Poesie - Lelio Porreca
Quel giorno in cui le tamerici
Quel giorno in cui le tamerici spiravano in trasparenze verso il mare e la montagna si elevava spinta da ignote forze. Compresi di amare questa terra vecchia giovane eterna nel suo respiro vasto e doloroso. Mi sento da allora sprigionato fragile e sanguinoso fra i macigni come il fiore del papavero; annodato alla sua contorta e profonda intimità come le radici della quercia i cui rami nell’alto assalta il gemito del vento. Aperti faggi come rugose colonne stanno intorno; picchi rocciosi come candelabri conducono agli altari dei miei monti. Suoni d’organo sfumano nel cielo; canti misteriosi inventano preghiere più su delle nuvole.
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That Day in Which the Tamarisks[1]
That day in which the Tamarisks Exhaled transparencies towards the sea And the mountain rose above them Pushed on by unknown forces. I realised that I love this land Old, young, eternal, In its vast and painful breath. Since then I feel as if I had burst forth Fragile and bleeding Amongst the boulders Like the poppy flower; Knotted in its own twisted And deep privacy Like the roots of the oak tree Whose high branches attack The mournful cry of the wind. Open beech trees Like wrinkled columns stand all around; Rocky peaks like candelabra Lead the way to the altars of my mountains. The sounds of an organ gradually diminish in the sky; Mysterious songs Invent prayers higher than the clouds. Translator's Note: [1] Tamarisk – an Old World plant, a large shrub or a small tree of the genus Tamarix, with slender feathery branches and tiny pink flowers; the cultivated T. chinensis thrives by the sea; Tamarisk is also known as Saltcedar. Tamarix ramosissima, T. chinensis, and T. gallica were introduced to North America from the Middle East in the early 1800s. This weed has been used for ornamentals, windbreaks and erosion control. By 1850, Saltcedar had escaped from these areas and infested many river systems and drainages in the Southwest - often displacing native vegetation. By 1938, infestations of Saltcedar could be found from Florida to California and as far north as Idaho. Saltcedar continues to spread rapidly and currently infests water drainages and wet areas throughout the United States. |
English translation courtesy of Marion Apley Porreca |