The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-16
coTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERA rum.
The Poetry or,hc rre.sni my.

lanEungr of thu iuture nnd cons der the decline
Of poetry as a siEnoi progress. But the alleged
dc .nc OF poetry is perhaps driusiun. cngcn-
drrrd 10y great reverence Tor the productions
Of the past and by injustice to those Of the
present. Perhaps nowhere does love Of poetry
assert itself 40 loudly MS in Italy. The I'M
prorrisdtori IRE ut this very day the soul OF
banuuets. Poems there replace tho speeches
by which our dinners are afflicted Of the two
evils we givc the preference 10 tho former Ilar-
vests. weddings. christcnings. all gatherings %!
Italian peasants are enlvened 10y the presence
OF ono or more OF these ipprorrisdtori: and the
wine shops OF villages ana towns are thronred
with enthusiastic listeners whenever chnl-
lenge meeting OF two of these privileged chill
dren OF song occurs Their relative superiority
being determined by quantity rather than
quality. and the point being to reduce the OPP
ponent to silence. they generally continue to
imDrovisc AS long as they are able to utter II
word. Tho epic form. " ottawa rma" is the &c.
ceptcl metre Each poet develops his idea in n
stanza. alternately; US the first Of the rhymes TO
be used in the next stan2a Is determined by tho
closing rhyme Of the preceding grent skin is
displayed by the contestants in puzzling each
other with tho rarest and most ungratciul ones.
The subjects selected are generally historical
or legendary, the adventures OF the knights
OF tho middle ages furnishing the largest con-
ungent to the selection.
Whenever among the lower classes in Italy
you happen 10 meet with men and women who
read at all. You will generally find that il il
poetry that they love 10 read. They will eagerly
con Dante's Inferno" or 1asso's Jcrusa-
lem.' or any stray volume Of modern verse that
falls in their way. while their instincts keep
them alooi from the vicious class II French
novels that. horribly translated. are hawked
about. II statistics could b. brought to bear on
the subject II would be easily demonstrated
that in no country have poets 40 good u chance
OF selling their productions As in Italy: and tho
country is indeed supplied with them. consist
emily with the economical law which establishes
proportion between demand and supply As
Greece. after the battles OF Salamina and Platea
swarmed with n multitude OF poets. 80 has
Italy. after breaking its chains and upsctting
its tYrants. bred II hive Of poets OF all kinds
Contemporary poetry in Italy is mainly the
offspring Of the philosophical poetry that some
thirty years ago found it, exponent in Giacoms
Leopard. Manzoni. on the other hand,
man OF sincere faith. believing that moth
ing but ruin would DO wrought by the
modern philosophical spirit. endeavored to
check its hold on the rising generations by
renewing aud undermining the dogmas OF
Catholicism. and Offering them M new sources
OF poetry. lie did away with mythology and all
the materialistic elements that had rendered
Italian poetry such ludicrous, HETEROGENEOUS
mixture OF paganism and orthodoxy. He en-
deavored 70 blend religion with patriotism His
language became vague and indetermnate as
music and fell into romnnticsm and scnti-
mentallsm. Perhaps the revival Manz1ni
strved after was above any mans power: mere
ideallsm is dead beyond resurrection. At any
rate he could not cope with Leopard and his
influence was less widely felt. In Manzonis
poems thought is exiled TO the background OF
the picture. the foreground being exclusively
occupied by sentiment. color. and imagery.
His romanticism has hardly survived tho
generation to which It belonged. Grossi
and Tommaseo are dead; Mamiani sings no
more: Dali Ongaro confines himself to writing
ballads: and Pratt. who. being endowed with
real poetic talent might perhaps have given
strong impulse to it. soon seeded and formed
school Of his own Intoxicating himself with
images and sounds. No poet better hatters the
ear. and he has. now and then. sacrificed com
mon sense 70 the desire Of producing sonorous
line His ErmeneGarda" is however. u
splendid exception. and stands first among his
poems old and now. Notwithstanding its in
feriorlty rs regards purity OF conception. il may
well be compared 10 Longfellow's Eyange-
line" Giovanni Pratis iayorite types are
weak and loving woman and an unprincplsd
cavalier; his favorite forms OF song are the
legend and the poetic novel. He has lately
modified his style and purified his ideals: hut
they want yigor. and he may be compared with q
drying spring that yields but drops Of water.
AleardO Aleard was the last II the old patriots
who made national subjects the constant
themes Of their songs and devoted their ener-
giles 10 awakening their fellow countrymen 10
the idea OF nationality His death, two years
ago. was undoubtedly u great loss 10 the coun-
try II Is aim nit to classify him either with
the ade ITS Of Leopard or the school OF Man
zoni-though tho latters influence may be
traced in Aleardi's beliefs and philosophical
doctrines. He was born at Verona and from
his first youth conspred against the Austrans.
then masters OF Lombarly and Venice. Ar
rested on suspicion NJ the age OF twentJ-three.
he was saved By his sister who bein: imme-
diately warned cautiously burned all his pa
pers. He suffered however. several months
Imprisonment but kept on stirring tho mind o;
his countrymen with pntrotie songs. H. is epic
inthought ami form; always vigorous. and occn-
sionally as majestic and imag NATIVE 10 Pndar.
For novelty OF simitudss borrowed mainly
from natural philosophy. and for graphic.
striking touches. he has hardly rival He
most happily introduces an historical cpl
sode and Ia most effe tive in his descriptions.
In lie Prime Storie" First Hsioriesl there IS
a description u the Deluge, which reminds
one OF Byrons Darkness" Monte Cir
celiO spfTlNps tllH most pftlo't OF MS poems,
From the snow-cappel summit OF the noun
tain. his eyes wander over the Roman Cam
paRna to the Tyrrenean Sea. There is the III
omened Castle Of Astura. where youni
Conrad OF Suabia. Manired's son and
King Of Naples. was betrayed while
Sleeping after the battle Of Tagliacozzo
and sold to tho usurper of his throne.
Charles OF Anlou. Tho poet taxes Occa-
sion from this to tell Conrad's uiulul story and
in the NJ est words he nllud,s 10 the execution
Of the youth in the market place NJ Naples. AM
TO the tradition according 70 which the glove
thrown by him from the sraiIo.d was picked ul
by Giovanni da Proeida, and by the latter waved
at Palermo on tho memorable day Of th'
Bicllian Yespers. Thence the author proceeds
10 describe the Pontine Marshes. tho bura
ground Of twenty forgotten cities. After com
pairing their smiling. verdan; aspect 10 a happy
but uninhabited Oriental valley. he Is Jed by Dis
melancholy muse 10 describe their drUlij
minsms. and the descent OF tho wretchel peas
ants from Abruzzo driven thither by hunger
a.