The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella; Now for the First Time Translated into Rhymed English

This volume presents rhymed English translations of sonnets by Michelangelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella, accompanied by an extended introduction, notes, and appendices. The poems alternate between intense meditations on idealized beauty, personal solitude, and spiritual longing, and more speculative, theological or philosophical reflections arising from exile and dissent. Editorial commentary examines manuscript variations and earlier editorial interventions, and the translator's decisions regarding diction and rhyme. Placed side by side, the two poets' sonnets offer contrasts of temper and tone while revealing shared preoccupations with love, the nature of beauty, and the poet's search for higher truth.