Il cinque maggio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Il cinque maggio is an 1821 ode by the Italian poet Alessandro Manzoni, written after the news of Napoleon’s death on 5 May 1821. It opens with the famous line «Ei fu.» (“He is gone.”) and reflects on Napoleon’s rise and fall, the limits of worldly glory, and Providence.[1][2]
Manzoni read the Gazzetta di Milano of 16 July 1821 at his villa near Milan and, struck by the report of Napoleon’s death, drafted the poem quickly over three days in mid-July.[3] A first autograph draft dated “18 Luglio [1821]” and a clean copy from late July survive in the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense.[4][5]
