East Village
Freva ‘e nejone ‘e nuttate,
Schizzarielle ‘e sciate
Ncopp’’e vetrate,
E finalemente doppo miezujuorno
Na passejata cu te.
Schiara e schiara
Schiocca ‘a luce e sponta ‘a veretà-
Babbelonia, Bonosário,
Chi sape, che mporta?
Ajere muorto, ogge nascenno, craje nun nato,
È ‘o stesso.
Sunnatore, sunnámbulo, o sunnato,
Nun me ntrico quanno te veco.
East Village
Neon fever the nights,
Little droplets the breaths
On glass,
And finally after noon
A walk with you.
The light
Clears and clears
Bursts and the truth sprouts-
Babylon, Buenos Aires,
Who knows, what does it matter?
Yesterday dead, today birthing, tomorrow not born,
It is the same.
Dreamer, sleepwalker, or dreamt one,
I don’t delay when I see you.
* 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.
