Effacing the Poet: Mary Sidney Herbert Translates Petrarch’s Triumphi

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mary Sidney Herbert’s translation of the third canto of Petrarch’s Triumphi has been frequently acknowledged as one of the most accurate translations of that text into English. The Countess of Pembroke not only preserves the terza rima rhyme scheme throughout but also meticulously follows the original poem in every terzina, and the two texts—the source and translation—correspond almost line by line. However, a key component of Petrarch’s text is repeatedly altered in her version: Pembroke effaces many important mentions of the narrator’s poetic vocation, presenting instead a narrator who ostensibly lacks obvious literary associations and pursuits. Following previous studies that argue that Pembroke’s writings have been shaped by the endeavour to honour her famed brother’s death and his literary legacy, through which she was also able to implicitly lay her own claim for poetic authority, this essay argues that her translation—and crucially, the changes between the source text and its English rendition—is another example of how Pembroke was able to simultaneously eschew the known tropes of poetic mastery that were associated with Petrarch and Philip Sidney, yet still assert her independent poetic voice and position.