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Holy Family by Salvatore di Franco
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In celebration, I'm posting "The Old Manger" from Prayers and Devotional Songs of Sicily, edited and translated by Peppino Ruggeri.*
The accompanying photo of the Neapolitan presepio was taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
The accompanying photo of the Neapolitan presepio was taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
The Old Manger
I recollect the old manger at Christmas festbuilt by my father, his soul in peace may rest,
the grotto, the straw and the baby poorly dressed
attended by Saint Joseph and Mary blest,
The well, the gleaming houses, the grist mill,
the sheep that grazed the grass over the hill,
a frightened man, at center, a blacksmith on the right,
a shepherd standing, with his old shack in sight.
A comet, resplendent brightly like a star
over the cardboard fashioned into a cave,
guided the adoring kings from afar.
And I, enchanted, watching stood, as I was playing,
sweet angels, shining stars, clouds and songs;
I still do now, the old manger my memory recalling.
* Reprinted from Prayers and Devotional Songs of Sicily, edited and translated by Peppino Ruggeri, Legas, 2009, p. 43
