{"id":5415,"date":"2014-04-18T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-18T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=5415"},"modified":"2018-03-26T11:07:57","modified_gmt":"2018-03-26T09:07:57","slug":"tears-of-the-virgin-mary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/tears-of-the-virgin-mary\/","title":{"rendered":"Tears of the Virgin Mary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pianto della Madonna<\/strong> (Tears of the Virgin Mary) is a dramatic poem written by the Umbrian poet Jacopone da Todi<\/span><\/strong><\/a> (1236-1306). The poem narrates Jesus\u2019 Passion using the dramatic form of a dialogue between four characters: il nunzio<\/strong> (the herald), la Madonna<\/strong> (the Virgin Mary), il popolo ebraico<\/strong> (the Jewish people), and Ges\u00f9<\/strong> (Jesus). Pianto della Madonna<\/strong>, also known as \u201cDonna de Paradiso\u201d<\/strong> from the first line of the poem, was written in volgare umbro<\/strong> (the Umbrian popular language) of the 13th century, six centuries before the standardization of the Italian language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"giotto128\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Giotto\u2019s powerful \u2018Lamentation\u2019<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The poem is 135 lines long, and I\u2019ve chosen the central part, from line 40 to line 75, which have always been my favourite part due to its powerful imagery: the moving sorrowful words of the Virgin Mary alternate with the crude graphic narration of the herald. Here below is the original text (in bold) followed by the contemporary Italian interpretation and my translation into English. For clarity, the name of the character who speaks each verse is included at the beginning of the contemporary Italian and English translations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
O figlio, figlio, figlio,
\nfiglio, amoroso giglio!
\nFiglio, chi d\u00e0 consiglio
\nal cor me\u2019 angust\u00efato?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maria: O figlio, figlio, figlio,
\nfiglio, amoroso giglio!
\nFiglio, chi d\u00e0 conforto
\nal mio cuore angosciato?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mary: Oh son, son, son,
\nson, loving lily!
\nSon, who will give comfort
\nto my anguished heart?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Figlio occhi iocundi,
\nfiglio, co\u2019 non respundi?
\nFiglio, perch\u00e9 t\u2019ascundi
\nal petto o\u2019 s\u00ec lattato?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Figlio dagli occhi che danno gioia,
\nfiglio, perch\u00e9 non mi rispondi?
\nFiglio, perch\u00e9 ti nascondi
\ndal petto dove sei stato allattato?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Son whose eyes bring joy,
\nson, why don’t you answer me?
\nSon, why are you hiding
\nfrom the breast that fed you?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Madonna, ecco la croce,
\nche la gente l\u2019aduce,
\nove la vera luce
\nd\u00e9i essere levato.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nunzio: Madonna, ecco la croce
\nche \u00e8 portata dalla folla,
\nove Cristo (la vera luce)
\ndovr\u00e0 essere sollevato.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Herald: Mary, here’s the cross
\nbrought by crowd,
\nonto which Christ (the true light)
\nwill have to be lifted.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
O croce, e que farai?
\nEl figlio meo torrai?
\nE que ci aponerai,
\nche no n\u2019\u00e0 en s\u00e9 peccato?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maria: Croce, cosa farai?
\nPrenderai mio figlio?
\nE di cosa lo accuserai,
\nvisto che non ha commesso alcun peccato?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mary: Oh cross, what will you do?
\nWill you take my son?
\nAnd what will you accuse him of,
\nsince he hasn’t committed any sins?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"Pietro_lorenzetti,_compianto_(dettaglio)_basilica_inferiore_di_assisi_(1310-1329)\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pietro Lorenzetti: \u2018Compianto\u2019<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Soccurri, plena de doglia,
\nc\u00e0 \u2019l tuo figliol se spoglia;
\nla gente par che voglia
\nche sia martirizzato<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nunzio: Soccorrilo, o tu che sei piena di dolore,
\npoich\u00e9 il tuo figliolo \u00e8 spogliato;
\nsembra che la folla voglia
\nche sia martirizzato.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Herald: Help him, oh you who are full of sorrow,
\nbecause your son is undressed;
\nit seems that the crowd wants
\nfor him to be martyrized.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Se i tollit\u2019el vestire,
\nlassatelme vedere,
\ncom\u2019en crudel firire
\ntutto l\u2019\u00f2 ensanguenato.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maria: Se gli togliete i vestiti,
\nlasciatemi vedere
\ncome lo hanno tutto insanguinato
\ninfliggendogli crudeli ferite.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mary: If you take his clothes away,
\nlet me see how
\nthey bathed him in blood
\nby inflicting cruel wounds on him.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Donna, la man li \u00e8 presa,
\nennella croc\u2019\u00e8 stesa;
\ncon un bollon l\u2019\u00f2 fesa,
\ntanto lo \u2019n cci \u00f2 ficcato.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nunzio: Donna, gli hanno preso una mano
\ne l’hanno stesa sulla croce;
\nl’hanno spaccata con un chiodo,
\ntanto gliel’hanno conficcato.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Herald: My Lady, they’ve taken one of his hands
\nand laid it on the cross;
\nthey’ve broken it with a nail,
\nso deeply they’ve planted it in.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
L\u2019altra mano se prende,
\nennella croce se stende
\ne lo dolor s\u2019accende,
\nch\u2019\u00e8 plu multiplicato.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gli prendono l’altra mano
\ne la stendono sulla croce,
\ne il dolore brucia,
\nancora pi\u00f9 accresciuto.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
They’re taking his other hand
\nand they’re laying it on the cross,
\nand the pain burns,
\nmore and more intensely.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Donna, li p\u00e8 se pr\u00e8nno
\ne clavellanse al lenno;
\nonne iontur\u2019 aprenno,
\ntutto l\u2019\u00f2 sdenodato.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Donna, gli prendono i piedi
\ne li inchiodano al legno;
\naprendogli ogni giuntura,
\nlo hanno tutto slogato.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My Lady, they’re taking his feet
\nand nailing them to the wood;
\nopening his every joint,
\nthey’ve completely dislocated him.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

– – – – – – – – – – <\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested, you can read the whole poem (without the English translation) HERE<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Pianto della Madonna (Tears of the Virgin Mary) is a dramatic poem written by the Umbrian poet Jacopone da Todi (1236-1306). The poem narrates Jesus\u2019 Passion using the dramatic form of a dialogue between four characters: il nunzio (the herald), la Madonna (the Virgin Mary), il popolo ebraico (the Jewish people), and Ges\u00f9 (Jesus). Pianto…<\/p>\n

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