| NAVIGATION: | Index of Dr. Weller's Class Material | Index of Petrarchan Love Poetry |
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1 What infinite
providence and art
2 He showed in his
wonderful mastery,
3 who created this
and the other hemisphere,
4 and Jupiter far
gentler than Mars,
5 descending to earth
to illuminate the page
6 which had for many
years concealed the truth,
7 taking John from
the nets, and Peter,
8 and making them
part of heaven's kingdom.
9 It did not please
him to be born in Rome,
10 but in Judea: to
exalt humility
11 to such a supreme
state always pleases him;
12 and now from a
little village a sun is given,
13 such that the
place, and nature, praise themselves,
14 out of which so
lovely a lady is born to the world.
3: "this and the other hemisphere": — I believe "this [hemisphere]" is the northern, known to the people of Petrarch's time, while the "other hemisphere" is the southern, a place of mystery.4: "Jupiter far gentler than Mars": — Mars is the Roman god of war; Jupiter is the supreme Roman god, who gives blessings, not just punishments.
5-6: "descending to earth to illuminate the page / which had for many years concealed the truth": — The "page" is the Old Testament prophecy of the coming of the Messiah; the truth illuminated was that the Messiah was not a warrior, but humble Jesus.
7: "taking John from the nets": — John the Apostle was a fisherman, who used nets; "nets" are also symbolic of the trap of sin.
12: "a little village": — Presumably Avignon, where Petrarch first saw Laura, though Avigon was only a little village in comparison to the great city of Rome.