To Giovanni Da Pistoja. On The Painting Of The Sistine Chapel.
I' ho gi' fatto un gozzo. I've grown a goitre by dwelling in this den-- As cats from stagnant streams in Lombardy, Or in what other land they hap to be-- Which drives the belly close beneath the chin: My beard turns up to heaven; my nape falls in, Fixed on my spine: my breast-bone visibly Grows like a harp: a rich embroidery Bedews my face from brush-drops thick and thin. My loins into my paunch like levers grind: My buttock like a crupper bears my weight; My feet unguided wander to and fro; In front my skin grows loose and long; behind, By bending it becomes more taut and strait; Crosswise I strain me like a Syrian bow: Whence false and quaint, I know, Must be the fruit of squinting brain and eye; For ill can aim the gun that bends awry. Come then, Giovanni, try To succour my dead pictures and my fame; Since foul I fare and painting is my shame.
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"I' ho gi' fatto un gozzo...."
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni's contribution to classical-poetry is further solidified by the brilliance found in "To Giovanni Da Pistoja. On The Painting Of The Sistine Chapel."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...