''Halcyon'' ( it, Alcyone ) is the title of a collection of 88 poems by Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, written between 1899 and 1903, and published in 1903. It was intended as the third volume of a seven-book work called ("''Odes to the sky, to the sea, to the earth and to the heroes''") which was subsequently interrupted in 1912 with only four volumes published: ''Maia'', ''Elettra'', ''Halcyon'', and ''Merope''.

Origin

On July 7, 1899, D'Annunzio wrote to his editor Treves about a long and complex lyrical work he was developing. The seven books of the ''Laudi'' were named after the stars in the

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance of ...

cluster. Of these, the first three were published in 1903, while ''Merope'' was published in 1912. D'Annunzio began to write poetry again after an extended hiatus (his last lyrical work, ''Poema paradisiaco'' was dated 1893), during which he was leading an eventful life between journeys, political experiences and the newly established sentimental bond with actress

Eleonora Duse Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse ( , ; 3 October 185821 April 1924), often known simply as Duse, was an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele d'Annunzio and Hen ...

. ''Halcyon'' is seen by the poet as a radical departure from his previous work, in which he feels he will be writing more freely, abandoning models, forms and characters from the past without giving up to the extremely vast culture that, in fact, springs through ''Halcyon'', going from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

quotations and

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

reminiscences.

Structure

''Halcyon'' comprehends 88 poems, ordered by a structural method that does not reflect the chronological order of composition. Between the first ''("La tregua")'', and the last one ''("Il commiato")'' the ideal of a Summer spent within sentimental joy and poetical accomplishment outlines. The collection is divided into five sections interrupted by four long

dithyramb The dithyramb (; grc, διθύραμβος, ''dithyrambos'') was an ancient Greek hymn sung and danced in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility; the term was also used as an epithet of the god. Plato, in ''The Laws'', while discussing ...

s. Its best known poems are perhaps ''La pioggia nel pineto'' (Rain in the Pinewood) and ''La sera fiesolana'' (Evening in

Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. Sin ...

). These two lyrical works are commonly learned in the

Liceo The Gran Teatre del Liceu (, English: Great Theatre of the Lyceum), known as ''El Liceu'', is an opera house in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Located in La Rambla, it is the oldest running theatre in Barcelona. Founded in 1837 at another loca ...

as high examples of Decadentist poetry.

Style

''Halcyon'' is known for its Classical references, sensuality and vivid erotism. Most of its poems are written in a style that privileges

alliterations Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...

and intricated rhyming schemes, thus making ''Halcyon'' extremely difficult to render in translation. {{Gabriele D’Annunzio Italian poetry collections 1903 poetry books Works by Gabriele D'Annunzio