{"id":168,"date":"2009-08-11T09:42:16","date_gmt":"2009-08-11T09:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=168"},"modified":"2014-06-16T10:06:59","modified_gmt":"2014-06-16T10:06:59","slug":"san-lorenzo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/san-lorenzo\/","title":{"rendered":"San Lorenzo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ieri era San Lorenzo<\/strong> (yesterday it was San Lorenzo\u2019s day) and questa notte<\/strong> (last night), as is traditional here in Italy, I went out looking for una stella cadente <\/strong>(a shooting star). In fact la notte di San Lorenzo <\/strong>(San Lorenzo\u2019s night) is also known as la notte delle stelle cadenti <\/strong>(the night of the shooting stars) due to the appearance of a shower of meteorites which comes within the Earth’s orbit during this period. As usual, however,\u00a0I didn\u2019t manage to see a single\u00a0one, therefore non ho potuto esprimere un desiderio <\/strong>(I couldn\u2019t make a wish). Oh well, andr\u00e0 meglio l\u2019anno prossimo!<\/strong>\u00a0 (hopefully next year\u2026.!)<\/span><\/p>\n

The name notte di San Lorenzo<\/strong> immediately brings to mind a poem that we used to study at school, X Agosto<\/strong> (The 10th of August) by Giovanni Pascoli. This poem describes the tragic death of the poet\u2019s father, who was mysteriously\u00a0killed on the night of San Lorenzo in 1867 while returning home from a farmer\u2019s fair. In Pascoli\u2019s poem\u00a0the shooting stars represent the tears of Heaven for his father\u2019s death, and for the evil which afflicts our planet. I must confess that I used to cry every time I read this poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

X Agosto<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

San Lorenzo, io lo so perch\u00e9 tanto<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

di stelle per l\u2019aria tranquilla<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

arde e cade, perch\u00e9 s\u00ec gran pianto<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

nel concavo cielo sfavilla.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ritornava una rondine al tetto:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

l\u2019uccisero: cadde tra spini;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

ella aveva nel becco un insetto:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

la cena de\u2019 suoi rondinini.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ora \u00e8 l\u00e0, come in croce, che tende<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

quel verme a quel cielo lontano;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

e il suo nido \u00e8 nell\u2019ombra che attende, <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

che pigola sempre pi\u00f9 piano.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anche un uomo tornava al suo nido:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

l\u2019uccisero: disse: \u2018Perdono\u2019;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

e rest\u00f2 negli aperti occhi un grido:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

portava due bambole in dono \u2026<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ora l\u00e0, nella casa romita,<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

lo aspettano, aspettano invano:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

egli immobile, attonito, addita<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

le bambole al cielo lontano.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

E tu, Cielo, dall\u2019alto dei mondi<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

sereni, infinito, immortale,<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

oh! d\u2019un pianto di stelle lo inondi<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

quest\u2019atomo opaco del Male.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 10th of August<\/span><\/p>\n

San Lorenzo, I know way so many stars are burning and falling in the tranquil air, why such great weeping sparkles in the concave sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

A swallow was returning to its home: they killed her: she fell amongst thorns; in her beak she had an insect: the dinner for her little swallows.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now she is there, as if on a cross, holding out that worm to the distant heaven; and her nest is in the shadow waiting, chirping ever more softly.<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0man was also <\/span>going back to his nest: they killed him: he said: \u2018Forgiveness\u2019; and in his open eyes there remained a scream: he was bringing two dolls as presents \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Now there, in the remote house, they are waiting for him, waiting in vain: he, motionless, astonished, points the dolls to the distant heaven.<\/span><\/p>\n

And you, Heaven, from the heights of serene worlds, infinite, immortal, oh! with a weeping of stars you flood this atom, opaque with Evil.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ieri era San Lorenzo (yesterday it was San Lorenzo\u2019s day) and questa notte (last night), as is traditional here in Italy, I went out looking for una stella cadente (a shooting star). In fact la notte di San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo\u2019s night) is also known as la notte delle stelle cadenti (the night of the…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[701,810,904],"class_list":["post-168","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-giovanni-pascoli-x-agosto","tag-notte-di-san-lorenzo","tag-x-agosto-english-translation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t