Acquire Jerusalem Delivered Imagined By Torquato Tasso Rendered As Manuscript

things I've read comparing Ariosto to Tasso seem to think Tasso the better poet, While I enjoyed this poem, I loved Ariosto, This is well worth the read I just liked Orlando Furioso more, Near the end of the year, I was so happy to discover the Renaissance epic Jerusalem Delivered, written by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, Anthony Esolens translation is quite clear, lucid, and readable, I love the battles, the romance, the piety, the freeflowing form, the adventures, Its all quite great. Next year I hope to read Orlando Furioso, which I hear is even funnier and cooler than Tassos poem, I think the adjective I can use to best describe it is C, S. Lewiss own adjective: “edifying. ” Why have we lost the memory of the Italian Renaissance epics If only we rediscovered them, Theyre quite good, if Tassos engrossing poem is any clue,

The scenes of Sophronias and Olindas love for one another that is strong as death, of the tyrant Aladines poisoning the waters of the countryside, the fights of Tancredi and his love Clorinda, the healing of Tancredi by Erminia, the fight between Rinaldo and the Sultan Soliman, the scenes in Armidas “Bower of Bliss,” the baptism of Clorinda as she dies, the vision of the archangels that Godfrey of Bouillon the poems chief hero sees as he fights for Jerusalem, the death of the married warrior couple Gildippe and Edward  these are but a few moments in this epic that reminds me of Ridley Scotts Gladiator and Mel Gibsons Braveheart, two epics that go for bold in their bigness and sheer emotionalism.


If the Icelandic sagas are apparently a wellkept Secret, except for its deepest fans, so are the Italian Renaissance epics of the sixteenth century, the epic that entertained and delighted some of the greatest Western writers and minds like Spenser, Milton, and Byron.
I kept thinking of cinema when reading Tasso the stanzas and the form and the structure really support my conception that cinema would benefit from a great adaptation of Tassos epic Nelle partite dell'antico sport dell'èmeglioAriostooTasso simile a quello che giocavo da bambino: èpiùforteHulkolaCosa io mi sono sempre presentato con la maglietta dei tassofili, trovandomi tra gli avversari esperti giocatori del passato come Galileo Galilei, che attaccava così:

Mi è sempre parso e pare che questo poeta Tasso sia nelle sue invenzioni oltre tutti i termini gretto, povero e miserabile e allopposito lAriosto magnifico, ricco e mirabile: e quando mi volgo a considerare i cavalieri con le loro azioni e avvenimenti, come anche tutte laltre favolette di questo poema Gerusalemme liberata, parmi giusto dentrare in uno studietto di qualche ometto curioso, che si sia dilettato di adornarlo di cose che abbiano, o per antichità o per rarità o per altro, del pellegrino, ma che però sieno in effetto coselline, avendosi come saria a dire un granchio petrificato, un camaleonte secco, una mosca e un ragno in gelatina in un pezzo dambra, alcuni di quei fantoccini di terra che dicono trovarsi ne i sepolcri antichi di Egitto, e così, in maniera di pittura, qualche schizzetto di Baccio Bandinelli o del Parmigiano, e simili altre cosette ma allincontro quando entro nel Furioso, veggo aprirsi una tribuna, una galleria regia, ornata di cento statue antiche de più celebri scultori, con infinite storie intere, e le migliori, di pittori illustri, con un numero grande di vasi di cristalli, dagate, di lapislazzari e laltre gioie, e finalmente ripiene di cose rare, preziose, meravigliose, e di tutta eccellenza.


Ecco, ci si batteva nobilmente,
Senza smettere di sorridere per il furibondo analogismo del parere di Galileo, penetrante anche quando ingiusto, stavo dalla parte degli scorci fulminanti, dell'oscurità che progressivamente lascia intravedere di lontano un non so che di luminoso dei tormenti interiori delle azioni degne di un chiaro sole, degne di un pieno teatro e invece osservate soltanto, tra le lacrime, dalla notte.


Era la notte, . .

Negli ultimi anni, però, devo dire che ho letto di più sitelinkAriosto, A volte scoprendo di conoscere meglio per certe cose gli avversari dei miei compagni,

Ma non cambio squadra!
Basta aprire quasi a caso ed ecco, nel terzo canto, cosa succede durante il primo scontro tra la donna guerriera che difende Gerusalemme e il crociato che la ama:

Clorinda intanto ad incontrar lassalto
va di Tancredi, e pon la lancia in resta.

Ferirsi a le visiere, e i tronchi in alto
volaro e parte nuda ella ne resta
ché, rotti i lacci a lelmo suo, dun salto
mirabil colpo! ei le balzò di testa
e, le chiome dorate al vento sparse,
giovane donna in mezzo l campo apparse.


E soprattutto, il canto XII quello del combattimento tra Tancredi e Clorinda, probabilmente contiene i versi più belli che siano stati scritti nella lingua italiana,


L'edizione Bur delè apprezzabile per molti motivi, In particolare, il commento di Franco Tomasi si segnala per la ricchezza dei riferimenti ai testi precedenti, Non soltanto Iliade e Eneide, ma Silio Italico o la Christias di Vida, che è comodo trovare a piè di pagina,

postillanovembre
Rileggo ancora quelle pagine di Galileo, con la famosa immagine della tarsia, E vengono in mente le straordinarie tarsie di Lorenzo Lotto nel coro di Santa Maria Maggiore di Bergamo, ma Galileo vuole offendere!
Secondo lui, la narrazione di Tasso è più una pittura intarsiata che colorita a olio: "perché, essendo le tarsie un accozzamento di legnetti di diversi colori, con i quali non possono già mai accoppiarsi e unirsi così dolcemente che non restino i lor confini taglienti e dalla diversità de' colori crudamente distinti, rendono per necessità le lor figure secche, crude, senza tondezza e rilievo.
"

Sarà, Galileo, ma se mi fai venire in mente il balenare della luce su quei legnetti di Bergamo, con le figure che prendono rilievo e escono fuori dalla materia e continuamente ridiventano opache quando si allontana la torcia, per poi balenare di nuovo, forse la tua immagine si ritorce contro il tuo deprezzamento di Torquato! I've been on the fence about reading this for overyears now and I have to say I am very happy I finally took the plunge.

It was a great read, Tasso weaves a complex narrative of love, faith, and duty, The cantos dealing with the mission to bring Rinaldo back to the crusaders dragged quite a bit, It took me quite a bit to power through it, Otherwise, I would highly recommend this epic, Letture scolastiche: Ottobre/Novembre
I,
VII,
XII,,
XVI,,,SO, this story is kind of ridiculous and, obviously, I would have liked it more had it been about Philippe Auguste but it's also incredibly vibrant.
Nash has a very readable prose translation, and the footnotes indicate he also has a genuine affection for the work, which is nice, As epics go, it rates below the Odyssey, but above the Iliad and Virgil, and definitely above Roland and the Cid, I'd like to read Ariosto and Boiardo now, because I know this means Cervantes will never forgive me I think the romance elements were extremely interesting, Also entertaining. A true epic, in scope and delivery and Wickert's work is what every translator should strive for,

This is a highly fictionalised rendering of the First Crusade's taking of Jerusalem, Hints of 'sitelinkThe Iliad' and 'sitelinkThe Aeneid' are everywhere, although Tasso's depiction of war is more somber and less heroic, His evil council of Hell in turn influenced Milton's 'sitelinkParadise Lost',

Godfrey of Bouillon, heroic Tancred and invincible Rinaldo vie for supremacy with the likes of Solyman the Sultan, unstoppable Argant and Clorinda, warrior maiden extraordinaire, The action is emotionally charged, the interludes are interesting and a nice change of pace and the side stories are a plus instead of being distractions,

The whole thing is beautiful, charming and kinda cool, Methinks I will look for more Italian classics, Torquato Tassowrote Jerusalem Delivered inpublished in, This poetic epic can easily be compared to the Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, Even though Tasso isnt a household name, his works have weathered the test of time and are still highly inspirational, Basically Jerusalem Delivered is an account of the First Crusadeto the Holy Lands, I admit that epic poetry isnt my primary forte but I can still see the literary value in this antiquated historical work, This isnt a work for everyone but could be seen as a true diamond for those chosen few,
"The singing warriors to the mountain went,
and the low valleys answered all their hymns,
while the high hilltops and their caverns deep
and Echo through a thousand paths replied.

It almost seemed that all those dens and leaves,
where songs of nymphs and shepherds lay concealed,
now tenderly resounded, and so very
clearly, the name of Christ and that of Mary.


Meanwhile atop their walls, without a word,
astounded, all the Pagans had come out
to watch that slow meandering of song,
and those strange rites, and that unwonted pomp.

But as the newness of the holy scene
faded, the wretched heathens raised their cries,
and soon with blasphemies, in strident chord,
a mount, a torrent, a great valley roared.
"
Tasso, se possibile, ti metterei anche dieci stelle, This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it, This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible, Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world, and other notations in the work.


This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations, Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity individual or corporate has a copyright on the body of the work,

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc, Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public, We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant, In the Gerusalemme Liberata Tasso sets out, and succeeds, in writing what may be the quintessential Renaissance epic: drawing obviously on Homer and Vergil he doesn't just try to match classical epic but to overreach it.
By Christianising the heroic quest he gives a different kind of moral and spiritual framework to the genre which is both recognisable and transformed,

But this is no dry, dull read: exciting, dramatic and passionate, this is set during the first crusade as the Christian army besige Jerusalem and is full of heroism, love, romance and magic.


Tancred's love for the 'pagan' female warrior Clorinda Rinaldo's sexual obsession with the beguiling enchantress Armida Erminia's own love for Tancred fill the poem with human emotion.
And the fight scenes of heroic duels are quite nailbiting at points,

Wickert translates this brilliantly into eightline stanzas, and uses rhyme rhythmically and well, As with other epic poems, the best way is to forget the fact that it's poetry and simply follow the sense of the text: the rhyme then takes care of itself and adds a subtle rather than plodding emphasis and pleasure to the text.


Hugely influential, this certainly influenced Spenser and Milton, But it's worth reading not just for its status within the epic tradition but as a genuinely pleasurable and engrossing story in its own right,
This is an epic poem about the First Crusade to liberate the Holy Land, Little read today, it was once consider a must read during the Renaissance, Tasso imitates Homer and Virgil in composing this work and pits love against duty within the main characters, A work that should be resurrected, ”O ye scourge of the enemies of Christ!
My army, conqueror of the Orient!
Behold the final day, the day has come
Which you have craved, for which your toils been spent,
And all the rebel populations have
Merged here against you, all with heavens consent,
That you may, with your foes in unison,
Fight many wars and win them all in one!

CantoStanza

I enjoyed every bit of this.
Heroic speeches, noble charges, last stands, cowardice, betrayal, courage, and valor on a grand scale everything you would desire and expect in an epic,

Written almost as propaganda, Tasso published this during the late's, a time of disunity within a Machiavellian Italy, Political strife, compounded by the Reformation, was causing great division in the country Tasso wished to harken back the days of yore, during the first crusade, when the country was unified in cause and religion, and laid siege to a Saracenoccupied Jerusalem.
Of course, the period of the first crusade was just as turbulent, with conflict between ruling parties and individuals, but that all falls to the wayside in the blending of myth and lore Tasso invokes in telling his poetic Jerusalem Delivered to Make Italy Great Again.


Though one would think the forces of Islam undergoing the siege would be portrayed as ridiculous caricatures, staged merely as onedimensional villains upon which the Italian forces can execute their virtue its actually quite the opposite.
The Muslim forces are handled with just as much respect as the Crusaders, with many of the storys strongest, and most notable characters, standing in defense of Jerusalem, They are brave, and selfless, and tremendously strong on the battlefield, a rival for any of the crusading forces, Furthermore, they are given name and voice Clorinda, a Saracen soldier, as beautiful as she is deadly, who wins the heart of Tancred, a Christian knight Argante, a Muslim warrior, who is unrivaled on the field of battle, and becomes Tancreds nemesis as the siege rages on Soliman, a warrior Sultan who, as the crusaders lay ladders to cross Jerusalems walls, nobly charges them in one of the poems most cinematic moments:

The Captain waits not more,
But seized the banner his trusty ensign bore,

And is first man on the bridge and in midcourse
There is the Sultan to block him.
There they strive
With infinite virtue, on a little bridge,
A narrow field, with the few blows they give,
And the proud Soliman cries, “I consecrate
My own life here that other men may live!
Friends, the bridge behind my back, cut it away!
To the end I will be no easy prey.
”

CantoStanzas

Their war cries are raw and honest, being of the full knowledge that, if the walls are taken, their families will pay the brutal price, since the Crusaders will hold no quarter.
History tells us this is the reality of the situation, as, ultimately, the soldiers that took the city, pillaged, raped, and killed all within Jerusalems walls, including women, and children, which makes the Muslim forces noble cries for steadfast courage and defense that much more affecting.
They know the reality of failure, and their stoic rage rings from every line,

”O valiant heart!
Go with that look to take our riches home, ”

“Protect our faith and laws, and do not have
Our holy temples washed in our own blood!
Protect your fathers ashes and his grave,
Secure your virgins from that wicked brood!
The old men show you their white locks and rave
About the years gone, and their soldierhood
Your wife shows you her nipples and her breast,
Your children, cradles, bed.
” And to the rest

He said, “Asia makes you the champions
Of her honor, and she expects from you
Against these few thieving barbarians
A harsh but most just vengeance.
”

Excerpts from CantoStanzas

Its brutal, and like The Iliad in form and function, a story of soldiers at war, Of course, this being an Italian national epic, the bravery and courage of her soldiers must stand as the beacon of chivalry, championing readers to selfless deeds and heroism.


and though his face looked ashen and half dead,
And he too weak to bear his mail and fight,
Or even strap a helmet to his head,
Still hed not shun the trouble, come what might,
For there was need.


Excerpt of CantoStanza

Its easy to see why this poem has inspired so much art, and in so many forms, There are operas, paintings, plays, and stories based on the characters created here, The noble Tancred, the heroic, and handsome, lovescorned Rinaldo, and the king Godfrey, handselected by God to bring Jerusalem back under Christian rule, are icons of Italian expression, Tasso succeeded in giving his country a source of inspiration, and his readers an epic that has been, and will be, remembered,

As a further note, Esolen's translation was excellent, and the John Hopkins Press edition I read pictured above was filled with detailed character notes, historical context which added crucial specifics, and additional commentary about the author, providing a very detailed reading experience.
As far as I know, this is currently the most comprehensive examination of this poem, and, if something that intrigues you, would be the premiere copy to obtain,

Jerusalem Delivered was a great read, Epic poems, and writings of this nature, deserve to be read with focused investment, by dwelling on the words selected, the scenes painted, You're going to get more from this the more you put into it, It's certainly not for everyone, but for those who are willing to make the effort, it's a drama of noble character, and emotional power, In equal fair, it would please me greatly to read a poem of rival stature from the Saracen perspective a Jerusalem

Lost, or a poem based on the third crusade, when Islam retook Jerusalem, echoing Milton, a Jerusalem Regained.
Tasso's work deserves to be read, and to have a rival poem of similar caliber and note, I would be pleased to find one,

What pen has ever staged
The glorious scene Who can describe the sight
Of a people overcome, or justly tell
Of that pathetic, fearsome spectacle

Excerpt of CantoStanza.