Crown of sonnets
Encyclopedia
A crown of sonnets or sonnet corona is a sequence of sonnet
s, usually addressed to some one person, and/or concerned with a single theme.
Each of the sonnets explores one aspect of the theme, and is linked to the preceding and succeeding sonnets by repeating the final line of the preceding sonnet as its first line, and by having its final line be the first line of the succeeding sonnet.
With seven sonnets, the first line of the first sonnet is repeated as the final line of the final sonnet, thereby bringing the sequence to a close. Famous examples include John Donne
's Corona (Crown) and Lady Mary Wroth
's A Crown of Sonnets Dedicated to Love.
An advanced form of crown of sonnets is also called a sonnet redoublé or heroic crown, comprising fifteen sonnets, in which the sonnets are linked as described above, but the final binding sonnet is made up of all the first lines of the preceding fourteen, in order. This form was invented by the Siena Academy, which was formed in 1460, but there are no existing crowns of sonnets written by them. The form was first described by Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni
in his work L'Istoria della volgar poesia (History of Folk Poetry), published in Venice, 1731 and later by P.G. Bisso in his Introduzione alla volgar poesia (Introduction to Folk Poetry), published in Venice, 1794. The first known crown of sonnets was written by Slovenian romantic poet France Prešeren
in his famous Sonetni venec (generally translated as "Wreath of Sonnets"), which was enriched with acrostic
in the master sonnet. Prešeren's crown of sonnets was translated into Russian in 1889, which had great influence on many poets, including Valery Bryusov
. Jaroslav Seifert
wrote his sentimental Věnec sonetů (A Wreath of Sonnets) in this form about Prague
, with an authorized translation by Jan Křesadlo
, who also composed his own emigre riposte
in the same format, as well as writing several other sonnet cycles.
The Bulgarian poet Venko Markovski
wrote and published more than 100 crowns of sonnets, which also contained acrostic
s dedicated to various historical figures.
The children's book A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson
also follows the form of a heroic crown of sonnets. Another well-known and frequent author of contemporary crowns of sonnets is Marilyn Hacker
. Notable crowns of sonnets have recently been published by Linda Beirds, Andrea Carter Brown, Robert Darling, Moira Egan, Jenny Factor, Andrei Krylov
, Julie Fay, Marie Ponsot, Patricia Smith, Marilyn Taylor, Natasha Trethewey
, David Trinidad, and Kathrine Varnes.
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
s, usually addressed to some one person, and/or concerned with a single theme.
Each of the sonnets explores one aspect of the theme, and is linked to the preceding and succeeding sonnets by repeating the final line of the preceding sonnet as its first line, and by having its final line be the first line of the succeeding sonnet.
With seven sonnets, the first line of the first sonnet is repeated as the final line of the final sonnet, thereby bringing the sequence to a close. Famous examples include John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
's Corona (Crown) and Lady Mary Wroth
Lady Mary Wroth
Lady Mary Wroth was an English poet of the Renaissance. A member of a distinguished literary English family, Wroth was among the first female British writers to have achieved an enduring reputation...
's A Crown of Sonnets Dedicated to Love.
An advanced form of crown of sonnets is also called a sonnet redoublé or heroic crown, comprising fifteen sonnets, in which the sonnets are linked as described above, but the final binding sonnet is made up of all the first lines of the preceding fourteen, in order. This form was invented by the Siena Academy, which was formed in 1460, but there are no existing crowns of sonnets written by them. The form was first described by Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni
Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni
Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni was an Italian critic and poet. Crescimbeni was born in Macerata, which was then part of the Papal States....
in his work L'Istoria della volgar poesia (History of Folk Poetry), published in Venice, 1731 and later by P.G. Bisso in his Introduzione alla volgar poesia (Introduction to Folk Poetry), published in Venice, 1794. The first known crown of sonnets was written by Slovenian romantic poet France Prešeren
France Prešeren
France Prešeren was a Slovene Romantic poet. He is considered the Slovene national poet. Although he was not a particularly prolific author, he inspired virtually all Slovene literature thereafter....
in his famous Sonetni venec (generally translated as "Wreath of Sonnets"), which was enriched with acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
in the master sonnet. Prešeren's crown of sonnets was translated into Russian in 1889, which had great influence on many poets, including Valery Bryusov
Valery Bryusov
Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov was a Russian poet, prose writer, dramatist, translator, critic and historian. He was one of the principal members of the Russian Symbolist movement.-Biography:...
. Jaroslav Seifert
Jaroslav Seifert
Jaroslav Seifert was a Nobel Prize winning Czech writer, poet and journalist.Born in Žižkov, a suburb of Prague in what was then part of Austria-Hungary, his first collection of poems was published in 1921...
wrote his sentimental Věnec sonetů (A Wreath of Sonnets) in this form about Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, with an authorized translation by Jan Křesadlo
Jan Kresadlo
Jan Křesadlo was the primary pseudonym used by Václav Jaroslav Karel Pinkava , a Czech psychologist who was also a prizewinning novelist and poet....
, who also composed his own emigre riposte
Riposte
In fencing, the riposte is an offensive action with the intent of hitting one's opponent, made by the fencer who has just parried an attack....
in the same format, as well as writing several other sonnet cycles.
The Bulgarian poet Venko Markovski
Venko Markovski
Venko Markovski, in Bulgarian and Macedonian Венко Марковски, born as Veniamin Milanov Toshev; was a Bulgarian and Macedonian writer, poet and Communist politician.-Biography:...
wrote and published more than 100 crowns of sonnets, which also contained acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
s dedicated to various historical figures.
The children's book A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson
Marilyn Nelson
Marilyn Nelson is an American poet, translator and children's book author. She is the author or translator of twelve books and three chapbooks.-Early life:...
also follows the form of a heroic crown of sonnets. Another well-known and frequent author of contemporary crowns of sonnets is Marilyn Hacker
Marilyn Hacker
Marilyn Hacker is an American poet, translator and critic. She is Professor of English at the City College of New York....
. Notable crowns of sonnets have recently been published by Linda Beirds, Andrea Carter Brown, Robert Darling, Moira Egan, Jenny Factor, Andrei Krylov
Andrei Krylov (musician)
Andrei Krylov is a Russian 7- and 6- string guitarist, composer and poet. He studied classical guitar, arrangement and composition in St. Petersburg, Russia and is now living in Canada. In the 1980s and 1990s he worked as a guitarist for the Russian State concert company Lenconcert and the Old...
, Julie Fay, Marie Ponsot, Patricia Smith, Marilyn Taylor, Natasha Trethewey
Natasha Trethewey
Natasha Trethewey is an American poet who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in poetry for her 2006 collection, Native Guard.Trethewey was born in Gulfport, Mississippi. She earned the A.B. in English from the University of Georgia, an M.A. in poetry from Hollins University, and an M.F.A. in poetry from...
, David Trinidad, and Kathrine Varnes.
External links
- Corona of sonnets described on Guide to Verse forms
- Jan Křesadlo translation of Seifert's A Wreath of Sonnets with link to the translator's Countergarland, in Czech, and structured English translation.
- A sonnet redoublé by Jan KřesadloJan KresadloJan Křesadlo was the primary pseudonym used by Václav Jaroslav Karel Pinkava , a Czech psychologist who was also a prizewinning novelist and poet....
- The Gift a sonnet redoublé by Seanan McGuireSeanan McGuireSeanan McGuire is an American author and filker. She also writes under the name "Mira Grant."-October Daye:# Rosemary and Rue...
and Batya Wittenberg - What Lips A collaborative sonnet crown
- Prophecy: a corona of sonnets by Esther Cameron
- Marilyn Nelson: Poetic Justice
- Moon's the Same: A collaborative sonnet crown
- The second section of Julie Sophia Paegle's torch song tango choir is a heroic crown of sonnets.
- The Wreath of Sonnets written by Vlanes in 2000 http://www.poezia.ru/article.php?sid=30289