Summary
Highlights
The video marks a return from holidays to discuss Gabriele D'Annunzio, specifically his poem 'La pioggia nel pineto'. This poem, published in July-August 1902 as part of 'Alcyone' in D'Annunzio's 'Laudi', consists of four stanzas of 32 free verses each. The poem is famous and frequently studied in schools. Each stanza concludes with the name 'Ermione'.
The poem is set in the summer of 1902. D'Annunzio, known for his appreciation of beautiful women, was deeply involved with actress Eleonora Duse. They stayed in Marina di Pietrasanta, Tuscany, a region D'Annunzio loved. He owned a house in Settignano, Florence, called 'La Capponcina', and Duse had a nearby cottage named 'La Porziuncola'. D'Annunzio sought a place for free horse riding, finding inspiration in the beaches of Versilia, an area also favored by poets like Shelley and Byron. From 1899, D'Annunzio spent his summers near the 'Casa della Dogana', later moving to a villa in Secco with Duse, cherishing the pristine beaches. This contextualization is crucial before delving into the poem.
The first stanza begins with 'Taci' (Be silent) as D'Annunzio addresses Ermione, urging her to listen to the new 'words' spoken by raindrops and leaves, rather than human words. This imperative highlights the desire to listen to nature's voice. The poem uses anaphora with 'piove' (it rains) and alliteration ('salmastre ed arse'). The rain is depicted as purifying, a recurring element in D'Annunzio's works. The poem features enjambments, mimicking the falling rain. References to humble plants like tamarisks (a nod to Pascoli) and myrtle (sacred to Venus) enrich the natural imagery. The poet and Ermione's faces become 'sylvan', signifying their spiritual transformation and connection with the forest (panism), becoming 'of the same substance' as the trees. 'Hermione' is revealed to be a pseudonym for Eleonora Duse, referencing the beautiful daughter of Menelaus and Helen.
The second stanza opens with a rhetorical question: 'Odi?' (Do you hear?). The rain creates a 'crackling' sound on the 'solitary greenery', changing with the density of the leaves. D'Annunzio emphasizes the musicality of the words, aligning with Verlaine's symbolism. The cicadas' song (a 'cry') responds to the rain, which is metaphorically a 'cry' itself, specifically an 'austral cry' due to the warm, humid southerly wind that brings it. Each plant, like the pine, myrtle, and juniper, produces distinct sounds under the rain, acting as instruments in nature's orchestra. The poet and Ermione are immersed in this 'sylvan spirit', sharing the 'arboreal life'. Ermione's face becomes 'soft with rain like a leaf', and her hair smells like ginestra, transforming her into a forest nymph, intoxicated by nature.
The third stanza repeats 'Ascolta, ascolta' (Listen, listen), emphasizing the auditory experience. The cicadas' song gradually fades under the increasing rain, while a 'hoarser' song rises from the 'remote, damp shade', attributed to the frogs. The sound of the sea, initially silent, then joins the symphony. The rain is described as 'silvery', referring to both its shimmering appearance and its argent-like sound. The cicada is called 'daughter of the air', and the frog, 'daughter of the slime'. The stanza continues to highlight the interplay of natural sounds, with elements appearing and fading, creating a dynamic auditory landscape. The rain continues to fall on Ermione’s eyelashes, suggesting tears of pleasure.
The final stanza describes the complete metamorphosis of Ermione (and the poet) into nature. The rain on her 'black eyelashes' makes it seem as if she cries, but from pleasure. She is not pale but 'almost made of bark', suggesting her transformation into a tree. Their entire being becomes fresh and fragrant, their hearts like 'intact peaches', their eyes like 'spring water among the grass', and their teeth like 'unripe almonds'. They move through the bushes, sometimes together, sometimes separated, their ankles entangled by the 'wild, rude vigor' of the thickets. The stanza concludes with a repetition of lines from the first stanza, reiterating the transformation of their 'sylvan faces', 'bare hands', and 'light garments' by the rain, and renewing their 'fresh thoughts' and 'beautiful fable'. This final repetition further emphasizes the profound and ongoing pantheistic communion with nature, intensified by the rain's purifying effect.