Yesterday died Alda Merini, maybe the greatest female Italian poet. I don’t want to spend many words here but just share one of her poems.
I wish there were more translations of her works but i couldn’t find an English version of this one, so just Italian with my rough English translation, i hope the beauty of her words won’t get lost.

Non ho bisogno di denaro.
Ho bisogno di sentimenti,
di parole, di parole scelte sapientemente,
di fiori detti pensieri,
di rose dette presenze,
di sogni che abitino gli alberi,
di canzoni che facciano danzare le statue,
di stelle che mormorino all’ orecchio degli amanti.
Ho bisogno di poesia,
questa magia che brucia la pesantezza delle parole,
che risveglia le emozioni e dà colori nuovi.

English Translation:

I do not need money.
I’m in need of feelings,
of words, of words carefully chosen,
of flowers called thoughts,
of roses called presences,
of dreams living in the trees,
of songs making the statues dance,
of stars whispering to the lovers’ ear.
I’m in need of poetry,
this magic that can burn the heaviness of words,
that can wake up emotions and paint new colors.

eventually a reading will follow.
Alda Merini RIP, we’ll always be thankful for the gift of your poetry.

Tags: English, Italian, Poetry by myminimallook
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DIARIO Roma 1950

Adulto? Mai - mai, come l’esistenza
che non matura - resta sempre acerba
di splendido giorno in splendido giorno -
io non posso che restare fedele
alla stupenda monotonia del mistero.
Ecco perché, nella felicità,
non mi sono mai abbandonato - ecco
perché nell’ansia delle mie colpe
non ho mai provato un rimorso vero.
Pari, sempre pari con l’inespresso,
all’origine di quello che io sono.

(P.P.Pasolini)

DIARY ROMA 1950

Adult? Never - never, like the existence
that never ripen - being always green,
wonderful day by wonderful day -
I can only be loyal
to the wonderful monotony of the mystery.
So it is why, in the happiness,
i never let myself go - so it is
why in the anxiety of my sins
I have never felt a real regret.
Equal, always equal with the unspoken,
to the origin of what i am.

(P.P.Pasolini)

ローマ　日記1950

おとなだって？　いや、とんでもない、
熟すことのない存在として、 いつまでも
青いままで、
日々のきらめきからきらめきへ　ー
ぼくが信じているのは、ただ、
ひとすじにつづくうっとりする神秘だけ。
ね、だからぼくは、幸福に
身をまかせたことはない、だから、
たとえ罪の悩みのなかでも、
ほんとうに悔いにとらわれたこともない。
ぼくがぼくである、その根源の

表しえぬものと、ひたすら見合ったままで。
(ピエル•パオロ•パゾリーニ）

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Tags: English, Italian, Japanese, Poetry, Reading by nobuhirosasaki
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Reality check is a sort of ‘poem’ i wrote not long ago; sometimes i need to make an inventory of what’s around me to keep myself anchored to the reality, my mind tends to fly away too easily and not to focus on what i can see.

i like the sound of it, more in the english version than in the italian one, actually.  i hope someone will want to make a reading out if it, both in english or in italian. Aguaplano made already an italian reading, i hope he will want to post it here and there’s no rule for to have just one reading for each language… multiple readings are allowed
[Read more →]

Tags: English, Italian, Poetry, Writing by myminimallook
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