Campanaro
Campanaro, tu sì rummaso, fedele,
Abbracciato ‘a stu silénzio
A veglià a stu quartiere,
Senza jurecà e manco addimannà pecchè
Tu l’he ‘a fà passà stu gulío,
Ma fusse già cuntento tu?
Staje veglianno l’ore sane
Comme fùsseno nu muorto.
Lloco annanze nce stesse ancora
Na trezza jonna ca assaje
Na vota faceva sunnà?
‘O silenzio d’’o vierno
Sta arravuglianno tutto,
Pure sott’a stu sole d’està.
Belltower
Belltower, you are left, faithful,
Embracing this silence
To keep vigil over this neighborhood,
Without judging and not even asking why
You’ve got to make this whim pass,
But could you be happy already?
You keeping vigil over entire hours
As though they were a corpse,
Here in front could there be
A blond tress that once upon a time
Caused one to dream so much?
The silence of the winter
Is enveloping everything,
Even under this summer sun.
* 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.