Donna mi prega

poem by Cavalcanti

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June 25, 2026

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"Donna mi prega" is a famous and complex canzone, a type of lyric poem, by the Italian poet Guido Cavalcanti. Written around the late 13th century, it is considered a prime example of the dolce stil nuovo ("sweet new style") of poetry.12

The poem offers a philosophical analysis of the nature of love. It suggests that love arises when a man encounters a woman who embodies an ideal image in his mind and ceases when this ideal correspondence is lost. Cavalcanti, a major figure in 13th-century Italian literature, was known for his brilliant but often anguished love lyrics. His work, alongside Dante Alighieri's, defined the dolce stil nuovo, which celebrated an idealized view of love and womanhood.12

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Guido Cavalcanti
…which the most famous is “Donna mi prega” (“A Lady Asks Me”), a beautiful and complex philosophical analysis of love, the subject of many later commentaries. Others are sonnets and ballate (ballads), the latter type usually considered his best. One of his best-known ballate was also one of his last,…
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…which the most famous is “Donna mi prega” (“A Lady Asks Me”), a beautiful and complex philosophical analysis of love, the subject of many later commentaries. Others are sonnets and ballate (ballads), the latter type usually considered his best. One of his best-known ballate was also one of his last,…
Read More

dolce stil nuovo
…the nature of love, called “Donna mi prega” (“A lady entreats me”), which suggests the notion that love exists when a man encounters a woman who corresponds to an ideal image in his mind and ceases to exist when this correspondence of images ceases.
Read More
…the nature of love, called “Donna mi prega” (“A lady entreats me”), which suggests the notion that love exists when a man encounters a woman who corresponds to an ideal image in his mind and ceases to exist when this correspondence of images ceases.
Read More