Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri (c 1265-1321) was an Italian poet of the late Middle Ages most famous for The Divine Comedy, comprised of the three epic poems Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Dante wrote in the Italian vernacular rather than Latin, as was traditional. Dante lived in Florence but, due to political conflicts, was condemned to perpetual exile in the early 1300s, stripping him of his familial home and culture. Though married to Gemma di Manetto Donati of the powerful Donati family, he was in love with Beatrice Portinari whom he depicted in many of his works, often as an almost divine figure. Source

Upon a Day, Came Sorrow in to Me

Translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Upon a day, came Sorrow in to me,

Saying, ‘I’ve come to stay with thee a while’;

And I perceived that she had ushered Bile

And Pain into my house for company.

Wherefore I said, ‘Go forth – away with thee!’

But like a Greek she answered, full of guile,

And went on arguing in an easy style.

Then, looking, I saw Love come silently,

Habited in black raiment, smooth and new,

Having a black hat set upon his hair;

And certainly the tears he shed were true.

So that I asked, ‘What ails thee, trifler?’

Answering, he said: ‘A grief to be gone through;

For our own lady’s dying, brother dear.’

Published:

1290

Length:

Shorty

Literary Movements:

Dolce Stil Novo

Anthology Years:

2020

Themes:

Love & Relationships

Mental Health