Stanzas After The Tournament

By Angelo Poliziano

“Eros, known as Cupid, chuckled with glee.
His pleasure? He’d cause that boob of the sacred
to heel, roll over as Venus’ son devotee.”
What “boob”? A real-life prince: Giuliano de Medici, jousting champion and younger brother of Florence’s Lorenzo, known then and forevermore as “Il Magnifico.”
Bel Julio, fanatic of the hunt and convinced prude, flips over the horns of a golden-antlered doe. Enchantment springs into new kinds of chase, and magic more confusing, more seductive, more instructive: love.
A True-Life Fable Interrupted By A Beatific Orgy & You Are In It.
(Illustrated)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Becca Menon
• Release date: Jun 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005624651

Angelo Poliziano

Angelo Poliziano (1454 -1494) succeeded Dante and Boccaccio as storyteller-poet in Renaissance Florence. The razzle-dazzle writer’s affiliation with the Medici court earned him assassination during a political conspiracy.

Book preview

STANZAS AFTER THE TOURNAMENT

A HANDBOOK OF LOVE

In A Bi-Lingual Presentation

of

Angelo Poliziano’s

STANZE PER LA GIOSTRA

(1478)

STANZAS AFTER THE TOURNAMENT

STANZE PER LA GIOSTRA

by

Angelo Poliziano

A HANDBOOK OF LOVE

A Bi-Lingual Presentation

translated

by

Becca Menon

www.BeccaBooks.com

English language version © 2022 Becca Menon

Cover Design: John Bartelstone www.johnbartelstone.com

Cover image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucas_Cranach_the_Elder_-_Cupid_complaining_to_Venus_-_Google_Art_Project_(331362).jpg

REAL PEOPLE, REAL PLACES, REAL FANTASIES

THE AUTHOR

Angelo_Poliziano_Angel_Appearing_Zacharias_(detail).jpg Domenico Ghirlandaio

ANGELO POLIZIANO

(1454 – poisoned in a factional conspiracy 1494)

Model Poet, Virtuosic Courtier

Here Poliziano uses Ottava Rima,

a Renaissance Italian form

of fixed rhyme

&

flexible rhythm.

THE TOURNAMENT

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_Panels_Casket_with_Scenes_from_Courtly_Romances,_Panel_2,_1330-1350_later,_French,_perhaps_Lorraine,_ivory_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC08547.JPG

The International Jousting Competition

In Florence, Italy

during which

Giuliano de Medici Garnered Every Glory

Took Place

on

The 29th of January, 1475.

THE PRINCE

https://commons.wikimedia.org:Botticelli-giuliano-collezione-crespi.jpg

Prince Giuliano de Medici

(1453 – assassinated 1478)

Bel Julio Lived

As a True-life

Champion of The Joust

As Well As

of

This Significantly True Story

of

Courtly Love.

THE NYMPH

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piero_di_Cosimo_Simonetta.jpg

La Bella Simonetta

(1453 – tuberculosis carried off a 23 year old in 1476)

The Improbably Good-Natured & Beautiful

Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci

Was a Favorite Subject

For Artists of Renaissance Florence

Such As

Sandro Botticelli.

THE CITY

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francesco_Rosselli_(attribution)._Pianta_della_Catena,_1470.jpg

Medici Florence,

Honeypot of The European Renaissance

The Great Renaissance Undertaking Proved

To Synthesize Roman Classical Ideals

With Then-Contemporary European Culture.

THE LANDSCAPE

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paolo_Uccello_The_Hunt_in_the_Forest.jpg

This Story’s Heart Resides In Tuscany, Renowned For Its Beauties.

GODS & GODDESSES

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Feast_of_the_Gods-1514_1529-Giovanni_Bellini_and_Titian.jpg

The Immortals’ Feasts Take Place on Earth

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adolphe_Giraudon,_V%C3%A9nus_de_Milo_(mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre)_01.jpg

Venus

The Mother of Us All

CONTENTS

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

BOOK ONE

INVOCATION

THE HUNT

EROS HUNTS THE HUNTER

DEMIGODS MEET

VENUS: THE ARTS OF LOVE

BOOK TWO

Giuliano’s Song

THE MYTH OF LOVE

SOLDIERS OF LOVE

AN URGENT SAVOR

THE ALTAR

Envoi

Altered typeface in the English often represents a hyperlink. Links can be followed in an e-book edition. The illustrations are interpolations as are the chapter titles you find here.

Translator’s Note

Translator’s Note

You’re holding a deviant translation.

As I go through a text I ask myself, What is this doing here?

Poliziano rolls a love-feast, from luscious to elevating, one stanza at a time. We fall in love with Roman gods and Florentine mortals. Welcome to the Italian Renaissance.

The nobility of Florence who were Poliziano’s audience probably chuckled and clapped at his breezy retellings of immortals’ peccadillos. I translate for readers farther and farther removed from when everyone knew about Gods. Demigods. And Love.

Let me tell you about them. Let me tell you about you.

Mangia!

BOOK ONE

-1-

Mnemosyne’s daughters, your indulgent aid I summon!

Tell of our hero, Tuscany’s native son.

And, lovers of the human journey, come in.

Here every seat’s full view, my verse, stadium.

Zeal reign like feast days’ pipes and drumming,

then Florence’ glorious offspring won’t succumb

to Oblivion nor that criminal, Time.

I swear it by you Muses, and my rhyme.

Le gloriose pompe e' fieri ludi

della città che 'l freno allenta e stringe

a magnanimi Toschi, e i regni crudi

di quella dea che 'l terzo ciel dipinge,

e i premi degni alli onorati studi,

la mente audace a celebrar mi spinge,

sì che i gran nomi e i fatti egregi e soli

fortuna o morte o tempo non involi.

-2-

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucas_Cranach_the_Elder,German_CupidGoogle_Art.jpg

The Love-Child

O precious ninny, who makes your toy our eyes,

you trick, tickle, slip in a person’s interior,

there to stir love’s hungry desires – or lies.

Forthwith sorrow bites us. We feel inferior.

Yet you turn bitter sweet, make chains golden ties.

Neither age nor death reigns. We live, are cheerier.

If I might borrow, Amor-Cupid, your brilliance,

I’ll portray your panache, wit and resilience.

O bello idio ch'al cor per gli occhi inspiri

dolce disir d'amaro pensier pieno,

e pasciti di pianto e di sospiri,

nudrisci l'alme d'un dolce veleno,

gentil fai divenir ciò che tu miri,

né può star cosa vil drento al suo seno;

Amor, del quale i' son sempre suggetto,

porgi or la mano al mio basso intelletto.

-3-

Naughty, noble Venus’ son, she taught the rule,

he will triumph who plays both sides in sport.

The game of love has no losers except a fool.

Florence’s sweet La Bella poisoned your dart.

Love wakened the prince and foolishness was cured.

The young lady shunned adoration, shied.

Love grew deeper. He’d never been denied.

Sostien tu el fascio ch'a me tanto pesa,

reggi la lingua, Amor, reggi la mano;

tu principio, tu fin dell'alta impresa,

tuo fia l'onor, s'io già non prego invano;

di', signor, con che lacci da te presa

fu l'alta mente del baron Toscano

più gioven figlio della etrusca Leda,

che reti furno ordite a tanta preda.

-4-

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lorenzo_de%27_Medici-ritratto.jpg

Lorenzo de Medici, Il Magnifico, ruled Venice from 1469 to 1492

How can I next make clumsy language portray

favored Lorenzo, Providence’ gift to Florence?

In his lap lies our city’s world-renown, its sway.

His ruling Medici family’s importance

shone as his brother swept the tournament day.

Giuliano held losing a contest in abhorrence.

Bravery, strength, agility: he left no quarrel

but like a demigod bore off the laurel.

E tu, ben nato Laur, sotto il cui velo

Fiorenza lieta in pace si riposa,

né teme i venti o 'l minacciar del celo

o Giove irato in vista più crucciosa,

accogli all'ombra del tuo santo stelo

la voce umil, tremante e paurosa;

o causa, o fin di tutte le mie voglie,

che sol vivon d'odor delle tuo foglie.

-5-

Victor, thanks to you, your movements so swift,

mere mortals felt lightness like winged things that fly.

May I, through this song of praise, now lift

my audience too, so that your fame not die.

Like Giotto’s Tower, our city’s joust is a