GIACOMO LEOPARDI - I CANTI PISANO RECANATESI E IL CANTO NOTTURNO DI UN PASTORE

Summary

This lecture delves into Giacomo Leopardi's 'poetic rebirth' in 1828, after a four-year hiatus from poetry. It discusses the creation of his 'Pisan-Recanati Songs,' focusing on 'The Night Song of a Wandering Shepherd in Asia.' The analysis covers the 'free Leopardian song' form, its metric and rhythmic structures, and the vague, indefinite lexicon. The content explores complex narratives and philosophical reflections on life's purpose, with Leopardi questioning the human condition through the shepherd's dialogue with the moon, culminating in a cosmic pessimism that views life's origin and existence as inherently tragic.

Takeaways

• 📚 The lecture discusses Giacomo Leopardi's poetic renaissance, focusing on his 'Canti Pisan Recanatesi' written in 1828 after a four-year hiatus from poetry.
• 🌟 Leopardi's return to poetry was inspired by his stay in Pisa, where the mild climate improved his health and rekindled his poetic inspiration.
• 🎼 The 'Canti Pisan Recanatesi' are a series of seven lyrical compositions that blend traditional Italian poetic forms with Leopardi's unique stylistic innovations.
• 📖 The structure of Leopardi's 'Canzone Libera Leopardiana' is characterized by its freedom from the rigid rules of traditional Italian poetry, allowing for variation in verse length and rhyme schemes.
• 🌙 The 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia' is analyzed in detail, revealing its narrative and conceptual complexity, and its exploration of existential themes.
• 🌌 The poem uses the metaphor of a shepherd questioning the moon about the meaning of life, reflecting Leopardi's own philosophical inquiries into human existence.
• 🔍 The analysis covers the poem's structure, including its variable verse lengths and the absence of a fixed rhyme scheme, which adapts to the content of the discourse.
• 📝 The lecture invites students to take notes on the characteristics of Leopardi's 'Canti Pisan Recanatesi' to better understand and remember their features.
• 📚 The script mentions the influence of Leopardi's reading about the Kirghiz people on the creation of the 'Canto Notturno,' highlighting the interplay between personal experience and poetic imagination.
• 🤔 The poem's exploration of life's purpose is presented from multiple perspectives, including the human condition, the celestial view, and the animal kingdom, emphasizing the universality of existential questions.
• 💭 The pessimistic conclusion of the 'Canto Notturno' reflects Leopardi's 'cosmic pessimism,' suggesting that life, regardless of its form, is inherently fraught with suffering and uncertainty.

Q & A

What is the significance of the year 1828 in Giacomo Leopardi's poetic career?

In 1828, after four years of poetic silence, Giacomo Leopardi returned to writing poetry. He had abandoned poetry in 1824 to focus solely on prose, writing 'Operette Morali'. His return to poetry was influenced by his stay in Pisa during the winter of 1827-28, which rejuvenated his poetic inspiration.

What are the 'Canti Pisani Recanatesi' and why were they written?

The 'Canti Pisani Recanatesi' are a series of seven lyric poems written by Leopardi in part in Pisa and in part in Recanati. They were composed following Leopardi's return to poetry in 1828 and were influenced by his experiences and the mild climate of Pisa, which was beneficial to his health and spirit.

What is the 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia' and what is its main theme?

The 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia' is one of the 'Canti Pisani Recanatesi'. Its main theme revolves around the experience of a wandering shepherd in Asia who, during a sleepless night, poses questions to the moon about the mysteries of life and the universe, seeking answers about the meaning and purpose of human existence.

What is the 'canzone libera leopardiana' and how does it differ from traditional Petrarchan canzone?

The 'canzone libera leopardiana' is a free-form song structure chosen by Leopardi for his compositions. It differs from the traditional Petrarchan canzone in that it abandons the strict rules and fixed rhyme schemes established since the 13th century. In Leopardi's version, the verses (endecasillabi and settenari) alternate without a fixed pattern, and the length of the stanzas varies according to the content of the discourse.

How does Leopardi's use of lexicon in the 'Canti Pisani Recanatesi' compare to his earlier idylls?

In the 'Canti Pisani Recanatesi', Leopardi maintains the vague and indefinite lexicon characteristic of his earlier idylls, which he believed gave a sense of pleasure. However, the content of these poems is more complex, featuring a narrative structure and philosophical reflection that was less present in his youthful works.

What is the narrative structure of the 'Canti Pisani Recanatesi' and how does it differ from Leopardi's earlier works?

The 'Canti Pisani Recanatesi' have a complex narrative and conceptual structure. They tell a story, such as the experience of the wandering shepherd in 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia', and then reflect philosophically on that experience, which is a departure from the more introspective and less narrative nature of Leopardi's earlier works.

What was the inspiration behind the 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia'?

The inspiration for the 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia' came from an article Leopardi read in 1826 about the Kirghisi, a nomadic population of Central Asia, who were known to spend sleepless nights improvising sad songs. This gave Leopardi the idea of a shepherd singing questions to the moon during a wakeful night.

How does Leopardi depict the life of the shepherd in the 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia'?

Leopardi depicts the life of the shepherd as monotonous and unchanging, similar to the constant cycle of the moon. The shepherd feels a connection to the moon, seeing it as a silent companion that shares his fate, and thus he poses his questions to it.

What are the different perspectives on life presented in the 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia'?

The poem presents life from various perspectives: the end of life (old age and death), the beginning of life (the perils and pain of birth and youth), the view from above (the celestial bodies and the universe), and the view from below (the unconscious state of animals). Each perspective offers a different insight into the nature and purpose of life.

What is the conclusion of Leopardi's 'Canto Notturno di un Pastore Errante dell'Asia' regarding happiness and consciousness?

In the final stanza, Leopardi suggests that perhaps without consciousness of our pain, we might be happier, whether we are high like the moon, or low like animals. However, he concludes that it is wrong to envy the fate of others, as humans, by nature, cannot have certainty due to their finite and fallible nature. The day of birth is ultimately seen as unfortunate for all beings, regardless of their state of consciousness.