The Incentive of Chivalry

In honor of Valentino's heritage, I chose a uniquely Italian stanza form called "terza rima". The end result was a sort of sonnet, which I hope you enjoy. The title comes from a line he wrote in his own poetry collection, Daydreams.

He leaned back, languidly, against the door,
His hands played with an unlit cigarette;
Too shy to take his gaze off of the floor,
Afraid of just whose eyes he might have met.
But when he danced! His body came alive
With heat and light - no other dancer yet
Could match Rodolfo. When the time had come
For him to leave and grace the silver screen,
As naturally as dance he would become
The Sheik or playboy focal to that scene
While hiding his true self in secrecy.
Through everything, his soul remained pristine,
The "Great Lover" purely a fantasy -
That same shy dancer in reality.



Rudolph Valentino