Sonnet 18

“If no love is, O God, what fele I so?” by Petrarch, translated by Geoffrey Chaucer (1385)

Chaucer included this translation of Petrarch’s sonnet in his medieval romance Troilus and Criseyde. Published shortly after Petrarch’s death, Chaucer’s insertion of the Italian poet’s work illustrates its role in the courtly love tradition. Troilus exhibits many characteristics of the Petrarchan lover, pining over Criseyde. Furthermore, Chaucer is drawing upon Petrarch’s promotion of humanism by re-telling a romance based around a Greek character from the matter of Troy. Furthermore, Chaucer’s source material for his romance was Il Filostrato, written by Petrarch’s friend, Giovanni Boccaccio.

“I Find no Peace” by Petrarch, translated by Sir Thomas Wyatt (1557)

Thomas Wyatt, known mostly as the lover of Anne Boleyn, played a large role in popularizing Petrarch and the sonnet form among English Renaissance poets. His liberal translations of Petrarch appeared in Tottel’s Miscellany, which had the goal of making the vernacular English language popular for poetry. Petrarch had popularized Italian when French was considered best for academics and poetry, and his work aided in doing the same when Italian was considered a more learned tongue than English.

Furthermore, this particular sonnet is a great example of Petrarch’s adynaton.