GUAREA, a genus of tropical American trees of the natural order meliaear, of some of which the bark is used as an emetic and purgative. G. graholifolia is called MusK Itroon in some of the islands of the Wrest Indies; the bark smelling so strongly of musk. that it may be used as a perfume.
GUARrNI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA. a popular and elegant poet, was b. at Ferrara in 1537. At the termination of his studies in the universities of Pisa, Padua, and Ferrara, lie was appointed to the chair of literature in the latter, and soon after, the publication of some sonnets obtained for him great popularity as a poet. At the age of 30 lie accepted service at the court of Ferrara, and was intrusted by duke Alfonso II. with various diplomatic missions of delicacy and importance. Differences between him and the duke induced him to withdraw from the court of Ferrara about the year 1587. Having resided successively in Savoy, Mantua, Florence, and Urbino, he returned to his native Ferrara, and discharged one final public mission, that of congratulating pope Paul V. on his election to the tiara. He died in 1612 at Venice. whither he had been summoned to attend a lawsuit. An irascible sensitiveness, joined to an exaggerated estimate of his personal dignity, neutralized many qualities both brilliant and solid, which seemed to fit Guarini exactly for a court career. To these defects, in part, may
be attributed the frequent mortifications which tracked him througn life. As a poet. he is remarkable for refined grace of language and sweetness of sentiment, while his defects are occasional artificiality, a too constant recurrence of antithetical imagery, and an affected dallying with his Ideas. His chief and popular work, 11 Pastor Rao (The Faithful Swain), 13 regarded Italy as standard of pastoral compo sition, and obtained a high measure of popularity on its appearance. The writer designed it as a tragi-comic pastoral; its first dramatic representation was in honor of the nuptials of the duke of Savoy and Catherine of Austria, 1585. ft subsequently ran through forty editions during Gnarini's life, and was translated into almost all the modern languages. Tasso and Guarini have been frequently compared; the two poets were literary friends and reciprocal admirers, although rivals in love. Gnarini's varied writings, including sonnets, comedies, satires, and political treatises, were published at Ferrara in 1737, 4 vols. Stork della Letteratura haliana del Tiraboschi.