Verrà la morte e avrà i tuoi
ochi.
questa morte che ci accompagna
dal matino alla sera, insonne,
sorda, come un vecchio rimorso
o un vizio assurdo. I tuoi occhi
saranno una vana parola,
un grido taciuto, un silenzio.
Così li vedi ogni matina
quando su te sola ti pieghi
nello specchio. O cara speranza,
quel giorno sapremo anche noi
che sei la vita e sei il nulla.
Per tutti la morte ha uno sguardo.
Verrà la morte e avrà i tuoi ochi.
Sarà come smettere un vizio,
come vedere nello specchio
riemergere un viso morto,
come ascoltare un labbro chiuso.
Scenderemo nel gorgo muti.
Death will stare at me out of your eyes (English
translation)
Death will stare at me out of your eyes;
this death who accompanies us
from morning to night, sleepless,
dull, like an old remorse
or an absurd vice. Your eyes
will be a vain word
an unspoken scream, a silence.
So you see them each morning
when you gaze alone
on the mirror. O dear hope,
that day we'll know too,
that you are the life and the void.
To everyone death has a look
Death will stare at me out of your eyes.
It will be like giving up a vice,
like seeing in the mirror
a dead face re-emerge,
like listening to a silent lip.
We'll go down into the whirlpool without words.
O θάνατος θα 'ρθει και θα 'χει
τα μάτια σου
(Greek translation by Soteres Trivizas)
O θάνατος θα 'ρθει και θα 'χει τα μάτια σου
αυτός ο θάνατος που μας συντροφεύει
απ' το πρωί ως το βράδυ, άγρυπνος,
κρυφός, σαν μια παλιά τύψη
ή μια παράλογη συνήθεια. Τα μάτια σου
θα 'ναι μια άδεια λέξη.
Κραυγή που έσβησε, σιωπή.
Έτσι τα βλέπεις κάθε πρωινό
όταν μονάχη σκύβεις
στον καθρέφτη. Ω, αγαπημένη ελπίδα,
αυτή τη μέρα θα μάθουμε και εμείς
πως είσαι η ζωή κι είσαι το τίποτα.
Για όλους ο θάνατος έχει ένα βλέμμα
O θάνατος θα 'ρθει και θα 'χει τα μάτια σου
Θα' ναι σαν ν' αφήνεις μια συνήθεια,
σαν ν' αντικρίζεις μέσα στον καθρέφτη
να αναδύεται ένα πρόσωπο νεκρό,
σαν ν' ακούς ένα κλεισμένο στόμα.
Θα κατέβουμε στην άβυσσο βουβοί.
Από το βιβλίο: Τσέζαρε Παβέζε, O θάνατος θα
'ρθει και θα 'χει τα μάτια σου, Σωτήρης Τριβιζάς
(μετ), εκδ. Καστανιώτης, σ. 68, 1997
Biographical Information
Pavese, Cesare , 1908-50, Italian novelist, poet,
and translator. A major literary figure in postwar Italy,
Pavese brought American influence to Italian literature
through his translations. He himself was strongly influenced
by Melville. Pavese's flight from the Fascists and subsequent
imprisonment were reflected in his writings, which dealt
with social struggle and revealed his sympathy for the
oppressed. His major works include Il Compagno [the
comrade] (1948), Tra Donne Sole (1948; tr. Among Women
Only, 1953), and La luna e i falò (1950; tr.
The Moon and the Bonfire, 1952). Pavese's recurrent
theme in these novels is the search of urban man, who
is caught in continually changing situations, for permanence
and stability. In 1950, unhappy with both his personal
life and the political climate of postwar Italy, he
committed suicide. His published diaries "Il mestiere
di Vivere" (This business of living) are imbued
with his profound sensitivity.
The
Selected Works of Cesare Pavese (New York Review Books
Classics) -- by Cesare Pavese, R. W. Flint (Translator);
Paperback
[ Amazon
US | Amazon
UK ]
An
Absurd Vice : A Biography of Cesare Pavese -- by Davide
Lajola, et al
[ Amazon
US | Amazon
UK ]
Disaffections
: Complete Poems 1930-1950 -- by Cesare Pavese, et al
[ Amazon
US | Amazon
UK ]
Cesare
Pavese / Τσέζαρε Παβέζε
