Scir detarnegòl bara letzafra: Leopardi ‘forger’ of the sacred

Abstract

This essay proposes an interpretation of the Cantico del gallo silvestre in light of Giacomo Leopardi’s knowledge of Hebrew. His study of the language of the Old Testament, his translations of its texts and the many notes regarding it in the Zibaldone offer the grounds to reinterpret both the operetta’s title and its introduction as Leopardi’s attempt to recreate his own sacred text, by means of a precise and focused linguistic imitation of the features identified as peculiar to Hebrew itself. Finally, to further understand the depth of the linguistic research accomplished, the paper offers a comparison between the Cantico and other Leopardi falsifications and apocrypha.