The First Canzone of the Convito
The speaker addresses the beings who move the Third Heaven about a conflict within the heart: a comforting thought of a heavenly lady has yielded to a forceful thought directing attention to another lady. The speaker claims to have died from her gaze, but a spirit of gentle Love denies this and urges appreciation of her loveliness. The speaker warns the song that few may understand it and tells it to affirm its beauty to uncomprehending listeners.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Allegorical Poetry · 802 words
First lines
From the Italian of Dante
1.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The speaker expresses inward grief and conflicting desires in first-person verse, addressing the beings who move the Third Heaven and later addressing the song itself.
- Allegorical Poetry — Thoughts compete within the speaker’s heart, while a spirit of gentle Love speaks to counter the claim of death and recommend attention to the lady’s loveliness.
Tags
lyric · translation · personification · conflicting thoughts · love · grief
What this Textopian page supports
The First Canzone of the Convito 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: Lyric Poetry, Allegorical Poetry
- Length: 802 words
- Structure: 1 section, 11 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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