Poesie - Lelio Porreca
La Grotta del Cavallone
Meraviglia di gocce diventate pietra meraviglia di pietre annosi tronchi tra cui dita gelide ordiscono corde d’arpe come trame musiche intraducibili che a ritroso svaniscono nell’oscuro profondo nato dalle lontane luminosità iniziali della vita del mondo. Sale drappeggiate di colorazioni gravi e cupe sale osannanti di perfezioni agili e ardite sale contorte di titaniche passioni incatenante. Stanze come palazzi – i merletti – stanze come cattedrali – l’acquasantiera il battistero le campane – stanze come tragedie d’amore – Ornella Aligi Mila Lazzaro[1-i] – passaggi come architetture dantesche – Morte Inferno Paradiso – profondità improvvise come leggende – il pozzo senza fondo –. Il rifugio di Cosma[2-i] ferma nell’essenzialità delle ombre la conclusione non di un’allucinazione ma di una fiaba lunare inventata da un Dio giovane e donata agli uomini nel sorriso. Ammonimento unico estremo un ditino di pietra indicante sul sipario che scende la parola FINE.
Nota d’Autore: La grotta “del Cavallone”, detta anche “della Figlia di Iorio” poiché D’Annunzio vi ambientò il secondo atto della sua tragedia pastorale, si apre sul pendio orientale della Maiella, “in una roccia tagliata a picco a circa 77 m dal suolo e alla quota 1,357. La grotta, dai colossali antri ricoperti di stalattiti, è lunga circa 1.300 m; la sua apertura, che dalla base sembra un nido di volatili, è alta 25 m e larga 15” (da: C. Landi Vittorj: “Appennino Centrale”). Oggi la grotta viene più propriamente chiamata “ le grotte”. Io ho voluto lasciarle la vecchia denominazione. Note di Tradutrice [1-i] Ornella, Aligi, Mila, Lazzaro
Dalle tragedie del D’Annunzio{*}
- quella meritatamente più celebrata, cioè LA FIGLIA DI JORIO. {*} Gabriele d'Annunzio (12 marzo 1863 a Pescara, 1° marzo 1938 a Gardone Riviera), poeta e drammaturgo italiano, simbolo del decadentismo ed eroe di guerra, oltre a quella letteraria ebbe anche un'eccentrica carriera politica. [2-i] Cosma - Santi Cosma e Damiano – nati a Cilicia (ora l’Arabia) nel terzo secolo DC, i gemelli eranoi primi nati in una famiglia di sette figli maschi. Studiarono la medicina e furono i primi a tentare di trapiantare un’arto umano. Si dedicarono ai richi e poveri indistintamente, non accettando mai pagamento per i servizi medici, guadagnando così il titolo “Quelli senza argento”. Questi patroni miracolosi di medicina furono accusati da due colleghi medici di essere Cristiani e così furono arrestati da Lisia, governatore dell città di Aega. Furono giudicati in una corte di Cesare con la sentenza di morte con tortura. La prima tortura fu di essere buttati a mare con sia le mani che i piedi legati. Accade un miracolo e si sono liberati, così poterono nuotare fino alla riva. La seconda tortura era di essere brucciati al rogo. Un secondo miracolo accade poiche le fiamme non poterono brucciarli. La terza tortura fu la fustigazione. Un terzo miracolo è accaduto poiche le fruste non colpivano il segno. Dopo che hanno rifiutato una richiesta finale di rinunciare la loro fede Cristiano, i Santi Cosma e Damiano furono decapitati. Il giorno era il 27 settembre nell’anno 287. I Santi Cosma e Damiano sono i patroni della città di Gaeta, Italia. Si crede che per mezzo dell’intercessione loro il popolo della città fu risparmiato la vita durante un’epedemia della piaga nel settecento. |
The “Baptistery” within the Grotto del Cavallone
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The Grotta del Cavallone
That have become stone Wonder of stones Age-old trunks Between which icy fingers Contrive the strings of harps Like weaving Of untranslatable musics Which unwillingly vanish In the dark depths Born from the distant Initial luminosity Of the life of the world. Salts draped In heavy, dark colourations Salts acclaiming The nimble and brave perfections Salts twisted By titanic enchaining passions. Rooms like mansions – the laceworks – Rooms like cathedrals – the font, the baptistery, the bells – Rooms like tragedies of love - Ornella, Aligi, Mila, Lazzarus[1-e] – Passages like Dantesque architecture – Death, Inferno, Paradise – Sudden depths like legends – the bottomless well –. The refuge of Cosma[2-e] Motionless in the essentialness of the shadows The conclusion not of an hallucination But of a lunar fairy tale Invented by a young God And given to men in his smile. Unique admonishment Extreme A little finger of stone Indicating on the stage curtain that drops down The words THE END.
Author’s Note translated: Today the cave is more correctly called “the caves”. I wanted to stick with the old title. Translator’s Notes [1-e] Ornella, Aligi, Mila, Lazzaro From the most famous Tragedy by D’Annunzio {**} LA FIGLIA DI JORIO (Jorio’s Daughter). The story takes place in Abruzzo. Aligi is a shepherd whose marriage is not consummated because, on his marriage night, he falls into a strange, deep, dream-filled sleep. At dawn a strange thing happens, Mila, a lost woman with the reputation of being a witch, daughter of Jorio the snake-hunter, bursts into Aligi’s house, begging for protection from a group of drunken harvesters who want to attack her ferociously. Despite his family begging him to throw her out, Aligi helps her because he sees the image of an angel next to her, so he beats off the violators with his crucifix. When things have quieted down, Mila leaves the shelter and returns to her woods, But Aligi, who is fascinated by her, follows her, abandoning his bride. They live together, but chastely, in a cave Aligi plans to go on a pilgrimage to Rome, to ask the Pope to annul his non-consummated wedding, so that he can marry Mila before God; meanwhile he carves an angel in wood with the features of the one he saw in his house next to the young girl when she was chased there. Lazzaro, Aligi’s father finds them and he wants to take Mila for himself so he ties up Aligi who opposes this violence. Aligi is freed by Ornella, his sister, and catches up with the lovelorn Lazzaro and in an outburst of madness, kills him with his axe. He is condemned to death, but, before the sentence can be carried out, Mila declares herself responsible because Aligi’s crime was committed under the influence of her magic. She takes advantage of the fact that they all believe her to be a witch and in the name of the true love which binds her to the young shepherd, she innocently goes to her death at the stake. {**} Gabriele D'Annunzio (12 March 1863 at Pescara – 1 March 1938 at Gardone Riviera) was an Italian poet, writer, novelist, dramatist, daredevil and war hero, who went on to have a controversial role in politics as a precursor of the fascist movement. [2-e] Cosma - Saints Cosmas & Damian - Born in Cilicia, (now known as Arabia), in the third century, twins Cosmas and Damian were the first children born in a family of seven boys. They studied medicine and are credited with being the first to attempt a limb transplant on a human being. They devoted themselves to rich and poor alike, accepting no payment for their medical services, thus earning their title, "The Silverless Ones". These miraculous patrons of medicine were accused of being Christians by two fellow doctors and arrested by Lisia, the governor of the city of Aega. They were tried in a court of Ceasar's and sentenced to death by torture. The first torture was being cast into the sea with both hands and feet bound. A miracle occurred and they became free, enabling them to swim ashore. Their second torture was burning at the stake. A second miracle occurred as the flames failed to burn them. The third torture was flogging. A third miracle occurred as the whips would not hit their marks. After a final demand that they renounce their Christian faith was refused, Saints Cosmas & Damian were decapitated. The day was September 27 in the year 287. Saints Cosmas & Damian are the patrons of the city of Gaeta, Italy. It is believed that through their intercession the city's population was spared during an 18th century plague. |
English translation courtesy of Marion Apley Porreca |