Analisi poetica

Poi che del patrio nido

Original Poetry

Translation

Poi che del patrio nido

After leaving your home

I silenzi lasciando, e le beate

And the quiet, happy illusions and old mistakes,

Larve e l’antico error, celeste dono,

A heavenly gift that makes this lonely place beautiful to you,

Ch’abbella agli occhi tuoi quest’ermo lido,

Destiny pulls you into the chaos of life;

Te nella polve della vita e il suono

Learn from the difficult times and the shameful era

Tragge il destin; l’obbrobriosa etate

That harsh fate has given us, my sister,

Che il duro cielo a noi prescrisse impara,

As you will add to the unhappy family in unhappy Italy.

Sorella mia, che in gravi

Prepare your bloodline with strong examples.

E luttuosi tempi

Gentle breezes are denied by cruel fate

L’infelice famiglia all’infelice

To human virtue,

Italia accrescerai. Di forti esempi

And a pure soul cannot be contained in a weak heart.

Al tuo sangue provvedi. Aure soavi

L’empio fato interdice

All’umana virtude,

Nè pura in gracil petto alma si chiude.

O miseri o codardi

You will have children who are either miserable or cowardly. Choose the miserable ones.

Figliuoli avrai. Miseri eleggi. Immenso

A great divide between luck and bravery

Tra fortuna e valor dissidio pose

Is caused by corrupt habits. Alas, too late,

Il corrotto costume. Ahi troppo tardi,

And in the twilight of human affairs,

E nella sera dell’umane cose,

Those born today gain movement and awareness.

Acquista oggi chi nasce il moto e il senso.

Heaven cares about this: let it be your main concern

Al ciel ne caglia: a te nel petto sieda

That your children do not grow up as friends of fortune,

Questa sovr’ogni cura,

Nor as playthings of fear or hope: thus you will be called happy in the future:

Che di fortuna amici

Since (in a shameful way,

Non crescano i tuoi figli, e non di vile

Of a lazy and fake lineage)

Timor gioco o di speme: onde felici

We despise living virtue, and praise it only when it's gone.

Sarete detti nell’età futura:

Poiché (nefando stile,

Di schiatta ignava e finta)

Virtù viva sprezziam, lodiamo estinta.

Donne, da voi non poco

Women, your country expects much from you;

La patria aspetta; e non in danno e scorno

Not to harm or disgrace humanity,

Dell’umana progenie al dolce raggio

But to tame the iron and fire with the sweet light

Delle pupille vostre il ferro e il foco

Of your eyes. The wise and strong act and think

Domar fu dato. A senno vostro il saggio

According to your wisdom; and as much as the day

E il forte adopra e pensa; e quanto il giorno

Encircles with the divine chariot, it bows to you.

Col divo carro accerchia, a voi s’inchina.

I ask you for the reason of our age. Does the sacred

Ragion di nostra etate

Flame of youth die out by your hand?

Io chieggo a voi. La santa

Is our nature weakened and broken by you?

Fiamma di gioventù dunque si spegne

Are the sleepy minds, unworthy desires,

Per vostra mano? attenuata e franta

And the diminished native strength your faults?

Da voi nostra natura? e le assonnate

Menti, e le voglie indegne,

E di nervi e di polpe

Scemo il valor natio, son vostre colpe?

Ad atti egregi è sprone

Love is a spur to noble acts,

Amor, chi ben l’estima, e d’alto affetto

For those who value it, and beauty teaches high affection.

Maestra è la beltà. D’amor digiuna

The soul of one who does not rejoice in his heart

Siede l’alma di quello a cui nel petto

When the winds come down to battle,

Non si rallegra il cor quando a tenzone

And when clouds gather on Olympus,

Scendono i venti, e quando nembi aduna

And the storm strikes the mountains,

L’olimpo, e fiede le montagne il rombo

Is devoid of love. O wives,

Della procella. O spose,

O young maidens, let those who avoid danger,

O verginette, a voi

And those unworthy of their country,

Chi de’ perigli è schivo, e quei che indegno

Who place their desires and common affections in low places,

E’ della patria e che sue brame e suoi

Be met with hate and disdain;

Volgari affetti in basso loco pose,

If in the feminine heart

Odio mova e disdegno;

Love for men burned, not for girls.

Se nel femmineo core

D’uomini ardea, non di fanciulle, amore.

Madri d’imbelle prole

May it displease you to be called mothers of weak offspring.

V’incresca esser nomate. I danni e il pianto

Let your lineage be accustomed to enduring

Della virtude a tollerar s’avvezzi

The damages and tears of virtue,

La stirpe vostra, e quel che pregia e cole

And condemn and despise what the shameful age values and cherishes;

La vergognosa età, condanni e sprezzi;

Let it grow for the country, and learn the great deeds,

Cresca alla patria, e gli alti gesti, e quanto

And what the land owes to its ancestors.

Agli avi suoi deggia la terra impari.

As the children of Sparta grew

Qual de’ vetusti eroi

Among the memories and the fame

Tra le memorie e il grido

To the Greek name;

Crescean di Sparta i figli al greco nome;

Until the young bride girded the faithful

Finché la sposa giovanetta il fido

Sword at the dear side, and then

Brando cingeva al caro lato, e poi

Spread her black hair

Spandea le negre chiome

On the bloodless and naked body

Sul corpo esangue e nudo

When he returned in the preserved shield.

Quando e’ reddia nel conservato scudo.

Virginia, a te la molle

Virginia, to you the soft

Gota molcea con le celesti dita

Cheek was softened by the heavenly fingers

Beltade onnipossente, e degli alteri

Of omnipotent beauty, and the mad

Disdegni tuoi si sconsolava il folle

Lord of Rome was disconsolate by your proud disdain.

Signor di Roma. Eri pur vaga, ed eri

You were indeed lovely, and you were

Nella stagion ch’ai dolci sogni invita,

In the season that invites sweet dreams,

Quando il rozzo paterno acciar ti ruppe

When the rough paternal sword broke

Il bianchissimo petto,

Your whitest breast,

E all’Erebo scendesti

And you willingly descended to Erebus.

Volonterosa. A me disfiori e scioglia

To me old age deflowers and loosens

Vecchiezza i membri, o padre; a me s’appresti,

The limbs, o father; prepare for me,

Dicea, la tomba, anzi che l’empio letto

She said, the tomb, rather than the impious bed

Del tiranno m’accoglia.

Of the tyrant welcomes me.

E se pur vita e lena

And if indeed life and breath

Roma avrà dal mio sangue, e tu mi svena.

Rome will have from my blood, and you slay me.

O generosa, ancora

O generous one, even though

Che più bello a’ tuoi dì splendesse il sole

The sun shone more beautifully in your days

Ch’oggi non fa, pur consolata e paga

Than it does today, yet consoled and satisfied

E’ quella tomba cui di pianto onora

Is that tomb which the native land honors with tears.

L’alma terra nativa. Ecco alla vaga

Behold around your lovely remains

Tua spoglia intorno la romulea prole

The Roman offspring sparkles with new anger.

Di nova ira sfavilla. Ecco di polve

Behold the tyrant sullies his hair with dust;

Lorda il tiranno i crini;

And liberty inflames

E libertade avvampa

The oblivious hearts; and in the subdued

Gli obbliviosi petti; e nella doma

Land the Latin Mars arduously camps

Terra il marte latino arduo s’accampa

From the dark pole to the torrid confines.

Dal buio polo ai torridi confini.

Thus eternal Rome,

Così l’eterna Roma

Buried in harsh idleness,

In duri ozi sepolta

Is revived once more by feminine fate.

Femmineo fato avviva un’altra volta.

Explanation

Giacomo Leopardi's poem, written for his sister's wedding, reflects on the challenges and expectations of life, virtue, and courage in a corrupted society. The poem opens with the image of leaving behind the comforts of home and entering a harsh world, urging his sister to prepare for difficult times in Italy. Leopardi uses the metaphor of 'silences' and 'phantoms' to signify the innocence and illusions left behind, while 'dust of life' represents the harsh realities of adulthood.

The poem continues by addressing the choices between misery and cowardice, highlighting the conflict between fortune and valor. Leopardi criticizes the societal norms that have corrupted true virtue, emphasizing the importance of raising children not to rely on fortune but on their own strength and courage. The poet's tone is one of lament and exhortation, urging a return to genuine values.

Leopardi's emotional arc moves from a somber reflection on the state of society to a hopeful call for action, particularly directed at women, whom he sees as pivotal in nurturing future generations. He questions whether the flame of youth and virtue is being extinguished by societal pressures, urging women to inspire courage and disdain for cowardice.

The poem employs rich metaphors and historical allusions, such as the reference to Virginia, a symbol of sacrifice for virtue, and the Spartan ideal of courage. These devices underscore the poem's themes of sacrifice, valor, and the enduring struggle for liberty.

Ultimately, Leopardi's poem is a profound meditation on the role of individual and collective virtue in shaping a better future, reflecting his Romantic ideals and philosophical depth. It speaks to the enduring human struggle against corruption and the hope for renewal through courage and integrity.

Word Dictionary73

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
Poi	dopo	after	poi
che	che	that	ke
del	di il	of the	del
patrio	nativo	native	patrio
nido	casa	nest	nido
I	i	the	i
silenzi	quieti	silences	silenzi
lasciando	abbandonando	leaving	laschando
e	e	and	e
le	le	the	le
beate	felici	blessed	be-a-te
Larve	fantasmi	phantoms	lar-ve
l’antico	il vecchio	the ancient	lan-ti-co
error	sbaglio	error	er-ror
celeste	divino	celestial	che-les-te
dono	regalo	gift	do-no
Ch’abbella	che abbellisce	that beautifies	cha-bella
agli	ai	to the	a-lyi
occhi	vista	eyes	ok-ki
tuoi	tuoi	your	tu-oi
quest’ermo	questo solitario	this solitary	kwes-ter-mo
lido	spiaggia	shore	lee-do
Te	te	you	te
nella	in la	in the	nel-la
polve	polvere	dust	pol-ve
della	di la	of the	del-la
vita	esistenza	life	vee-ta
il	il	the	il
suono	rumore	sound	swo-no
Tragge	porta	draws	tra-je
destin	destino	destiny	des-tin
l’obbrobriosa	la vergognosa	the shameful	lo-bro-bri-o-sa
etate	età	age	e-ta-te
Che	che	that	ke
duro	rigido	harsh	du-ro
cielo	paradiso	heaven	che-lo
a	a	to	a
noi	noi	us	noi
prescrisse	ordinò	prescribed	pre-scris-se
impara	apprendi	learn	im-pa-ra
Sorella	sorella	sister	so-rel-la
mia	mia	my	mi-a
in	in	in	in
gravi	pesanti	grave	gra-vi
E	e	and	e
luttuosi	tristi	mournful	lu-tuo-si
tempi	periodi	times	tem-pi
L’infelice	la sfortunata	the unhappy	lin-fe-li-che
famiglia	famiglia	family	fa-mi-lya
all’infelice	alla sfortunata	to the unhappy	al-lin-fe-li-che
Italia	Italia	Italy	i-ta-lia
accrescerai	aumenterai	you will increase	ac-cre-she-rai
Di	di	of	di
forti	forti	strong	for-ti
esempi	modelli	examples	e-sem-pi
Al	al	to the	al
tuo	tuo	your	tu-o
sangue	sangue	blood	san-gwe
provvedi	fornisci	provide	pro-ve-di
Aure	venti	breezes	au-re
soavi	dolci	gentle	so-a-vi
L’empio	il malvagio	the impious	lem-pio
fato	destino	fate	fa-to
interdice	proibisce	forbids	in-ter-di-che
All’umana	alla umana	to human	al-lu-ma-na
virtude	virtù	virtue	vir-tu-de
Nè	né	nor	ne
pura	pulita	pure	pu-ra
gracil	fragile	fragile	gra-chil
petto	torace	breast	pet-to
alma	anima	soul	al-ma
si	si	itself	si
chiude	rinchiude	encloses	ki-u-de

Poet & Context

PoetGiacomo Leopardi

Era19th century, Romanticism

Count Giacomo Leopardi was an Italian poet, philosopher, and essayist, considered the greatest Italian poet of the 19th century. His work reflects deep philosophical insights on existence and the human condition, making him a central figure in Italian Romanticism.

View on Wikipedia

WhenEarly 19th century

WhyThe poem reflects Leopardi's philosophical views on human existence, societal expectations, and the role of virtue and courage in a corrupt world. It was written during a time of personal and national reflection.

FormItalian Romantic poetry

Themes & More

Themes

Virtue and CorruptionCourage and CowardiceSocietal ExpectationsRole of Women

Literary devices

Metaphor: 'dust of life' represents the harsh realities of adulthood.Allusion: Reference to Virginia, symbolizing sacrifice for virtue.Imagery: Vivid descriptions of nature and human emotions.Contrast: Between fortune and valor, highlighting societal corruption.

Analisi poetica

Poi che del patrio nido

Original Poetry

Translation

Poi che del patrio nido

After leaving your home

I silenzi lasciando, e le beate

And the quiet, happy illusions and old mistakes,

Larve e l’antico error, celeste dono,

A heavenly gift that makes this lonely place beautiful to you,

Ch’abbella agli occhi tuoi quest’ermo lido,

Destiny pulls you into the chaos of life;

Te nella polve della vita e il suono

Learn from the difficult times and the shameful era

Tragge il destin; l’obbrobriosa etate

That harsh fate has given us, my sister,

Che il duro cielo a noi prescrisse impara,

As you will add to the unhappy family in unhappy Italy.

Sorella mia, che in gravi

Prepare your bloodline with strong examples.

E luttuosi tempi

Gentle breezes are denied by cruel fate

L’infelice famiglia all’infelice

To human virtue,

Italia accrescerai. Di forti esempi

And a pure soul cannot be contained in a weak heart.

Al tuo sangue provvedi. Aure soavi

L’empio fato interdice

All’umana virtude,

Nè pura in gracil petto alma si chiude.

O miseri o codardi

You will have children who are either miserable or cowardly. Choose the miserable ones.

Figliuoli avrai. Miseri eleggi. Immenso

A great divide between luck and bravery

Tra fortuna e valor dissidio pose

Is caused by corrupt habits. Alas, too late,

Il corrotto costume. Ahi troppo tardi,

And in the twilight of human affairs,

E nella sera dell’umane cose,

Those born today gain movement and awareness.

Acquista oggi chi nasce il moto e il senso.

Heaven cares about this: let it be your main concern

Al ciel ne caglia: a te nel petto sieda

That your children do not grow up as friends of fortune,

Questa sovr’ogni cura,

Nor as playthings of fear or hope: thus you will be called happy in the future:

Che di fortuna amici

Since (in a shameful way,

Non crescano i tuoi figli, e non di vile

Of a lazy and fake lineage)

Timor gioco o di speme: onde felici

We despise living virtue, and praise it only when it's gone.

Sarete detti nell’età futura:

Poiché (nefando stile,

Di schiatta ignava e finta)

Virtù viva sprezziam, lodiamo estinta.

Donne, da voi non poco

Women, your country expects much from you;

La patria aspetta; e non in danno e scorno

Not to harm or disgrace humanity,

Dell’umana progenie al dolce raggio

But to tame the iron and fire with the sweet light

Delle pupille vostre il ferro e il foco

Of your eyes. The wise and strong act and think

Domar fu dato. A senno vostro il saggio

According to your wisdom; and as much as the day

E il forte adopra e pensa; e quanto il giorno

Encircles with the divine chariot, it bows to you.

Col divo carro accerchia, a voi s’inchina.

I ask you for the reason of our age. Does the sacred

Ragion di nostra etate

Flame of youth die out by your hand?

Io chieggo a voi. La santa

Is our nature weakened and broken by you?

Fiamma di gioventù dunque si spegne

Are the sleepy minds, unworthy desires,

Per vostra mano? attenuata e franta

And the diminished native strength your faults?

Da voi nostra natura? e le assonnate

Menti, e le voglie indegne,

E di nervi e di polpe

Scemo il valor natio, son vostre colpe?

Ad atti egregi è sprone

Love is a spur to noble acts,

Amor, chi ben l’estima, e d’alto affetto

For those who value it, and beauty teaches high affection.

Maestra è la beltà. D’amor digiuna

The soul of one who does not rejoice in his heart

Siede l’alma di quello a cui nel petto

When the winds come down to battle,

Non si rallegra il cor quando a tenzone

And when clouds gather on Olympus,

Scendono i venti, e quando nembi aduna

And the storm strikes the mountains,

L’olimpo, e fiede le montagne il rombo

Is devoid of love. O wives,

Della procella. O spose,

O young maidens, let those who avoid danger,

O verginette, a voi

And those unworthy of their country,

Chi de’ perigli è schivo, e quei che indegno

Who place their desires and common affections in low places,

E’ della patria e che sue brame e suoi

Be met with hate and disdain;

Volgari affetti in basso loco pose,

If in the feminine heart

Odio mova e disdegno;

Love for men burned, not for girls.

Se nel femmineo core

D’uomini ardea, non di fanciulle, amore.

Madri d’imbelle prole

May it displease you to be called mothers of weak offspring.

V’incresca esser nomate. I danni e il pianto

Let your lineage be accustomed to enduring

Della virtude a tollerar s’avvezzi

The damages and tears of virtue,

La stirpe vostra, e quel che pregia e cole

And condemn and despise what the shameful age values and cherishes;

La vergognosa età, condanni e sprezzi;

Let it grow for the country, and learn the great deeds,

Cresca alla patria, e gli alti gesti, e quanto

And what the land owes to its ancestors.

Agli avi suoi deggia la terra impari.

As the children of Sparta grew

Qual de’ vetusti eroi

Among the memories and the fame

Tra le memorie e il grido

To the Greek name;

Crescean di Sparta i figli al greco nome;

Until the young bride girded the faithful

Finché la sposa giovanetta il fido

Sword at the dear side, and then

Brando cingeva al caro lato, e poi

Spread her black hair

Spandea le negre chiome

On the bloodless and naked body

Sul corpo esangue e nudo

When he returned in the preserved shield.

Quando e’ reddia nel conservato scudo.

Virginia, a te la molle

Virginia, to you the soft

Gota molcea con le celesti dita

Cheek was softened by the heavenly fingers

Beltade onnipossente, e degli alteri

Of omnipotent beauty, and the mad

Disdegni tuoi si sconsolava il folle

Lord of Rome was disconsolate by your proud disdain.

Signor di Roma. Eri pur vaga, ed eri

You were indeed lovely, and you were

Nella stagion ch’ai dolci sogni invita,

In the season that invites sweet dreams,

Quando il rozzo paterno acciar ti ruppe

When the rough paternal sword broke

Il bianchissimo petto,

Your whitest breast,

E all’Erebo scendesti

And you willingly descended to Erebus.

Volonterosa. A me disfiori e scioglia

To me old age deflowers and loosens

Vecchiezza i membri, o padre; a me s’appresti,

The limbs, o father; prepare for me,

Dicea, la tomba, anzi che l’empio letto

She said, the tomb, rather than the impious bed

Del tiranno m’accoglia.

Of the tyrant welcomes me.

E se pur vita e lena

And if indeed life and breath

Roma avrà dal mio sangue, e tu mi svena.

Rome will have from my blood, and you slay me.

O generosa, ancora

O generous one, even though

Che più bello a’ tuoi dì splendesse il sole

The sun shone more beautifully in your days

Ch’oggi non fa, pur consolata e paga

Than it does today, yet consoled and satisfied

E’ quella tomba cui di pianto onora

Is that tomb which the native land honors with tears.

L’alma terra nativa. Ecco alla vaga

Behold around your lovely remains

Tua spoglia intorno la romulea prole

The Roman offspring sparkles with new anger.

Di nova ira sfavilla. Ecco di polve

Behold the tyrant sullies his hair with dust;

Lorda il tiranno i crini;

And liberty inflames

E libertade avvampa

The oblivious hearts; and in the subdued

Gli obbliviosi petti; e nella doma

Land the Latin Mars arduously camps

Terra il marte latino arduo s’accampa

From the dark pole to the torrid confines.

Dal buio polo ai torridi confini.

Thus eternal Rome,

Così l’eterna Roma

Buried in harsh idleness,

In duri ozi sepolta

Is revived once more by feminine fate.

Femmineo fato avviva un’altra volta.

Explanation

Word Dictionary73

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
Poi	dopo	after	poi
che	che	that	ke
del	di il	of the	del
patrio	nativo	native	patrio
nido	casa	nest	nido
I	i	the	i
silenzi	quieti	silences	silenzi
lasciando	abbandonando	leaving	laschando
e	e	and	e
le	le	the	le
beate	felici	blessed	be-a-te
Larve	fantasmi	phantoms	lar-ve
l’antico	il vecchio	the ancient	lan-ti-co
error	sbaglio	error	er-ror
celeste	divino	celestial	che-les-te
dono	regalo	gift	do-no
Ch’abbella	che abbellisce	that beautifies	cha-bella
agli	ai	to the	a-lyi
occhi	vista	eyes	ok-ki
tuoi	tuoi	your	tu-oi
quest’ermo	questo solitario	this solitary	kwes-ter-mo
lido	spiaggia	shore	lee-do
Te	te	you	te
nella	in la	in the	nel-la
polve	polvere	dust	pol-ve
della	di la	of the	del-la
vita	esistenza	life	vee-ta
il	il	the	il
suono	rumore	sound	swo-no
Tragge	porta	draws	tra-je
destin	destino	destiny	des-tin
l’obbrobriosa	la vergognosa	the shameful	lo-bro-bri-o-sa
etate	età	age	e-ta-te
Che	che	that	ke
duro	rigido	harsh	du-ro
cielo	paradiso	heaven	che-lo
a	a	to	a
noi	noi	us	noi
prescrisse	ordinò	prescribed	pre-scris-se
impara	apprendi	learn	im-pa-ra
Sorella	sorella	sister	so-rel-la
mia	mia	my	mi-a
in	in	in	in
gravi	pesanti	grave	gra-vi
E	e	and	e
luttuosi	tristi	mournful	lu-tuo-si
tempi	periodi	times	tem-pi
L’infelice	la sfortunata	the unhappy	lin-fe-li-che
famiglia	famiglia	family	fa-mi-lya
all’infelice	alla sfortunata	to the unhappy	al-lin-fe-li-che
Italia	Italia	Italy	i-ta-lia
accrescerai	aumenterai	you will increase	ac-cre-she-rai
Di	di	of	di
forti	forti	strong	for-ti
esempi	modelli	examples	e-sem-pi
Al	al	to the	al
tuo	tuo	your	tu-o
sangue	sangue	blood	san-gwe
provvedi	fornisci	provide	pro-ve-di
Aure	venti	breezes	au-re
soavi	dolci	gentle	so-a-vi
L’empio	il malvagio	the impious	lem-pio
fato	destino	fate	fa-to
interdice	proibisce	forbids	in-ter-di-che
All’umana	alla umana	to human	al-lu-ma-na
virtude	virtù	virtue	vir-tu-de
Nè	né	nor	ne
pura	pulita	pure	pu-ra
gracil	fragile	fragile	gra-chil
petto	torace	breast	pet-to
alma	anima	soul	al-ma
si	si	itself	si
chiude	rinchiude	encloses	ki-u-de

Poet & Context

PoetGiacomo Leopardi

Era19th century, Romanticism

View on Wikipedia

WhenEarly 19th century

FormItalian Romantic poetry

Themes & More

Themes

Virtue and CorruptionCourage and CowardiceSocietal ExpectationsRole of Women

Literary devices