The Anniversary Poems in Petrarch's Canzoniere
Author(s): Dennis Dutschke
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Italica, Vol. 58, No. 2 (Summer, 1981), pp. 83-101
Published by: American Association of Teachers of Italian
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/478562 .
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THE ANNIVERSARY POEMS IN PETRARCH'S CANZONIERE*
Fifteen poems in Petrarch'sRerumvulgariumfragmentacommemoratehis
meeting with Laura on April 6, 1327 and the date of her death some twenty
years later on April 6, 1348. These anniversarypoems were among the first
written by Petrarch:No. 30, the first in order to appearin the collection, was
written in 1334. In the first form of the Canzoniere(ca. 1342) there were seven
anniversarypoems: Nos. 30, 50, 62, 79, 101, 107 and 145. As the collection
grew Petrarchincreasedtheir number, until the fifteenth and final anniversary
poem was included in the sixth form (1367-1371/72). With few changes, they
were arrangedin their present form: 30, 50, 62, 79, 101, 107, 118, 122, 145,
212, 221, 266, 271, 278, 364. No matter what the flow of the poetry or the
diversity in form and content of the individual poems, the anniversarypoems
are kept in a fixed position. They are fifteen checkpoints which appear at
relativelyfrequentintervalsin orderto drawour attentionto Petrarch'slove for
Laura. It is in them that we are able to follow the evolving story of Petrarch's
ideal autobiography:they establish the chronology, express Petrarch's inner
thoughts about love and ultimately produce a dynamic self-portrait.
A list of the fifteen anniversarypoems is provided below. It includes the
poem number, the verses which refer to the date being commemorated,the
number of years that have passed since the commemorateddate, the year in
which the poem was written, and Petrarch'sresidence when he wrote it.'
1. No. 30, vv. 25-30
2. No. 50, vv. 54-56
3. No. 62, vv. 9-11
7 years
10 years
11 years
1334
1336-7
1338
4. No. 79, vv. 1-4
14 years
1341
5. No. 101, vv. 12-14
14 years
1341
6. No. 107, vv. 5-8
15 years
1342
7. No. 118, vv. 1-4
16 years
1343
8. No. 122, vv. 1-4
17 years
1344
9. No. 145, vv. 12-14
15 years
1342
10. No. 212, vv. 12-14
20 years
1347
11. No. 221, vv. 5-8
20 years
1347
83
Avignon
Avignon
First residence
in Vaucluse
First residence
in Vaucluse
First residence
in Vaucluse
Second residence
in Vaucluse
Second residence
in Vaucluse
Second residence
in Vaucluse
Second residence
in Vaucluse
Third residence
in Vaucluse
Third residence
in Vaucluse
DENNISDUTSCHKE
84
12. No. 266, vv. 12-14
18 years
1345
13. No. 271, vv. 1-4
21 years
1348
14. No. 278, vv. 12-14
Parma(Dec. 1343Oct. 1345); Vaucluse
(late 1345-Nov. 1347)
Third residence
in Parma
Fourth residence
in Vaucluse
3 years
1351
after Laura's
death
15. No. 364, vv. 1-4
31 years
1358
Milan
In each anniversarypoem Petrarchremembersthe numberof yearsthat have
passed since he met and fell in love with Lauraand the date of her death. These
importantpoints in time are cited in full in two other poems of the collection:
Mille trecentoventisette,a punto
su l'oraprima,il di sestod'aprile
nel laberintointrai,n6 veggioond'esca.
(No. 211, vv. 12-14)
Sai che 'n milletrecentoquarantotto,
il di sestod'aprile,in l'oraprima,
del corpouscioquell'anima
beata.
(No. 336, vv. 12-14)
Thesearethe onlyexamplesof datesfullywrittenout in the Canzoniere.
Each
the twopartsof the collection:in PartI, the lovedateand
servesto characterize
the conflictit causesin Petrarcharedominantfeatures;in PartII, we havethe
resolutionof Petrarch'sspiritualcrisisbetweenhumananddivinelove.In No.
211 the idea'of conflictis especiallyevidentin the labyrinthimagery,"Nel
is vexing,withno
laberintointrai,ne veggioond'esca":the formof entrapment
possibilityof escapenor any hope of reachingthe desiredgoal of love. The
mainverbsof eachterzinaemphasizethe dichotomybetweenthe two dates:in
No. 211, Petrarchentered(intrai)intothe labyrinthof love;in No. 336, Laura
exited(uscio)fromhumanlife. The two actionsarediametrically
opposed:terwhereasdeathimrestriallife is a conflictwith no escape(ndveggioond'esca),
plies eternal peace (del corpo uscio quell'anima beata). Three verses from the
Trionfiexpressmore succinctlywhat the poet felt the dates representedfor him
personally:
L'oraprimaera,il di sestod'aprile,
che gia mi strinse,ed or, lasso,mi sciolse:
comeFortunava cangiandostile!
(Triumphusmortis,I, vv. 133-135)2
A unique coincidence of the same time of day and the same day producescompletely opposite effects: the first (April 6, 1327) takes possession of the poet
(strinse)and the last (April 6, 1348) loosens his bonds (sciolse).Petrarch'suse of
the terms stringereand scioglierein other poems shows that they are closely tied
to the theme of his love in the Canzoniere.Laura'sgolden locks, a physical at-
PETRARCH'S
ANNIVERSARY
POEMS
85
tribute attracting Petrarch's passion, hide the snares of love's trap: "Tra le
chiome de l'6r nascose il laccio, I al qual ml strinse,Amore" (No. 59, vv. 4-5);
"le chiome bionde, e il crespo laccio, I che si soavemente lega et stringe /
l'alma" (No. 197, vv. 9-11).3In the poem commemoratingthe tenth year of his
love for Laura,No. 50, Petrarchwrites: "ch' i' son gia pur crescendoin questa
voglia / ben presso al decim'anno, / ne poss'indovinarchi me ne scioglia"(No.
50, vv. 54-56). Only death can breakthe love bond: "et strinse'1cor d'un laccio
si possente, / che Morte sola fia ch'indi lo snodi" (No. 196, vv. 13-14);"Morte
biasmate;anzi laudate Lui / che lega et scioglie,e 'n un punto apre et serra/ e
dopo '1 pianto sa far lieto altrui" (No. 275, vv. 12-14). The term sciogliereis
used in a strictly religious sense in the last poem of the Canzoniere,a prayerto
the Virgin:
Verginegloriosa,
donnadel Re che nostrilacci' sciolti
et fatto'1mondoliberoet felice,
ne le cui santepiaghe
pregoch'appagheil cor, verabeatrice.
(No. 366, vv. 48-52)
In the first part of the CanzonierePetrarchspeaksof falling in love with Laura
on the day of Christ's death:
Erail giornoch'alsol si scoloraro
per la pieta del suo factore i rai;
quandoi' fui preso,et non me ne guardai,
ch6 i be' vostr'occhi, donna, mi legaro.
(No. 3, vv. 1-4)
In the second part, in No. 366, vv. 48-52, the same date signals Petrarch's
breakingaway from a love of a human woman (donna)and his turning towarda
divine woman (vera beatrice)and God. In another poem written after Laura's
death, the term sciogliereexpresses Petrarch's freedom from human love:
"Morte m'a sciolto,Amor, d'ogni tua legge" (No. 270, v. 106).
Reflecting the contrastingforces of love, human and divine, which are contained in the verbs stringereand sciogliere,the anniversarypoems may be divided into two groups. The first eleven refer to April 6, 1327 and although No.
266, the first anniversary poem of Part II, refers to Laura as alive, it
foreshadowsher death and is thus a transitionpoem in the series. The next two
anniversarypoems, Nos. 271 and 278, commemorateLaura's death; and the
last anniversarypoem refersto both dates. The generaleffect is in keepingwith
G.A. Cesareo'sdistinction of the parts of the Canzoniere:
a
le rimechesi riferiscono
nettamente
non poteesserealtro,che quellodi separare
coseterrene,comel'amorde' sensi,il valoreguerresco,la gloriadelleletteree de'
a cosecelesti,comel'amore
sensi,l'infamiae lo sdegno,daquellechesi riferiscono
spirituale,il pentimento,la morte,la verginee Dio.4
The anniversarypoems cover a twenty-fouryear period extending from the
seventh anniversaryof Petrarch'smeeting and falling in love with Laura(No.
86
DENNISDUTSCHKE
30) in 1334to the tenthyearafterher death(No. 364)in 1358.At the beginningof the period,Petrarchis thirtyyearsold andin the endhe is fifty.These
arecrucialyearsforPetrarch,in whichhe enteredpubliclifeasthecanonof the
cathedralof Lombezand assembledthe first formof the collectionof lyric
his coronationtookplaceon April
poemswhichwasto becomethe Canzoniere;
It wasduringthis
8, 1341,ensuedby notorietyas well as new responsibilities.
periodthatPetrarchresidedin southernFrance(principallyVaucluse)andin
northernItalyandthatthe BlackDeath,whichtookfriendsandLaurain 1348,
occurred.Mostof the vernacular
werewrittenduring
poemsin the Canzoniere
this time,including,of course,all the anniversary
poems;poemswereinserted
aftertheyear1358.The period
intothecollectionatvarioustimes,occasionally
1334-1358is importantbecauseit is the onlytimeto whichPetrarchrefersexpoems,andof his
plicitlyin thecollection.Thesearetheyearsof hisvernacular
loveforLaura;theyrepresenttheautobiographical
chronology,be it factor fiction, of the Canzoniere.
Within this period, 1342 stands out as a crucial turning point. In that year
Petrarchadopted the sonnet "Voi ch'ascoltatein rime sparse il suono" to introduce the Canzoniere;thus the die was cast and the collection acquired a
theme, amore, conceived of as youthful passion in conflict with divine love.
The choice of the thematicintroductionto the collection is compatiblewith the
anniversarypoems, as we shall see later in the examinationof the individual
poems. Petrarch'sconceptionof 1334-1358 as a period of human conflict is not
limited solely to the Canzoniere.The same concern for his struggle between
worldly temptations and divine salvation appears in the Secretum,5 as
Petrarch's title indicates: De secreto conflictu curarum mearum liber incipit.6
Even more strikingis the fact that the ending date of the Secretumis also 1358.
In the Canzoniere,the same ending date of 1358 ("Tennemi Amor anni ventuno ardendo/ lieto nel foco e nel duol pien di speme; / poi che Madonnae '1
mio cor seco insieme / saliro al ciel, dieci altri anni piangendo," No. 364, vv.
1-4, the last anniversarypoem) signals a lessening of the conflict and a movement toward divine resolution. In No. 364, although Petrarchlooks back on
twenty-one years of burning love for Laura and ten years of sorrow for her
death, he also looks ahead to his own salvation:
Signorche 'n questocarcerm'airinchiuso,
trimene,salvoda li eternidanni,
ch'i' conosco'1mio fallo,et non lo scuso.
(No. 364, vv. 12-14)
On his own copy of the Secretum,written in 1358, Petrarchadded the title
which has already been cited, De secreto conflictu curarum mearum liber incipit;7
however, he did not originallyend the title at this point, with the customaryincipit. He continued with the following words: facturus totidem libros de secreta
pace animi sipax erit.8The referenceto conflict in the first partof the title is ex-
plicit, and in the second part the resolution of that conflict is clearly projected
ANNIVERSARY
POEMS
PETRARCH'S
87
into the future, to an eventual continuation of the Secretum.Hans Baron has
suggested:
In otherwords,it wasonlyin 1358thatPetrarchhadthefinalcopymade,andsince
evenat thattimehe consideredthe possibilityof resumingthe work,the conflicts
hadprobablyremainedvitalissuesuntilnot
andanxietiesunderlyingthe Secretum
long before1358.9
In both the Canzoniereand Secretum,Petrarchhas used an ideal cutoff date
as a point of transitiontowardthe resolutionof his inner conflict, thus placing
that conflict in an historicallycontrolledperspective.The date 1358 becomes a
terminusante quem, a point beyond which Petrarch chose not to extend his
human love experience. Although opinions may differ about the extent to
which Petrarchactually did free himself from human cares in 1358-the last
canzone of the collection ends with a supplication to the Virgin so that
Petrarch'sspirit may be embraced(ch'accolga,v. 137) by God in peace--1358
remainsPetrarch'sending date for the Canzoniere,correspondingto that of the
Secretum.Because it is so closely tied to the idea of spiritual conversion in
Petrarch,this date also assumes a thematic force through which he conveys a
sense of moral as well as historical time.
In 1342 Petrarchhad alreadyformulatedthe Canzoniereas a unified collection, and foreseen that his spiritualconversionwould be the inevitableconclusion, when he adopted "Voi ch'ascoltate. . ." as the introductory sonnet.
Previously, No. 34 had introducedthe collection with a heroic but rathernaive
and shopworn invocationto Apollo to awakenhis love for Daphne and thereby
rejuvenate forgotten love and poetry, "difendi or l'onorata et sacra fronde"
(v. 7). With such an introduction,it would not have been possible to providean
inspirational defense of love poetry, nor could Petrarch's collection have
developed its thematic unity. No. 34 proved to be too limited as an introduction for Petrarch'sevolving story of love. In accordwith the direction the collection was alreadytaking (from the small group of poems in the first form of
the collection, see No. 46), Petrarchused No. 1 to introducea love story which
was to develop in progressive stages. One of Petrarch'searly commentators,
FrancescoFilelfo, noted the unique function of the introductorysonnet:
Et permostrarese essereal tuttoliberoda quelloarcieroda cui stralieragia molti
annistatocon amorosiincendijvulnerato.Sogiungeesserea lui di cio finalmente
tre cose intervenute.Primala vergognache ha de la infamiain che per tale suo
amoreera incorso.Dapoi il pentimentode haverecommessotale errore.Et
ultimamenteil cognoscerechiarochi tutti mondanipiaceripoco duranoet sono
vani.'o
Attaining the difficult goal of spiritual peace entails shame, for the infamy
of sinful love; repentance,for having loved erroneously;and illumination, the
clear vision of proper love. Within the context of the whole collection these
elements constitute the basic premise upon which the central theme depends.
The anniversarypoems express the same theme. Their relationshipsamong
themselves and with other poems of the Canzoniere suggest consciously
88
DENNISDUTSCHKE
homogeneous groupings. As the collection grew largerover the years, the anniversarypoems played a largerrole in maintainingthematicunity. A key element in achievingthis unity is their constantreferenceto the number6, the day
Petrarchmet Laura and the day she died. For Petrarch,as for medieval man,
the number had a profound religious significance." Three important events
had taken place on the feria sexta: the creationof man, the fall of man, and the
salvation of man through the death of Christ. Petrarch's adoption of the
number 6 as a symbolically relevant feature of the Canzoniereis obvious (see
No. 3, vv. 1-4) from the outset. The superimpositionof a religiousconnotation
on the 6th of April is all the more strikingwhen we considerthat No. 3 follows
and is juxtaposedwith No. 2, a poem which also deals with Petrarch'sfirst
meeting with Laura. However, No. 2 representsthe meeting date from an antithetical human point of view, as the first stage of the love experiencein the collection. With the juxtaposingof Nos. 2 and 3, the number 6 is associatedwith
two conflicting events. From the beginning, April 6 contains the potential for
conflict between humanand divine love, and it also providesthe context within
which the conflict is to be resolved. By its very nature, April 6th is a day of
great joy and suffering, hope and despair, damnationand salvation.Petrarch's
particularuse of the date guaranteedthe providentialframeworkof the collection. If love is a dominant featureof the Canzoniere,it is a love which evolves
through stages toward a divine goal.
An examination of the interrelationshipsbetween the anniversarypoems
substantiates the thematic unity of the collection. Through them Petrarch
presents his evolving love story. They emphasize love as conflict in Part I, by
depicting Petrarch'scontinuously oscillating thoughts and moods. In Part II,
however, there is a change as the anniversarypoems progressivelypoint the
way to a resolution of conflict. We are able to see a gradual evolution in
Petrarch'sconcept of love, from his youthful adulationof Laurain the first anniversarypoem (No. 30), through a series of alternatingviews of love, to the
final achievementof internal peace. Each anniversarypoem gives a glimpse of
the total picture of love over the twenty-fouryear period from 1334 to 1358.
In the first anniversarypoem, Petrarch'sdesire is only to possess his idol,
"l'idolo mio, scolpito in vivo lauro" (No. 30 v. 27). The statuesque image of
Laura is the center of his universe, as he writes in the poem's conclusion,
"Lauro e i topacii al sol sopra la neve / vincon le bionde chiome presso agli occhi / che menan gli anni miei si tosto a riva" (vv. 37-39). If we turn to the next
anniversarypoem, No. 50, we see just the opposite side of Petrarch'sdesireand
thoughts of love; the same love is an obstinateanguish(obstinatoaffanno,v. 52)
which brings Petrarchdaily to his ruin, "fine non pongo al mio obstinatoaffanno; / et duolmi ch'ogni giorno arrogeal danno" (No. 50, vv. 52-53). In No. 30,
Petrarch'shope is limited only to the conquest of his loved one; his fear is that
he may die beforeachievinghis one goal of possessingher. In No. 50, insteadof
hopeful trepidationwe find remorse and a desire to escape love.
ANNIVERSARY
PETRARCH'S
POEMS
89
The responseto the inherentquestion of how to escape the tormentsof love
which was implied in No. 50 is offered in the next anniversarypoem, No. 62,
with the contemplationof a divine solution to the conflict, "Misereredel mio
non degno affanno;/ reduci i pensier'.vaghia miglior luogo; / ramentalor come
oggi fusti in croce" (No. 62, vv. 12-14). The dilemma createdby love in both
Nos. 50 and 62 is termedan anguish (affanno),and the only way to escape is by
forsakingthe false idol of the terrestriallaurel of No. 30, v. 27 and by adopting
the divine cross, thereby gaining freedom from worldly temptationsby achieving spiritual peace.
With these first three anniversarypoems, Nos. 30, 50 and 62, a full cycle
may be said to have been completed with regard to Petrarch's love; it has
begun, evolved, and reacheda conclusion. Petrarch'sconceptualizationof love
has progressedfrom a youthful idealizationof Laura, the object of his desire
and inspirationfor his poetry, to the realizationthat ultimately she is to be rejected as a "primo giovenile errore"(No. 1, v. 3). However, the very next anniversarypoem, No. 79, opens up anotherphase of contrastand irresolution.
Progressionin time is discounted, "S'al principio risponde il fine e '1mezzo"
(No. 79, v. 1), and the burning desire of love grows, "si crescer sento '1 mio
ardente desiro" (v. 4). Escape is again impossible: "piti non mi p6 scampar"
(v.3).
In No. 101,the nextanniversary
poem,escapeis insteadnot only possible,
it is ensuredby fate:
La vogliaet la ragioncombattutoAnno
setteet setteanni;et vincerail migliore,
s'animeson quagiit del ben presaghe.
(No. 101,vv. 12-14)
Nos. 79 and 101werebothwrittenin the sameyear,andit wouldappearthat
Petrarchcouldnot havehelpednoticingthe contrasting
messagescontainedin
each.For the reader,they areanotherexamplein the growingseriesof antitheticalviewsof love presentedin the anniversary
poems.
The pendulumswingsbackagainin the nextanniversary
poem,No. 107,in
whichthe poetis blindedby loveandunableto escape.Loveandthe conflictit
The intensityof love is even strongerthanon the
representsareregenerated.
firstday,as the raysof love "m'abbaglian
pid'che '1primogiornoassai"(No.
laurel
the
also
returns
In
No.
107
v.
imagerywhichechoesthe same
107, 8).
imagery in No. 30, "Solo d'un lauro tal selva verdeggia/ che '1mio adversario
con mirabil arte / vago fra i rami ovunque vuol m'adduce" (No. 107, vv.
12-14).
No. 118 deepens the conflict of love with a series of antitheses showing
Petrarch'soscillating thoughts:
Rimansia dietroil sestodecimoanno
de' mieisospiri,et io trapassoinanzi
versol'extremo;et parmiche pur dianzi
fosse '1principiodi cotantoaffanno.
(No. 118,vv. 1-4)
90
DENNISDUTSCHKE
As he reaches the end of his life (an evident hyperbole since he was only 44
years old at the time), Petrarchfeels he has only just begun his anguish. The
last verse is a fitting end to the sonnet so firmly groundedon the principle of
antithesis, "ne per mille rivolte anchorson mosso" (v. 14). Even though he has
turned a thousand times he has not yet moved at all.
Just as No. 118 dwells on the immutablepast, No. 122, the next anniversary
ts of love. In 118, love is
poem, seeks in the future an escape from the
sweet (v. 5); in No. 122, the thought of the firsttorme,
pangs of love causesan icy feelin
of
nel
mezzo de le fiammeun gielo"
of
flames
love:
"sento
the
midst
the
ing
chill
come
v.
the
two
From
interrogativesin the terzineof the
(No 122, 4).
icy
sonnet:
Oimrlasso,e quandofia quel giorno
che, mirandoil fuggirdegliannimiei,
escadel foco, et di si lunghepene?
Vedr6maiil di che pur quant'iovorrei
quel'ariadolcedel bel viso adorno
piacciaa quest'occhi,et quantosi convene?
(No. 122,vv. 9-14)
The contrastpresentin the oxymoronof ice and fire (fiamme- gielo, v. 4) is also
conveyed in the interrogatives:in the first, escape is sought from the flames of
love and in the second are sought the same flames in Laura'seyes. As in the
case of No. 50, No. 122 redefines the unresolved status of Petrarch'slove and
his frustratingsearch for escape from it. Both poems create an atmosphereof
anticipation by reformulatingquestions and suspending the temporarysolutions offered by other anniversarypoems.
A responseto 122 is providedby the next anniversarypoem, No. 145: "sar6
qual fui, vivr6 com'io son visso, I continiiando il mio sospir trilustre" (vv.
13-14). The answeris that there is no answer, since there is no resolutionto the
dilemma in Petrarch created by his love for Laura. The force of these two
verses is enhanced by the fact that the rest of the poem hinges on them. In a
series of six clauses, each begun by the imperativeponmi, Petrarchgives all the
diversifiedconditions under which he could be placed and still live as always,
continuing to love Laura. The gerund form of the main verb, continiiando,
underlines the long-lastingeffect of what the poet is saying. The term 'sospir'
providesa refrainechoing the same term as used in previousanniversarypoems
(Nos. 30, 79, 118). The act of sighing is closely associatedwith love and writing
love poetry:the opening sonnet of the Canzoniereannounces, "Voi ch'ascoltate
in rime sparseil suono / di quei sospiri ond'io nudriva'1core / in sul mio primo
giovenile errore" (vv. 1-3). Repeating the term sospiroin subsequent poems
continues the associationand shows the deeply-felt impact of love.
No. 145 is one of two anniversarypoems placed out of chronologicalorder.
The anniversarypoem which immediately precedes it is dated 1344, whereas
No. 145 is dated 1342, the same year as No. 107. Both Nos. 107 and 145 show
a renewedstrengthin Petrarch'slove for Laura.Just as No. 107 is in contrastto
PETRARCH'SANNIVERSARY
POEMS
91
the anniversarypoem which precedes and follows it, so too No. 145 offers a
counter-balancinglook at love with regardto No. 122 and No. 212. Even at the
expense of chronolgicalorder, the presentationof an oscillatingconcept of love
is maintained.
In his study of the early forms of Petrarch'sCanzoniere,E.H. Wilkins noted
the inherent and for him disturbing break in the chronology which No. 145
created:
PartI of the Chigiformconsistsof 174poems.Now whileit is truethatthisblock
of poemsis asa wholearranged
withgreatcareuponthethreeprinciplesreferredto
above,[chronology,
varietyof form,andvarietyof content]inspectionof the last
thirty-oddpoemsof the grouprevealsa notabledisregardof thoseprinciples.'2
Accordingto Wilkins, when the collection containeda relativelysmall number
of poems Petrarchwas able to control it; the latterforms, however, became too
unwieldy, so that new poems were added to either Part I or Part II with little
thought of the collectionas a whole. Wilkinsconcludedhis remarkson the problem of No. 145:
Moreimportant,
however,forourpurposes,thantheactualdateof thepoemis the
is
impressionas to datewhichit naturallymakesuponthereader.Thatimpression
certainlyan impressionof fifteen-ness,and as such is inconsistentwith the
precedingreferencesto the sixteenthandseventeenthyearsof Petrarch'slove.'3
Wilkins did not study the anniversarypoems in the final formof the Canzoniere;
if he had, he would have certainlynoted anotherbreakin chronologybetween
the anniversarypoems Nos. 221 and 266, which respectivelycommemoratethe
twentieth and the eighteenthyearof Petrarch'slove for Laura.In additionto an
impressionof fifteen-ness,the readeris confrontedwith one of eighteen-nessas
well. The poems that Wilkins found to be examplesof Petrarch'sdisregardfor
the principle of chronologyare the same ones which point to anotherprinciple
at work in the arrangementof the collection. This principle is thematic and
firmly based on Petrarch's life and love for Laura as they develop in the
Canzoniere.
WhereasNo. 145 is emotionally chargedand assertiveof love, the next anniversary poem, No. 212, is a tormented inventory of the evil fruits of love.
The focus is on prolongedanguish,graveet lungoaffanno(v. 12), and on results
that are contrary to what was desired, pur lagrime et sospiri et dolor merco (v. 13).
Centrallylocatedbetween lagrimeand dolor,the term sospiri,which formerlyin
the anniversarypoems was associated with passionate love and love poetry,
here acquiresa negativeconnotation.Unlike the sighs of passion in Nos. 30, 79
and 118, in No. 212 the sighs are of anguish accompaniedby tears and pain.
In No. 221, the last anniversarypoem in Part I, Petrarchagain changes his
mood with respect to his outlook on love. Regainingsome of the enthusiasmof
No. 145, Petrarchdescribes the source of his love, which are Laura'seyes, as
intense and sweet, and his reaction as a gain instead of a loss:
92
DENNISDUTSCHKE
Danno nongia, ma pro: si dolci stanno
nelmiocorle favillee '1chiarolampo
chel'abbaglia
et lo strugge,
e 'n ch'iom'avampo,
et songiAardendo
nelvigesimo
anno.
(No. 221, vv. 5-8)
The firstline of thequatrain,Dannonongicd,mapro,abruptlyreversestheconsiderationof love frombadto good,fromlossto gain.The referenceto loveas
sweetis emphatic:"sidolcistanno/nelmiocorle favillee '1chiarolampo"(vv.
5-6);"Amorcon tal dolcezzam'ungeet punge"(v. 12).
The anniversary
thusendon a note
poemsof the firstpartof the Canzoniere
the whole groupof 263
of contrast.The samenote of contrastcharacterizes
poemsof PartI. It is presentin thefirstpoemof thecollectionwhichshowsthe
contrastbetweenthe pleasuresof the worldthatarebut a briefdreamin comparisonto eternity,"chequantopiaceal mondoe brevesogno"(No. 1, v. 14)
andin the lastpoemof PartI, whereNo. 263, the laurel,the victorioustriumphaltreeandimageof Laura,is declaredto be the centralfigurein Petrarch's
life of conflict;it hasmademanydaysof his brieflife bothsorrowfulandglad.
Arborvictoriosa
triumphale,
honord'imperadori
et di poeti,
et lieti
quantim'Aifattodi dogliosi
in questabrevemiavitamortale!
(No. 263, vv. 1-4)
The anniversarypoemsof Part I have consistentlyrevertedto the same
event, Petrarch'sfirstmeetingwith Lauraon April6, 1327. In each,he has
renewedhis feelingof love, andalthoughit has occasionally
wavered,his passionhasactuallyincreasedoverthe years.The renewalof lovecreatesin hima
anddivinelove.
situationof conflictbetweenthe oppositeforcesof terrestrial
that
the
reader
cannot
are
so
The anniversary
help noticing
poems arranged
of love.Not
thisconflict,as theypresenta progressively
alternating
perspective
in
a
set
which
do
so
relate
to
each
do
other,they
repeatsthe
pattern
only they
is
of
The
effect
one
lovecycleof the firstthreeanniversary
suspension,
poems.
as we cometo expectPetrarchto dealwiththe sameset of questions:willLaura
returnPetrarch'slove and lookupon him with compassion,will Petrarchbe
hopefuland searchfor the bondsof terrestriallove, or will he shunthemand
the
therebyseekspiritualpeace?Petrarchconfrontsthesequestionsthroughout
but he doesnot resolvehis innerconflict.
firstpartof the Canzoniere,
The fouranniversary
poemsof PartII presenta differentview of love. In
in
lessandlessa factorin theirarrangement
idea
conflict
becomes
the
of
them,
thereis a distinctchangeof emphasisfromterthe collection.Correspondingly,
restrialpassionto divinelove. The figureof Laurais centralto the change:
while Laurawas alive she was the main creatorof conflictin Petrarch;her
death alters the situation, or perhaps we should say that it causes
a movementtowardschange that is completedonly at the end of the Canzoniere.
ANNIVERSARY
PETRARCH'S
POEMS
93
In the anniversarypoems of Part I, conflict is thematicallyimportant;in Part
II, there is a progressiontowards the specific goal of resolving that conflict.
In the first anniversarypoem of Part II, No. 266, Petrarch'sattentionis not
fixed solely on Laura;she is mentionedalong with Giovanni Colonnaas having
been dear to Petrarch,a unique case in which Laurais not the exclusive object
of Petrarch'sattention and affection. In the next anniversarypoem, No. 271,
the burning knot (L'ardentenodo, v. 1) of love, so prevalent in Part I, is extinguished by Death. No. 278 focuses exclusively on Laura'sdeath, "O che bel
morir era, oggi e terzo anno!" (v. 14). In the last anniversarypoem of Part II,
No. 364, the memoryof Petrarch'slove for Laurais in the remotepast. Thirtyone years have passed since he first saw Laura, and she has been dead for ten
years. Petrarchrejects his obsession of those years, as we see in vv. 5-8:
Omaison stanco,et miavitareprendo
di tantoerrorche di vertuteil seme
Aquasispento,et le mie partiextreme,
rendo.
altoDio, a te devotamente
(No. 364, vv. 5-8)
The increasing remoteness of terrestriallove is evident also in Petrarch's
use of the past tense to refer to the terrestrialLaura, who createdhis conflict,
and to the conflict itself; of Laurahe saysportato0 and nonmi scinsiin No. 266,
v. 14; he uses the perfect tensefuipreso in No. 271, vv. 1-2, to indicate that he
was caught in the knot of love twenty-oneyearsbefore;in No. 278 even Laura's
death was (era, v. 14) beautiful;in No. 364, love kept (Tennemi,v. 1) Petrarch
burning for twenty-one years and crying with grief because of her death for
another ten years. The anniversarypoems of Part I, on the other hand, consistently have the presenttense when referringto Lauraor Petrarch'sconflict.14
As the remoteness of terrestriallove grows, the conflict decreases,but the
crucial move toward resolving the conflict begins with No. 266, the first anniversarypoem of Part II. No. 266 demonstratesnot only the close interrelationships between the anniversarypoems, but also between the anniversary
poems and other poems of the collection. If we are to consider No. 266 out of
context, we first notice that it is a correspondencepoem written to Giovanni
Colonna in 1345. The beginning of the poem is reminiscent of the opening
salutationof a letter, "Signor mio caro," and Petrarchexcuses himself for not
coming to see Colonna, makingsure to state that his absencein no way reflects
a waveringof his devotion to Colonna. Petrarchends the correspondencepoem
with a declaration of his fervent love for only two individuals, Laura and
Giovanni Colonna. When we examine this same poem in context, within the
group of contiguouspoems Nos. 264-269, we see that the poem assumesa completely new meaningand function. The initial pretextof an apology to Giovanni Colonna loses its immediacy and the referenceto Lauraand Giovanni Colonna becomes tied to other poems which introduce Laura's death.
No. 266 is the third poem of Part II of the Canzoniere.Part II opens with a
pensive and somber canzone; in No. 264, Petrarch subjects himself to a
94
DENNISDUTSCHKE
rigorous self-examination.Notwithstanding his striving to free himself from
human cares, he returnsto the status so prevalentin Part I, as is summedup in
the last verses of the canzone,"ch6 co la morte a lato / cerco del viver mio novo
consiglio, / et veggio '1 meglio, et al peggior m'appiglio" (No. 264, vv.
134-136). No. 265, a love poem, presents Petrarchwithin the grasp of love,
however, anticipatingthe worst from his devotion to Laura:
Asprocoreet selvaggio,et crudavoglia
in dolce,humile,angelicafigura,
se l'impresorigorgrantempodura,
avrandi me pocohonorataspoglia.
(No. 265, vv. 1-4)
Lamenting his sad fate, he holds on to the one last hope of possessing Laura's
love, "Vivo sol di speranza"(v. 9). The anniversarypoem No. 266 follows
next, the last poem of Part II to present Laura alive in the Canzoniere.The
three poems, Nos. 264-266, have been a point of concern for those who would
see the two-partdivision of the Canzoniereas a rigid separationof poems written when Laura was alive ('in vita') in Part I and when Laura was dead ('in
morte')in Part II. Perhaps, however, the very elements which make the first
three poems of Part II unique are the same elements that make them an appropriate foreboding of Laura's death. The reader is rather beguiled by the
nonchalantatmosphereof No. 266; we are even expected to return in time to
1345, three years before Laura'sdeath and two years before the two preceding
anniversarypoems, Nos. 212 and 221. The imagery is also familiar:sighs of
love (di et nottesi sospira,No. 266, v. 8), and Laura depicted in the form of a
laurel tree (un lauroverde,v. 12). Of all the anniversarypoems, No. 266 is the
one most characterizedby a sense of familiarity.Petrarchhas borne Laura in
his heart for eighteen years and Giovanni Colonna for fifteen, not having ever
loosened himself from them, "et gia mai non mi scinsi" (v. 14). Lulled by the
idea of the permanenceof Petrarch'slove for Lauraand of her being alive, we
are suddenly confrontedwith the unexpectedcries of anguishin the next poem,
No. 267, which announce Laura'sdeath:
Oimeil bel viso, oimeil soavesguardo,
oimeil leggiadroportamento
altero;
oimkil parlarch'ogniasproingegnoet fero
facevihumile,ed ogni huomvil gagliardo!
et oimeil dolceriso,ondeuscio '1dardo
di che morte,altrobeneomainon spero.
(No. 267, vv. 1-6)
The suddenness of Laura'sdeath is dramaticallyrepresentedthrough the juxtaposingof contrastingpoems, a techniquewhich the readerhas come to expect
in the Canzoniere.In this case, however,the event of Laura'sdeath is completely new and unexpected. It will have a lasting effect and be the centralfeatureof
the second part of the Canzoniere.No. 267 conveys Petrarch'sfirst reactionof
PETRARCH'S
ANNIVERSARY
POEMS
95
shock and despair; in No. 268, the famous canzone about Laura's death,
Petrarchdirectly confronts his loss of Laura,
Che debb'iofar?che mi consigli,Amore?
Tempoe ben di morire,
et 6 tardatopidichi'i'non vorrei.
Madonnae morta,et a seco il mio core.
(No. 268, vv. 1-4)
The next poem, No. 269, in this very importantseries that begins the second
part of the Canzoniere,demonstratesthat the interrelationshipof poems is relevant to our full understandingand appreciationof the Canzoniere.In No. 269,
the same two individuals, Lauraand Giovanni Colonna, referredto as alive in
No. 266, are now presented as dead. Both had died in 1348, victims of the
Black Death. The two poems form mirror images of each other:
Un lauroverde,una gentilcolomna,
et
diciottoanni
quindeci
' l'una, I'altro
portato in seno,et gia mai non mi scinsi.
(No. 266, vv. 12-14)
Rottae l'altacolonnae '1verdelauro
che faceanombraal mio stancopensero.
(No. 269, vv. 1-2)
In each, we have the same imagery, the laurel and the column; however, the
similarity is illusory, because they representtwo different realities, one of life
and the other of death. The matter-of-facttreatmentof the laurel and the column in No. 266, when consideredin relationshipto No. 269, becomes a haunting prelude to death. Petrarchwas profoundly affected by the plague and the
devastatingrapiditywith which it took many of his friends.'"Through the particular arrangementof the first six poems of Part II of the Canzoniere,Petrarch
conveyed his feeling of shock in representinghis closest loved ones alive in one
moment and dead in the next.
The impact of Laura'sdeath is seen in the next anniversarypoems of Part
II. In No. 271, Petrarchcommemoratesthe twenty-firstyear since his meeting
with Laura, "L'ardentenodo ov'io fui d'ora in hora, / contando, anni ventuno
interi preso" (vv. 1-2). The apparent revocation of the series of anniversary
poems about Laura 'in vita' is truncatedas soon as it is announced;right up to
the last moment of Laura'slife (d'orain hora, / contando),Petrarchcounts the
yearsthat have passed, only then to recognizethat deathhas dissolvedhis 'burning knot' of love, Mortedisciolse(v. 3).16 Even anotherattempt(un altro lacciuol
fra l'erba,v. 6) by Love to catch Petrarchis to no avail. Laura'sdeath has its
lasting effect:
Mortem'l liberatoun'altravolta,
et rotto '1 nodo, e '1 foco &spento et sparso:
contra la qual non val forza n6 'ngegno.
(No. 271, vv. 12-14)
96
DENNISDUTSCHKE
The next anniversarypoem, No. 278, signals a further development in
Petrarch's gradual freeing of himself from the bonds of terrestriallove. His
considerationof Laura begins to change, even as she continues to be a dominant force in his thoughts, "et viva et bella et nuda al ciel salita: / indi mi
signoreggia, indi mi sforza" (vv. 5-6). Just as she has accomplishedthe transition from mortalto divine life, so too Petrarchsearchesfor an end to his human
torment by following her, "Che, come i miei pensier' dietro a lei vanno, / cosi
leve, expeditaet lieta l'alma/ la segua, et io sia fuor di tanto affanno"(vv. 9-11).
Whereas Laura alive was the main figure impeding Petrarch'sachievementof
spiritualpeace, in death she becomes the model to follow, a Christlikeguide. In
the first anniversarypoem, No. 30, Petrarchhad feared he would grow older
before seeing true pity in the human eyes of Laura(v. 26); in No. 278, he sees
the death of that once mortalidol as beautifuland divine: "O che bel morirera,
oggi terzo anno!" (v. 14).
In No. 364, the last anniversarypoem, Petrarch commemoratesboth his
meeting with Lauraon April 6, 1327 and her death on April 6, 1348. The first
date marksburning happiness in passion and hope in pain, "lieto nel foco, et
nel duol pien di speme" (v. 2). The second date evokes sadnessin tears, "dieci
altri anni piangendo" (v. 4). Both dates representpast events which Petrarch
rejects, "Omai son stanco, et mia vita reprendo"(v. 5); his presentthoughts are
directed elsewhere, "et le mie parti extreme, / alto Dio, a te devotamente
rendo" (vv. 7-8). The terrestriallove experienceis concluded, relegatedto past
history. On an ascendingscale, Petrarchdepicts the evolution of his love from
sensual passion to spiritual devotion. Once pitted against each other, the two
dates are placed side by side in a logical and historicalcontext. The supremacy
of divine love is explicit in the penitent lover's contemplationof his past life:
pentitoet tristode' miei si spesianni,
che spendersi deveanoin miglioruso,
in cercarpaceet in fuggiraffanni.
(No. 364, vv. 9-11)
The contrastof the two termspace and affanni recapitulatesthe central theme
of the anniversarypoems, conflict between human and divine love. In five anniversarypoems in Part I of the Canzoniere,Petrarchadopts the term affanno
to characterizehis love for Laura.17The same term appearsin each anniversary
poem in Part II. The strict association of the term with Petrarch'slove for
Laura is, however, no longer applicablein Part II. In No. 266, Petrarch's'affanni' are caused both by Laura and Giovanni Colonna, "Carita di signore,
amor di donna / son le catene ove con molti affanni / legato son, perch'io stesso
mi strinsi"(vv. 9-11). All of the anniversarypoems of Part I referto a single 'affanno,' Petrarch'sone anguish caused by loving Laura. In Nos. 266, 271 and
364, with the use of the plural form of the word, Petrarch'sfocus widens to include terrestriallife in general as anguish. In the one example in Part II which
contains the singular form of affanno, in No. 278, v. 11, Laura is no longer
PETRARCH'S
ANNIVERSARY
POEMS
97
associatedwiththe term;in orderto freehimselffromanguish,di tantoaffanno
(v. 11), Petrarchdesiresthathis soul followLaura'sinto the heavens.
The termpace,unlikeits counterpart
affanno,appearsonly in the lastanniversarypoem. Although previous anniversarypoems have expressed
Petrarch'sdesireto escapethe anguishof love(forexample,No. 62, vv. 12-14),
as an alternative.
At the endof the Canthe ideaof peacewasnotcontemplated
main
is
the
one in Petrarch's
is
an
it
not
alternative,
zoniere,peace
only
all
three
of
the
lastpoemsof the
in
In
the
term
'pace'appears
thoughts. fact,
collectionas the desiredgoal.In No. 364, v. 11, peaceis whatPetrarchshould
havesought;in No. 365, vv. 9-10, it is whathe doesseekin the littletime he
hasleftin his life, "siche,s'iovissiin guerraet in tempesta,/ morain paceet in
porto."In the lastpoemof thecollection,No. 366,Petrarchpraysto theVirgin
for his spiritto be grantedeternalpeace,
al tuofigliuol,verace
Raccomandami
homoet veraceDio,
'1miospirtoultimoin pace.
ch'accolga
(No. 366, vv. 135-137)
ispace,a fittingconThe lastwordof thecanzone,andof the entireCanzoniere,
clusionto a workso filledwith conflictandthe struggleto resolveit.
It doesnotappearthatthethematicunityof theanniversary
poemshappened
mere
chance,especiallywhenwe considertworevisionsmadeby Petrarchat
by
the end of his life, in 1373. We have alreadydiscussedthe importanceof
anotheryear, 1342,with respectto Petrarch'sadoptionof the love themefor
It is to the year1373thatwe lookto finda renewedinterestin
the Canzoniere.
theme
to a properconclusion.The two revisionscannotfail to
that
bringing
causea sense of admirationand excitementin the readerwho envisionsthe
agedpoetstillverymuchinvolvedwithhis "littletriflings,"as he calledthem.
The firstrevisioninvolvesthe eliminationof the poem"Donnami venespesso
nellamente"and its replacement,No. 121. Earlyin the formingof the Canzoniere,Petrarchhadplacedthepoem"Donnami vene .. ." betweenNos. 120
and 122;it remainedin the collectionfromthe thirdto the seventhform,from
1356-58until 1373. In the eighth form, the Quirinianoof 1373, Petrarch
eliminatedit andsubstitutedNo. 121. "Donnami vene .. ." wasa uniqueexwhichrecognizedthe existenceof another
ampleof a poemin the Canzoniere
InsteadNo. 121
womanin his life, a distractionfor the idealautobiography.
refersexclusivelyto Laura.By suppressing"Donnami vene . . ." Petrarchwas
able to maintainthematicunity. With the substitutionof No. 121, Laura
The secondrevibecamethe mainsourceof Petrarch'slove in the Canzoniere.
sion,betweenearly1373andPetrarch'sdeath,alsoappearsto be motivatedby
a desirefor thematicunity.On the 4th of January,Petrarchsenta copyof the
to PandolfoMalatesta;althoughhe musthavefelt thatthe collecCanzoniere
tion had reached some form of completion, he left open the possibility of
adding poems:
98
DENNISDUTSCHKE
Suntapudme huiusgenerisvulgariumadhucmulta,et vetustissimis
schedulis,et
sic senioexesisut vix legiqueant.E quibus,si quandounusautalterdiesotiosusaffulserit, nunc unum nunc aliud elicere soleo, pro quodamquasi diverticulo
laborum;sed perraro,ideoquemandaviquod utriusquein fine bonaspatialinet si quidquamoccurret,mittamtibi reclusamnihilominusin papyro.'8
querentur:
Shortly thereafterPetrarch rearrangedthe order of the last thirty poems by
placing a number againsteach of them (ms. Cod. Vat. lat. 3195): the orderwas
changed from Nos. 336, 350, 355, 337-349, 356-365, 351, 352, 354, 353 and
366 to the present Nos. 336-366. In his study of this revision, A.E. Quaglio
demonstratesthat the rearrangementof the poems ensures a religious ending
for the collection.19When Nos. 351, 352, 354 and 353 precededNo. 366, they
interruptedthe somber and religious tone of the ending. Instead of depicting
Petrarch in a properly repentant attitude, they showed him contemplating
nostalgicallyLaura'sinfluence on him in No. 351, addressinga poem of praise
to the departedLaura in No. 352, seeking help from Love to be able to praise
Laura in verse in No. 354, and seeking the company of a 'vago augelletto'to
sharehis thoughts of past love. In their present order,the last thirty poems, instead, gradually lead to Petrarch'srenunciationof terrestriallove, his repentance, and his seeking eternal peace.
Speakingabout the last four poems of the Canzoniere,amongwhich we find
the last anniversarypoem, No. 364, E.H. Wilkins noted: "These three poems,
together with 366, give the Canzonierean impressivereligious climax."20 The
anniversarypoems play a leading role in establishingthe characterand in ensuring the full impact of this climax by signalling the various stages through
which Petrarchpassed before achieving his spiritually elevated goal of peace.
Through the anniversarypoems we see him move from a state of intense
human conflict to one of divine tranquility.The route has been a tortuousone,
especially in the beginning, but it has had a direction, followed a set design,
and it has reached a final destination.
DENNIS DUTSCHKE
University of California, Davis
1 See E.H. Wilkins, TheMaking of the Canzoniereand OtherPetrarchStudies(Rome, 1951),
pp. 349-359; the anniversarypoems appearedin differentforms of the Canzoniereaccordingto the
following prospectus:
First Form (1342):
perhaps Nos. 30, 50, 62, 79,
101, 107 and 145
Second Form (1347-1350):
perhaps Nos. 30-271
Third Form (1356-1358):
Part I - Nos. 30-122; Part IINos. 266-278
Fourth Form (1359-1362):
Part I - Nos. 30-145; Part IINos. 266-278
Fifth Form (1366-1367):
Same as Fourth Form
Sixth Form (1367-1371/2):
Same as Fourth Form, plus Nos.
212, 221 and 364
Seventh Form-Ninth Form: Same as Sixth Form
PETRARCH'S ANNIVERSARY POEMS
2
99
Francesco Petrarca,Rime, trionfiepoesie latine, a cura di F. Neri, G. Martellotti, E. Bianchi, N. Sapegno (Milano: R. Ricciardi, 1951), p. 521. The anniversarydate of Petrarch'slove is
also an importantthematic element in the Trionfi.The work begins with Petrarch'sremembrance
of the fateful day and his renewal of love sighs: "Al tempo che rinnova i miei sospiri/per la dolce
memoria di quel giorno/che fu principio a si lunghi martiri"(Tr. cup., I, vv. 1-3, in F.P., Rime,
trionfi e poesielatine, p. 481). See C. Calcaterra'sremarksin F. Petrarca,I trionfi (Torino, 1923),
pp. XLV-XLVI, n. 4; and, Guido Martellotti, "Il triumphuscupidinisin Ovidio e nel Petrarca,"
Annali dellaScuolaNormaleSuperioredi Pisa, Classedi lettereefilosofia, serie III, vol. VIII, 1 (Pisa,
1978), p. 159.
3 Cf. Petrarch'squestioning verses in No. 359: "Son questi i capei biondi, et l'aureo nodo/
dich'io ch'ancor mi stringe,et quei belli occhi/che fur mio sol?" (vv. 56-58);the lingering force of
love continues to invade the poet's thoughts.
4 Su le 'poesievolgari'del Petrarca(Rocca San Casciano, 1898), p. 123.
1 Nicolae Iliescu,
among others, advocateda close relationshipbetween the Secretumand the
Canzoniere:"Il rapporto,quindi, fra il Canzonieree il Secretumnon rimane limitatoa quelle rime,
poche o molte, che fino al 1342 erano state scritte; perch?, anzi, la dialetticadel bene e del male,
cosi come viene prospettatanell'opera in prosa si acuisce, rimanendoquasi l'unica costante delle
rime ulteriori. II Secretum,come oggi si legge nel finale del proemio, conserverAsempre la funzione di barometroe di bilancia di tutta l'attivitAdi scrittoredel Petrarca,ivi compresala lirica del
Canzoniere."In Il canzonierepetrarchescoe Sant'Agostino(Roma, 1962), p. 66. The coincidence of
the date 1358 in both works appears to substantiateIliescu's conclusion.
6 The representationof conflict as a thematic element in the Secretumis seen in the alternating views conveyed by the two interlocutors, Petrarchand St. Augustine (a felicitous way for
Petrarch to express his conflicting inner thoughts). For example, in Book III, St. Augustine admonishes Petrarchfor being bound, dextralevaque,by two chains which are Lauraand Glory (F.
Petrarca,Prose, a cura di Enrico Carrara[Milano: R. Ricciardi, 1955], p. 130); for Petrarch, the
chains are instead treasures, non cathenassed divitias (F.P., Prose, p. 132); switching to the contrary thought, Augustine states that love is wrong; to which Petrarch replies that his love is
divine. Petrarchloves Laurafor her spirit and not for her body, and St. Augustine warns that one
should not love the created being but instead the creator. At this point in Book III, Petrarchis
urged by St. Augustine to review his past life, and Petrarch responds: "Litere velut pithagoree,
quam audivi et legi, non inanem esse doctrinam. Cum enim recto tramite ascendens ad bivium
prevenissem modestus et sobrius, et dextramiuberer arripere,ad levam-incautus dicam an contumax?-deflexi; neque michi profuit quod sepe puer legeram:Hic locus est partes ubi se via findit in ambas;/dexteraque Ditis magni sub menia ducit./Hac iter Elysium nobis; at leva malorum/
exercet penas, et ad impia Tartaramittit." (F.P., Prose, p. 150). Petrarchviews his meeting with
Laura as a crossroads,bivium,at which two conflicting poles of attractionpresented themselves,
one human and the other divine. Petrarch'soscillating thoughts derive from the impossibility of
possessing either one or the other and of reconciling one with the other.
7 The title was copied by Fra Tedaldo della Casa from Petrarch'scopy of the Secretum;see
Hans Baron, From Petrarchto LeonardoBruni (Chicago, 1968), p. 52.
8 Hans Baron, From Petrarchto LeonardoBruni, p. 52.
9 Hans Baron, From Petrarchto LeonardoBruni, p. 52. The transition appearsto have been
completed a short time after 1358. In a letter to Francesco Nelli, written in September 1360,
Petrarch was able to declare that he had abandoned profane literature in favor of religious
literature: "His ergo omissis, de me dicam deque affectu novo quidem sed iam valido, quo ad
literas sacras stilus animusque meus agitur. Irrideant superbi, quibus divinorum eloquiorum
sordet austeritas,et ceu caste matronecultus parcioroffendit oculos meretricisassuetos fucis; ego
non permittentibus solum sed plaudentibus Musis et secundo fieri rear Apolline, ut qui
iuvenilibus iuventam studiis dedi, maturioremetatem melioribuscuris dem; neque michi dedecori
vertendum, si qui totiens ad inanis fame preconium ventosasquehominum laudes surgeresoleam,
deinceps ad laudes creatoris mei media nocte consurgens quietis tempus somnosque Illi meos
fregero, qui non dormitatneque dormit custodiens Israel,neque universalicustodiacontentus, me
quoque custodit et solicitus est mei," Ep. fam., XXII, 10, F. Petrarca,Lefamiliari, per cura di
Vittorio Rossi, Vol. IV (Firenze, 1942), pp. 126-127. Once the love experience had been fixed
within the limits of April 6, 1327-April6, 1358, Petrarchwas able to look ahead to a rejection of
100
DENNIS DUTSCHKE
youthful mattersand enter into a new phase of life based on a more spirituallyelevated goal. Also,
in 1360, Petrarchlet a copy of the Canzonierecirculate (now VaticanoChigiano L. V. 176), proof
that he considered the collection to have reached a form of completion; the fact that he contemplated adding poems does not detract from the idea of a unified collection since the general
form and theme were already established. Any additions could be chosen to fit into the overall
structure which was capable of expanding. In 1360 the Canzonierewas made 'officially' public
with the title 'Francisci Petrarce de Florentia Rome nuper laureati liber fragmentorum.' G.
Mestica believes that Petrarch'sconversion was earlier, in 1343, and that it is reflectedin the twopart division of the Canzonierewhich is not the result of "l'avvenimentoesteriore e accidentale
della morte di madonnaLaura, ma per un fatto intimo al Poeta stesso: la sua conversionemorale,
che nel 1343 diede a lui occasione di comporre in latino il Secretum,e quindi in poesia volgare la
Canzone I' vo pensando,con cui appunto, nel Codice originale, la parte secundaAprincipio," Le
rime di FrancescoPetrarca restituitenell'ordinee nella lezionedel testo originario(Firenze, 1897),
p. vi. The anniversarypoems show that Petrarchintended the death of Laura to be an important
event in the Canzoniere,perhapsthe most importantfactorwith regardto his conversion.See also:
E.H. Wilkins, "On Petrarch'sAccidia and His Adamantine Chains," Speculum,Vol. XXXVII
(October 1962), p. 593.
In a recent article ("Precisazioni di cronologia petrarchesca:Le 'Familiares' VIII ii-v, e i
rifacimenti del 'Secretum'," Giornale storico della letteraturaitaliana, Vol. CLV [1978], pp.
481-525.), Francisco Rico proposed that the Secretumwas initially composed in 1347, and that it
was revised on two subsequent occasions, in 1349 and 1353-56 (p. 489). The action would still be
situated, in Petrarch's "biografiaideale," during the period of November 1342 and April 1343
(pp. 486-487), and the ending date would extend until 1356, a generallycompatibledate with the
1358 date of the anniversarypoem No. 364. The thematic compatibility, on the other hand, is
strikingly close between the anniversarypoems, the Secretumand the letter to Luca Cristiani
(Fam. VIII, ii-v), as Rico summarizes:"Presto leggeremo i principali paragrafiin proposito, ma
frattanto affrettiamocia individuare questo tema centrale: l'urgenza di un mutamento d'animo
coerente con i mutamentidel corpo; la coscienza del fatto che la fragilitAdell'uomo, in generale, e,
in particolare,l'et e la prossimitAdella morte richiedono senza esitazione un atto di volontA,per
disegnare l'orizzonte della vecchiaia:rompendoantichi legami, scegliendo una residenzain Italia,
vivendo come sapiensd'accordocon le limitazioni e le esigenze della natura" (p. 483).
'0 Francesco
Petrarca,Li sonetticanzonee i triumphi,con la interpretationesopra il sonetti e
canzone de Francesco Phylelfo (Vinegia: BernardinoStagnino, 1513), p. 4.
" See the fundamental
study by Carlo Calcaterrain the chapter entitled "Feria sexta aprilis,"
in Nella selva del Petrarca (Bologna, 1942), pp. 209-245. Numerology in the Canzonierehas
become recognizedas a factor not be ignored;the number of poems, 365 with an introductorysonnet, correspondswith the days of the year: "Quale libro di poesia pi~icompatto, nella storia delle
nostre lettere, del Rerumvulgariumfragmentadi FrancescoPetrarca?Una strutturachiusa per eccellenza, dove il numero dei testi, quanti i giorni di un anno, formaun breviariolirico esemplare,e
compone un ordine ciclico di classica misura, 'in se ipso totus, teres atque rotundus',"Guglielmo
Gorni, "Metamorfosie redenzione in Petrarca:il senso della forma Correggio del Canzoniere,"
LettereItaliane, Anno XXX, No. 1 (genn.-marzo, 1978), p. 3.
12 TheMaking of the Canzoniereand OtherPetrarchStudies(Roma, 1951), p. 94; for the three
principles, see Ruth Phelps, TheEarlierand LaterFormsof Petrarch'sCanzoniere(Chicago, 1925),
p. 187.
'3 The Making of the Canzoniere,p. 95.
14 The examples are: "oggi Asett'anni/che sospirandovo" (No. 30, vv. 28-29); "chi'i' son gia
pur crescendo in questa voglia" (No. 50, v. 54); "S'al principio risponde il fine e '1 mezzo/del
quartodecimoanno ch'io sospirolpifinon mi pb scamparl'aura nd '1 rezzo,/si crescer sento '1 mio
ardente desiro" (No. 79, vv. 1-4); [gli amorosi rai] risplendon si, ch'al quintodecimo annolm'abbaglianpihiche '1primo giorno assai" (No. 107, vv. 7-8); "Rimansia dietro il sestodecimoanno/de'
miei sospiri, et io trapassoinanzi" (No. 118, vv. 1-2);"sentonel mezzo de le fiamme un gielo" (No.
122, v. 4); "Cosi venti anni, grave et lungo affanno,/pur lagrime et sospiri et dolor merco"(No.
212, vv. 12-13);"Danno non giA,ma pro: si dolci stanno/nelmio cor le faville e '1chiaro lampo/che
l'abbagliaet lo strugge,e 'n ch'io m'avampo,letson giAardendonel vigesimo anno" (No. 221, vv.
5-8).
PETRARCH'S ANNIVERSARY POEMS
101
"1 See the letter Ad
seipsum(Ep. metricae,I, 14): "Heu michi, quid patior? quo me violenta
retorquent/fataretro? Video pereuntis tempora mundi/precipiti transire fuga, morientia circum/
agmina conspicio iuvenumque senumque, nec usquam/tutapatet statio; non toto portus in orbe/
panditur, optate non spes patet ulla salutis./ Funera crebra quidem, quocumque paventia flecto/lumina, conturbant aciem; perplexa feretris/templa gemunt passimque simul sine honore
cadaver/nobileplebeiumque iacet. Subit ultima vite/hora animum, casusque mei meminisse coactus/heu caros abiisse greges et amica retracto/colloquiaet dulces subito vanescerevultus/telluremque sacram assiduis iam desse sepulcris." In F. Petrarca, Rime, trionfi e poesie latine (Milano,
1951), p. 750. An example of a poem in the Canzonierethat expresses the suddenness of death is
Canzone323, which is based on six visions of Laura as an emblematicfigure who appearsand is
immediatelydestroyed.As with the transitionbetween Nos. 266 and 267, the image of Lauraalive
is abruptlychanged to one of her dead. See Fredi Chiappelli, Studi sul linguaggiodel Petrarca:La
canzonedelle visioni (Firenze, 1971).
16 The term disciogliere,a variationof the more standardform of
sciogliere,appearssix times in
the Canzoniere,and save for No. 73, v. 82, all are in the second part of the collection: Nos. 264, v.
85; 268, v. 38; 270, v. 98; 271, v. 3; 313, v. 12. The term sciogliere,instead, appearsthirty-nine
times in the Canzoniere.Petrarch'sconcept of love in an evolving patternof conflict and its subsequent resolution, seen in the anniversarypoems, is evident in the use of the term disciogliere(see
in the earlierpart of this paper). In No. 73, the nodo
the discussion of the terms stringere-sciogliere
of love holds Petrarchfirmly, "Lasso, che disiando/vo quel ch'esser non puote in alcun modo,/et
vivo del desir fuor di speranza:/solamente quel nodo/ch'amor cerconda a la mia lingua
quando/l'umanavista il troppo lume avanza,/fossedisciolto,i' prendereibaldanza/didir parole in
quel punto si nove/che farianlagrimarchi le 'ntendesse"(vv. 76-84);when Laurais alive, Petrarch
is unable to loosen himself from the love knot. In No. 264, vv. 84-85, Petrarchis free from all ties
except those of his love for Lauraand for Glory. In No. 268, v. 38, Laurais freed from her human
veil, discioltadi quel velo, and in No. 270, v. 98, Petrarch laments not being yet freed from his
human bondage like Laura. In No. 271, v. 3, the same term, disciolse,indicates Death's loosening
of the burning knot and in No. 313, Petrarch'sconcern is no longer with the knot of love, but instead with his human bondage: "Cosi discioltodal mortal mio velo/ch'a forza mi tien qui, foss'io
con loro/fuor de' sospir' fra l'anime beate!" (vv. 12-14).
'" Nos. 50, v. 52; 62, v. 12; 107, v. 3; 118, v. 4; 212, v. 12.
18 Francisci Petrarcae, Epistolae de rebus familiaribus et variae, studio et cura Iosephi
Fracassetti, Vol. III (Firenze, 1863), Var. 9, p. 323.
19 Al di Iddi Francescae di Laura (Padova, 1973), pp. 33-56.
20 TheMaking of the Canzoniere,p. 189.
(For Page 1).....
*All citations from the Canzoniereare from Francesco Petrarca, Canzoniere,testo critico e introduzione di Gianfranco Contini (Torino: G. Einaudi editore, 1964). In a shorter version, this
paper was presented at the Fifth California Convocation in Romance Philology held at the
University of California,San Diego, May 21, 1978. I am happy to thank Pamela Miller for her
assistance in the preparationof this paper.