the repeated personal pronoun ti, exemplifies lack of narrative generosity in the Inferno: “più non ti dico e più non ti rispondo [I’ll say no more to you, respond no more to you],” says Ciacco to Dante in Inf. 6.90.