The task asked us to do a comparison between the sonnet “Passa la nave mia colma d’oblio” by Petrarch and the sonnet “My galley charged with forgetfulness” by Thomas Wyatt. The English sonneteer translated the Petrarch sonnet into English, but there are some problems with the rhythm. As a matter of fact in the English language rhythm is given by the alternation of stressed and unstressed words, on the other hand in the Italian language rhythm depends on the length of syllables. Anyway I’ll start my comparison with the title: the first verse of both sonnets recall the title of the texts, as a consequence we know that they take part of a collection of sonnets.

Secondly they follow the model of the Petrarch-sonnet, as a matter of fact they are arranged into an octave and a sestet. In the first part the sonneteer poses the problem which could be the forgetfulness that is a negative aspect of human beings. As a matter of fact the galley could be the sonneteer himself or his life that travels through life which is plenty of difficulties, ignorance and errors (“sharp seas, winter nights, doth pass”). The galley tries to face life and forgetfulness (“and every oar a thought in readiness”) but there always something worse that put him into troubles again. In the sestet the poet tries to find a solution against the problem. In my opinion he is looking forward to end his life, with all its problems, and so the issue of forgetfulness to pass away to God which is figured by the port.

The sonnet translated by Thomas Wyatt has some problems, as I said before, according to the rhythm and the verses don’t finish their meaning in the line but they end it in the following line. As a consequence, the Wyatt sonnet has 15 verses, one more than the Petrarch one.

To conclude the rhyme scheme isn’t the same in both texts in fact in the Petrarch text it is ABBA CDDC in the octave and in the sestet ABC ABC. ON the other hand in the Wyatt sonnet it doesn't follow a regular scheme.