Giacomo da Lentini

Giacomo da Lentini, also known as Jacopo (il) Notaro, was an Italian poet of the 13th century. He was a senior poet of the Sicilian School and was a notary at the court of the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II. Giacomo is credited with the invention of the sonnet.

His poetry was originally written in literary Sicilian, though it only survives in Tuscan. His poetry, which was an adaptation to Italian of the French Provençal poetry of the troubadours, concerns courtly, chivalrous love.

An example of his poetry follows::Io m'aggio posto in core a Dio servire,
:Com'io potesse gire in paradiso,
:Al santo loco ch'aggio audito dire
:U'si mantien sollazzo, gioco e riso.

:Sanza mia donna non li voria gire,
:Quella c'ha blonda testa e claro viso,
:Chè sanza lei non poteria gaudire,
:Estando da la mia donna diviso.

:Ma non lo dico a tale intendimento,
:Perch'io peccato ci volesse fare,
:Se non veder lo suo bel portamento,

:E lo bel viso e 'l morbido a sguardare:
:Chè lo mi teria in gran consolamento,
:Veggendo la mia donna in ghioria stare.

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*"Giacomo Da Lentini." Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9036713 [Accessed March 25, 2006] .