This Italian Romantic poet has made incredible contributions to the poetic canon, having written a vast number of poems. Many of Leopardi's poems are written about nature, using rich symbolism and imagery to draw on themes about human nature and emotions.
Interestingly, Leopardi's poems about nature are often uniquely pessimistic. This is a step away from many Romantic poets of the time, who wrote about nature as being connected to the divine, and as being awe-inspiring. For example, Leopardi's poem "To Spring," is written about the life-giving season; however, it depicts spring as being a reminder of the decay and death that winter will bring.
Many of Leopardi's poems have a distinctly pessimistic or melancholy tone. For example, he often writes about the death of boyhood dreams and expectations as one enters the real world. In "Memories," Leopardi's speaker sits near a window, contemplating his lost childhood, and the health, happiness, and hope that came with it.
