Most people associate summer with occasional lightening storms.  We found this wonderful Italian poem called Temporale Estivo – "Summer Lightening Storm" .  It was written by Federigo Tozzi (1883-1920).  Below you can listen to a recording of the poem while reading along with the Italian text, and an English translation.

MP3 Recording of Temporale Estivo

Temporale Estivo

Le nuvole grigie e nere si urtano,
si pigiano spinte dal vento, nascondono
il sole, oscurano il cielo.
Ci son ancora, qua e là, lembi d’azzurro,
ma vanno facendosi sempre più piccoli,
sempre più radi.
Ecco un lampo: guizza, abbaglia,
sembra incendi il cielo.
Poi scoppia il tuono.
Un tonfo forte, un brontolio lungo.
I passeri si rifugiano
sotto i tegoli, le rondini volano basse,
senza stridi.
Cadono le prime gocce d’acqua, si fanno
fitte, sembrano grossi aghi lucenti.
Poi la pioggia scroscia impetuosa.

English Translation:

Summer Lightning Storm

The gray and black clouds collide,
they squeeze one another, pushed by the wind, hiding
the sun, obscuring the sky.
There are still, here and there, strips of blue,
but they are becoming smaller and smaller,
more and more sparse.
Here’s a flash: it darts, it dazzles,
It seems to set the sky on fire.
Then the thunder bursts.
A loud thud, a long rumbling.
Sparrows take refuge
under the shingles, the swallows fly low
without screeching.
The first drops of water fall, they become
dense, they look like thick, bright needles.
Then the rain pelts down impetuously.

Recording and Translation: Monique Palomares
Image: National Weather Service

Many thanks to Monique Palomares for the recording and English translation.  Monique works with me on the French and Spanish versions of Mama Lisa’s World.