Liber esse, scientiam acquirere, veritatem loqui *In honor of the prolific and multi-disciplined writer, we translated his Sonnet to the Knight into literary Neapolitan. Requiescat in pace.
Sonnet to the Knight
Born in ignorance, and tempted by sin
Aroused by beauty and to passions bound
Love and adventure, the knight has found,
Not in the world for the struggle’s within.
The greater battle is by far the best;
In Napoli he lay dying in bed
Ere his journey to the home of the dead
Ridwan assures that he has passed the test.
A glowing torch in the moonlighted sky
Guides the knight on the path to the river
Howling hounds tell him the goddess is nigh
Hecate assuages his hidden fear.
At the crossroads she will him deliver,
There she will whisper his poem in God’s ear.
Sonietto a lo Cavaliere
Nato int'a la gnuranza, tentato da lo peccato
Scetato da la bellezza e a li passione alliato
Ammore e ventura, lo cavaliere ha trovato,
Non int'a lo munno, ca la lotta dinto stace.
La cchiù grossa battaglia e' certo la cchiù mmeglio;
A Nápole isso int'a lo lietto moreva
Primma de lo viaggio mmerz'a la casa de li muorte
Riduane sta sicuro ca ha appassato la sfida.
Na ntorcia sbrennente int'a lo cielo allummato da la luna
Guida lo cavaliere a la via a lo sciummo
Cane abbajanno lle díceno ca la dea sta vicino
Ecate addorca la paura soja annascosa.
A la crocevia ll'ha dda libberà,
Lloco essa nce suspirarrà la poesia soja int'a la recchia de Dio.
* Live free, acquire knowledge, speak the truth
