Nun Fa ‘A Gelosa
Cara mia
Nun fa’ ‘a gelosa,
Si me vide ‘e chiágnere addenucchiato,
Si me siente ‘e murmulià int’’o scuro-
Songo nnammurato ‘e n’ombra
Fina e bella
Ca ‘a tantu tiempo stongo ncuntranno
‘A strata d’’e Tribbunale.
‘A quanno aggio tenuto
Sta capuzzella dint’a sti mane,
Me songo nnammurato.
Nce faccio nu refrisco a ll’ánema
E spero si i’ arrivo a saglì ‘o’ priatório
Ca ‘o facisse tu pe me.
Don’t Be Jealous
My dear
Don’t be jealous,
If you see me kneeling and crying,
If you hear me murmuring in the dark-
I’m in love with a phantom
Fine and beautiful
That I’ve been meeting for some time
In the Via dei Tribunali
From when I held
This little skull in these hands,
I’ve been in love.
I offer a suffrage to her soul
And I hope that if I manage to ascend purgatory
That you’d do so for me.
* Self-published in 2010, Meridiunalata / Southernade is a treasury of poems gleaned from Cav. Sant'Elia's previous collections (Nchiuso dint''o presente, 'A cuntrora, and 'O pino e l'éllera), which were circulated among friends in New York City and Naples. Special thanks to Cav. Sant'Elia for allowing us to reprint his poetry and translations.