Sacred rhythms, tired rhythms: Dino Campana's Poetry

Early twentieth-century Italian poetry experiences a crisis in confidence concerning the expressibility of rhythm. Dino Campana's writings exemplify the processes the poet goes through in order to write (about) rhythm. Rhythm is difficult to deal with because it is both sacred and tired. These two incarnations of rhythm lead Campana to different modes of expression; from more traditional definitions (in terms of metre or pulse) through to more fluid definitions (in terms of poetic form, syntax and metaphor). Two strands of analysis reveal themselves as central to understanding Campana's theoretical stance, namely fluidity and movement. These point to a careful veiling of rhythm which opens up new spaces for the articulation of something that, whilst difficult, remains the essence of poetry.