Guittone d'Arezzo, Dante and the power of assonance
Re-reading Dante's Commedia, I am reminded of the power of assonance, alliteration and other figures of phonetic repetition in early Italian poetry. Take these verses from Guittone d'Arezzo's poem Ora parrà s'eo saverò cantare (Now we shall see whether I can still sing):
En vita more e sempre in morte vive omo fellon, ch’è di ragion nemico: credendo veni…
