Dal silenzio della remota memoria
è scaturito un volto
lo riconosci:
dentro di te si è raccolto
come gocce di luce,
e tu lo leggi:
sparisce quando vuole,
e non ritorna,
e dietro quelle mura infine sfuma.
All’improvviso
apri le ali,
e nella solitudine dello spazio
libero ti abbandoni.
Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| ali (n.) | used for flying | wing, feathers |
| all'improvviso (adv.) | quickly and unexpectedly | all of a sudden, without warning |
| apri (v.) | from the verb aprire, meaning to open | you open, you unfold |
| dal (prep.) | indicating the source of something | from, out of |
| come (prep.) | used to express similarity | like, similar to, as |
| di, della, dello (prep.) | used to express possession | of |
| dentro (prep.) | used to indicate location/position | inside, within, in |
| dietro (prep.) | used to indicate location/position | behind, on the other side of |
| dove (adv.) | used to express location/position | where, the place in which |
| e (conj.) | in addition to | and, as well as |
| è scaturito (v.) | from the verb scaturire, meaning to arise from | has sprung, has appeared |
| gocce (n.) | a small amount of liquid | drops, droplets, beads |
| il, la, lo (art.) | denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | the |
| in, nella (prep.) | used to express location/position | inside, within |
| infine (adv.) | used to indicate time | finally, at last, in the end |
| le (art.) | denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | the |
| leggi (v.) | from the verb leggere, meaning to read | you examine, you study, you decipher |
| libero (adj./adv.) | being able to act however one wants | free, uninhibited, uncontrolled |
| luce (n.) | what makes things visible | brightness, light, radiance |
| memoria (n.) | the ability to store and recall information | memory, remembering |
| mura (n.) | a vertical structure | walls, barriers, obstructions |
| non (adv.) | used to form a negative statement | not |
| quando (adv.) | used to indicate time | when, whenever, as soon as |
| quelle (adj.) | used to identify a specific person or thing | those |
| remota (adj.) | used to describe distance | faraway, isolated, far-off |
| riconosci (v.) | from the verb riconoscere, meaning to identify something seen before | you recognize, you know, you are familiar with |
| ritorna (v.) | from the verb ritornare, meaning to return | it returns, it comes back |
| si è raccolto (n.) | from the verb raccogliere, meaning to gather | it came together, it collected |
| sfuma (v.) | from the verb sfumare, meaning to blend in | it blurs, it wanes |
| solitudine (n.) | the state of being alone | isolation, loneliness |
| sparisce (v.) | from the verb sparire, meaning to disappear | it vanishes, it fades away |
| spazio (n.) | where things exist | space, expanse, empty space |
| te, tu (pron.) | used to indicate someone else | you |
| ti abbandoni (v.) | from the verb abbandonare, meaning to abandon | you run free, you let yourself go |
| un/un’/una (art.) | used when referring to something for the first time | one, a |
| volto (n.) | a part of the body | face, visage |
| vuole (v.) | from the verb volere, meaning to want | it wishes, it desires, it prefers |
Bio
Younis Tawfik is a writer, journalist, and university professor. Born in Mosul, Iraq, he moved to Italy when he was 22 years old. Tawfik has said that “For me, language is the land. Whoever writes in the language of the land belongs to that land and the language itself becomes his land. I love writing in Italian because, just like Arabic, it offers great flexibility and plenty of room for creativity.”
*From an interview with Al Majalla:
https://en.majalla.com/node/292231/culture-soci
al-affairs/iraqi-writer-younis-tawfik-italian-my-lan
guage-and-my-homeland