The Legend of Theodoric

Sometimes they come back … yes, the old poems come back to mind that, as a child, I was proud to know so well by heart. “The legend of Theodoric”, by Giosuè Carducci, is one of these.

Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths at the time of the Eastern Roman Empire, was sent to Italy by the Emperor, after having defeated the Heruli and their king, Odoacer. He lived in the castle of Verona.

Theodoric put in prison and had his advisor Severino Boethius killed, after a long religious dispute. But, according to Carducci, divine justice was not long in coming.