Summary
Highlights
The title "La mia sera" (My Evening) is significant as it indicates an autobiographical reflection by Pascoli. The 'evening' symbolizes his maturity, a period informed by personal struggles. The poem was written in 1900 during a tense literary exchange with Gabriele D'Annunzio, where Pascoli sought solace through writing amidst his 'tribulations'.
The poem is composed of five stanzas, each with eight verses. It primarily uses novenario (nine-syllable) lines, traditionally associated with popular poetry, to evoke a simple and spontaneous 'voice of the child.' The poem also features hypermetric and hypometric verses, creating an unconventional rhythm that Pascoli intended for nuanced emotional expression.
The first stanza contrasts a day 'full of lightning' (lampi) with the 'tacit stars' of the evening. This contrast symbolizes a life full of difficult experiences (day) giving way to the serenity of maturity (evening). Literary devices like enjambment, alliteration, antithesis (lampi/stelle, scoppi/pace), synesthesia ('tacite stelle'), and onomatopoeia ('gre gre di ranelle') are highlighted.
The second stanza describes stars 'opening' like flowers in a 'tender and moist sky,' and a monotonous stream's 'sobbing' replacing the 'dark tumult' of the day. This illustrates the calm that follows life's storms. Pascoli uses metaphor (stars like opening flower corollas), various synesthesias, and antithesis (allegre ranelle vs. rivo che singhiozza) to convey this shift towards serenity, representing the poet's peaceful old age after a troubled life.
The 'infinite tempest' of the past transforms into a 'singing stream,' and fierce lightning becomes 'fragile, purple, and gold cirrus clouds.' The darkest 'cloud' of pain now appears 'rosier.' This signifies Pascoli's re-evaluation of his past experiences, where painful memories become tolerable and even beautiful in maturity. Key elements include the hypermetric/hypometric verses from earlier discussion, etymological figures, synesthesia, and personification ('stanco dolore riposa').
This stanza introduces Pascoli's recurring theme of the 'nest' (nido) and the swifts (rondini). The birds' hunger, prolonged through the difficult day, makes their simple evening meal (garbula cena) more appreciated. Pascoli personally identifies with the birds, having experienced economic hardship and loss in his childhood. Enjambment, anaphora, synesthesia, and metonymy ('i nidi' referring to the little swifts) are used to convey this connection.
The final stanza begins with the onomatopoeia 'don don' of church bells, which tell the poet to sleep, reminding him of his mother's lullabies. This brings Pascoli back to his childhood and a sense of peaceful oblivion, echoing his mother's care. The bells, a crucial element in Pascolian poetry, symbolize a return to the comfort of the maternal figure. The stanza features personification of the bells, anticlimax, and synesthesia ('voci di tenebra azzurra') to illustrate this profound connection to memory and inner peace.
The poem is deeply autobiographical, set in Castelvecchio di Barga, where Pascoli sought to rebuild his 'nest.' It is divided into two main parts: a description of nature reflecting the poet's difficult life and mature serenity, followed by symbolic analogies and childhood memories. Phonosymbolism is central, with sounds carrying precise meanings. The video also draws parallels to other Italian poems like Leopardi's 'La quiete dopo la tempesta' and Foscolo's 'Alla sera'.