Sonnet IX, “A Zacinto”
By Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827)
Né più mai toccherò le sacre sponde
ove il mio corpo fanciulletto giacque,
Zacinto mia, che te specchi nell’onde
del greco mar da cui vergine nacque
Venere, e fea quelle isole feconde
col suo primo sorriso, onde non tacque
le tue limpide nubi e le tue fronde
l’inclito verso di colui che l’acque
cantò fatali, ed il diverso esiglio
per cui bello di fama e di sventura
baciò la sua petrosa Itaca Ulisse.
Tu non altro che il canto avrai del figlio,
o materna mia terra; a noi prescrisse
il fato illacrimata sepoltura.
where my body lay in childhood
My Zacynthus, who look into the waves
of the Greek sea, where Venus was born
making those islands bloom
with her first smile; so that
the limpid clouds and leafy fronds will not be passed over
by the glorious verse of him who sang
of fatal seas, and the diverse exiles
who, great in fame and sorrow
kissed his own rocky Ithaca – Ulysses.
You will have nothing of your son but his song,
motherland of mine: our fate already
written, an unwept burial.
Cemeteries are places that are (naturally) laden with emotion; therefore they are special places to me. Thank you for sharing and translating this woeful and poignant sonnet (I wish I could understand the Italian version). The bilingualism reminds me of cemeteries on Cres and Lošinj.
I do remember how nice the weather was there in Zakynthos when you took that Picture luv…..:)
A Little work on that translation…non? ;)…turned out nice though…
Oh yeah… Nice, and—- hot!! 🙂
Thank you darling
Yes hot….but I liked it as my skin Always very Cold as you know .smiles-….
My pleasure luv 😉
And I say, I will not have it … wept enough in this life time … determant to feel joy again … going skiing one last time at Sunshine, Kananaskis, Canada … smiles … fighting a mountain is like fighting life … and coming back to life … +4C here … spring is coming … smiles … http://www.youtube.com/embed/aJ9hdrEE3q4?rel=0 … ya … Love, always, cat.
I know what you mean dear….
Enjoy your wacation! Here is spring still very timid as well… 🙂