Poet Alda Merini

While at dinner the other night, in Bistrot Afrodita, there was a chalkboard mounted high on the wall with a poem in Italian on it.  I kept looking at it, trying to read the Italian, but it wasn't coming together.  So I typed it into Google translate.  Well, I knew enough to know that Google hadn't gotten it either, but at least I could figure it out and fix it.

The poet is Alda Merini (1931-2009).  She was nominated in 1996 for the Nobel Prize in Literature by the Académie Française and in 2007 she won the Elsa Morante Ragazzi Award in Italy.

This poem, Lo Osterie (The Tavern), weaves multiple (ambiguous) thoughts together into one harmonious sweep.  I've looked, but can't figure out who Charles is/was.  Nonetheless, it spoke to me.  Perhaps because I had a deep wine glass.

The Tavern

I like the dark recesses of sleepy taverns
Where people end in an excess of singing
I like blasphemous and angelic things
And deep wine glasses,
Where the mind rejoices in
A level of magical thought.
Too foolish to weep in lost and misplaced love,
Disavowed and unfriendly,
Better the bitter steam of harmless wine
Better the drunkenness of genius
Better, yes, better
The deaf investigation of the smoothness of lives;
I love taverns
That speak the subtle language of Bacchus
And then in the taverns
there is the name of Charles
written in letters of gold.

- Alda Merini -

Translation by Google and Greg Wetzel

------------------------------------------------------------------

Lo Osterie

A me piacciono gli anfratti bui
delle osterie dormienti,
dove la gente culmina nell’eccesso del canto,
a me piacciono le cose bestemmiate e leggere,
e i calici di vino profondi,
dove la mente esulta,
livello di magico pensiero.
Troppo sciocco è piangere sopra un amore perduto
malvissuto e scostante,
meglio l’acre vapore del vino indenne,
meglio l’ubriacatura del genio,
meglio sì meglio
l’indagine sorda delle scorrevolezze di vite;
io amo le osterie
che parlano il linguaggio sottile della lingua di Bacco,
e poi nelle osterie
ci sta il nome di Charles
scritto a caratteri d’oro.

- Alda Merini -

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 2, 2019 at 2:47 PM

    This poem also speaks to me. We just went to a WAC Wine Club dinner on Saturday and experienced some more Gaya wines, plus some great French burgundies. Thought of you since we know you appreciate these wines!

    ReplyDelete
  2. LauraNovember 4, 2019 at 11:19 AM

    This is indeed a beautiful poem, Greg! Kudos to your translating, as well!

    ReplyDelete

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