
The poem describes the speaker's emotional state after being struck by the sweet gaze of a beloved woman. The gaze has pierced the speaker's heart, causing both pleasure and pain. The speaker is overwhelmed by the intensity of their emotions, feeling as though they are dying from love. Despite this, they cannot help but be drawn to the woman's gaze, which has become an all-consuming force in their life.
By Francesco Petrarca · First published 1343 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Sonnet · 361 words
HE IS CONTINUALLY IN FEAR OF DISPLEASING HER.
If thus the dear glance of my lady slay, / On her sweet sprightly speech if dangers wait, / If o'er me Love usurp a power so great, / Oft as she speaks, or when her sun-smiles play; / Alas! what were it if she put away, / Or for my fault, or by my luckless fate, / Her eyes from pity, and to death's full hate, / Which now she keeps aloof, should then betray.
Italian Literature · Renaissance Poetry · Love Poem · Sonnet · 14th Century · Medieval Literature · Romance · Courtly Love · Lyrical Poetry · Elegy · Tribute · Beauty
Se 'L Dolce Sguardo DI Costei M' Ancide is listed on Textopian as a poem by Francesco Petrarca, dated 1343 CE.
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