Albuquerque morning journal., 1906-09-23
CARDUCCI EITHER
4. A HERO OR
A BEAR
STANDS AT HEAD OF
THE ITALIAN POETS
Great Man and Most Eccentric
Genius Has Had Remark
able Career-Stories Of His
Temper.

peiiS WHO can 40 no wrong; Wnlle
to the other half he is a bear who
shows his claws, when not left alone.
Carducci under all respects stands
at the head of the Italian poets. His
prose, while marked by strength and
good sense, is. quite Inferior to his
poetic work; he is par excellence a
poet. Small in stature with a broad
figure, rough beard short and square
like its owner, shock of white hair,
he looks more like a philosopher than
a weaver of rhymes.
CarducQi does not lend himself to
light anecdote and description. He is
a poet of high ideals asd lofty form,
with past which does him credit for
its patriotism and sobriety, and an old
age of modest competency and peace.
The great man began life on July 81,
1885, at Val di CASTILLO, in the Pisa
district. and therefore in Tuscany.
His father was a man OF modest
means, half revolutionary, half stu
dent, who gave his sons a good educa-
tiom and then expected them to fend
Tor themselves. Giosue was scarcely
out of college when he married, at the
age of "a, Elvira Menicucci, a distant
relative.
After instructing the youth of Flor
ence he went as professor to Bologna,
where he has been ever since. There
Is an interesting description of his first
appearance before his pupils there.
The ages of the boys ranged anywhere
from IA years to H. and they know
ing that one professor had refused to
go to Bologna because he feared that
he would be whistled down by them,
were ready for any mischief and con-
sidered themselves the arbiters of the
fate of their professors. To them one
day came a little man with abundant
black hair standing up all over his
head, and a brusque manner. The
contrast between the master to whom
they had been accustomed for years,
tall, elegant man between a military
officer and troubadour, was so strik-
ing that it produced a smile. That
smile was fatal
The little man carried a theater hat
in his hand, one of the old-fashioned
kind, which closed and opened with
a spring, and this he hourished as he
began his lecture. The smiles broad
ened and in proportion to the smile
the fiourishes grew more pronounced
until there was confused vision of a
face red with indignation, circles
made by big hat from the midst of
which came a small and trembling
voice, due to what the students took
to be timidity, but which was in real
ity rage. loud laugh was not to be
suppressed and the day was won for
the students. Carducci stopped sud
denly, gathered up his papers, opened
the absurd hat with click, clapped II
on his head and rushed from the hall,
swearing he would leave Bologna.
However, the rector of the univers-
tfty IN avplainad WhO thn new
professor was, and the students, much
impressed asked for forgiveness for
their rudeness, and peace was patched
up. Now, forty-two years later, the
great man enters the lecture room In
the midst of awe-inspired silence, be-
loved and revered by his pupils to the
verge of alteration. His lectures are
listened to as though dropping from
the mouth of a god, and taken as the
laws of the Medes and Persians.
Carducci's chief characteristics arr
his bursts of rage and his love of being
left alone, which latter amounts t
churlishness. These outbursts usual!
take place in the lecture room, as out
side he is rarely crossed or given oc
casion for anger, except when he find
himself being gazed at curiously, q
someone taking a snapshot of him
then his Indignation knows no bounds
1t must, however, be said that thu
storm once over, he is incapable o
bearing malice, and is absolutel!
child-like in his generosity and for
giveness.
II there is one thing above all other
which he cannot endure and never
permits, it is strangers coming to hi
lectures, not to listen, but to look u
him. This he cannot entirely avoid
as the lectures at the university are
public, but woe to the person whit
comes late or does not attend to VIVA
is being said. On one occasion Ger
tain deputy dropped in" almost at thu
last moment. Carducci stopped in thu
middle of a sentence and invited hin
to leave as he was disturbing thu
students. This the deputy, somewha
nettled, refused to do, but on beint
asked for the third time and findinl
himself thus unpleasantly conspicu
Gus, he went out and later wrote let
ter to the poet in which he qualified
him as an "unmannerly person" Tht
case got into the papers and became
cause celebre, the whole of the coun
try being divided into two camps, th'
only serene person being Carducc
himself.
I remember a snowy wintry day no
long ago when / happened to b,
passing the professors house just n
he was leaving it. He slipped anC
fell and as l helped him to rise
heard some strong language. Hi
mental equilibrium was also upset
and by the time he reached the uni
verslty he was in the worst of humors
However, he began his lecture whlcl
was on Petrarch, when. after a few
words, he picked up the book ant
threw It with all his might into tn
midst OF the astonished students
jammed his broad brlmmed gray fel
hat on to his abundant locks, and left
saying, ITO the devil with Petrarcl
and all the poets! No more lecture
while this weather lasts" and de
parted not showing his face again 70
over a month.
Carduccis reputation may be salt
to have begun with his celebrated
"Ode to Satan" The title was sugges
tive, the form perfect, and the matte
less daring than might have been ex
pected. Had he written a poem 4
Garibaldl, Italy or the pope, he nigh
have been admired, but would no
have been read. As It was he rouse'
curiosity and satisfied 1t. His Satal
Is the classical spirit OF revolt to whicl
we owe the Reformation and the Re
naissance. The sole inconvenlenc
which this celebrated poem brought Z
its author was the reputation OF bein
the devils advocate, reputation
which he will never lose.
The most romantic episode OF nj
life was his conversion years ago froh
republlcanlsm to monarchism, power
fully aided thereto, II Is said, by IN
influence Of Queen Margherlta.
carduccl had always been distin