Pietro Pisurzi

In the eighteenth century, poetry in Sardinian became very popular, especially linked to the traditional world of oral poetry, which was entrusted to the memory of the listeners. Among the names emerges that of Pietro Pisurzi (1724-1799).
From humble origins, with studies carried out amid significant economic difficulties, Pisurzi was a priest who, thanks to the privileges that came from his status (born in Bantine he was pastor of Tissi), was able to dedicate himself to developing an extensive poetic production that, however, has been mostly lost. What has been saved is enough to make us understand how high-level his production was. Pisurzi was able to combine a vast knowledge of literary tradition with fresh and lively elements of popular reality, creating a happy mix that resonated in verses of an admirable stylistic perfection. In particular, the religious Logudorese, favoured the adaptation of the moral fable into verses, which could also reach the ears of the people with ethical teachings that tended to elevate the spirit and customs. The songs of “S'abe” and “S'anzone” are particularly well known in Sardinia, fables in which moral maxims and allegorical contents are expressed with poetic levity. In the first we talk about an unwary bee that falls into a pot of sapa, in the second about a sheep that goes astray. The priest's moral is clear: beware of the temptations of the world

Update

4/3/2025 - 19:10