I like the way Leopardi mourns himself.
In his poems he is almost always alone, almost always in his hometown of Recanati, Italy (which has a spectacular beauty, according to Larbaud), often regretting the passing of his youth and then consoling himself by remembering that his youth was as quiet and as sad as his present age.
He seeks solace from nature, knowing this is ridiculous, and he finds it there because he puts it there, because he finds solace in thinking about his own unhappiness, and the natural world facilitates his thoughts. By thinking and thoughts I probably mean writing and poems, but I'm hesitant about mentioning those things because I don't want to start talking about art, not really. I do think, though, that Leopardi should be introduced to readers before Baudelaire is.
A quote from his notebooks is included as part of an introduction to his poems and to his personality:
A quote from his notebooks is included as part of an introduction to his poems and to his personality:
Not just individuals, but the whole human race always was and always will be unhappy by necessity. Not just the human race but all the animals. Not only the animals but all other beings in their own way. Not individuals only, but species, kinds, kingdoms, spheres, systems, worlds.
(Zibaldone, 4175)
Something about this statement makes me feel great. It is a big relief not to feel constrained toward happiness. Life instantly seems more interesting and more bearable to me. Good afternoon, Leopardi. You are my instant buddy.
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