I have appealed to them for lighter incidents: matters of courtesy, the completion of the Sistine vault, the statue of Night at S.Lorenzo, the subjection of Florence to the Medici, his heart-felt admiration for Dante's genius.
Examples of his poetic work, so far as these can be applied to the explanation of his psychology, his theory of art, his sympathies, his feeling under several moods of passion, will consequently be found scattered up and down by volumes.

Translation, indeed, is difficult to the writer, and unsatisfactory to the reader.

But I have been at pains to direct an honest student to the original sources, so that he may, if he wishes, compare my versions with the text.

Therefore I do not think it necessary to load this chapter with voluminous citations.
Still, there remains something to be said about Michelangelo as poet, and about the place he occupies as poet in Italian literature.
The value of Michelangelo's poetry is rather psychological than purely literary.

He never claimed to be more than an amateur, writing to amuse himself.