Salvatore Quasimodo was a hermetic poet who revolutionised the literary voice of his times. He took part in both world wars and was able to embody this experience in his numerous poems.

The poem “Specchio” is from his first collection of poems called Acque e terre (1930).

This poem is about rebirth, about how hope, like the buds on the bent trunk, can not only rise from what seems lost but is greener even than the spring grasses with their soothing qualities. Everything is reborn after the long winter, even the poet’s heart.

The first line, “And there now” transports us immediately into the contemplation of nature as, surprisingly, buds open on the trunk that appeared to be dead, bent as it was over the rill.

That trunk is like a miracle, and like the rain water in the ditches, which reflects a bluer sky, the bright green buds are our hope for the future. We too, like the poet, are reborn.

I wanted to offer this poem as an Easter present to those who believe and those who, like me, do not; may this day, with the soft breath of oncoming spring in the air, the numerous swallows circling above us, the tiny buds whose strength can crack even the bark of a seemingly dead trunk, give us all cause for hope. I sincerely believe we need it in these incredibly sad times. – M.C.

Mora Quasimodo in translation: https://paralleltexts.blog/?s=quasimodo

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