da Todi Jacopone

Le Laude secondo la stampa fiorentina del 1490

"Le Laude" by Jacopone da Todi is a collection of religious compositions written between the 12th and 15th centuries. These 92 lauds, written in ballad form, blend the popular Umbrian lauda tradition with the voice of a tormented soul. Jacopone violently attacks earthly reality for its vanity and transience, sometimes through passionate denunciation, other times through powerfully dramatic figures confronting divine mystery. His "Pianto della Madonna" stands as a masterpiece of pre-Dante Italian literature.