
The poem explores the speaker's desire to express their emotions and thoughts through verse, but feels inadequate and uncertain about their ability to do so. They lament that their words are not worthy of their beloved, and that they lack the skill to convey their feelings adequately. The speaker is torn between the desire to speak and the fear of being misunderstood or rejected.
By Francesco Petrarca · First published 1343 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Sonnet, Romanticism · 180 words
HE COMPLAINS THAT TO HIM ALONE IS FAITH HURTFUL.
Could I, in melting verse, my thoughts but throw, As in my heart their living load I bear, No soul so cruel in the world was e'er That would not at the tale with pity glow.
But ye, blest eyes, which dealt me the sore blow, 'Gainst which nor helm nor shield avail'd to spare Within, without, behold me poor and bare, Though never in laments is breathed my woe.
But since on me your bright glance ever shines, E'en as a sunbeam through transparent glass, Suffice then the desire without the lines.
Cosi Potess' Io Ben Chiuder in Versi is listed on Textopian as a poem by Francesco Petrarca, dated 1343 CE.
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Italian Literature · Renaissance Poetry · Sonnet Collection · Love Poems · Courtly Love · Medieval Literature · Classical Influence · Lyrical Poetry · Personal Reflections · Emotional Expression · Romanticism · Beauty and Ugliness