Poem
Umberto Fiori
[Goodness]
Your accusations, yourreproaches, again.
While I take them apart
as I can, one by one,
quoting facts, names, dates,
while I again count up on my fingers my two,
three, four good points,
and shout my life out in your face
you say nothing: you look at me.
The ears that are red, the veins
swelling in the neck – what
are you looking at? I know, I know that goodness
is not like this.
But doesn’t it rouse your pity
to see how
every day I am here
imitating it?
© Translation: 2009, Alistair Elliot
[Bene]
[Bene]
Le vostre accuse, i vostririmproveri, di nuovo.
Mentre li smonto
come posso, uno a uno,
citando fatti, nomi, date,
mentre riconto sulle dita i miei due,
tre, quattro meriti
e vi abbaio sul muso la mia vita
non dite niente: mi guardate.
Le orecchie rosse, le vene
gonfie sul collo
– cosa guardate? Lo so, lo so che il bene
è diverso.
Ma non vi fa pietà
vedere come
ogni giorno son qua
a fargli il verso?
© 2009, Umberto Fiori
From: Voi
Publisher: Mondadori, Milano
From: Voi
Publisher: Mondadori, Milano
Poems
Poems of Umberto Fiori
Close
[Goodness]
Your accusations, yourreproaches, again.
While I take them apart
as I can, one by one,
quoting facts, names, dates,
while I again count up on my fingers my two,
three, four good points,
and shout my life out in your face
you say nothing: you look at me.
The ears that are red, the veins
swelling in the neck – what
are you looking at? I know, I know that goodness
is not like this.
But doesn’t it rouse your pity
to see how
every day I am here
imitating it?
© 2009, Alistair Elliot
From: Voi
From: Voi
[Goodness]
Your accusations, yourreproaches, again.
While I take them apart
as I can, one by one,
quoting facts, names, dates,
while I again count up on my fingers my two,
three, four good points,
and shout my life out in your face
you say nothing: you look at me.
The ears that are red, the veins
swelling in the neck – what
are you looking at? I know, I know that goodness
is not like this.
But doesn’t it rouse your pity
to see how
every day I am here
imitating it?
© 2009, Alistair Elliot
Sponsors
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère