A Translation of the First Eclogue “Honorable love and its happy outcome” (De honesto amore et felici eius exitu) from the Adolescentia by Battista the Mantuan

The article presents a translation of the first eclogue from the 15th-century collection of bucolics Adolescentia by Battista the Mantuan (1447–1516). The eclogue, entitled De honesto amore et felici eius exitu, is supplemented by an introduction and commentary. To this day, two critical editions of the work have been published: by Wilfred Mustard (1911) in English, and by Andrea Severi (2010) in Italian.

The introduction presents the author’s biography and gives a brief description of the whole collection, in particular the eclogue under discussion. The Italian poet Battista the Mantuan was a Carmelite and became Blessed of the Catholic Church. A prolific writer, he is best known for his Adolescentia, a collection of bucolics created at a young age, edited and expanded later. Published originally in 1498, Adolescentia quickly gained popularity among readers and were established as school reading.

Other issues discussed in the introduction include the sources of Mantuan’s inspiration, the role of the collection in education and in the Reformation, as well as the reception of Adolescentia. It is also pointed out that the first eclogue should be seen in a wider context of Renaissance eclogues exploring the theme of marriage. The interpretation of the eclogue offered in the article draws on its biblical and ancient sources, i.e. the Book of Ruth and Virgil’s eclogues, respectively, as well as the conventions of the genre, especially of elegy, that affected its form.

The article presents a translation of the first eclogue from the 15th-century collection of bucolics Adolescentia by Battista the Mantuan (1447–1516). The eclogue, entitled De honesto amore et felici eius exitu, is supplemented by an introduction and commentary. To this day, two critical editions of the work have been published: by Wilfred Mustard (1911) in English, and by Andrea Severi (2010) in Italian.

The introduction presents the author’s biography and gives a brief description of the whole collection, in particular the eclogue under discussion. The Italian poet Battista the Mantuan was a Carmelite and became Blessed of the Catholic Church. A prolific writer, he is best known for his Adolescentia, a collection of bucolics created at a young age, edited and expanded later. Published originally in 1498, Adolescentia quickly gained popularity among readers and were established as school reading.

Other issues discussed in the introduction include the sources of Mantuan’s inspiration, the role of the collection in education and in the Reformation, as well as the reception of Adolescentia. It is also pointed out that the first eclogue should be seen in a wider context of Renaissance eclogues exploring the theme of marriage. The interpretation of the eclogue offered in the article draws on its biblical and ancient sources, i.e. the Book of Ruth and Virgil’s eclogues, respectively, as well as the conventions of the genre, especially of elegy, that affected its form.