Sonnet from the Italian of Cavalcanti
Addressing Dante, the speaker laments his lost virtues and recalls loving his songs when Dante was faithful to himself and to him. Still moved by Dante’s verse but unwilling to acknowledge that pleasure, he urges Dante to ponder his rebuke and recover his integrity.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Sonnet · 165 words
First lines
GUIDO CAVALCANTI TO DANTE ALIGHIERI:
Returning from its daily quest, my Spirit / Changed thoughts and vile in thee doth weep to find: / It grieves me that thy mild and gentle mind / Those ample virtues which it did inherit / Has lost. Once thou didst loathe the multitude / Of blind and madding men-I then loved thee- / I loved thy lofty songs and that sweet mood / When thou wert faithful to thyself and me / I dare not now through thy degraded state / Own the delight thy strains inspire-in vain / I seek what once thou wert-we cannot meet / And we were wont. Again and yet again / Ponder my words: so the false Spirit shall fly / And leave to thee thy true integrity.
What this Textopian page supports
Sonnet from the Italian of Cavalcanti is listed on Textopian as a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Sonnet
- Length: 165 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Sonnet from the Italian of Cavalcanti by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Genres
- Sonnet — The title identifies a sonnet, and the fourteen-line address moves from grief over Dante's changed character to an appeal for renewed integrity.
Tags
sonnet · friendship · estrangement · integrity · poetic address