Recently we went to visit my cousin who lives in Santa Margherita Ligure, near Genova. As it was a nice day, we decided to go out for a walk after lunch. My cousin suggested we walked to Portofino, 6 km away along the beautiful Ligurian coast. On our way to Portofino we passed uno scoglio su cui cresceva un pino solitario (a rock in the sea with a solitary pine tree growing on it). The sight of this old, twisted, lonely pine reminded me of a poem written by Salvatore Quasimodo, and published in 1930 in Acque e terre (Waters and lands). You can find out more about Salvatore Quasimodo here https://blogs.transparent.com/italian/specchio-di-primavera/

 

.

Rifugio d’uccelli notturni

–

In alto c’è un pino distorto;

sta intento ed ascolta l’abisso

col fusto piegato a balestra

–

Rifugio d’uccelli notturni,

nell’ora più alta risuona

d’un battere d’ali veloce.

–

Ha pure un suo nido il mio cuore

sospeso nel buio, una voce;

sta pure in ascolto, la notte.

–

Refuge of the Night Birds

High up, there is a twisted pine;

engrossed in listening to the abyss

its trunk bent like a cross-bow.

–

Refuge of the night birds,

in the depths of the night it echoes

with a fast beating of wings.

–

My heart also has its nest

suspended in the darkness, a voice;

to which it also listens, at night.