Zibaldone

by Leopardi, Giacomo

  8. Paragraphs

  Leopardi is very precise about paragraphs, which he carefully distinguishes in his manuscript. Spacing between one paragraph and another is, however, always more or less of the same depth, making it difficult to distinguish one “thought” from another. Separating the different thoughts, divided by a blank space, was introduced by Italian editors, based on formal criteria and, more particularly, on content. We have followed this tradition inasmuch as it facilitates reading, but have made changes as compared with all previous editors in distinguishing the various thoughts, according to the following criteria:

  8.1. Whenever a subject is clearly concluded, a blank space is inserted before the next thought. If the break occurs at the top or bottom of the printed page, it is indicated by an em dash.

  8.2. Even when the subject is taken up again with variations, the new thought is separated from the previous one by a blank space, provided that the previous thought is marked by a date.

  Two exceptions apply to this general rule:

  8.3. If the date is followed by other phrases in the manuscript, and Leopardi has not opened a new paragraph, the text will correspond to the original; that is, it will follow on without a blank space.

  8.4. If continuity between one paragraph and the next is very strong, the two paragraphs will not be separated by a blank space.

  9. Leopardi’s Deletions, Corrections, Additions, and “Footnotes”

  Once he had filled the manuscript page, Leopardi would often make corrections between the lines, or add them in the margin or at the bottom of the page, or else later on, after the end of the thought, sometimes adding further glosses at various later moments. It is difficult to say with any certainty when such additions and corrections were made. Some were immediate, or almost immediate; others were added months or years later. Sometimes the handwriting or color of the ink, or some other factor, helps date the operation, but in any case, such dating is always conjectural. We cannot, of course, give an account of all of Leopardi’s infinite corrections. The CD-ROM edited by Fiorenza Ceragioli and Monica Ballerini includes a clear photographic reproduction of the whole manuscript, which is also reproduced in the paper edition by Emilio Peruzzi (for both of them see the Bibliography, section 1). Only the most significant of Leopardi’s deletions and textual corrections are addressed in the editors’ notes. Our treatment of the additional material described above is guided by the following criteria:

  9.1. We note that additions of a certain importance are, as a rule, of two kinds: (a) unattached: the material is added vertically or horizontally in the margin or at the foot of the page, without any clear intention on Leopardi’s part of inserting it at any given point; (b) attached, where the point at which the text is to be added is clearly identified in the manuscript (using signs of various types, as well as numerals and letters); this is usually the case also for interlinear additions.

  9.2. Editors of printed editions have not so far followed unequivocal criteria in distinguishing between additions that should be treated as “footnotes” and those that are meant to be an integral part of the text. We have decided in principle to treat all additions on the same level, distinguishing them on a case-by-case basis according to the situation, meaning, and graphic-semantic context. The only firm distinction that the editor of an unpublished private text can make using common sense concerns the continuity and legibility of the text. What is certain is that in most cases Leopardi considered his additions as an integral part of the text, as demonstrated by the case of an addition at Z 3754, in which the text continues, taking the content of the addition into account.

  9.3. We have consequently integrated the additions into the text when their insertion causes no discontinuity of meaning, does not disturb the reading, and is not particularly significant from a cultural or chronological point of view, but rather strengthens the argument and makes it clearer. In more significant cases, such additions are highlighted in the editorial notes.

  9.4. We have treated the remaining additions, whether attached or unattached, as footnotes, under the following circumstances:

  9.4.1. When their addition to the text would produce a strong discontinuity (e.g., when falling within a quotation, breaking the discourse).

  9.4.2. When the additions contain sources that may have been consulted at a later time, or second thoughts: in such cases, making the addition a footnote immediately highlights the break and avoids ambiguities concerning the dating of a certain reading.

  9.4.3. When various clues tell us that the additions appear to have been conceived by Leopardi as true footnotes.

  9.4.4. Material treated by us as footnotes is signaled in the text by a lowercase letter (a, b, etc.) and is placed at the foot of the relevant printed page.

  10. Internal References

  As the Zibaldone proceeds, Leopardi is constantly revisiting and revising his thoughts. In addition to the material added to the completed page in the margins or between the lines, there are also many thoughts written on another page, often at some distance from the original text, that themselves might be regarded as notes or additions. The hypertextual nature of the Zibaldone consists in this very extensive system of internal referencing, forming a web in which Leopardi moves in all directions, establishing connections between different points of the immense text, with instructions that almost always take the same or similar form:

  10.1. Cross-references, normally signaled during or at the end of a thought or argument by the verb “See” followed by the page number(s). Note that where Leopardi’s reference is a later addition, it may be to a page subsequent to the one on which it is written (e.g., Z 2892);

  10.2. Additions, normally signaled at the beginning of a thought by the preposition “for” or “to,” and sometimes the verb “add,” followed by the page number(s).

  In conformity with existing editions the page number(s) referred to are made more evident by being printed in italics, e.g., “See p. 2345.”

  10.3. In very many cases, Leopardi makes reference to another point in his manuscript, without specifying the page precisely, often by using the generic adverb “elsewhere.” In current editions, the pages of these explicit but imprecise references are sometimes (not always) indicated in a note. For the first time, we have chosen to put in square brackets, directly in the text, the manuscript page numbers to which Leopardi is certainly or probably referring, preceded by an arrow: [→Z 2345].

  Together with his own indexes, both the specified and unspecified cross-references and additions form a single reference system to help the reader navigate the text. All internal references have been rechecked against those of current editions, with many additions, variations, and—we hope—greater accuracy.

  11. Spelling and Nomenclature

  11.1. Whenever a language other than Italian is used in the Zibaldone, we reproduce the spelling and forms of these passages as they appear. This applies principally to quotations and to linguistic examples taken from dictionaries and editions of the time. In particular for passages in Greek, note that we follow Leopardi’s use of accents and other orthographic features, which reflects the practices of his age, particularly as concerns the variable accentuation of the last syllable (see, however, 12.2).

  11.2. On the other hand, both in the text and in the translations of the quoted passages, we have given the modern form of spelling of names, places, or titles that are either antiquated or differ from current usage, both to facilitate their identification and to enable them to be found in the Index and catalogues (a note is added if Leopardi’s spelling has some historical or bibliographical resonance).

  11.3. When Leopardi calls a work by a name other than the one generally known, we have as a rule left his variant, with explanations in an editorial note; publication locations are all given in their modern form.

  11.4. Authors who also have Latinized names are given, according to circumstances and Leopardi’s custom, either the Latin or the common name, in accordance with the variant best k
nown in national library catalogues (the Index, however, provides cross-references if they are deemed necessary).

  12. Oversights and Mistakes in the Original

  Leopardi is very precise, and oversights and mistakes are few and far between. Those that occur fall into two broad categories:

  12.1. Manifest slips of the pen, for example, repetitions of words, evidently mistaken forms of a word probably brought about by unconscious recollection of a previous sentence, words or punctuation marks, especially parentheses, that are evidently omitted. We generally correct such errors silently. In the case of missing parts of dates, mainly concentrated between 11 April and 5 September 1829, the integration is given in square brackets (see § 3.5). Some other cases that raise doubts or are of particular interest are highlighted in an editorial note.

  12.2. Cases in which in the editors’ judgment a true error has occurred, primarily in the case of mistakes in spelling, accentuation, transcription, numbering, dating, referencing, or nomenclature such as to hinder the understanding of the text. In these cases also we correct the text, but, differently from those described in § 12.1, we list the corrections in question in Appendix B. Where the case is doubtful or problematic, we correct or leave the mistake in the text, but discuss it in an editorial note.

  Appendix A

  List of passages in Latin or French translated directly into English first by page number, then by language (see § 5.6)

  599, § 3 (Forcellini); 723, § 3 (Fabricius); 918 (Raphel); 961 (Fabricius); 999, § 2 (Fabricius); 1000 (Scapula); 1071, § 1 (Alberti); 1108, § 1 (Forcellini); 1119 (Forcellini); 1120, § 2 (Forcellini); 1148, § 1 (Forcellini); 1390, § 1 (Zanolini); 1482, § 1 (Dureau de la Malle); 1938, § 1 (Forcellini); 2138, § 1 (Forcellini); 2202, § 2 (Forcellini); 2265, § 2 (Forcellini); 2340, § 4 (Forcellini); 2654, § 1 (Mai); 2655, §§ 2, 3 (Mai); 2656, § 2 (Mai); 2656, § 2 (Niebuhr); 2657, § 1 (Mai); 2660, § 1 (Mai); 2788, § 1 (Tusanus); 2811, § 2 (Fabricius); 2825, § 1 (Fabricius); 2985, § 1 (Forcellini); 3235, § 1 (Forcellini); 3708, § 2 (Forcellini); 3843, § 1 (Forcellini); 3904, § 1 (Forcellini); 4011 (Tusanus); 4020, § 6 (Scapula); 4141, § 1 (Pougens); 4144, § 1 (Simpson); 4144, § 3 (Simpson); 4145, § 3 (Pougens); 4146, § 5 (Pougens); 4147, § 6 (Schweighaeuser); 4148, §§ 4, 5, 12 (Pougens); 4149, § 2 (Coray); 4149, § 3 (Pougens); 4152, § 6 (Gessner); 4154, § 2 (Fischer); 4154, § 11 (Jacobs); 4155, § 1 (Liebel); 4158, §§ 1, 8 (Liebel); 4170, § 12 (Feith); 4173, § 8 (Casaubon); 4183, § 1 (Casaubon); 4188, § 8 (Casaubon); 4209, § 2 (Schott); 4281, § 3 (Reimar); 4311, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4312, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4313–15 (Bulletin Universel); 4316–21 (Bulletin Universel); 4327, § 2 (Bulletin Universel); 4331, § 2 (Bulletin Universel); 4334, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4336, §§ 1, 3 (Bulletin Universel); 4339, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4340, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4341, §§ 1, 2, 3 (Bulletin Universel); 4342, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4343, § 1 (Wolf); 4345–48 (Wolf); 4350 (Wolf); 4352, §§ 2, 5 (Wolf); 4354, 5 (Wolf); 4356 (Wolf); 4358–60 (Wolf); 4360, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4361, §§ 1, 2, 3 (Bulletin Universel); 4362, §§ 1, 2, 3 (Bulletin Universel); 4364, §§ 1, 2 (Bulletin Universel); 4366, § 2 (Wolf); 4369, § 2 (Bulletin Universel); 4370, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4371, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4372, § 5 (Bulletin Universel); 4373, §§ 1, 2 (Bulletin Universel); 4374, §§ 1, 2 (Bulletin Universel); 4375, §§ 1, 2 (Bulletin Universel); 4376, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4377, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4378, § 1 (Bulletin Universel); 4379–80 (Knight); 4392–94 (Wolf); 4397, § 2 (Wolf); 4399, §§ 1, 2, 3, 4 (Journal des savans); 4400–4401 (Wesseling); 4402, § 1 (Wesseling); 4402, § 1 (Schweighaeuser); 4403 (Wesseling); 4403 (Schweighaeuser); 4404, § 1 (Schweighaeuser); 4411, § 2 (Journal des savans); 4430, § 2 (Orelli); 4431, § 3 (Fabricius); 4438, § 1 (Orelli); 4440, § 3 (Toup); 4440, § 3 (Casaubon); 4441 (Orelli); 4462, § 1 (Orelli); 4480, § 2 (Orelli); 4480, § 2 (Fabricius); 4483, § 5 (Scapula); 4519, § 3 (Pontedera).

  French. Alberti: 1071, § 1; Bulletin Universel: 4311, § 1; 4312, § 1; 4313–15; 4316–21; 4327, § 2; 4331, § 2; 4334, § 1; 4336, §§ 1, 3; 4339, § 1; 4340, § 1; 4341, §§ 1, 2, 3; 4342, § 1; 4360, § 1; 4361, §§ 1, 2, 3; 4362, §§ 1, 2, 3; 4364, §§ 1, 2; 4369, § 2; 4370, § 1; 4371, § 1; 4372, § 5; 4373, §§ 1, 2; 4374, §§ 1, 2; 4375, §§ 1, 2; 4376, § 1; 4377, § 1; 4378, § 1; Coray: 4149, § 2; Dureau de la Malle: 1482, § 1; Journal des savans: 4399, §§ 1, 2, 3, 4; 4411, § 2; Pougens: 4141, § 1; 4145, § 3; 4146, § 5; 4148, §§ 4, 5, 12; 4149, § 3; Schweighaeuser: 4147, § 6.

  Latin. Casaubon: 4173, § 8; 4183, § 1; 4188, § 8; 4440, § 3; Fabricius: 723, § 2; 961; 999, § 2; 2811, § 2; 2825, § 1; 4431, § 3; 4480, § 2; Feith: 4170, § 12; Fischer: 4154, § 2; Forcellini: 599, § 3; 1108, § 1; 1119; 1120, § 2; 1148, § 1; 1938, § 1; 2138, § 1; 2202, § 2; 2265, § 1; 2340, § 4; 2985, § 1; 3235, § 1; 3708, § 2; 3843, § 1; 3904, § 1; Gessner: 4152, § 6; Jacobs: 4154, § 11; Knight: 4379–80; Liebel: 4155, § 1; 4158, §§ 1, 8; Mai: 2654, § 1; 2655, §§ 2, 3; 2656, § 2; 2657, § 1; 2660, § 1; Niebuhr: 2656, § 2; Orelli: 4430, § 2; 4438, § 1; 4441; 4462, § 1; 4480, § 2; Pontedera: 4519, § 3; Raphel: 918; Reimar: 4281, § 3; Scapula: 1000; 4020, § 6; 4483, § 5; Schott: 4209, § 2; Schweighaeuser: 4402, § 1; 4403; 4404, § 1; Simpson: 4144, § 1; 4144, § 3; Toup: 4440, § 3; Tusanus: 2788, § 1; 4011; Wesseling: 4400–4401; 4402, § 1; 4403; Wolf: 4343, § 1; 4345–48; 4350; 4352, §§ 2, 5; 4354, § 5; 4356; 4358–60; 4366, § 2; 4392–94; 4397, § 2; Zanolini: 1390, § 1.

  Appendix B

  List of editorial corrections

  ἤθɛις › ἤθη (Z 11); 71 › 40 (Z 24); third › fifth (Z 74); beux › beaux (Z 79); a l’idée › à l’idée (Z 88); embonpoit › embonpoint (Z 111); 47 › 44 (Z 150); 208 › 268 (Z 230); 4 › 5 (Z 317); 1820 › 1792 (Z 357); etoient › étoient (Z 458); 2, 87 › 2, 86 (Z 465); ch. 61 › ch. 60 (Z 502); immortalitem › immortalitatem (Z 826); 160 › 161 (Z 888); παῖδɛς ἐστὲ › παῖδές ἐστɛ (Z 928); Edimburgh › Edinburgh (Z 929); § 6 › § 3 (Z 984); vol. 3, p. 173 › vol. 2, p. 153 (Z 966); bk. 13 › bk. 3 (Z 991); pp. 54, end–55 › pp. 52, end–53 (Z 1010); no. 11 › no. 13 (Z 1034); bk. 8 › bk. 9 (Z 1075); note 23 › note 3 (Z 1077); 2106 › 2105 (Z 1154); sexto › quinto (Z 1180); p. 1313 › p. 1315 (Z 1256); p. 1205 › p. 1207 (Z 1263); ἦτα › ἧτα (Z 1279); Basel 1640 › Basel 1639 (Z 1282); Roxolane › Roxelane (Z 1322); 1, 465 › 1, 462 (Z 1337); naivetés › naïvetés (Z 1419); son capables › sont capables (Z 1588); 1 Sept. › 2 Sept. (Z 1610); sensations › sensation (Z 1963); risus › risus us (Z 2009); trés-légère › très-légère (Z 2087); eminemment › éminemment (Z 2087); excés › excès (Z 2079); 1826 › 1821 (Z 2173); ὅλκος › ὁλκός (Z 2195); legererem › legerem (Z 2224); curas › curam (Z 2225); Nov. › Dec. (Z 2227); συγγϱαφɛῖν › συγγϱάφɛιν (Z 2231); 1148 › 1147 (Z 2246); ναυκλῆϱος › ναύκληϱος (Z 2247); 33 › 7, 33 (Z 2250); 1821 › 1822 (Z 2330); 1821 › 1822 (Z 2331); ἥμɛϱα › ἡμέϱα (Z 2385); 7 › 8 (Z 2486); témere › temere (Z 2529); δυσέϱος › δύσɛϱος (Z 2556); quesitus › quaesitus (Z 2624); αὐτοχθόνɛς › αὐτόχθονɛς (Z 2661); αὐτοχθόνοι › αὐτόχθονοι (Z 2665); tome 2 › tome 3 (Z 2671); se fils › ses fils (Z 2675); line 7 › line 6 (Z 2690); Harpalice › Harpalyce (Z 2790); ’Hγάγɛθˈ ‘Hλέκτϱην › ’Hγάγɛτˈ ’Hλέκτϱην (Z 2790); pp. 206, end–208 › pp. 106, end–108 (Z 2871); aerisononus › aerisonus (Z 2877); aequilatio › aequilatatio (Z 2877); Γηϱυονοῦ › Γηϱυόνου (Z 2879); vol. 2, part 1 › vol. 1, part 2 (Z 2886); ἧμαϱ › ἦμαϱ (Z 2890); ode 4 › ode 44 (Z 2921); νοστιμον ημαϱ › νόστιμον ἦμαϱ (Z 2995); vol. 6 › vol. 4 (Z 3066); ch. 3 › ch. 2 (Z 3071); July › August (Z 3084); July › August (Z 3090); 3348 › 3448 (Z 3122); 3350–51 › 3450–51 (Z 3122); l. 3 › l. 2 (Z 3235); 3848 › 3849 (Z 3298); 3907 › 3909 (Z 3310); 3978–80 › 2978–80 (Z 3389); 1586 › 1576 (Z 3420); p. 257 › p. 258 (Z 3420); p. 83 › p. 86 (Z 3588); quaesitum › quaesit
us (Z 3764); 2371 › 3271 (Z 3767); p. › fol. (Z 3796); 3960–61 › 3660–61 (Z 3801); 3685 › 2685 (Z 3817); 3830 › 3828 (Z 3830); 17 › 117 (Z 3894); indefectible › indéfectible (Z 3928); 1558 › 1588 (Z 3961); 1693 › 1697 (Z 3980); mentare › mentar (Z 3985); 3987 › 3235 (Z 3987); 3960 › 3961 (Z 3988); letter 189 › letter 188 (Z 3989); natura › naturaleza (Z 3999); 1764 › 1760 (Z 4020); part 1 › 2 (Z 4021); lapso › lapsu (Z 4033); κυψɛλίον › κυψέλιον (Z 4095); p. 32 › p. 34 (Z 4102); Διιὸς › Δίιος (Z 4112); p. 21 › p. 32 (Z 4117); ch. 9 › ch. 7 (Z 4117); 289 › 389 (Z 4120); 664 › 634 (Z 4121); καταλιποῖμι › καταλίποιμι (Z 4122); p. 238d › p. 328d (Z 4124); ch. 28 › ch. 27 (Z 4124); Venice 17 › Venice 1794 (Z 4125); ch. 50 › ch. 56 (Z 4125); ch. 95 › ch. 96 (Z 4125); ch. 4 › ch. 5 (Z 4144); τɛύτλιον › τɛυτλίον (Z 4146); Kηλὶς ίδος › Kηλὶς ῖδος (Z 4146); ἀποιητὸν › ἀποίητον (Z 4162); maestus › moestus (Z 4172); 53–94 › 54–94 (Z 4182); Catullus › Tibullus (Z 4190); duo › duos (Z 4200); ch. 26 › ch. 25 (Z 4201); paragraph 5 › paragraph 3 (Z 4211); 1034 › 1033 (Z 4221); μὲν › μὴ (Z 4223); l. 107 › l. 108 (Z 4224); p. 164 › p. 174 (Z 4232); p. 204 › p. 205 (Z 4234); cognoso › cognosco (Z 4234); 4275 › 4248 (Z 4275); θαλλος › θαλλός (Z 4300); art. 235 › art. 335 (Z 4330); LXIII › LXXIII (Z 4343); Africa › America (Z 4362); Syngloss › Synglosse (Z 4373); Alpabet › Alphabet (Z 4376); déja › déjà (Z 4408); bk. 1 › bk. 2 (Z 4414); 4476 › 4477 (Z 4418); Σɛλλος › Σέλλος (Z 4433); Eλλην › Ἕλλην (Z 4433); bk. 15 › bk. 14 (Z 4435); 140 BCE › 440 BCE (Z 4436); ἁπλως › ἁπλῶς (Z 4440); p. 88 › p. 89 (Z 4441); p. 525 › p. 523 (Z 4463); 4225 › 4245 (Z 4469); ἐϱημὸς › ἔϱημος (Z 4474); ch. 1 › ch. 2 (Z 4483); ɛὐδαμονίζω › ɛὐδαιμονίζω (Z 4495); nutrǐco › nutrīco (Z 4509); 4521 › 4512 (Z 4521).