Among his many honors and recognitions, he was a Cavaliere Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana and he was awarded the Paliotto d’oro in 2006 by the Fratellanza Artigiana di Teramo.
Sardella’s poetic works include:
• L'uddeme landò, Ceti, Teramo, 1978
• Vache artruvènne, Cartografital, Montesilvano (PE), 1981
• Sorrisi di ginestre, Demian Edizioni, Teramo, 1994
• Tutte li puesìje, edizione critica, con traduzione italiana a fronte, commenti e note a cura di Elso Simone Serpentini, Artemia Edizioni, Mosciano Sant'Angelo, 2012.
Sardella also published Teramo dialect dictionaries and collections of local proverbs and sayings:
• Voce de pòpule, Proverbi e modi di dire nell'Abruzzo teramano, Interlinea, Teramo, 1990
• Lu lenguazàzze. Raccolta di vocaboli dialettali teramani, Tipografia 2000, Mosciano S. A. (Teramo), 2001
• Voce de pòpule, Proverbi e modi di dire nell'Abruzzo teramano, Artemia edizioni, Mosciano S. A. (Teramo), 2009 (expanded edition, edited by Elso Simone Serpentini and Silvano Toscani, of the previous one, published in 1990).
Natale
By Alfonso Sardella, from his book L’uddeme landò, 1978, pp. 128-130
Aspitte nu mumende, me sembre ch'ere l’anne...
ma che 'mburtanze te’? ere Natale!
Llà ffore fodde fodde... oh Ddì coma je dave!
Nenguave a cil’aperte li fiocche de la nàve
su ’ngime a li suffitte ’nnerìte da lu fume,
su sobbre a li reccune.. e su li puverùme.
Li passaritte svilde de llà l’anfiteatre,
svulazze a precepizzie ndé li schiuppettate;
s’arpuse chiuchiulenne su li checcherune
e sobbre a li renghìre de logge e balecùne.
Attacche... à ggià ’ngasciate... ve’ da la mundagne.
Lu fuche de la stufe mo cralle nghe li lagne,
sobbre a la furnacelle burbotte la pignìte:
la schiume, piane piane, da fore se n’à scìte.
Jò sotte, pe la strade, la ggende va cundende:
– Ahùrie mastr'Ando’... mannagge che nenguende!
faciàmece nu litre nghe ddo-tre papatìlle
... quist’anne fa nu fradde che fa 'rbevi' li 'nguille –
Da nu nasille scole ddo smerfelitte uhuàle,
... je sta ’nzigna’ la mamme la nàve coma cale.
E mendre n’hora sande rendocche llà lu Ddome,
tu scendi dalle stelle t’arrive nghe nu sone.
Ahé li zzambugnare... dda mo che v’aspettave!
Faciatem’arsendi’ ssa lagna pasturale.
Ma chi ve l’à ’mbarate ssu sone de li stelle ?
ssi note quasce uhuàle che fa’ rricci’ la pelle?
A' state la mundagne, lundane e ’ngappucciate,
oppure ahé lu piande de mille pecurelle
che parte pe li Puje lascenne la Majelle?
Sunàte n’andra cì... peccà ve ne scappàte.
Llà sobbre a la credenze, lu bbùe e l’asenelle,
so' fatte lu presepie ’lluccìte da na stelle.
– Mammà... lu fije mi’... ma che sti’ ccumbeni’?
– Oh ma', ma che nnu vìte... che nàve sta vveni'?
Armatte la farìne qua sobbre a sti cullìne
e n’andra cì de paje qua sotte a lu Bambine.
Quist’anne l'invernate é longhe pe ddavàre,
jò ’mbacce a lu pundone l'à datte lu 'mbrellare...
purtave la mandelle, tusciave e scatarrave!
Christmas
By Alfonso Sardella, from his book, L’uddeme landò, 1978, pp. 128-130
Translated by Charles Sant’Elia
Wait a moment, it seems to me it was the year...
but what does it matter? It was Christmas!
.
Outside so thick… oh God how it was coming down!
The open sky was snowing down flakes
Atop the roofs blackened with smoke,
Down upon the rich… and upon the poor.
The brisk little sparrows there in the amphitheater,
flutter downward like buckshot;
they rest chirping on the insulators
and on top of the terrace railings and balconies.
It’s sticking... it has already sprinkled down... it’s coming from the mountain.
The stove fire is now crackling with the kindling wood,
Atop an oven a pot rumbles:
the froth, slowly, has spilled over..
Down below, in the street, the people go about happy:
- Best wishes Master Antonio... darn what a snow storm!
Shall we have ourselves a liter with two or three pepatelli 1
... this year it’s cold enough to bring the eels back to life -
From a little nose two equal parts of mucus are dripping,
... his mother is teaching him how the snow falls.
And as a holy hour chimes there at the Duomo,
tu scendi dalle stelle 2 reaches you with a sound.
It’s the bagpipers... for so long I was waiting for you!
Let me hear again this shepherd’s dirge.
But who taught it to you this sound of the stars?
these almost same notes that give you goosebumps?
.
Was it the mountain, far away and white hooded,
Or is it the crying of a thousand little sheep
departing for Puglia leaving the Majella?
Play on a bit... why are you hurrying on?
.
There on top of the credenza, the ox and the little donkey,
I’ve made the presepio 3 illuminated by a star.
– Mammà... my son... but what are you getting up to?
– Oh ma', don’t you see... for the snow is coming?
.
I put the flour on top of these little hills,
and a little bit of straw here beneath Baby Jesus.
This year the winter is truly long,
down at the corner said the umbrella-maker...
He was wearing his cloak, coughing and clearing phlegm!
(1) Pepatelli: crunchy Abruzzese cantuccini cookies seasoned with pepper.
(2) Tu scendi dalle stelle: the famous Christmas carol written by St. Alfonso Liguori in 1732.
(3) Presepio: the traditional Christmas crèche.
