If only we all had the fear “of having forgotten the instructions for living a life that’s not ignoble…”, maybe this year, like the last and perhaps the next, would be one we could be proud of.
| La paura Massimo Gezzi “Vinciamo un’altra volta la paura?”, mi chiede Caterina dopo essersi sfilata la ciambella. “Vinciamola!”, prometto, e insieme la lanciamo verso rocce e fichi d’india in modo che si punga, si faccia male, non si azzardi a riprovarci. “E adesso vinciamo anche la tua? Qual è la tua paura?” Rimango sospeso con il braccio a mezz’aria, vorrei poterle dire che è quella della resa, di non essere abbastanza, di aver dimenticato le istruzioni per vivere una vita non ignobile, per insegnarla a lei. Attende con gli occhi sgranati e allora dico: “La paura di perdermi, di non trovare più la strada di casa, dove tu mi aspetti” (è lo stesso o è l’opposto di ciò che non ho detto?). “Ma va’, la troverai tutte le sere!”, risponde sorridendo, e allora con slanci da discobolo scaraventiamo in aria questo spettro che frana sulle rocce e sulle spine. Lei ride, ride forte, e a sua insaputa l’altra continua a pungermi, a scavare. | Fear Massimo Gezzi “Shall we conquer fear again?”, asks Caterina after slipping off her life buoy. “We’ll conquer it!” I promise, and together we throw it towards the rocks and the prickly pears so that it gets stung, it gets hurt, and it never dares try that again. “And now shall we conquer yours too? What’s your fear?” I stand still, my arm suspended in mid air, I’d like to say that it’s the fear of giving up, of not being enough, of having forgotten the instructions for living a life that’s not ignoble, for teaching it to her. She’s waiting wide-eyed and so I say: “The fear of getting lost, of never again finding my way home, to you who’s waiting” (is it the same or the opposite of what I didn’t say?). “No way, you’ll find it every night!” she answers smiling, and so with the moves of a discus thrower we send the spectre flying into the air and crashing onto the rocks and the thorns. She laughs, laughs loudly, and, unbeknown to her, the other continues to jab at me, to dig. Translation ©Matilda Colarossi 2022 |
This is for those of us who live with fear, fear of things indistinct and menacing, which lurk everywhere, mostly inside us, always jabbing, digging.
I would like to thank Massimo Gezzi for allowing me to translate his words, and my fears.
You can find the book here: https://marcosymarcos.com/libri/sempre-mondo/
More about the author, Massimo Gezzi, and the book here: https://www.leparoleelecose.it/?p=44038
Image: The Discobolus of Myron, circa 460–450 BC
parallel texts: words reflected 