Seven Sonnets and a Canzone by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This collection features translations by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow of poems that Michelangelo Buonarroti, the renowned Renaissance sculptor and painter, originally penned. Longfellow translated these works into English from a revised edition by Michelangelo's nephew, prior to the release of a more definitive text. The poems delve into the connections between art, beauty, the soul, and the inevitability of death—subjects that deeply engaged Michelangelo during his later years.

Reverent and meditative. Longfellow treats Michelangelo's verse like a delicate artifact — with care and profound respect. There's a subtle weight to the work, which suits poems that explore beauty, mortality, and the soul's desire for something beyond the physical realm.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) wrote poetry throughout his life, but it didn’t attract much serious scholarly attention until centuries after he passed away. His nephew, also named Michelangelo, published an edited and heavily altered version of the poems in 1623, toning down the homoerotic themes and tweaking the grammar. The definitive edition by Cesare Guasti came out in 1863, bringing back the original texts. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translated these works before Guasti's edition, relying on the sanitized version from the nephew. Longfellow published his own verse translations during the mid-to-late 19th century, and his interest in Italian Renaissance poetry mirrors the broader American Romantic enthusiasm for European high culture. These sonnets reflect the blend of art, Neoplatonic philosophy, and Christian spirituality—key elements of Michelangelo's inner life.