ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE AN ANTHOLOGY ■ EDITED BY PATRICK BARRON & ANNA RE ■ FOREWORD BY JOHN ELDER PREFACE BY REBECCA WEST ITALICA PRESS ITALICA PRESS NEW YORK 2003 Copyright © 2003 by patriCk barron and anna re itaLiCa preSS, inC. 595 Main Street new york, new york 10044 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, me- chanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Italica Press. Library of Congress CataLoging-in-PubLiCation Data Italian environmental literature : an anthology / edited by Patrick Barron & Anna Re. p. cm. English and Italian. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 987-0-934977-70-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-59910-086-9 (e-book) 1. Italian literature--20th century. 2. Italian literature--19th century. 3. Environmental policy--Literary collections. 4. Ecology--Literary collections. 5. Nature--Literary collections. I. Barron, Patrick, 1968- II. Re, Anna, 1970- PQ4204.A9I85 2003 850.8’355--dc21 2003001567 Cover Photo: Lama dei Peligni, Abruzzo, on the east flank of the Majella Massif. Photo © Patrick Barron. Printed in the U.S.A. and E.U. For a complete list of titles in this series visit our website at www.ItalicaPress.com CONTENTS MAP....................................................................................................X FOREWORD .....................................................................................XI PREFACE .........................................................................................XIV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................XIX INTRODUCTION...........................................................................XXI POETRY GIOVANNI PASCOLI.......................................................................3 PIOGGIA — RAIN....................................................................... 4 VESPRO — VESPERS.................................................................... 4 LA DOMENICA DELL’ULIVO — THE SUNDAY OF THE OLIVE TREE.......... 6 SERA D’OTTOBRE — OCTOBER EVENING......................................... 6 ARANO — THEY ARE PLOWING..................................................... 8 NOVEMBRE — NOVEMBER ........................................................... 8 GABRIELE D’ANNUNZIO ..............................................................11 LA PIOGGIA NEL PINETO — THE RAIN IN THE PINEWOOD................ 12 DITIRAMBO III — DITHYRAMB III................................................. 18 CORRADO GOVONI.....................................................................27 PAESAGGIO — LANDSCAPE ........................................................ 28 CREPUSCOLO FERRARESE — FERRARESE TWILIGHT.......................... 28 LA PRIMAVERA DEL MARE — THE SPRINGTIME OF THE SEA............... 30 DINO CAMPANA...........................................................................34 LA VERNA................................................................................ 34 IMAGES FROM THE JOURNEY AND THE MOUNTAIN.......................... 46 GIUSEPPE UNGARETTI.................................................................49 I FIUMI — THE RIVERS.............................................................. 50 CON FUOCO — WITH FIRE ........................................................ 54 QUIETE — QUIET..................................................................... 54 TU TI SPEZZASTI — YOU SHATTERED............................................ 56 TERRA — EARTH...................................................................... 58 v ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE EUGENIO MONTALE ....................................................................63 MERIGGIARE PALLIDO E ASSORTO — SIT OUT THE NOON, PALE AND ENGROSSED........................................................... 64 PORTAMI IL GIRASOLE CH’IO LO TRAPIANTI — BRING ME THE SUNFLOWER SO THAT I MAY PLANT IT ....................................... 64 RIVIERE — SEACOASTS .............................................................. 66 EGLOGA — ECLOGUE ................................................................70 L’ANGUILLA — THE EEL............................................................. 72 SALVATORE QUASIMODO...........................................................77 ALLA MIA TERRA — TO MY EARTH ............................................... 78 CAVALLI DI LUNA E DI VULCANI — HORSES OF MOON AND OF VOLCANOES......................................................................... 78 RIDE LA GAZZA, NERA SUGLI ARANCI — THE MAGPIE LAUGHS, BLACK UPON THE ORANGE TREES............................................. 80 PREGHIERA ALLA PIOGGIA — PRAYER TO THE RAIN......................... 82 ED È SUBITO SERA — AND SUDDENLY IT’S EVENING....................... 82 DARIA MENICANTI.......................................................................85 CAMALEONTE — CHAMELEON.................................................... 86 EPIGRAMMA PER UN VERME — EPIGRAM FOR A WORM.................... 88 SE — IF.................................................................................. 88 FELINI — FELINES .................................................................... 90 GABBIANI — SEAGULLS ............................................................. 90 TONINO GUERRA.........................................................................93 E’ MI FIÓMM — MY RIVER ......................................................... 94 E’ PARADÉIS L’È BRÓTT — HEAVEN IS UGLY................................... 94 I BU — OXEN.......................................................................... 96 LA MÓRTA — DEATH ................................................................ 96 E’ MÓND L’È BÈL — THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL.............................. 96 ANDREA ZANZOTTO....................................................................99 UN LIBRO DI ECLOGHE — A BOOK OF ECLOGUES.........................100 ECLOGA I — ECLOGUE I...........................................................100 ECLOGA II — ECLOGUE II.........................................................106 PER LA FINESTRA NUOVA — THROUGH THE NEW WINDOW.............110 ORMAI — BY NOW..................................................................112 PIER PAOLO PASOLINI............................................................... 115 IL PIANTO DELLA SCAVATRICE — THE TEARS OF THE EXCAVATOR.......116 vi AN ANTHOLOGY JOLANDA INSANA.......................................................................123 EXCERPTS FROM IL RADICAMENTO — EXCERPTS FROM THE ROOTING.................................................................... 124 MARIELLA BETTARINI.................................................................127 IL LECCIO — THE HOLM OAK................................................... 128 BIOGRAFIA — BIOGRAPHY....................................................... 130 SE LA NATURA PARLA A TUTTA GOLA — IF NATURE BELLOWS .......... 130 DICO CHE IL GRILLO LO SCORPIONE LA CAVALLETTA — I SAY THAT THE CRICKET THE SCORPION THE GRASSHOPPER....................... 132 LUCIANA NOTARI.......................................................................135 IL CORPO E L’ANIMA — BODY AND SOUL................................... 136 SCARTO — DISTANCE.............................................................. 136 ASPRA STAGIONE METROPOLITANA — HARSH METROPOLITAN SEASON............................................................................. 138 PAESAGGIO INVERNALE — WINTER LANDSCAPE............................ 138 PROSE CORRADO ALVARO.....................................................................143 FROM: PEOPLE OF ASPROMONTE ............................................... 144 GIANNA MANZINI......................................................................147 THE FABLE OF THE OLIVE TREE .................................................. 147 A CYPRESS.......................................................................................150 IGNAZIO SILONE........................................................................154 FROM: FONTAMARA................................................................. 154 CARLO LEVI..................................................................................165 FROM: CHRIST STOPPED AT EBOLI.............................................. 165 GIUSEPPE DESSÌ..........................................................................173 FROM: THE FORESTS OF NORBIO................................................ 173 ANNA MARIA ORTESE................................................................184 THE TREE .............................................................................. 184 CARLO CASSOLA.........................................................................191 SEA, SKY AND LAND.................................................................191 vii ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE NUTO REVELLI ............................................................................196 POLENTA THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE TIMES A YEAR .............. 196 IT DIDN’T SEEM LIKE IT, BUT THE WOMEN WERE IN CHARGE........................................ 200 MARIO RIGONI STERN...............................................................203 THE CROWS............................................................................203 THE SHEPHERD ...................................................................... 206 ITALO CALVINO ...........................................................................210 SPRING: MUSHROOMS IN THE CITY.............................................210 SPRING: THE GOOD AIR............................................................213 SPRING: WHERE THE RIVER IS MORE BLUE?...................................218 GIUSEPPE BONAVIRI..................................................................221 FROM: DOLCISSIMO................................................................ 222 CARLO SGORLON....................................................................... 231 THE ENCHANTED VOYAGER....................................................... 232 GIANNI CELATI............................................................................237 HOW A PHOTOGRAPHER DISEMBARKED IN THE NEW WORLD............................................................ 238 THE RETURN OF THE TRAVELER.................................................. 242 MONICA SARSINI........................................................................249 PINK .................................................................................... 249 LAVENDER............................................................................. 250 SILVER ...................................................................................251 GREEN.................................................................................. 252 WHITE.................................................................................. 253 ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING INTRODUCTION.........................................................................257 LAURA CONTI..............................................................................263 FROM: A HARE WITH THE FACE OF A CHILD................................. 264 ALFREDO TODISCO....................................................................274 FROM: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF A PASSION............................... 274 viii AN ANTHOLOGY ANTONIO CEDERNA..................................................................279 FROM: THE VANDALS AT HOME.................................................. 279 FROM: THE DESTRUCTION OF NATURE.........................................281 DANILO DOLCI...........................................................................283 AN EXPROPRIATED FARMER....................................................... 283 GIORGIO NEBBIA .......................................................................290 THE CRISIS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN AND THE ENVIRONMENT...................................................... 290 THE LESSON OF ECOLOGY........................................................ 292 FULCO PRATESI...........................................................................294 FROM: THE KNIGHTS OF THE GREAT LAGOON .............................. 294 GIANNI MATTIOLI AND MASSIMO SCALIA ............................298 PROMETHEUS FELL AT CHERNOBYL............................................. 298 GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE........................................................ 300 VIRGINIO BETTINI......................................................................304 BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND............................................................ 304 NICOLA LICCIARDELLO.............................................................310 GIVE US OUR DAILY WILD..........................................................310 LOREDANA LUCARINI ............................................................... 315 ALFA ROMEO...........................................................................315 GIUSEPPE MORETTI.................................................................... 321 WILD AND CULTIVATED.............................................................321 STUDIO AZZURRO......................................................................327 THE EARTH THAT GENERATES THE AIR......................................... 328 PERFUMES CARRIED BY THE WIND.............................................. 329 NOTES...........................................................................................332 ix