Passerò per Piazza di Spagna
By Cesare Pavese - Italy, 1908-1950
Transitional | Daily Life, Nature
Sarà un cielo chiaro.
S’apriranno le strade
sul colle di pini e di pietra.
Il tumulto delle strade
non muterà quell’aria ferma.
I fiori spruzzati
di colori alle fontane
occhieggeranno come donne
divertite. Le scale
le terrazze le rondini
canteranno nel sole.
S’aprirà quella strada,
le pietre canteranno,
il cuore batterà sussultando
come l’acqua nelle fontane—
sarà questa la voce
che salirà le tue scale.
Le finestre sapranno
l’odore della pietra e dell’aria
mattutina. S’aprirà una porta.
Il tumulto delle strade
sarà il tumulto del cuore
nella luce smarrita
Sarai tu—ferma e chiara.
Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| alle (prep.) | indicating location of someone or something | by the, near the, around the, at the, beside the, alongside the |
| aria (n.) | the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth | air, atmosphere |
| batterà (v.) | from the verb battere—to make a rhythmic sound | will beat, will pound, will throb, will palpitate, will pulsate |
| canteranno (v.) | from the verb cantare—to make musical sounds with the voice | will sing, will hum, will warble, will trill, will chorus, will croon |
| che (conj.) | used to refer to something previously mentioned when introducing a clause giving further information | that, which |
| chiara (adj.) | free of cloud, mist, or rain | clear, fair, cloudless, crystal clear, luminous, rainless |
| chiaro (adj.) | free of cloud, mist, or rain | clear, fair, cloudless, crystal clear, luminous, rainless |
| cielo (n.) | the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth | sky, firmament, blue |
| colle (n.) | a naturally raised area of land | hill, high ground, mound, foothill, hillside, hillock, knoll |
| colori (n.) | properties possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye | colors, hues, shades, tints |
| come (prep.) | in the manner of | like, just like, same as |
| cuore (n.) | an organ that pumps blood through the circulatory system of the body | heart, ticker, chest |
| del (prep. + art.) | expressing ownership or the relationship between a part and a whole | of the, from the |
| dell’ (prep. + art.) | expressing ownership or the relationship between a part and a whole | of the, from the |
| della (prep. + art.) | expressing ownership or the relationship between a part and a whole | of the, from the |
| delle (prep. + art.) | expressing ownership or the relationship between a part and a whole | of the, from the |
| di (prep.) | expressing ownership or the relationship between a part and a whole | of, from |
| divertite (adj.) | the state or feeling of finding something funny and enjoyable | amused, entertained, charmed, joking, having fun, sharing a joke |
| donne (n.) | adult human females | women, ladies, females, gals, dames, maidens |
| e (conj.) | in addition to | and, plus, also |
| ferma (adj.) | having a solid, almost unyielding surface or structure | still, steady, fixed, firm |
| finestre (n.) | openings in the wall of a building that are fitted with glass to allow people to see out | windows, casements, portholes, bay windows |
| fiori (n.) | the seed-bearing part of a plant, typically surrounded by brightly colored petals | flowers, blossoms, blooms, buds, florets, posies |
| fontane (n.) | ornamental structures in a pool or lake from which one or more jets of water are pumped into the air | fountains, founts, spouts, jets |
| i (art.) | denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | the |
| il (art.) | denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | the |
| la (art.) | denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | the |
| l’acqua (n.) | colorless, transparent liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain | water, H2O, fluids, liquid |
| le (art.) | denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | the |
| l’odore (art. + n.) | the quality in something that is perceived by the faculty of smell | the smell, the odor, the scent, the fragrance, the aroma |
| luce (n.) | the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible | light, daylight, illumination, luminescence, glow, radiance |
| mattutina (adj.) | characterized by the period of time between sunrise and noon | morning, of morning, of dawn, of daybreak, of first light, of sunup |
| muterà (v.) | from the verb mutare—to make or become different | will change, will alter, will adjust, will modify |
| nel (prep.) | the state of being enclosed or surrounded by something else | in |
| nella (prep.) | the state of being enclosed or surrounded by something else | in |
| nelle (prep.) | the state of being enclosed or surrounded by something else | in |
| non (adv.) | used to form the negative | not, nothing |
| occhieggeranno (v.) | from the verb occhieggiare—to stare at | will eye each other, will stare at each other, will look at each other, will glance at each other, will wink at each other |
| passerò (v.) | from the verb passare—to move in a specified direction | I will pass, I will go, I will proceed, I will travel |
| per (prep.) | by way of; in one side and out the other side of | through, by, via |
| Piazza di Spagne (n.) | one of the most famous squares in Rome, Italy; at its center is a baroque fountain in the shape of a boat and a long flight of stairs leading up to a church | Piazza di Spagne, Spanish Piazza, Spanish Plaza, Spanish Square |
| pietra (n.) | hard, solid mineral matter | stone, rock, boulder, mineral |
| pietre (n.) | pieces of hard, solid mineral matter | stones, rocks, pebbles, boulders |
| pini (n.) | coniferous trees that have clusters of long needle-shaped leaves | pine trees, pines, evergreens |
| porta (n.) | a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle | door, portal, entrance, entry, gate |
| quell’ (adj.) | used to identify a specific person or thing | that, those |
| quella (adj.) | used to identify a specific person or thing | that, those |
| questa (pron.) | mentioned, known, or understood | this, that, such |
| rondini (n.) | forked tails and long pointed wings, feeding on insects in flight | barn swallows, swallows, bird |
| salirà (v.) | from the verb salire—to go up | will climb, will ascend, will rise up |
| sapranno (v.) | from the verb sapere—to identify something from previous knowledge | will know, will recognize, will remember, will recall |
| s’aprirà (v.) | from the verb aprire—to allow access, passage, or a view through | will open, will unfurl, will extend, will unlatch, will reveal |
| s’apriranno (v.) | from the verb aprire—to allow access, passage, or a view through | will open, will unfurl, will extend, will unlatch, will reveal |
| sarà (v.) | from the verb essere—to be; to exist | will be, will stay, will rest, will go on, will become |
| sarai tu (v. + pron.) | from the verb essere—to be; to exist | it will be you, it is you, which is you, which becomes you, which turns into you |
| scale (n.) | a set of flat gradations leading from one elevation to another | steps, stairs, staircase, stairway |
| smarrita (adj.) | in the wrong place | misplaced, mislaid, far afield |
| sole (n.) | the brightness provided by the star around which the earth orbits | sun, sunlight, sunshine, daylight, beams, rays |
| spruzzati (adj.) | scattering or pouring small drops of a liquid | splashed, sprinkled, spurted, sprayed |
| strada (n.) | a public paved path leading from one place to another | street, road, roadway, lane, boulevard, highway |
| strade (n.) | public paved paths leading form one place to another | streets, roads, roadways, lanes, boulevards, highways |
| sul (prep. + art.) | moving to a location atop the surface of something | onto the, over the, above the, about the, around the |
| sussultando (adj.) | moving suddenly and quickly in a specified way | leaping up, jumping, shuddering, shaking |
| terrazze (n.) | a level paved area or platform next to a building | terraces, balconies, patios, platforms, verandas |
| tue (adj.) | belonging to the person being addressed by the speaker | your |
| tumulto (n.) | confusion or disorder, characterized by loud, confused noises | tumult, turmoil, chaos, clamor, din, commotion, uproar, frenzy |
| un (art.) | used to refer to someone or something for the first time | a, an, one |
| una (art.) | used to refer to someone or something for the first time | a, an, one |
| voce (n.) | the sound produced in a person’s larynx and uttered through the mouth | voice |
Bio
Cesare Pavese was an Italian poet, translator, and novelist during a period of political oppression, censorship, and war. As a young man, he moved to the northwestern city of Turin, where he studied and fell in love with American literature. With the growing threat of fascism in Italy, the poet attended underground anti-fascist meetings. At one such event, he agreed to help a woman receive contraband letters from a political prisoner, an activity for which he was arrested and imprisoned. In 1936, a year into his three-year sentence, he published his first book of poetry, although the fascist government censored four of the poems. Though he continued to write during World War II, due to continued censorship, he did not publish again until after the death of the dictator Benito Mussolini. Instead, Pavese spent the war translating and editing celebrated works of American literature into Italian for the first time. This particular poem was one of ten poems found after his death.
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