| IL TRENO DEGLI EMIGRANTI
DI GIANNI RODARI Non è grossa, non è pesante la valigia dell’emigrante… C’è un po’ di terra del mio villaggio, per non restar solo in viaggio… un vestito, un pane, un frutto e questo è tutto. Ma il cuore no, non l’ho portato: nella valigia non c’è entrato. Troppa pena aveva a partire, oltre il mare non vuole venire. Lui resta, fedele come un cane. nella terra che non mi dà pane: un piccolo campo, proprio lassù… Ma il treno corre: non si vede più. |
THE EMIGRANTS’ TRAIN
BY GIANNI RODARI Neither large nor packed Is an emigrant’s sack… It holds a bit of home, a bit of my village, To accompany me on my voyage … A suit, a loaf, a fruit And that is it. Not my heart though, that I don’t have: It wouldn’t fit in my bag. Too painful would it be, For it to cross the sea. Behind, faithful as a dog, it’s still there. In the land that so little food would bear: A small lea, look there on high… But the train is moving quickly: and we have passed it by. Translation by ©Matilda Colarossi |
Gianni Rodari was an Italian writer and journalist. He was famous for his children’s books, poems and rhymes.For his contribution as a children’s writer he was the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal.
Link to the author’s work: https://www.edizioniel.com/catalogo-anticipazioni/100-gianni-rodari-novita-gennaio-2020/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Beautiful poem, yet another sign of the profound intelligence and sensibility of Gianni Rodari. Beautiful translation too.
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Thank you so much: I love Rodari.
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