To the list: apologies to have misposted this poem under this title. I am
being very distracted these days.
To Candice:
Ciao, tesoro. Come stai, bellissima.
My flunecy comes and goes for this reason: the poem below was translated
by BRIAN COLE. Ah Ah, Sorry I also forgot to specify it. I know in England
the copyright of translations go to translators.
Apologies to Brian Cole, then, too.
Missing an animal? Why? Which one? Anyhow, in my original Italian the
poem is in the first person speaking voice so I am posting it again - if
you don't mind:
AT NIGHT
(Erminia Passannanti/Trans. Brian Cole, Oxford 22.4.2002)
If I had been
yours alone
what unhappy animal
would have made incursions
into your dreams
disturbed your days
sinking its fangs in the nape of your neck
the restless beech-marten
the wild cat
the greedy wolf?
If on your cheek
and on your exposed chest
- blue and tearful
like the body of Christ
I had left my bite
if before evening
and before nightfall
with gasping breath
- the humble eavesdropper
at my door
would have informed you
with no possibility of error
of my true nature
(that open wound)
whom - except for you -
neither man nor beast
you would expect to go
disarmed to listen...?
On Tue, 23 Apr 2002 02:23:43 -0400, Candice Ward <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Funny how your English fluency comes and goes, bella. But isn't there an
>animal missing from your array? A bear, say?
>
>Cheers,
>
>Candice
>
>
>
>on 4/22/02 11:48 AM, Erminia Passannanti at [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
>> Erminia Passannanti
>> (To Romano Luperini)
>>
>>
>> AT NIGHT
>>
>>
>> If it had been
>> yours alone
>> what unhappy animal
>> would have made incursions
>> into your dreams
>> disturbed your days
>> sinking its fangs in the nape of your neck
>>
>> the anxious restless beech-marten
>> the wild cat
>> the greedy wolf?
>>
>> If on your cheek
>> and on your exposed chest
>> - blue and tearful
>> like the body of Christ
>> it had left my bite
>>
>> if before evening
>> and before nightfall
>> with gasping breath
>> - the humble eavesdropper
>> at my door
>> would have informed you
>>
>>
>> with no possibility of error
>> of my true nature
>> (that open wound)
>> which - except for you -
>> neither man nor beast
>> would have asked to go
>> disarmed to listen...?
>>
>> Oxford, 20.04.2002
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