POETS CONTEMPORARY WITH ARIOSTO.
The age of Ariosto is remarkable for the first appearance of blank
verse in the Italian language. The _Italia Liberata_ of TRISSINO, on
the subject of the victories of Belisarius over the Goths, is the
first work in that metre. Trissino thought himself a second Homer, and
his epic is full of injudicious imitations of the _Iliad._ The scene
between Jupiter and Juno on Mount Ida is transferred to Justinian
and Theodora, in the Palace of Constantinople, with very voluptuous
amplifications More than with this ponderous epic, Trissino did his
country service by writing the first Italian tragedy, _Sofonisba,_ a
work containing passages almost worthy of Euripides. With a style less
languid and prosaic, Trissino might have achieved considerable success
in the drama.
The poet who came nearest to Ariosto in elegance of style, though
far indeed from possessing equal fire and genius, was FRANCESCO
BERNI, mentioned in a previous chapter, as having recast the _Orlando
Innamorato_ of Bojardo. He cannot have had a very original mind, or he
would not have submitted to the drudgery of re-writing, line for line,
the work of another man, when he might have been employed on poems of
his own; but he had plenty of vivacity and raciness, as his Satires and
Sonnets attest. So popular did they become, that light and comic poetry
came to be called after him, _Poesia Bernesca._ His end was more tragic
than his works. Unfortunately for himself, he lived in Florence in the
intimacy of the Medici family. A bitter feud arose between the Duke
Alexander and Cardinal Ippolito. The Duke endeavoured to bribe Berni to
poison the Cardinal, and on his refusing to be a party to so terrible
a crime, Alexander had him poisoned in his turn, lest he should reveal
the secret of his guilt.
LUIGI ALAMANNI was an indefatigable writer of poetry. He wrote two
enormous epics, _Giron il Cortese_ and the _Avarchide;_ but it would
require the musical diction of Ariosto to make such productions live;
and, unfortunately, Alamanni, though a scholarly and painstaking
writer, had nothing like Ariosto's powers of versification. The work
by which he is most honourably remembered is a didactic poem, _La
Coltivazione,_ on the same subject as the _Georgics._
GIOVANNI RUCELLAI, a nephew of Lorenzo the Magnificent, was also
indebted to the Georgics for his poem, _Le Api_ (on Bees), in blank
verse, of which there is an excellent defence in the introductory
lines, quite the most original and pleasing passage in the poem.
Monsignor GIOVANNI DELLA CASA acquired an immense reputation in his
own age for his works in prose and verse, in Latin and Italian;
but as his merit consists exclusively in the finished style--his
thoughts not rising above conventionality--he has been neglected for
writers combining equal, if not greater, beauty of language with more
originality of thought.
ANNIBAL CARO rendered signal service to his country by giving it a
spirited translation of the _Æneid,_ and his works in prose and verse
are all characterised by vigour of style. He rose from a humble origin
to considerable wealth and prominence, and he became notorious by
reason of a bitter feud with a contemporary critic of the name of
CASTELVETRO. He had written a poem in praise of the House of Valois,
"Venite all'ombra de' gran gigli d'oro," and Castelvetro wrote a
sharp and acrimonious criticism upon it, to which he retorted in his
_Apologia_ with almost insane rancour. Castelvetro was not tardy in
replying, and Caro is suspected of having used all his influence to
ruin the career of his adversary. But it is painful to dwell upon these
ebullitions of spite, unfortunately too frequent in the annals of
literature.
CARDINAL BEMBO was a writer fastidiously elegant. He is reported to
have possessed forty portfolios, in the first of which he put the first
draft of his works; in the second, the second; and so on until the
fortieth revision reached the fortieth receptacle, after which alone
would he suffer the work to see the light. His productions are such as
might be expected from a man so minutely laborious. He is more intent
upon words than upon realities. His poetry is modelled on Petrarch, his
prose on Boccaccio. He wrote a _History of Venice_ in twelve books,
originally in Latin, translating it himself into Italian. A dialogue,
entitled _Gli Asolani,_ is interesting to English readers from its
similarity of title to Browning's _Asolando._ The name is taken from
Asolo, a spot on the mainland not far from Venice, whither he loved
to retire, as Browning did three hundred years later. His letters are
esteemed his best production, being less over-elaborated in style than
his other works. His Latin works are entirely modelled on those of
Cicero.
FRANCESCO GRAZZINI, surnamed IL LASCA, was a sort of inferior Berni
in his poems, but he is remarkable as one of the founders of the
Florentine Accademia della Crusca.
BERNARDINO ROTA, a Neapolitan, produced some really pathetic poems on
the death of his wife.
The Sixteenth Century was remarkable for three poetesses of
considerable merit: VITTORIA COLONNA, GASPARA STAMPA, and VERONICA
GAMBARA. VITTORIA COLONNA was the widow of the Marquis of Pescara, and
dedicates many of her verses to his memory. GASPARA STAMPA, a native of
Padua, was deeply in love with Collatino Collalto, and gave utterance
to her passion in numerous Sonnets, some of which rise to considerable
beauty and dignity. VERONICA GAMBARA, of Brescia, produced some noble
verses, especially the fine Sonnet in which she implores, in the name
of Christ, Charles V and Francis I, to put an end to their hostilities.
Although he lived until nearly the end of the century, we may for
convenience mention ANGELO DI COSTANZO in this chapter. He was born in
Naples, in 1507, of a wealthy and noble family, but in spite of his
wealth he had many sorrows. Don Pedro de Toledo, Viceroy of Naples,
banished him from the city of his birth. His first wife died in youth;
his second wife caused him much unhappiness by her misconduct; and to
complete his misfortunes, he lived to deplore the loss of his two
sons. He appealed in vain to be allowed to return to his home. His
petitions were rejected, and he died in grief and exile in 1591. Some
of his poems are eminently beautiful; his Sonnet on Virgil, "Quella
cetra gentil," is justly celebrated. In prose he wrote a history of
Naples, frequently reprinted.
On reviewing the poetry of this period, with the brilliant exception
of Ariosto, the result is, perhaps, a feeling of disappointment.
Certainly, the achievements are not commensurate with the undoubted
culture and intellect of the writers. There is nothing (always
excepting Ariosto) that has taken hold of the world's attention. How
different in this respect are the poets from the painters of the same
period! How obscure by the side of Michael Angelo, Raphael, Correggio,
Titian, Giorgione, Sebastian del Piombo, Tintoretto, and the whole
galaxy sparkling for ever in the heaven of Art! Some powerful minds,
such as Vida and Fracastoro, were diverted into the path of Latin
poetry; but I think the chief explanation of the inferiority of the
poets is their lack of really fine subjects; for how can a poet write
nobly if he has no adequate theme for his verse? Their amorous poetry
ran too much in the Petrarchan groove; their heroic poetry was too apt
to assume the form of ponderous epics, utterly unreadable without the
graces of Ariosto. Religious enthusiasm seems to have been remote from
their minds. Another generation had to arise before that fire was again
kindled on the shrine of Poetry.