Full Description
'Salvatore Quasimodo was born-and lived-through historical tragedies which impressed his mind for ever. What one hears in his lines are the tears of mankind and its wail. Sonzogni and Dawe have captured the singular strength of Quasimodo and heard the penetrating voices of humanity. Their translations of this particular poet are a beautiful work of rendering history in rhyme and do more than justice to the art and the feelings of Salvatore Quasimodo. "The Night Fountain" should be read and re-read, learned and re-learned, and must be at hand to every reader who can only gain from its penetrating elegy' - Allen Mandelbaum, Kenan Professor of Humanities, Wake Forest University, USA.'"The Night Fountain" discloses a great poet in the making, now veering into Expressionism, now surreal, but always with an imaginative prosody and a voice that admits us into its intimacy. There is at once abundance and refinement here, and many of the elements that go into his great work. The translations are resourceful and inventive, keeping faith with the movement of the originals' - Michael Schmidt, Professor of Poetry, University of Glasgow.
Contents
Foreword. Introduction. L'aurore / Dawn, Primule / Wild flowers, Sfioritura / Withering, Il colore del desiderio / The colour of desire, Nascere / Birth, Candida foce / Innocent mouth, Preghiera / Prayer, L'offerta divina / Divine offer, Il silenzio degli schiavi / The silence of slaves, L'elegia dello sperduto / The elegy of the lost, Il fiore del silenzio / The flower of silence, Profanazione / Profanation, Eliosismo / Souls, La luce del sole / The light of the sun, La serenita / Serenity, La porta chiusa / The locked door, Nei giardini della luce / In the gardens of light, Nuvolette nel vespero / Little evening clouds, La rondine di luce / The swallow of light, La musica degli angioli / The music of angels, Oro su la neve / Gold on snow, La fontana notturna / The night fountain, I semi della luce / The seeds of light, La purezza / Purity, Mentre brucia la mirra / The burning myrrh.Notes. Appendix. Biographical notes.
