Note: Translator Pauline Bancroft Flach died in 1966, less than 70 years ago. Therefore, this work is protected by copyright, restricting your legal rights to reproduce it. However, you are welcome to view it on screen, as you do now. Read more about copyright.
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THE SIROCCO
149
Now she began to think that Gaetano also loved
Giannita. She remembered that they were friends
from childhood. He had perhaps loved her a long
time. Perhaps he had come home to marry her.
Donna Micaela could say nothing; she had nothing
to complain of. It was scarcely a month since she
wrote to Gaetano that it was not right of him to
love her.
He now leaned towards her, enchained her glance,
and actually compelled her to listen to what he was
saying.
“ You shall understand; you shall see and
understand, Donna Micaela! What we need here in the
South is a regeneration, a pulling up by the roots,
such as Christianity was in its time. Up with the
slaves; down with the masters! A plow which
turns up new social furrows! We must sow in new
earth; the old earth is impoverished. The old
surface furrows bear only weak, miserable growth.
Let the deep earth come up to the light, and we
shall see something different!
“See, Donna Micaela, why does socialism live;
why has it not gone under? Because it comes with
a new word. * Think of the earth,’ it says, just as
Christianity came with the word, ’ Think of heaven.’
Look about you! Look at the earth; is it not all
that we possess? Let us therefore establish
ourselves here so that we shall be happy. Why, why,
has no one thought of it before ? Because we have
been so busy with that Hereafter. Let us leave the
Hereafter! The earth, the earth, Donna Micaela!
Ah, we socialists, we love her! We worship the
sacred earth, — the poor, despised mother, who wears
mourning because her children yearn for heaven.
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