ABSTRACT
One of the components of the 'legend of Cecco' consists of the notion that Cecco Angiolieri lived isolated from the greater culture at large. Like the rest of the 'legend', this idea derives from the conception that, historically speaking, the poet was as bizarre as his sonnets make him out to be. The opinion of Cecco's unimportance fails in a second way in that it presumes that few of Angiolieri's contemporaries actually read his verses during his lifetime. Before moving on to Cecco's response, however, certain elements within Simones lyric deserve closer attention. Unlike many of Cecco's other poems, this one appears relatively straightforward and requires little explication. He first summarizes Simone's question, repeating that the other poet wishes to learn how to defend himself against love. Aside from not resolving any possible friendship or animosity between the two persons, this sonnet apostrophizes the Marshal in only the vaguest manner.
