ASS N ENT
A yOU NEE S O E
“Love is all you need,” or that is what the Beatles used to sing.
When it comes to love poetry, the most famous poet ever is
undoubtedly Petrarch (or: Francesco Petrarca). He was a 14th
century Italian writer and was and still is known for his love poems
written to Laura, his heart’s desire.
The man even developed his own literary genre, called Petrarchism,
in which the longing for the perfect woman is thé major theme. Here
is one of the poems he has written for Laura. Read it.
Sonnet 3
It was the day the sun's ray had turned pale
with pity for the suffering of his Maker
when I was caught, and I put up no fight,
my lady, for your lovely eyes had bound me.
Era il giorno ch'al sol si scoloraro
per la pietà del suo factore i rai,
quando ì fui preso, et non me ne guardai,
chè i bè vostr'occhi, donna, mi legaro.
It seemed no time to be on guard against
Love's blows; therefore, I went my way
secure and fearless-so, all my misfortunes
began in midst of universal woe.
Tempo non mi parea da far riparo
contra colpi d'Amor: però m'andai
secur, senza sospetto; onde i miei guai
nel commune dolor s'incominciaro.
Love found me all disarmed and found the way Trovommi Amor del tutto disarmato
was clear to reach my heart down through the eyes et aperta la via per gli occhi al core,
which have become the halls and doors of tears. che di lagrime son fatti uscio et varco:
It seems to me it did him little honour
to wound me with his arrow in my state
and to you, armed, not show his bow at all.
Però al mio parer non li fu honore
ferir me de saetta in quello stato,
a voi armata non mostrar pur l'arco.
(English translation)
(Italian original)
GLOSSARY
ray: a narrow beam of light / pale: colourless / to bind: (here) to tie down (fig.), to cause to be attached
/ secure: safe, protected / misfortunes: troubles / in midst of: in the middle of / universal woe: public
sorrows / disarmed: deprived of the means of attack or defense
QUESTIONS FOR ANALYSIS
1. Who is ‘the Maker’? …………………………………………………………
2. When Petrarch writes that he ‘was caught’ (in the first stanza), what does he mean by that?
Paraphrase.
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3. Which exact words from the poem make you believe that Petrarch is not consciously prepared for
what is coming? (Second stanza)
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4. Which metaphor is used for ‘crying’?
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5. This particular poem is called a sonnet because of how it is structured. The sonnet is split in two
groups: ‘the octave’ (of 8 lines) and the ‘sestet’ (of 6 lines), for a total of 14 lines. The octave typically
introduces the theme or problem of the poem while the sestet provides resolution, an answer to the
problem. Both the octave and the sestet have a particular rhyme scheme. Can you find out which
rhyme scheme the poem has? Look at the original Italian poem. Use the letters A – B – C – D and E
for your answer.
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WRITING ASSIGNMENT: WRITE A LOVE POEM
The 14th of February is coming up. That’s right: Valentine’s Day
! Ladies, gentlemen: get ready to be
wooed by words. For this assignment you will need to write a love poem dedicated to someone you like. You
do not necessarily need to have a specific person in mind or mention a name in your poem. You can write the
poem to someone anonymous. Important is that you let your feelings flow.
In your poem you should describe that special someone’s outward appearance and / or personality in 10
lines. Your poem should have at least 2 similes (vergelijkingen) and 2 metaphors. These are figures of speech
(stijlfiguren) which compare two things with each other. A simile is a comparison with an explicit connective
word such as ‘like’, ‘as’, ‘so’ and ‘than’. A metaphor is a simile without such an explicit connective word. For
example:
- She is as sweet as sugar / She is like a candy so sweet / She is sweeter than candy = similes
- She is sugar = a metaphor
Get it? Okay, go for it!