This is the first poem in Giacomo Leopardi’s monumental Canti, in which he laments the fallen 300 Spartans battling at Thermopylae against Persia’s million-man army. He is using the contrast of the bravery and love of country of those mere 300 Greeks, and the memory …
Read MoreTorquato Tasso’s “Silent woods and rivers”
By Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) My Translation Silent woods and rivers, And the ocean lays, waveless, As the caves and winds call a peaceful truce, And as the night is dark The moon is white in lofty silence; And we keep in secret The sweetness of …
Read MoreGuido Cavalcante’s poem about an amorous encounter in nature
A weird video, but the reading is good: My Translation In a pasture in the woods I found a beauty `bove the stars Her hair of blond with little curls, her eyes of love and cheeks a little rosy; the lambs she tended with a …
Read MoreGiorgio Vigolo’s “Knowledge Tree”
This one by Giorgio Vigolo, “Knowledge Tree,” is hard to find and, in fact, in my superficial Google search, I could only find one Italian-only version, no dual language versions. However, it is a good poem and deserves some broader recognition. My Translation Knowledge Tree …
Read MoreGiacomo Leopardi’s “The Infinite”
This is a meditative, philosophical poem by the Italian master, Giacomo Leopardi. My Translation The Infinite This lonely hill, always dear to me, And this hedge, that blocks so much The view of this endless horizon. But sitting in wonder, the boundless Spaces beyond, and …
Read MoreGiacomo Leopardi’s beautiful poem, “To the Moon”
This is a beautiful poem by Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837) called “To the Moon.” Leopardi is considered by many to be the greatest modern Italian poet, though he has not often been translated into English, partly because of the difficulty in expressing his language in English. …
Read MoreDeath wants me in her bed
This is a poem by the Italian poet and noted music critic, Giorgio Vigolo (1894-1983). My Translation Help me, pull me from this swamp; can I lift myself from under the arms? I am nothing but a weight of flesh and bones, falling lower all …
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