Best Romance poet?

[Comte Arnau]

Who is the best European poet in a Romance language?

Note: The names in the poll are in chronological order. Only 40 options are available, so many good ones are missing. Feel free to add them if you consider them worth of it.

[Cato]

P. Virgilius Maro.

[Comte Arnau]

P. Virgilius Maro.

Great one. But Latin is not a Romance language.

[Cato]

Great one. But Latin is not a Romance language.

Latin is the parent of all Romance languages.

[Comte Arnau]

Latin is the parent of all Romance languages.

I've already left out dozens of good poets of the daughter languages. If I had to add Latin to the list... I keep a classic poll in mind for the future, with Latins and ancient Greeks then.

[Cato]

Romance not Hellene.

[Comte Arnau]

Romance not Hellene.

So you've only read Latin poets? Isn't there anyone in a Neolatin language you may like?

[Cato]

So you've only read Latin poets? Isn't there anyone in a Neolatin language you may like?

I've read Homer, of course, and Hesiod. And Sappho. But you said Romance and not Hellene. Neo-Latin, hm.. Does Dante count?

[Comte Arnau]

I've read Homer, of course, and Hesiod. And Sappho. But you said Romance and not Hellene. Neo-Latin, hm.. Does Dante count?

Of course. He's in the poll.

[Magister Eckhart]

While I understand the omission of Chaucer, I have to mention him, Middle English being more French than even modern English. It was the period when almost all romance influence on the English language happened; I think he deserves at least a little consideration.

Aside from him, however, Chrétien de Troyes and Francesco Petrarca are definitely the best poets of the Romance languages.