Giacomo Leopardi

“This solitary hill has always been dear to meAnd this hedge, which prevents me from seeing most ofThe endless horizon.But when I sit and gaze, I imagine, in my thoughtsEndless spaces beyond the hedge,An all encompassing silence and a deeply profound quiet,To the point that my heart is almost overwhelmed.And when I hear the wind rustling through the treesI compare its voice to the infinite silence.And eternity occurs to me, and all the ages past,And the present time, and its sound.Amidst this immensity my thought drowns:And to founder in this sea is sweet to me.”

“The InfiniteIt was always dear to me, this solitary hill,and this hedgerow here, that closes out my view,from so much of the ultimate horizon.But sitting here, and watching here, in thought,I create interminable spaces,greater than human silences, and deepestquiet, where the heart barely fails to terrify.When I hear the wind, blowing among these leaves,I go on to compare that infinite silencewith this voice, and I remember the eternaland the dead seasons, and the living present,and its sound, so that in this immensitymy thoughts are drowned, and shipwreck seems sweetto me in this sea.”

“Seda süüd ei andesta aga inimliik, kes ei vihka kunagi niivõrd seda, kes kurja teeb, ega ka tegu ennast, kuivõrd seda, kes selle välja ütleb. Nii tuleb sageli ette, et sellal kui see, kes kurja korda saadab, pälvib rikkuse, au ja võimu, lohistatakse see, kes kuritegu nimetab, tapalavale, sest inimesed on varmalt valmis taluma ükskõik mida, mis neile teiste või taeva poolt osaks saab, kui nad sellest vaid sõnades pääsevad.”

“E' curioso a vedere che quasi tutti gli uomini che valgono molto hanno le maniere semplici; e che quasi sempre le maniere semplici sono prese per indizio di poco valore.”

“Il più certo modo di celare agli altri i confini del proprio sapere, è di non trapassarli.”

“He who travels much has this advantage over others – that the things he remembers soon become remote, so that in a short time they acquire the vague and poetical quality which is only given to other things by time. He who has not traveled at all has this disadvantage – that all his memories are of things present somewhere, since the places with which all his memories are concerned are present.”

“Death is not an evil, because it frees us from all evils, and while it takes away good things, it takes away also the desire for them. Old age is the supreme evil, because it deprives us of all pleasures, leaving us only the appetite for them, and it brings with it all sufferings. Nevertheless, we fear death, and we desire old age.”

“Amami, per Dio. Ho bisogno d'amore, amore, amore, fuoco, entusiasmo, vita”

“E tu, cui già dal cominciar degli anni sempre onorata invoco, bella Morte, pietosa tu sola al mondo dei terreni affanni[…] chiudi alla luce omai questi occhi tristi […] nel mio sangue innocente non ricolmar di lode, non benedir, com’usa per antica viltà l’umana gente”

“مامن رفقة تبقى ممتعة لنا على الأمد الطويل، إن لم تكن مع شخص نحب منه تقديره لنا.”

“Che pensieri soavi,che speranze, che cori, o Silvia mia!Quale allor ci appariala vita umana e il fato!Quando sovviemmi di cotanta speme,un affetto mi premeacerbo e sconsolato,e tornami a doler di mia sventura.O natura, o natura,perché non rendi poiquel che prometti allor? perché di tantoinganni i figli tuoi?”

“Freedom is the dream you dreamWhile putting thought in chains again --”

“Real misanthropes are not found in solitude, but in the world; since it is experience of life, and not philosophy, which produces real hatred of mankind.”

“Everything since Homer has improved, except poetry.”

“Creatures naturally hate their fellow-creatures, and whenever their own interest requires it, harm them. We cannot therefore avoid hatred and injuries from men, while to a great extent we can avoid their scorn. This is why there is usually little point in the respect which young people and those new to the world pay to those they come across, not through mean-mindedness or any other form of self-interest, but through a benevolent desire not to provoke enmity and to win hearts. They do not fulfill this desire, and in some ways they harm their own repute, because the person who is so respected comes to have a greater idea of himself, and he who pays the respect a lesser idea of himself. He who does not look to men for usefulness or fame, should not look for love either, since he will not obtain it. If he wants my opinion, he should preserve his own dignity completely, giving to everyone no more than his due. Thus he will be somewhat more hated and persecuted than otherwise, but not often despised.”

“A rapidez e a concisão do estilo agradam porque apresentam à alma uma turba de idéias simultâneas, ou cuja sucessão é tão rápida que parecem simultâneas, e fazem a alma ondular numa tal abundância de pensamento, imagens ou sensações espirituais, que ela ou não consegue abraçá-las todas de uma vez nem inteiramente a cada uma, ou não tem tempo de permanecer ociosa e desprovida de sensações. A força do estilo poético, que em grande parte se identifica com a rapidez, não nos deleita senão por esses efeitos, e não consiste senão disso. A excitação das idéias simultâneas pode ser provocada tanto por uma idéia isolada, no sentido próprio ou metafórico, quando por sua colocação na frase, ou pela sua elaboração, bem como pela simples supressão de outras palavras ou frases etc.”