The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-11
In ITALY.
ne Peasant siri - Tveuty.thEse whsss
sos,=s Are Mov,ing Hsr Conntry.

anu nOWneEe are lnel In eE Nuhh III AttiNs theN
land OF song par ercel,sncs. The advent Of
woman poet in Italy. and.on OF the nrst rank.
too, singer by the grace OF God. IL matter
worthy Of note. Ada NeRfl is her name. She
L. still roung only about % years Of age. but
in those brief years she has known what It is
70 ssifrer real hardship. TO be brought face to
face with want and only her strong physical
fibre her great will power. have enabled her
to issue victorious from out these early strug-
Rles'with the bitter realities OF existence.
She is the daughter OF n poor peasant
woman. who. in order to enable her TO study.
worked her fingers to the bone. OF course no
profession but teaching was open to her. Ada
Negri obtained her diploma rs a teacher at.
Lodi. and began her Apprenticeship at the
communa al school OF Motta Visconti, remote
village in upper Lombardy. Already when
there she was writing verses.
struggle. curse, and weep. but the world passes
smiling by and pays no heed to mo
Thus che writes In one Of these earlv poema
BY this she did not mean that she was dis
couraged. but that she felt within herself that
she was born for better things. and yet could
not follow her ideal
The world did not hear OF her for three
years. during which her lyrics and sonnets
passed almost unnoticed in a semi-literary
weekly paper called the Jnustdzione Popoldre.
Then. little by little. they were observed by =
few persons Of critical instincts They asked
who the daring woman could be who ventured
to write. in n poem called "Vaticinio." how one
day. she. the poet OF the poor and weak and
suffering. will be recognized and saluted uy
the world that will sing her songs. tho songs
OF her who las come forth from nowhere, who
can boast nc birth. no ancestry. aud for whom.
nevertheless. Fame will reserve one OF his
immortal kisses. so proudly did she predict
about herself Heading the poem. / wondered
whether she overvalued her merits or whether
1t was the sure consciousness OF her worth
that caused her thus to speak.
To-day the life OF Ada Negr Is known to all.
the life OF this nero girl. who. though she
knew nothing OF the world, yet dared to LOOK It
boldly in tho face and defy Il courageously.
and she could defy it, for she did not fear ono
ono OF its worst hardsllps. poverty. one Of her
strongest poems bears the halt knocking. halt
dc liant title. Good Day Want" With a grim
which renders the words yet
more pathetic she tails her privations. her
struggles with poverty. and how this spectre
tried to crush life and seeliug out OF her But
she smiled and chanted songs in
praise Of existence. This poem OF itself shows
how healthy is Ada Ncarfs muse. how free
IL is from pessimism or the futile winnings
with which OF late moro prosperous
no power to seduce her. II she chooses a life |
com panion. he must be a man as strong and |
rs hard n worker as herself as she tells In her |
lyric. Hast Thou WorkedY' In which she dis |
misses with fine scOrn gentleman sutton. |
who confesses that he has,never known what |
It is to earn his daily bread. She tells him |
how he Is no comrade for her. that for him and |
such as he she has but contempt These
verses. perhaps better than any other. give o
lust idea OF the character OF this girl Still she
a not always proud. Tho great affection and
reverence she has for her mother for exam
pie. is revealed in many a poem. As instances
nay be quoted Nenia Matsrna." and "Madre
both lyrics inspired By q holy love.
NENIA MATERSA.
whom sveetly l. . babe contsnL
Upon my pillow lad trusting hs.d.
In che long eysnins g Q sr her needle esnt
sispsns she w.,ea.a it va, va. low sweet dis,
whose faint brAnes thrills ed with love and pity
Ny waking fancy long
The slow notes In the silence died away.
As trembling with 4 secret tenderness
And. through that vast deep darkness where I lay.
Passed light as q earess
And !. l dreamed tina, lowering .sov.
My cradle. played in ElitternR 1 Eht whole
To lnAt small woman sou-
No O.gs; now ,HoS :Tssss
g -. 80 /
'H And ny Ss1:i Si{ hS "' Soats
ou nGs qs; e. On.
Thy head thou bOwesi patient A. nun
To Fortunes cruel blows
h @ si a' q of y nas s. IL. sun.
or bitter spite. at misery. mankind,
Ny proud defiance ding
YET when upon this paliId. gloomy brow
Then %pG - s IN SAD rs@:asrsaes os " dos, iAo
Breathe only timid sighA
T4i" r.. ss ss1 Vii: TsSHs
Drive me 10 sssA again The fond cares '"
Where mothers love nnds vent
And II nt .ss :9.dS . Of S9ss. hpp. m
IsssL An a post IN the power
ATh f..5S S-f ~ to that var cheek =. charm
Would fall asleep ones more
But OF tho lyrics that Ada Negri publish ed In
he few Literary journals Which would print
zen. all were not directed against the adverse
ate which left her alone at Motta Visconti. or
evoted to telling OF her affection for her
mother. Another thought was gaining ground
D the poetry OF tho young girl. Others as poor
8 she were suffering others like herself were
hained to work which was killing them. This
lea inspired the splendid poem. "Sulla Brec-
|
er the funeral eorttge OF u workman. who
as been killed by falling from a roof
his causes her to feel how workmen ara
lso soldiers part OF a huge endless army that
ramples one upon the other. TO whose VIC
prizes or defeats the Indifferent world bestoWs
o glance. The same tsrrible id o. OF all-de-
curing inevitable destiny inspired one Of the |
lost terrible OF Ada Nsgri's poem. called
MAno nslP InEranagRio" In which poor
'orkman's hand is caught in one OF the rest
,ss machines Of a factory and severed from
or body. all going on meanwhile as before
or life was thus blasted and mutilated But
erhAps nowhere is her real SELF and all her
iGhest aims and aspirations reelected better
nan In the following;
FORTH
birth Forth from the toll Of the plough. trsm the
sound
the factory vAultE Of the wheels spinning round.
From the a9Trble furnaces haze.
rom The mines from tue lsRs Shsrs people We see
cave han4aST create Flzbs aud Tres,
A hynn 10 greAE Labor TzIss