Poetry Analysis

TANTO GENTILE E

Original Poetry

Translation

TANTO GENTILE E

So kind and so honest she seems

TANTO ONESTA PARE

my lady when she greets others,

that every tongue, trembling, falls silent,

Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare

and eyes do not dare to look at her.

la donna mia quand'ella altrui saluta,

ch'ogne lingua de ven tremando muta,

She walks, hearing herself praised,

e li occhi no l'ardiscon di guardare.

gently dressed in humility;

and it seems she is something

Ella si va, sentendosi laudare,

come down from heaven to show a miracle.

benignamente d'umiltà vestuta;

e par che sia una cosa venuta

She reveals herself more than to those who look at her,

da cielo in terra a miracol mostrare.

who gives through the eyes a sweetness to the heart,

that cannot be understood by those who do not feel it;

Mostrarsi è piu' che a chi la mira,

che dà per li occhi una dolcezza al core,

and it seems that from her lips moves

ch'intendo non la pu' chi no la prova;

a gentle spirit full of love,

that goes saying to the soul: Sigh.

e par che de la sua labbia si mova

un spirito soave pien d'amore,

che va dicendo all'anima: Sospira.

(Dante Alighieri)

Explanation

Dante Alighieri's sonnet 'Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare' is a tribute to the idealized beauty and virtue of his beloved Beatrice. The poem opens with a description of her gentle and honest demeanor, which leaves those she greets in awe, rendering them speechless and unable to meet her gaze. This illustrates the profound impact of her presence on others.

As the poem progresses, Dante describes Beatrice as walking gracefully, aware of the admiration she receives, yet remaining humble. She is portrayed as a celestial being, a miraculous vision descended from heaven to earth, emphasizing her divine qualities. The imagery of her as a heavenly figure highlights the spiritual and idealized nature of Dante's love for her.

Emotionally, the poem conveys a sense of reverence and adoration. The speaker's tone is one of awe and devotion, capturing the transcendental experience of encountering such beauty and virtue. The poem's emotional arc moves from admiration to a deeper spiritual longing.

Dante employs literary devices such as metaphor and imagery to enhance the poem's impact. The repeated use of 'pare' (appears) underscores the theme of perception and the ethereal quality of Beatrice's presence. The gentle spirit that moves from her lips symbolizes the transformative power of love and beauty.

Overall, the poem reflects the courtly love tradition and Dante's idealization of Beatrice as a symbol of divine beauty and virtue. It captures the essence of medieval romantic ideals and Dante's personal devotion, contributing to his legacy as a foundational figure in Italian literature.

Word Dictionary69

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
Tanto	molto	so much	tan-to
gentile	cortese	gentle	jen-tee-le
e	e	and	eh
onesta	sincera	honest	o-nes-ta
pare	sembra	appears	pa-re
la	la	her	la
donna	signora	lady	don-na
mia	mia	my	mee-a
quand'ella	quando lei	when she	kwan-del-la
altrui	altri	others	al-troo-ee
saluta	accoglie	greets	sa-loo-ta
ch'ogne	che ogni	that every	k'oh-nye
lingua	lingua	tongue	leen-gwa
de	della	of the	deh
ven	viene	comes	ven
tremando	vibrando	shaking	tre-man-do
muta	silenziosa	silent	moo-ta
li	gli	the	lee
occhi	occhi	eyes	ok-kee
no	non	do not	no
l'ardiscon	osano	dare	lar-dis-kon
di	di	to	dee
guardare	osservare	see	gwar-da-re
Ella	Lei	She	el-la
si	si	itself	see
va	va	goes	va
sentendosi	ascoltandosi	hearing herself	sen-ten-do-see
laudare	lodare	praised	lau-da-re
benignamente	gentilmente	kindly	be-nee-nya-men-te
d'umiltà	di umiltà	of humility	doo-meel-ta
vestuta	vestita	clothed	ves-too-ta
par	sembra	seems	par
che	che	that	keh
sia	sia	is	see-a
una	una	a	oo-na
cosa	cosa	thing	ko-sa
venuta	venuta	come	ve-noo-ta
da	da	from	da
cielo	cielo	heaven	chee-e-lo
in	in	to	een
terra	terra	earth	ter-ra
a	a	to	a
miracol	miracolo	miracle	mee-ra-kol
mostrare	esibire	display	mos-tra-re
Mostrarsi	Rivelarsi	Reveals herself	mos-trar-see
è	è	is	eh
piu'	più	more	pyoo
chi	chi	those who	kee
mira	guarda	looks at	mee-ra
dà	dà	gives	da
per	per	through	per
dolcezza	dolcezza	sweetness	dol-chet-za
al	al	to the	al
core	cuore	heart	ko-re
ch'intendo	che intende	that understands	k'in-ten-do
non	non	not	non
pu'	può	can	poo
prova	sperimenta	feels	pro-va
sua	sua	her	soo-a
labbia	labbra	lips	lab-bia
mova	muova	moves	mo-va
un	uno	a	oon
spirito	spirito	spirit	spee-ree-to
soave	soave	gentle	so-a-ve
pien	pieno	full	pyen
d'amore	di amore	of love	da-mo-re
dicendo	parlando	telling	dee-chen-do
all'anima	all'anima	to the soul	al-la-nee-ma
Sospira	Sospira	Sigh	so-speera

Poet & Context

PoetDante Alighieri

EraMiddle Ages

Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet, writer, and philosopher, best known for his epic poem 'The Divine Comedy'. He was instrumental in establishing the literature of Italy and is considered one of the greatest literary icons of the Western world. His works helped standardize the Italian language.

View on Wikipedia

When13th century

WhyThe poem is part of Dante's 'La Vita Nuova', a collection of poems dedicated to his muse, Beatrice. It reflects the courtly love tradition and Dante's idealization of Beatrice as a symbol of divine beauty and virtue.

FormSonnet

Themes & More

Themes

Idealized BeautyDivine LoveAdmiration

Literary devices

Metaphor: Beatrice is compared to a celestial being, emphasizing her divine qualities.Imagery: Vivid descriptions of Beatrice's appearance and demeanor create a sense of awe.Repetition: The use of 'pare' (appears) underscores the theme of perception and ethereal beauty.

Poetry Analysis

TANTO GENTILE E

Original Poetry

Translation

TANTO GENTILE E

So kind and so honest she seems

TANTO ONESTA PARE

my lady when she greets others,

that every tongue, trembling, falls silent,

Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare

and eyes do not dare to look at her.

la donna mia quand'ella altrui saluta,

ch'ogne lingua de ven tremando muta,

She walks, hearing herself praised,

e li occhi no l'ardiscon di guardare.

gently dressed in humility;

and it seems she is something

Ella si va, sentendosi laudare,

come down from heaven to show a miracle.

benignamente d'umiltà vestuta;

e par che sia una cosa venuta

She reveals herself more than to those who look at her,

da cielo in terra a miracol mostrare.

who gives through the eyes a sweetness to the heart,

that cannot be understood by those who do not feel it;

Mostrarsi è piu' che a chi la mira,

che dà per li occhi una dolcezza al core,

and it seems that from her lips moves

ch'intendo non la pu' chi no la prova;

a gentle spirit full of love,

that goes saying to the soul: Sigh.

e par che de la sua labbia si mova

un spirito soave pien d'amore,

che va dicendo all'anima: Sospira.

(Dante Alighieri)

Explanation

Word Dictionary69

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
Tanto	molto	so much	tan-to
gentile	cortese	gentle	jen-tee-le
e	e	and	eh
onesta	sincera	honest	o-nes-ta
pare	sembra	appears	pa-re
la	la	her	la
donna	signora	lady	don-na
mia	mia	my	mee-a
quand'ella	quando lei	when she	kwan-del-la
altrui	altri	others	al-troo-ee
saluta	accoglie	greets	sa-loo-ta
ch'ogne	che ogni	that every	k'oh-nye
lingua	lingua	tongue	leen-gwa
de	della	of the	deh
ven	viene	comes	ven
tremando	vibrando	shaking	tre-man-do
muta	silenziosa	silent	moo-ta
li	gli	the	lee
occhi	occhi	eyes	ok-kee
no	non	do not	no
l'ardiscon	osano	dare	lar-dis-kon
di	di	to	dee
guardare	osservare	see	gwar-da-re
Ella	Lei	She	el-la
si	si	itself	see
va	va	goes	va
sentendosi	ascoltandosi	hearing herself	sen-ten-do-see
laudare	lodare	praised	lau-da-re
benignamente	gentilmente	kindly	be-nee-nya-men-te
d'umiltà	di umiltà	of humility	doo-meel-ta
vestuta	vestita	clothed	ves-too-ta
par	sembra	seems	par
che	che	that	keh
sia	sia	is	see-a
una	una	a	oo-na
cosa	cosa	thing	ko-sa
venuta	venuta	come	ve-noo-ta
da	da	from	da
cielo	cielo	heaven	chee-e-lo
in	in	to	een
terra	terra	earth	ter-ra
a	a	to	a
miracol	miracolo	miracle	mee-ra-kol
mostrare	esibire	display	mos-tra-re
Mostrarsi	Rivelarsi	Reveals herself	mos-trar-see
è	è	is	eh
piu'	più	more	pyoo
chi	chi	those who	kee
mira	guarda	looks at	mee-ra
dà	dà	gives	da
per	per	through	per
dolcezza	dolcezza	sweetness	dol-chet-za
al	al	to the	al
core	cuore	heart	ko-re
ch'intendo	che intende	that understands	k'in-ten-do
non	non	not	non
pu'	può	can	poo
prova	sperimenta	feels	pro-va
sua	sua	her	soo-a
labbia	labbra	lips	lab-bia
mova	muova	moves	mo-va
un	uno	a	oon
spirito	spirito	spirit	spee-ree-to
soave	soave	gentle	so-a-ve
pien	pieno	full	pyen
d'amore	di amore	of love	da-mo-re
dicendo	parlando	telling	dee-chen-do
all'anima	all'anima	to the soul	al-la-nee-ma
Sospira	Sospira	Sigh	so-speera

Poet & Context

PoetDante Alighieri

EraMiddle Ages

View on Wikipedia

When13th century

FormSonnet

Themes & More

Themes

Idealized BeautyDivine LoveAdmiration

Literary devices