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.
This article was posted on Sunday, November 21st, 2010 at 5:53 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Giovanni Pascoli, Italian, Italian Poems, Italy, La Gatta, Languages, Mama Lisa, Poems, Poetry, Poets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
March 6th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Who is reading this? It is the most beautiful recording I have ever heard among all the recordings for children that I have listened to.
March 7th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
YouTube says “Antonio Crast”.
Antonio Crast (Parenzo, July 5th 1911 – Rome, March 21st 1984) was an Italian theater and movies actor.) – dixit It. Wiki