ITALY (POETRY.) 



183 



to poets of the second rank. Sannazzaro distinguish- 

 ed himself in his Arcadia, and in his lyric poems, by 

 delicacy of feeling arid beauty of expression. Berni 

 became the creator of a new department. Among 

 the Petrarchists of this age are Bembo, Castiglione, 

 and Molza. Lodovico Domenichi published, in 

 1559, the poems of fifty noble ladies. Among these 

 was Vittoria Colonna, wife of Fernando d'Avalo, 

 marquis of Pescara. (Respecting Aretino, equally 

 known for genius and licentiousness, see Aretino.) 

 Bernardo Tasso, in his epic, and still more in his 

 lyric poems, appears as an excellent poet, but was 

 surpassed by his son Torquato Tasso. (See Tasso.) 

 Guarini displays much grace in Ins lyrics (madrigals 

 and sonnets), but he owes his fame to his Pastor 

 Fido. Gabriello Chiabrera was distinguished as a 

 lyric poet. He also wrote several epic poems and 

 pastoral dramas. The learned father Bernardino 

 Baldi published, besides sonnets and canzoni, a hun- 

 dred apologues in prose. Attempts had already been 

 made in the JEsopic fable by Cesare Pavesi, under 

 the name of Targa, and by Giammaria Verdizotti, 

 but with less success. Teofilo Folengi, more known 

 under the name of Merlin Coccajo, must be mentioned 

 as the inventor of macaronic poetry. As early as the 

 second half of the sixteenth century, the corruption of 

 taste had begun, and continually increased, so tliat the 

 seventeenth century produced but very few works 

 which can be considered as exceptions. We should 

 mention, however, Marino (q. v.), who, as it were, 

 founded his own school, from which proceeded 

 Claudio Achillini, Girolamo Preti, Casoni and Anto- 

 nio Bruni, who were his most ardent admirers. 

 Alessandro Tassoni is known as the author of La 

 Secchia Rapita, a comic and satiric epic. Francesco 

 Bracciolini, who had imitated Tasso, in his Croce 

 Racquistato, with no great success, by his Scherno 

 degli Dei, disputed with Tassoni the honour of the 

 invention of the mock-heroic, but does not equal him 

 in grace and ingenuity. Two later mock-heroic 

 poems // Malmantile Racquistato, by Lorenzo Lippi, 

 and // Torrachione Desolato, by Paolo Minucci have 

 no other merit than the purity of their Tuscan lan- 

 guage. The works of Carlo de' Dottori, Bartolom- 

 meo Bocchini, Cesari Caporali, are not of distinguished 

 merit. Filicaia's lyrical poems glow with patriotic 

 feeling, and a noble elevation, which will always 

 render him popular. Count Fulvio Testi was the 

 Horace of his nation, but his epic productions were 

 mere fragments. The caustic satires of the painter 

 SalVator Rosa are not to be passed over in silence, 

 amidst the general barrenness of Italian poetry, about 

 the middle of the seventeenth century. The residence 

 of Christina, queen of Sweden, in Rome, and her pre- 

 dilection for the classic muse, served to banish from 

 the circle of poets, who assembled round her, the 

 Marinistic exaggeration, and to substitute for it a 

 frigid correctness. Her conversion to the Catholic 

 faith also attracted more attention to sacred poetry 

 than it had previously received in Italy; but no poet 

 of her circle merits particular notice. Deserving of 

 mention is ISiccolo Forteguerra, author of the Ric- 

 eiardetto, the last epic of chivalry. Nolli, whose 

 songs and odes were popular, translated Milton's 

 Paradise Lost, and was the first who made his coun- 

 trymen acquainted with English literature, whilst, at 

 the same time, the French taste began to prevail, 

 which exercised a decided influence, particularly on 

 the dramatic literature of Italy. Fewer candidates 

 now appear on the Italian Parnassus. The abbate 

 Carlo Innocenzio Frugoni, among other poetical 

 productions (mostly frigid occasional pieces), com- 

 posed sonnets and canzoni, of which the sportive ones 

 are praised. There is a successful translation of the 

 Psalms by Mattei. The Arte Rapprcsentutiva (the 



Histrionic Art) is a didactic poem worthy of mention, 

 by Lodovico Riccoboni, who raised the character of 

 the Italian theatre at Paris. Francesco Algarotti, 

 the companion of Frederic the Great, belonging to 

 the French school, in his odes, poetic epistles, and 

 translations, exhibited the pleasing ease, but, at the 

 same time, the coldness of the French. Roberti and 

 Pignotti wrote ^Esopic fables with originality and 

 elegance. Twenty poets were united in the com- 

 position of a comic poem, under the title Bertoldo, 

 Bertoldino, and Cacasenno. Luigi Savioli sung of 

 love in the style of Anacreon. As erotic and lyric 

 poets, must be mentioned with him Gherardo de' 

 Rossi and Giovanni Fantoni, called, among the 

 Arcadians (see Arcadia), Labindo. A pleasing en- 

 thusiasm pervades the poetry of Ippolito Pindemonti; 

 and, among the productions of his friend Aurelio 

 Bertola of Rimini, the fables rank the highest. 

 Clem. Bondi is pleasing, but without creative power. 

 Giuseppe Parini, who imitated Pope's Rape of the 

 Lock, displays true poetic elevation and fine feeling. 

 Onofrio Menzoni, who is not without poetic origi- 

 nality, confined himself almost entirely to sacred 

 poems. Alfieri was distinguished for his satires, 

 lyric poems, his Etruria p'endicata, and his dra- 

 matic compositions, translations, &c. (See Alfieri) 

 The abbate Giambattista Casti was distinguished for 

 elegance, wit, and humour. His Animali Parlanti, 

 a mock-heroic poem, is rich in satiric and humorous 

 traits. His Novelle Galanti are often indecent. The 

 late Vincenzo Monti is pronounced unanimously to 

 have been the greatest among the recent poets of 

 Italy. Besides his dramatic compositions, his most 

 celebrated poem is his Bassvigliana, in which he 

 imitates Dante. But who can enumerate the host 

 which now lays claim to the poetic laurel, particu- 

 larly since the souvenirs flourish in Italy also, and 

 offer so fine a field for sonnets, of which there is 

 hardly an educated Italian who has not composed 

 some? The grave character which the times are 

 assuming will perhaps put an end to these elegant 

 trifles, whose abundance cannot be considered favour- 

 able to an elevated tone, either in literature or the 

 fine arts. The souvenirs have already declined in 

 Germany, where they originated. The latest epic 

 attempts have not been successful. The Ilaliade 

 and <S. Benedetto, by A. M. Ricci, Mose, by Robiola, 

 the Moabitide, by Franchi di Pont, were inferior to 

 the specimens which have appeared of Palomba's 

 Medoro Coronato. More interest has been excited 

 by the tragedies, the authors of which, however, are 

 restrained by their party views of the romantic and 

 classical. Fabbri of Cesena, Marsuzi, the duke of 

 Vendignano, follow the example of Alfieri, respecting 

 whose poetical system, see the article Alfieri. Ugo 

 Foscolo's Ricciarda (Londra, i. e. Turin, 1820) was 

 intended to introduce a taste for the romantic style 

 into Italy; but it is already forgotten. Manzoni, a 

 cultivator of this kind of poetry, or of what the 

 Italians understand by this name, has been most 

 successful. Goethe praised Manzoni's Conte di Cur- 

 magnola (Milan, 1820) highly. Pindemonti, Maffei, 

 and Nicolini, however, are placed higher than Man- 

 zoni by all parties. The productions in the comic 

 department are poor; they appear, at least to other 

 nations, heavy and dragging, and the Commedia dell' 

 Arte (see Drama) is not considered worthy of notice 

 by the high classes ; yet its strong humour might 

 perhaps please an unprejudiced mind more than the 

 writings of Nota, Giraud, and Panzadoro. Barbieri's 

 Nuova Raccotta Teatrale, ossia Repertorio ad Uso de' 

 Teatri Italiani (Milan, 1820), and Marchisio's 

 Opera Teatrale (Milan, 1820), endeavour to supply 

 the want of native productions by translations of 

 French and German works proof enough that the 



