Surrey's "The Soote Season" is meant to be an English translation of the Petrarchan Rima that appears below. See the page "Pairing Poems" for an example of one of Petrarch's original poems in Italian. Notice what similarities and differences exist between the ones below. How does Surrey's poem reflect the concerns of his time? What similarities and differences does it have with the original?
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Petrarch, rima 310
a modern prose translation
Zephyrus[RG31] returns and leads back the fine weather and the flowers and the grass, his sweet family, and chattering Procne [SH36] and weeping Philomena, and Spring, all white and vermilion;
the meadows laugh and the sky becomes clear again, Jupiter[TK32] is gladdened looking at his daughter, the air and the waters and the earth are full of love, every animal takes counsel again to love. But to me, alas, come back heavier sighs, which she draws from my deepest heart, she who carried off to Heaven the keys to it; and the singing of little birds, and the flowering of meadows, and virtuous gentle gestures in beautiful ladies are a wilderness and cruel, savage beasts. 310. ‘Zephiro torna, e’l bel tempo rimena’
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[RG31] Zephyrus was the god of the west wind in Greek mythology. He was married to Flora, the goddess of springtime.
[RG32] Philomela and Procne were sisters and daughters of Pandion. Prone married Tereus, who raped Philomela when she came to visit. He then cut her tongue out so she could not tell others what had happened. Philomela wove a tapestry that told what had happened to her. Once Procne saw it she planned revenge on her husband. After killing her son, Tereus chased Procne and before he could kill her the gods changed Procne, Tereus, and Philomela into birds. [DM30] Soote: pleasing to the mind or feelings; gratifying; enamored [TK32] Jupiter is the supreme deity of the ancient Romans, the god of the heavens and of the weather [SH36] Procne - A Greek goddess who was turned into a bird [AH34] “nightingale” is a small brown European bird that sings beautiful songs at night. [JM43] “hart” meaning a red deer stag more than five years old [RC32]Vale means a valley; also can be used as a farewell. |