This book started out as a project involving the Italian artist Francesco Clemente (born in Naples, 1952), a painter who came to prominence in the 1980s. Hoyem was introduced to the artist at his studio in New York by Crown Point Press publisher Kathan Brown, who had published prints of his that were produced by woodblock artisans in Japan. Knowing from Clemente's friend Raymond Foye of his interest in the poetry of Ezra Pound, Hoyem proposed Pound's translations of sonnets of Cavalcanti (1255-1300), the older friend and mentor of Dante. Clemente readily agreed but insisted he had to have proofs of the text pages in order to prepare images for prints. So we set the type for all the sonnets, sent proofs to him, and ordered Italian handmade paper for the book. However, the artist never made drawings or prints and after a long period of time withdrew from the project.

Hoyem then expanded the scope of the book to include introductions by Lowry Nelson, an authority on Cavalcanti, and by Hugh Kenner, an authority on Pound, and the original Italian texts, prose translations and commentaries provided by Nelson. Instead of an etching for every sonnet, as planned with Clemente, Joseph Goldyne made an intaglio print as the frontispiece, an etching with aquatint, with colors added à la poupée (by hand). The image shows a ghostly hooded figure of the poet (or the beloved), wearing the unisex hooded travel garment of the time that disguised whether the wearer was male or female (as protection for women on the road) between two columns; on the left, a stream of water descends, on the right, smoke rises from a fire burning manuscript leaves.