In this article, Richards embarks upon an Italian derivative of Le Roman de la rose, the Fiore, both as a translation of a French original and as a literary work in its own right. Repeated attempts have been made to assign the work’s authorship to Dante, and the dispute over attribution has diverted attention from the Fiore’s literary merits. He author does not presuppose Dante’s authorship but instead refers to “the Fiore poet” in an attempt to escape the singularity of much Fiore scholarship.