Giacomo Leopardi

Italian poet. Born on June 29th as the eldest son of a count in Recanati, a hilly town in the Marche region overlooking the Adriatic Sea, he grew up in a conservative environment. From an early age, he was tutored by a clergyman, but by the age of 14, he no longer needed a teacher and retreated to his father's ancient study, where he was immersed in the rich collection of books and devoted himself to the study of classical texts. His interest at this time was directed more towards the joy of acquiring extensive knowledge than literature, which bore fruit in such essays as "History of Astronomy" (1813) and "On the Errors Prevalent among the Ancients" (1815). By the age of 17, he had taught himself Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, as well as modern English, French, and German. Through his "mad, desperate study" during this period (around 1808-16), he acquired a vast amount of knowledge, but living in a room with little sunlight caused him to develop stunted growth, stunted growth, and developed rickets, which seriously damaged his health and led to his early death. His attempts at translating Hesiod, Moschos's pastoral songs, and partial translations of the Odyssey and the Aeneid were the basis for his refined, classical style of writing. Then, in 1815-16, he became aware of the beauty of language, and the religious experience he had at that time led him to cast aside his previous knowledge and enter the world of poetry.

However, his parents' lack of understanding of his poetic talent and their humiliating financial support led him to develop a pessimistic view of poetry. In addition, misfortune struck him one after another, such as when he was 21 he developed an eye disease that cut short his interest in reading. Often called the world's greatest pessimistic poet, his poems are imbued with a gloomy pessimism, but his sadness goes beyond personal feelings and depicts the world itself in sadness. This is reflected in his poems, starting with "Hymne à mort le mort" (1816), through "Infinity" (1819), "The Lonely Sparrow" (1829), and all the way up to "The Moon is Setting" (1837), which was written two hours before his death. His prose works include the 26 short stories "Didactic Tales" (1826) and the seven volumes of his extensive memoirs "Essays" (1898-1900), published to commemorate his 100th birthday. The latter is a record of the poet's reading, recollections, and dialogue with his soul over a period of 15 years, making him the greatest thinker of the 19th century. The poems and prose of the former are the greatest legacy of Romantic literature, and have had a huge influence on later Italian literature, transcending the boundaries of Romanticism and making Leopardi a great poet following Dante, Petrarch, and Tasso.

In 1822, the poet was finally able to leave his hometown of Recanati, which had been a shackle for him, with the permission of his father. He subsequently travelled to Rome, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and other places, but never found a place of peace. However, in his later years, he met Antonio Ranieri, an exile in Naples, and gained his true friendship. He died in Naples on June 14, 1837, under the devoted care of Ranieri's sister Paolina. His major works are collected in the collection of poems "Canti" (first published in 1831, reprinted in a definitive edition in 1835).

One of the earliest references to Leopardi's name in Japanese literature was in Natsume Soseki's "Gubijinso."

[Hideaki Kawashima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イタリアの詩人。アドリア海を遠くに望み見る丘陵地帯の町マルケ州レカナーティに、6月29日、伯爵家の長男として生まれ、保守性の強い環境に育った。幼いころから聖職者の家庭教師について学んでいたが、14歳のときには、もはや教師を必要とせず、古色蒼然(そうぜん)たる父親の書斎に引きこもり、豊富な蔵書に埋もれながら、もっぱら古典文献の研究に没頭した。このころの関心は、文学よりもむしろ該博な知識を身につけることへの喜びに向けられていて、『天文学史』（1813）や『古代人に流布した誤謬(ごびゅう)について』（1815）などの論文に結実した。17歳のときには、英・仏・独の近代語はもちろん、ギリシア語、ラテン語、ヘブライ語を独学で習得していた。この時期（1808～16ころ）の「気違いじみた必死の勉強」によって、膨大な知識を身につけはしたが、陽光のあまり入らない部屋の中で生活していたために発育不全となり、身長が伸びずにくる病となって健康を著しく害し、夭折(ようせつ)を決定的に用意してしまった。当時、すでに試みていた、ヘシオドスの翻訳や、モスコスの牧歌の訳出、また『オデュッセイア』や『アエネイス』の部分訳などは、彼の端正で古典的な文体を生み出すもとになった。そして1815～16年、言語にまつわる美に目覚め、そのときの宗教的な体験から、むしろそれまでの自分の知識を振り捨てるようにして、詩の世界へと踏み込んでいった。

　けれども、彼の詩才に対する両親の無理解と屈辱的な経済援助とから、詩への厭世(えんせい)観は募っていった。加えて、21歳のとき眼病にかかって読書の道を絶たれるなど、不幸は次々に襲いかかってきた。しばしば、世界最高の厭世詩人とよばれるように、彼の詩は暗澹(あんたん)たるペシミズムに塗り込められているが、その悲哀は個人的な感情を超えて、世界そのものを悲しみのなかに描き出している。それは「死に近づく賛歌」（1816）に始まり、「無窮」（1819）、「孤独の雀(すずめ)」（1829）などを経て、死の2時間前に書かれたという「月は傾く」（1837）に至るまでの詩編に書き込まれている。散文作品としては、26の短編からなる『教訓的小話集』（1826）、また生誕100年を記念して出版された膨大な手記『随想集』七巻（1898～1900）がある。後者は15年間にわたる詩人の読書と、回想と、自己の魂との対話とを書き留めたもので、彼を19世紀最大の思想家たらしめている。また前者の詩や散文が、ロマン主義文学最大の遺産として、いや、ロマン主義の枠を踏み超え、ダンテ、ペトラルカ、タッソに続く、大詩人レオパルディとして、後世のイタリア文学に与えた影響は甚だ大きい。

　1822年に、ようやく父親に許されて、詩人は桎梏(しっこく)の故郷レカナーティを離れることができた。その後はローマ、ミラノ、ボローニャ、フィレンツェ、ピサなどを転々としたが、安住の地を得ることはなかった。ただ晩年、ナポリの亡命者アントーニオ・ラニエーリと知り合い、真の友情を得て、その妹パオリーナの献身的な看病を受け、37年の6月14日、ナポリで没した。主要作品は詩集『カンティ』（初版1831、再版決定版1835）に収める。

　なお、日本文学にもっとも早くレオパルディの名前を知らせたものの一つに、夏目漱石(そうせき)の『虞美人草(ぐびじんそう)』のなかの言及がある。

［河島英昭］

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