THE POEMS OF
GIACOMO LEOPARDI
TRANSLATED BY
FREDERICK TOWNSEND
NEW YORK AND LONDON
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
The Knickerbocker Press
1887
COPYRIGHT BY
R. T. TOWNSEND
1887
Press of
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
New York
TO M. N. M.
SISTER OF THE TRANSLATOR
THESE POEMS
ARE AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED
BY THE EDITOR
Giacomo Leopardi is a great name in Italy among philosophers and
poets, but is quite unknown in this country, and Mr. Townsend
has the honor of introducing him, in the most captivating
way, to his countrymen. In Germany and France he has excited
attention. Translations have been made of his works; essays have
been written on his ideas. But in England his name is all but
unheard of. Six or seven years ago Mr. Charles Edwards published
a translation of the essays and dialogues, but no version of the
poems has appeared, so far as I know. Leopardi was substantially
a poet,—that is to say, he had imagination, sentiment, passion,
an intense love of beauty, a powerful impulse towards things
ideal. The sad tone of his speculations about the universe and
human destiny gave an impression of mournfulness to his lines,
but this rather deepened the pathos of his work. In the same
breath he sang of love and the grave, and the love was the more
eager for its brevity. He had the poetic temperament—sensitive,
ardent, aspiring. He possessed the poetic aspect—the broad white
brow, the large blue eyes. Some compared him to Byron, but the
resemblance was external merely. In ideas, purpose, feeling,
he was entirely unlike the Englishman; in the energy and fire
of his style only did he somewhat resemble him. Worshippers
have even ventured to class him with Dante, a comparison which
shows, at least, in what estimation the poet could be held at
home, and how largely the patriotic sentiment entered into the
conception of poetical compositions, how necessary it was that
the singer should be a bard. His verses ranged over a large field.
They were philosophic, patriotic, amorous. There are odes, lyrics,
satires, songs; many very beautiful and feeling; all noble and
earnest. His three poems, “All’ Italia,” “Sopra il Monumento
di Dante,” “A Angelo Mai,” gave him a national reputation. They
touch the chords to which he always responded—patriotism, poetry,
learning, a national idealism bearing aloft an enormous weight
of erudition and thought.
Leopardi was born at Recanati, a small town about fifteen miles
from Ancona, in 1798. He was of noble parentage, though not
rich. His early disposition was joyous, but with the feverish joy
of a highly-strung, nervous organization. He was a great student
from boyhood; and severe application undermined a system that was
never robust, and that soon became hopelessly diseased. Illness,
accompanied with sharp pain, clipped the wings of his ambition,
obliged him to forego preferment, and deepened the hopelessness
that hung over his expectations. His hunger for love could
not be satisfied, for his physical infirmity rendered a union
undesirable, even if possible, while a craving ideality soon
transcended any visible object of affection. He had warm friends
of his own sex, one of whom, Antonio Ranieri, stayed by him
in all vicissitudes, took him to Naples, and closed his eyes,
June 14, 1837.