Dissertation on Birds of Prey and the Sport - the Falconry Heritage ...

nonexistent in the poetry of the scuola sici1iana.l This fact may reflect a change of focus
in Sicilian poetry.5 Where previously in troubadour poetry the ladylfalcon was portrayed
as being trained by the poetlfalconer in the practice of love, and the joy of a reciprocal
love dynamic was reflected in the relationship between falconer and falcon, in Sicilian
poetry, the emphasis on the tyranny of love and the consequent suffering of the poet leads
to hunting imagery being used quite differently. Here often Love itself is the merciless
hunter, whose prey is the hapless poet. Many animal images are used to convey the
poet's suffering in Sicilian poetry; frequently seen, for example, are animals associated
with fire-the salamander, the phoenix-and venatory images are present as well: the
poet may be a deer being pursued or a bird caught in lime.
What one might consider a natural falconry extension of this trend of thought-
the poet as the helpless prey of Love, who is the pursuing falcon-seems to be absent
from the opus of Sicilian poetry. However, this is not true of all predatory birds that may
be seen to participate in the hunt of love. Giacomo da Lentini portrays himself as the
victim of a predatory bird, though it is not a falcon but an eagle:
Lo giglio quand'e colto tost'e passo,
da poi la sua natura lui no e giunta;
ed io da c'unche son partuto un passo
da voi, mia donna, dolemi ogni giunta.
Per che d'amare ogni amadore passo,
in tante altezze lo mio core giunta:
cosi mi fere Amor la 'vunque passo,
com'aghila quand'a la caccia e giunta.
Oi lasso me, che nato fui in tal punto,
s'unque no amasse se non voi, chiu gente
(quest0 saccia madonna da mia parte):
' See Boccassini (261) for a discussion of the arguments around the origins of the Sicilian school of poetry.
However, whether influenced by the troubadours of Northern Italian courts or those of the south of France,
it is still surprising to find such a dearth of falconry imagery in Sicily considering their abundance in the
previous literature.
Boccassini, 264-268.