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A collection of lyrical poems voiced by a young speaker who explores love, desire, identity, and destiny through intimate confessions, prophetic scenes, and religious meditation. Varied moods alternate between passionate eroticism, ironic cosmopolitan self-definition, and moral or spiritual yearning; poems address betrayal, longing, the feminine sensibility, cultural displacement, and imaginative escape. Imagery ranges from quotidian domestic details to visionary religious tableaux, while the voice shifts between defiant proclamations, tender supplication, and ironic critique of convention. The poems blend musical lines and vivid color to present a candid, emotionally intense survey of inner life and poetic ambition.
“O mia bambina, io voglio idolatrarti
E passare la vita a' tuoi ginocchi,
E passare la vita a contemplarti,
Pago d'un raggio de' tuoi splendidi occhi!„ —
E riverente ei mi guardava in viso,
Poscia s'inginocchiava: “O mio tesoro,
Tu mi sei fede e patria e paradiso;
Tu se' la mia Madonna: ecco — io t'adoro!„
— Madre di Dio! fui come Te indulgente
Per que' grand'occhi nel mio volto fissi:
Sorrisi, e mi chinai timidamente:
“Non adorarmi, baciami!„ gli dissi.