The Washington herald., 1913-03-30

Rome. March se-The latest efforts to
induce Gabrielle d'Annunzio, the SELF
exiled Italian poet. to return from
France, where he has been living TO-
the last two years. have failed. Inc
poet has refused to accept the house
which his admirers intended to donate
TO him on his fiftieth birthday throush
a national subscription.
At the same time the announcement ls
made that the poet is a changed man,
and that his future work Will Suner
greatly in comparison with his former
productions \ delegation OF iriends'
who short time ago visited d Annun-
zio with a view to obtaining a promise
from him to revisit his native country
soon, has reported that the poet firmly
resisted all entreaties, and once more
expressed his determination to spend the
rest of his life in France. where he had
found an ideal retreat for his medita-
tions at Archchon. in solitary villa
rising on the border of pine forest
facing the Atlantic.
Apparently. after long period extend
ing over thirty years of reckless living
and countless love adventures, which he
has carefully described in several Of his
novels and poems. the Italian poet has
now become a model citizen, and will
devote his future efforts to literary work
in which the flesh and pleasure of life
which have hitherto been the chief fea-
lures of his compositions will play only
a negative part.
An Exile Two Years.
II is two years since the poet. who
up to that time hao been living far
beyond his means. made the painful and
disconcerting discovery that his borrow
ing capacity had reached its limit and
for rta Nnf
around his head did not deter his many
creditors from demanding an immediate
settlement of their accounts. When the
poets repeated appeals to his friends
failed to bring the desired help he left
Italy in disgust for a voluntary exile
in France.
1t was at this time that a new woman
made her appearance in his life. Ida
Rubinstein. the Russian ballet dancer
and tableaux vivante actress, met the
poet and soon fell victim to the latter's
highly intellectual conversation. She
greatly resembled Elonora Duse. and
like Duse, she asked him to write for
her a play which would give her an
opportunity to enhance ner reputation.
Like Duse also she then possessed a good
sized fortune and d'Annunzio consented
to write for her the mystery of St
Sebastian" a play which was chiefly In
tended to give Miss Rubinstein an oc-
casion for showing the Partisan public
the Praxitelian perfection Of her ply
sIque.
The presentation OF rhe play in Paris
caused quite a sensation, but its success
was meager and the Rubintein-D' An
nunzio artistic partnership was abruptly
dissolved, as the venture had cost the
actress dearly. By the way, 1t cost
Elonora Duse just as much to carry out
the poets dream of reviving in Rome the
Greek theater and producing some of his
tragedies.
Blow to His Pride.
In the meantime. d'Annunzio's villa.
near Florence, with its furniture, was
sold at auction to pay his creditors. His
collection of curios and objects Of art
were bought by souvenir hunters and
scattered to the four winds. and Nala-
tesla, his horse, to which the poet was
and of which he had sung In
several Of his poems, was knocked down
to butcher for a few francs. 1t was
after this wound to his pride that dan
nunzio left the path he had up to that
time followed and his literary efforts
became exceedingly patriotic and relig-
ious in character.
/. Italy was bewildered. and when dan
peared, a movement was started to get
him to return from his voluntary exile.
but the poet was obdurate. week ago
a last effort was made to induce him
to return to Italy. The municipal eoun-