La Tartaruga lemme-lemme  

Trilussa  

La Tartaruga disse a la Lucertola:
— Abbi pazzienza, férmete un momento!
E giri, e corri, e svicoli, e t’arampichi,
sempre de prescia, sempre in movimento.
Me fai l’effetto d’una pila elettrica…
Te piace d’esse attiva? Va benone.
Però l’attività, quanno s’esaggera,
lo sai come se chiama? Aggitazzione:
forza sprecata. È la mania der secolo.
Correno tutti a gran velocità:
ognuno cerca d’arrivà prestissimo,
ma dove, propio dove… Nu’ lo sa.  
The easy-going tortoise  

Trilussa  

The Tortoise said to the Lizard:  
— ’Scuse me, hold on a sec!
You spin, an’ run, an’ climb,
always in a rush, always in motion.
You’re like an electric battery…
You like bein’ active? Sure, fine.
But activity, when ya overdo it,
know what it’s called? Ageetation:
waste of energy. The mania o’ the century.
Everybody runnin’ round like crazy:
everybody tryin’ to get somewhere quick,
but where, where exactly…Dunno…  

Translation ©Matilda Colarossi 2024    

‘Tis the season to be jolly…, nope, tis the season to be rushing round like lunatics.

So take a deep breath, don’t let the flickering Xmas lights mess with your head. Read a good book (before it gets banned).

Be a tortoise this year. – M.C.

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