The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-05
D,Annunrio's "The Dead City,

Eleanora Duse Is acting in New York
this week. presenting Gabrielle D'Annun-
KOS La Citta Morta" c'The Dead City'o
and La Gioconda." third play Of that
author, Francesca da Rimini," will be used
by the actress next week. In these three
plays only will she appear during her stay
I'm this country. Which of them she will
use I'm indianapolis has not been announced
nor has her date here been settled. Eng
.lish TRANSACTIONS OF La Citta Morta" and
Francesca da Rimini' have been pub
lished The translator OF the former was
Prof G.. Mantellini and the publishers are
Laird & Lee. Of Chicago. The book Is well
nut together and contains good illustra-
lions The play Is in prose. and Professor
Mantellini has reproduced in English the
fluent style OF D'Annunzio. A review of
Francesca da Rimini." translation by Ar
thur Symons. will appear In this column at
another time.
The dead city" of which D'Annunzio
writes Is that of the sons OF Pelops and
excavating In its ruins is one Leonardo,
an enthusiastic and indefatigable student
of the manners and art of the ancient
Greeks and other peoples at one time or
another associated with them. Leonardo
and his sister, Blanca Maria his friend
Alessandro. a poet; Alessandro's wife,
Anna, who Is blind, and her nurse, are
living together In house on the edge OF
the ruins Of Mycenae. These five persons
are all the characters OF the drama Leon
ardo Is almost exhausted by his work in the
ruins. He has been blistered by the sun,
has breathed the dust of the disturbed
tombs, and fever is burning him. He avoids
his companions and seems intent almost
to insanity on delving in the mass of stone
and cement that once was a city s.rich
with gold and charged with golden sensu-
ality. At length Leonardo one day rushes
IN upon Blanca, Alessandro and Anna and
shouts that he has found the tomb OF N.Y.
cenae's great.
..In one instant" he exclaims. this soul
passed over hundreds, thousands of years
breathed in the frightful legend. palpitated
with the horror of the ancient slaughter
The fifteen corpses were there. with all
their members. as IL just deposited after
the killing. hardly burned by the fire ex-
tinguished too soon: kgamemnon, Eury-
medon. Cassandra and the royal escort;
buried with their garments, their weapons
their diadems. their vases. their jewels, ali
their riches: Do you remember. do you re-
member, Alessandro, that passage OF Ho-
mer: They lay between the vases and the
decorated tables and all the room was
stained with blood. And / heard the Ia
dra. Whom the p e iH'e clytemne s
stabbed at my side For an instant my
soul has lived an antique and violent life
cnarioteer and the guests-there under my
eyes Tor an instant, motionless. AS vapor
vanishes. as foam melts away, as dust is
dispersed. like / do not know what un-
speakaDly evanescent and fieeting thing
tney all passed away In the silence. 1t
seemed to me that they were swallowed
Dy the same fatal silence that relgned over
their radiant immobility. I do not know
what happened. mass OF precious
things remains there. a treasure without
equal. the witness OF a forgotten civiliza-
ton. You will see, you will sect
So much for the setting The gIories of
the old civilization are revealed for a mo-
ment TO man of to-day. and for that
he pays fearful price. The poison of
the old. rich, cruel bestialality ne has
oreathed I'm the dust. and IL possesses him
He has conceived a passion for his sister.
and he feels that IL will press him cn
20 the horrible crime of incest. When he
finally is unable 20 be silent longer. he
biurss out TO his friend Alessandro that
ne and his sister have lived beautifully
together. that no other woman has crossed