Flowers
You've probably heard the phrase "in the blossom of youth" before. It makes sense to us because we've all seen the unblemished beauty of a newly-blossomed flower. Take a rose, for example. If you'v...
Laura
We know that Petrarch's Laura is meant to be Laura de Noves, the very real wife of the Marquis de Sade (the ancestor of the infamous one), but she's also much more than that. In the Canzoniere, Lau...
Secluded Port
In stanza 2, Petrarch introduces the curious image of the "secluded port":then death would be less harshif I could bear this hopeunto that fearful crossing,because the weary soulcould never in a mo...