ABOUT THIS BOOKCristoforo Landino (1424–1498), one of the great scholar-poets of the Renaissance, is best known today for his Platonizing commentaries on Dante and Vergil. His most substantial work of poetry was his Three Books on Xandra, written while still a young man. They consist primarily of love poetry in Latin directed to his lady-love Alessandra, but they also chronicle his life, friendships, literary studies, and the patronage of his work by Piero de' Medici. Inspired equally by the ancient Roman love-elegy and by Petrarch’s Canzoniere, the poems illustrate the mingling of classical and vernacular traditions characteristic of the age of Lorenzo de’ Medici. Also included in this volume is the Carmina Varia, a collection whose centerpiece is a group of elegies directed to the Venetian humanist Bernardo Bembo. These bring to life the Platonic passion Bembo conceived for Ginevra de’Benci, later the subject of a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. This edition contains the first translation of both works into English.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Introduction
XANDRA
BOOK ONE
I To Piero de' Medici
II To His Book
II When He was Crushed by Love
IV To Bartolomeo Scala
V To Xandra
VI To Xandra
VII A Sestina in Imitation of Petrarca
VIII Alfonso, the Lame Lover
IX A Dissolute Theological Demagogue
X To Lupo
XI To Bernardo
XII To Alda
XIII To Leon Battista Alberti
XIV He Wonders Why He Feels Such Disquiet
XV To Theoplasma, Mistress of Francesco da Castiglione
XVI To Himself
XVII To Himself
XVIII Epitaph For Leonardo of Arezzo
XIX To Xandra
XX To Filippo About his Mistress
XXI To Lucina on Behalf of Xandra in Childbirth
XXII In Praise of Diana
XXIII To Bartolomeo Scala
XXIV To Bartolomeo Scala on His Own Ancestors
XXV About Xandra
XXVI To Ginevra
XXVII On Xandra's Return
XXVIII To Xandra
XXIX To Bernardo
XXX To Giovanni Antonio
XXXI To Leandra
XXXII To Anastasio
XXXIII To His Book
BOOK TWO
I To Piero de' Medici
II To Piero de' Medici
III Against the Covetous
IV To Xandra
V To Xandra
VI To Piero de' Medici: On his Praises and Those of Maecenas
VII To Xandra
VIII A Description of Monte Asinario for Lorenzo Cresci
IX He Rails about Love
X To His Muse
XI About a Nightmare
XII The Dying Elisabetta To Her Brother Bernardo
XIII About Bindo the One-eyed
XIV On the Same Man
XV Epitaph for the Architect Filippo
XVI Another Poem for the Same Man
XVII To Francia
XVIII To Xandra
XIX To Bindo
XX To Francia
XXI To Leandra
XXII Epitaph for Paolo Who Died While Having Sex
XXIII To the City of Florence
XXIV To Bindo
XXV To Xandra
XXVI To Xandra
XXVII The Way Rome Marvels at Xandra
XXVIII To Giovanni Antonio On the Poems of Burchiello
XXIX To His Muse to Hurry to Giovanni Antonio in Florence
XXX On the Near Ruin that is Rome
BOOK THREE
I To Piero de' Medici
II To Piero de' Medici, His Maecenas
III To Antonio Canigiani On the Beginnings of the City of Florence
IV Eulogy For His Brother
V Elegy on the Aragonese War
VI To Paolo, Not to Fear the Aragonese War
VII Eulogy For Carlo Aretino
VIIa Another Epitaph for Carlo Aretino
VIIb Another
VIII Epitaph for the Poet Dante
IX Another
X Epitaph for Francesco Petrarca, the Poet
XI Another
XII The Cumaean Sibyl
XIII About Farinata degli Uberti
XIV Tamyris, Queen of the Scythians
XV To Giovanni Salvetti On the Praises of Cosimo the Great
XVI To Jacopo Acciaiuoli in Praise of Cosimo the Great and
of the House of Acciaiuoli
XVII To Piero de' Medici in Praise of Poggio
XVIII Eulogy for the Boy Cosimo, Grandson of the Great Cosimo
XIX To Guido Guiduccio
BOOK I (EARLIER REDACTION)
II To Leon Battista
III Concerning the Title of This Book
VII To Xandra
IX To Tommaso Ceffi
X To Bernardo
XI To Giovanni Antonio
XII To Xandra
XIII About Gnognia
XV About Gnognia
XVI To Giovanni Antonio
XIX To Xandra
XX To Xandra
XXI To Bernardo
XXII To Bice
XXIV To My Mistress' Mother
XXV To Tubia
XXVI To Francesco da Castiglione
XXVII To Leon Battista Alberti
XXVIII To Xandra
XXIX Concerning a Hall
XXX To Francesco the Barber
XXXII To Gigia
XXXIII To Lucretia
XXXIX To a Sodomite
XL To Giovanni Antonio
XLI To Bernardo
XLII Epitaph for Lisa Tedalda
XLVIII To Francesco d'Altobianco Alberti
MISCELLANEOUS POEMS
I On the Death of Lisa
II Eulogy on Neri Capponi for Giovanni Canigiani
II To Bernardo Bembo
IV To the Same Man
V To the Same Man
VI To the Same Man
VII To the Same Man
VIII To the Same Man
IX Eulogy on the Death of Michele Verino
X The Tomb of the Poet Dante
XI Epitaph for Coluccio Salutati
XII For the Same Man in the Palace
XIII In Praise of Giannozzo Manetti
DOUBTFULLY ASCRIBED POEMS
I To Ugolino Verino
II Poems about Certain Riddles
Appendix: Letter of Presentation to Bernardo Bembo
Note on the Text
Notes
Bibliography
Index