The Poetry of Michelangelo: An Annotated TranslationThis is the only available bilingual edition of the more than three hundred sonnets, madrigals, and other poems produced by Michelangelo over his long career. The poems are invaluable for what they reveal of the artist's innermost feelings about such universal themes as love, death, and redemption. "A superb introduction to Michelangelo's life, a masterful bilingual presentation of his written work, commentaries, and an annotated bibliography. . . . A handsome volume of pure scholarship that will find a permanent place in one's library, to be dipped into from time to time as a source of deep enjoyment."--Virginia Quarterly Review "For educated readers who want to know what Michelangelo's poetry manages to do, who want a guide through the Italian and even more through the conventions that enabled Michelangelo to write at all, this is an indispensable book."--Richard Howard "The exceptionally difficult task of translating Michelangelo's poetry has been accomplished with aplomb: equally successful is the no less difficult task of placing the poems within their biographical, social, intellectual, and artistic context. Saslow's annotated translation will be the standard critical edition of Michelangelo's poetry."--William E. Wallace |
Contents
TWO Biographical Outline | 8 |
THREE Themes and Content | 23 |
FOUR Form Style and Literary Sources | 39 |
Last Judgment Fresco | 46 |
FIVE Editions and Translations | 53 |
Anatomical sketches of legs and fragment of poem no 131 | 276 |
Drafts of Bracci epitaphs and Michelangelos drawing of a crow | 385 |
Christ on the Cross TC no 411r | 478 |
Poems A141 | 502 |
Sketches for bronze David with text of A3 TC no 19r | 503 |
Pietà Pencil drawing TC no 426r | 519 |
521 | |
Concordance to Michelangelos Drawings | 537 |
557 | |
Common terms and phrases
15 Madrigal altro Amor ancor artist beauty begli bella beloved beltà Benedetto Varchi burning c'al Cavalieri Cecchino Bracci ch'i ch'io ché che l ciel cielo corpo cruel d'ogni Dante death desio desire divine doglia dolce Donato Giannotti donna drawing Dunche earthly Epitaph for Cecchino esser eyes face feel fire Florence foco forza Francesco Berni fuor Giannotti Giorgio Vasari Girardi grace gran grazia heart heaven hope l'alma lady Last Judgment less letter live Luigi del Riccio Medici Medici Chapel mercy metaphor Michelangelo mondo morir mortal morte morto muore natura Neoplatonic Number occhi ogni ond'io pain Paradiso passion pensier Petrarch Petrarchan pianti pietà più poco poems poetry può refer sempre sheet signor similar sonnet soul spiritual sweet tempo terra theme Tommaso tutto Varchi Vasari vede veggio verso vita Vittoria Colonna vivo volto vuol written