Halcyon (poetry collection)

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.

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 mythology, Latin quotations and Italian Renaissance reminiscences.

Between the first ("La tregua"), and the last one ("Il commiato") the ideal of a Summer spent within sentimental joy and poetical accomplishment outlines.

Most of its poems are written in a style that privileges alliterations and intricated rhyming schemes, thus making Halcyon extremely difficult to render in translation.

In this work, many poetic pictures are inspired by a feeling of strong connection with nature, which often translate into images of characters assuming the forms of plants or animals:[3] for example, in the Rain in the Pinewood, Hermione’s face complexion turns to green.