19 agosto 1916
Quale canto
s’è levato stanotte
che intesse
di cristallina eco del cuore
le stelle
quale festa sorgiva
di cuore a nozze
sono stato
uno stagno
di buio
ora mordo
come un bambino la mamella
lo spazio
ora sono ubriaco
d’universo
August 19, 1916
What song
arose tonight
weaving a tapestry
of stars
from the crystal echo of the heart
what upwelling feast
of a heart at wedding
I have been
a stagnant pool of darkness
Now I bite
into space
like a child his mother's breast.
Now I am drunk
on universe
.
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
translations by John Plant unless otherwise noted
La notte bella, by Giuseppe Ungaretti
I.
En una noche oscura
Con ansias en amores enflamada,
¡O dichosa ventura!
Salí sin ser notada
Estando ya mi casa sosegada.
II.
A oscuras, y segura
Por la segreta scala disfrazada
¡O dichosa ventura!
a oscuras, y en celada
estando ya mi casa sosegada.
III.
En la noche dichosa
En segreto, que nadie me veía,
Ni yo miraba cosa
Sin otra luz y guía
Sino la que en el corazon ardía.
IV.
Aquesta me guiaba
Mas cierto que la luz del mediodía
Adonde me esperaba
Quien yo bien me sabía
En parte donde nadie parecía.
V.
¡O noche que guiaste,
O noche mas amable que el alborada,
O noche que juntaste
Amado con amada,
Amada en el Amado transformada!
VI.
En mi pecho florído
Que entero para él solo se guardaba
Allí quedó dormido
Y yo le regalaba
Y el ventalle de los cedros aire daba.
VII.
El aire de la almena
Quando yo sus cabellos esparcía
Con su mano sereno
En mi cuello hería
Y todos mis sentidos suspendía.
VIII.
Quedéme y olvidéme,
El rostro recliné sobre el Amado.
Cesó todo, y dejéme,
Dejando mi cuidado
Entre las azucenas olvidado..
Canciones del alma, by San Juan de la Cruz/St. John of the Cross
I.
In a dark night
burning with desire
-O fortunate adventure!-
I departed unnoticed
when the house was hushed.
II.
In darkness and in saftey
By the secret stairway, disguised,
-O fortunate advenutre!-
in darkness, in concealment,
when my house was hushed.
III.
In the blessed night
and in secret - for no one saw me-
and I saw nothing-
I had no light, no guide
save the light which burned in my heart.
IV.
But that light guided me
more surely than the light of noon
towards the one who was waiting for me,
-oh, well I knew who it was! -
in a place where no one could be.
V.
O night which guided me!
O night, more pleasant than dawn!
O night, which united
the Lover with his Beloved,
transforming the Beloved into the Lover!
VI.
On my flowering breast-
which I reserved for him alone-
he fell asleep
and I caressed him
and the rustling cedars fanned us.
VII.
The breeze upon the ramparts
as I caressed his hair-
with his gentle hand
he wounded my neck
and suspended all my senses.
VIII.
I departed from myself, I forgot myself
Resting my head upon the Beloved,
everything stopped, and I took leave of myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies.
Poikilothron, athanat' Aphrodita
Pai Dios doloploke, lissomai se,
me m'asaisi med'oniaisi damna,
potnia, thumon,
alla tuid' elth', ai pota katerota
tas emas audas aoisa, pelui
eklues, patros de domon lipoisa
chrusion elthes
arm'upadzeuksaisa. Kaloi de s'agon
okees struthoi peri gas melainas
pukna dinnentes pter' ap'oran'aithe-
ros dia messo.
Aipsa d'exikonto. Su d' O makaira,
mediaisais athanato' prosopo'
ere otti deute pepontha kotti
deute kalemmi,
kotti moi malista thelo genesthai
mainola thumon. Tina deute peitho
aps' agen es san philotata. Tis, s'O
Psaph', adikei?
Kai gar ai feugei, tacheos dioxei,
ai de dora me deket, alla dosei,
ai de me philei, tacheos phileisei
kouk etheloisa.
Elthe moi kai nun, chalepan de lusan
ek merimnan, ossa de moi telessai
thumos immerei, telesson, su d'auta
summachos esso.
Throned in many-hued glory, deathless Aphrodite,
child of Zeus, weaver of ruses, I beg you,
do not condemn my heart to pangs
and torments, O queen,
But come to me now, as once before,
hearing my cries, you came
from afar, leaving your father's
golden house,
Yoking your chariot, drawn by many beautiful
sparrows over the dark earth,
a multitude of fluttering wings descending
through middle air.
Quickly they came! And you, Glorious One,
with a smile playing on your deathless face,
you asked 'What has befallen you now? Why have you
summoned me again,
What is the deepest wish of your troubled heart?
Whom shall I persuade to return
to your friendship? Who, O Sappho,
is wronging you?
She may run from you now, but soon she will be in pursuit. Though she refuses your gifts, soon it will be she who offers them. And even if she loves you not, soon she will love,
even against her will.'
So come to me once again! Free me
from this woeful torment! Fulfill all the desires
of my mad heart, let them be accomplished! You yourself
be my companion in battle!
Invocation to Aphrodite, poem by Sappho
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