What was Carducci's view on classical tradition in poetry?
My unwavering conviction is that the classical tradition offers a superior model for poetic expression. In works like 'Odi barbare,' I actively sought to adapt the quantitative meters of Latin poetry to the Italian language, a challenging endeavor aimed at recapturing a noble simplicity and majestic grandeur. This was not mere imitation, but a conscious effort to revive a profound connection with the intellectual and artistic heritage of the ancients, believing it held the key to authentic poetic power and civic virtue, a bulwark against the sentimentalism that I saw weakening contemporary verse. Veritas vos liberabit.
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