Sonnet from the Italian of Dante
The speaker wishes to sail with Guido and Lapo in an enchanted ship whose course follows their thoughts, free from misfortune. The wish includes Vanna, Bice, and the speaker’s love joining them for passionate conversation and shared contentment.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Sonnet, Love Poetry · 170 words
First lines
DANTE ALIGHIERI TO GUIDO CAVALCANTI:
Guido, I would that Lapo, thou, and I, / Led by some strong enchantment, might ascend / A magic ship, whose charmed sails should fly / With winds at will where'er our thoughts might wend, / So that no change, nor any evil chance / Should mar our joyous voyage; but it might be, / That even satiety should still enhance / Between our hearts their strict community: / And that the bounteous wizard then would place / Vanna and Bice and my gentle love, / Companions of our wandering, and would grace / With passionate talk, wherever we might rove, / Our time, and each were as content and free / As I believe that thou and I should be.
What this Textopian page supports
Sonnet from the Italian of Dante 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, Love Poetry
- Length: 170 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Sonnet from the Italian of Dante 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
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Genres
- Sonnet — The title identifies a sonnet, and the poem consists of fourteen rhymed lines developing a wish for an enchanted voyage with companions.
- Love Poetry — The speaker wishes for Vanna, Bice, and the speaker’s gentle love to join the voyage, imagining passionate conversation and mutual contentment.
Tags
sonnet · friendship · love · enchanted voyage · magic ship · conversation