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Giacomo Leopardi, Count (June 29, 1798; June 14, 1837) 

Italian poet and scholar. Devoted to the study of the classics and philosophy from early childhood, although plagued by illness and physical and spiritual frustration, Leopardi became one of the most formidable linguists, thinkers, and writers of his time. His pessimistic view of the world became increasingly uncompromising. His Canti [songs] (1816—37) represent the flowering of his poetry, which rests on a tension between past and present, innocence and rational consciousness. He spoke with romantic yearning for physical and spiritual oneness, even as he pointed to the unbridgeable gulf that separated people from one another and from salvation. Leopardi was a liberal and agnostic at a time when independence of thought was dangerous in Italy. Many of his works were deeply patriotic and contemptuous of the Italian rulers of his day. He wrote political and social satire in the ironic dialogues entitled Operette morali (1826—27, tr. Essays, Dialogues, and Thoughts, 1893 and 1905). A complete edition of his works was issued in 1845 by his friend Antonio Ranieri. Leopardi is considered Italy's outstanding 19th-century poet.


el plaer més sòlid d’aquesta vida es el brèvol plaer de les il·lusions
els nens ho troben tot en res, i els grans no troben res en tot
la gent només és ridícula quan vol aparentar o ser el que no és
la ignorància és la major font de felicitat
qui sap riure és senyor del món
sense memòria l\'home no sabria res ni seria capaç de fer res
un vocabulari pot contenir només una petita part del patrimoni d\'una llengua