Franz Kafka

Friday, October 30, 2015

"Amicizia" by Vincenzo Cardarelli; "Friendship," by Vincenzo Cardarelli, English version, translated by LiteraryJoint


The poet Vincenzo Cardarelli, Portrait by Amerigo Bartoli, 1934

Friendship


We do not know each other. I think of those days
when, lost in time, we met,
of our regrettable intimacy.
We have always left each other
without goodbyes,
with regrets and excuses from far away. 
We indeed respected each other at pace,
cautious beasts,
skilled hunters,
to act laboriously 
our roles of strangers.
Despairing shyness,  
dizzy and insurmountable pauses. 
spoke, in our secrets,
of the avoided contact and vain enchantment. 
Something has always remained with us,
bitter vaunt
not to have caved in to our own abandonments,
something we have always missed.



From the collection "Poesie," 1942, from "Vincenzo Cardarelli: The Forgotten amongst the Great. A Collection of the Best Poems by Vincenzo Cardarelli, Translated in English," available as e-book on Amazon Kindle, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touchon NOOK Bookon Koboand as printed, traditional edition through Lulu.


Amicizia 


Noi non ci conosciamo. Penso ai giorni
che, perduti nel tempo, c'incontrammo,
alla nostra incresciosa intimità.
Ci siamo sempre lasciati
senza salutarci,
con pentimenti e scuse da lontano.
Ci siam rispettati al passo,
bestie caute,
cacciatori affinati,
a sostenere faticosamente
la nostra parte di estranei.
Ritrosie disperanti,
pause vertiginose e insormontabili,
dicevan, nelle nostre confidenze,
il contatto evitato e il vano incanto.
Qualcosa ci è sempre rimasto,
amaro vanto
di non ceduto ai nostri abbandoni,
qualcosa ci è sempre mancato.



From the collection "Poesie," 1942, by Vincenzo Cardarelli.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Check out the author's bookstore to browse and purchase both printed and e-book editions!