Here’s another cat poem for you feline lovers. It was written in Italian by Giovanni Pascoli (1855 – 1912). Below you can listen to it on a YouTube video, follow along in Italian and then read the English translation. Enjoy!

La gatta

Era una gatta, assai trita, e non era
d’alcuno, e, vecchia, aveva un suo gattino.
Ora, una notte, (su per il camino
s’ingolfava e rombava la bufera)

trassemi all’uscio il suon d’una preghiera,
e lei vidi e il suo figlio a lei vicino.
Mi spinse ella, in un dolce atto, il meschino
tra’ piedi; e sparve nella notte nera.

Che notte nera, piena di dolore!
Pianti e singulti e risa pazze e tetri
urli portava dai deserti il vento.

E la pioggia cadea, vasto fragore,
sferzando i muri e scoppiettando ai vetri.
Facea le fusa il piccolo, contento.

The Cat

There was a cat, very trite, and it wasn’t
Anybodies, and, old, it had its kitten.
Now, one night, (up the chimney
the storm gushed and roared)

the sound of a prayer drew me to the door
And I saw her and her kit next to her
She sweetly pushed the wretched thing
Between my feet and disappeared into the black night.

What a black night, full of pain!
Tears and sobs and mad laughter and dark
Howls brought in from the desert wind.

And the rain was falling, huge roars
Whipping the house walls and rattling the windows.
The little one was purring, contented.

Translation by Monique Palomares and Lisa Yannucci.

You can hear another recording of La gatta here from Audio Storie.