{"id":7689,"date":"2014-11-04T15:56:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T15:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=7689"},"modified":"2014-11-06T10:07:49","modified_gmt":"2014-11-06T10:07:49","slug":"the-forth-of-november","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/the-forth-of-november\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fourth of November"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quattro Novembre segna fine della Prima Guerra Mondiale in Italia<\/strong> (The Fourth of November marks the anniversary of the end of the First World War in Italy).
When I was a child today used to be a national holiday and patriotic celebration of the greatness of our armed forces. All the barracks were open to the public, and grand rhetorical speeches were held in front of i monumenti ai caduti<\/strong> (the war memorials). During the last twenty years however, this commemorative date has faded away. WWI seems such a long time ago, and patriotism is now considered by many to be anachronistic.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
\"sold-trincea\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Italian soldiers in the trenches during WWI<\/font><\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

This year is special though because it marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, and, as usual, centennials seem to stimulate public interest. Personally, I can\u2019t hear about the Great War without immediately thinking of the tragic poem Veglia<\/strong> (Vigil), by the poet <\/em>Giuseppe Ungaretti<\/strong><\/font><\/a> (1888 \u2013 1970). Ungaretti is undoubtedly the most important Italian poet from the First World War period, not only because he took direct part in it, but also because of his very powerful graphic style. Ungaretti\u2019s poems are very concise and minimalistic, every single word, and even the gaps between them, are poignant, there are few adjectives. He gives no place to patriotic rhetoric or heroism, only feelings of pain, horror, and, contrastingly, beauty and love.<\/p>\n

I first studied this poem when I was at primary school, and still remember the vivid shocking images that flashed through my mind when I read it. The image that particularly filled me with horror was of a mouth distorted by the pain of death howling towards the moon like a wolf \u2026 la sua bocca digrignata volta al plenilunio<\/strong>.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
\"Dix\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
VERWUNDETER <\/strong>BY OTTO DIX, 1916<\/font><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Veglia<\/strong> was written on the 23rd of December 1915 at the Cima Quattro<\/strong> (Fourth Peak) outpost in the Carso area of the Alps, which today lies on the border between Italy and Slovenia.
Here is Veglia<\/strong> by Giuseppe Ungaretti, with my English translation:<\/p>\n

Veglia<\/u><\/font><\/strong> <\/font><\/p>\n

Un\u2019intera nottata
buttato vicino
a un compagno
massacrato
con la sua bocca
digrignata
volta al plenilunio
con la congestione
delle sue mani
penetrata
nel mio silenzio
ho scritto
lettere piene d\u2019amore <\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

Non sono mai stato
tanto
attaccato alla vita<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

Vigil <\/u><\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

A whole night
thrown near
a comrade
massacred
with his mouth
snarling
towards the full moon
with the swelling
of his hands
penetrating
my silence
I wrote
letters full of love <\/font><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never been
more
attached to life<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

You can find more poems by Giuseppe Ungaretti in my blogs November Sunlight<\/strong><\/font><\/a> and Natale by Giuseppe Ungaretti<\/font><\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Quattro Novembre segna fine della Prima Guerra Mondiale in Italia (The Fourth of November marks the anniversary of the end of the First World War in Italy). When I was a child today used to be a national holiday and patriotic celebration of the greatness of our armed forces. All the barracks were open to…<\/p>\n

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