Poetry Translation And Nuoro's Artistic Traditions

The other day I wrote aboout the Caffè Tettamanzi in Nuoro which is about the oldest bar in town and used to be a popular meeting point for local artists and writers. In fact, although Nuoro is far from being the first town on the list for sightseers in Sardinia, it has a cultural and artistic heritage which is amongst the most renowned on the island. The Nobel Prize winning author Grazia Deledda came from Nuoro as did another well known literary figure Salvatore Satta, amongst others, and it's good to see that other members of Maria Rita's family could well become a part of this rich artistic heritage in the future. One of her brothers, Mariano, is the bass player in local band Frammenti Anni '60 whose CD Bonasera Sardigna da Quelli che Amano.... is, in my opinion, excellent. It features songs in both Sardu and Italian and musically there is an effective fusion of both a Latin influence and that of the British and American rock tradition, especially the 60s era. Her other brother Raimondo is, like me, a published poet and also, like me, used to be the lead singer in a band. On my last visit to Nuoro, in early September, Raimondo and I exchanged gifts. I gave him a copy of my CD of original songs Ancient Wisdom Modern World and in return he gave me a signed copy of one of his collections of poetry I tamburi del cuore. Even though I'm still learning Italian I could still tell that his work was rich with imagery, psychology and a depth of genuine feeling. I immediately started to try to translate some of the poems. Having translated about nine of them I unintentionally put the project on ice, instead working on the songs of Fabrizio de André. A couple of days ago Maria Rita asked me when I was going to have a go at translating some more. This spurred me on to translate two in the same day, the most recent of which is as follows:-

A Dedication To The Sea
by Raimondo Selenu

I sit silently beside you
between the memories
of an old sailing vessel
and the future hopes
of a speedy motorboat.

I feel
like a small child
who listens attentively
to what it is you have to say.

Your way of speaking impresses me.

I am the sand that loves the waves
and lives in the immensity of your breath,
listening to the song
of the reef.

Alongside you I appear so small
amongst the pebbles
smooth with age
and shells
that dwell within you.

I curl myself up like a small child
finding nourishment
in fairy tales and adventure stories.

I adore your way of speaking.

© Raimondo Selenu (Trans. from the Italian by Geoff Davis)

 

And this is the Italian original:-


      Dedicato Al Mare

Mi siedo silenzioso accanto a te,
                 tra i ricordi
  di una vecchia barca a vela
             e le speranze
     di un motore fuoribordo.


                Mi sento
     come un piccolo bambino,
                che ascolta
          ciò che hai da dire.


Mi impressiona il tuo modo di parlare.


     Sono sabbia che ama le tue onde
        e vive nell'immenso tuo respiro
            nell'ascolto del tuo canto
                   alla scogliera.


     Mi faccio piccolino accanto a te
                      tra i sassi
               levigati dai tuoi anni
                      e conchiglie
                 che abitano in te.

Mi accuccio come un piccolo bambino
                     per nutrirmi
             di fiabe e di avventure.


        Adoro il tuo modo di parlare.


© Raimondo Selenu

Here is the link to my other translations of Raimondo's poems.