Untitled (Io ero un uccello…)
Io ero un uccello
dal bianco ventre gentile,
qualcuno mi ha tagliato la gola
per riderci sopra
non so.
Io ero un albatro grande
e volteggiavo sui mari.
Qualcuno ha fermato il mio viaggio,
senza nessuna carità di suono.
Ma anche distesa per terra
io canto ora per te
le mie canzoni d’amore.
Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| albatro (n.) | a large bird with white feathers | albatross, seabird |
| anche (adv.) | emphasizing something surprising | even |
| bianco (adj.) | the lightest color possible | pale, white, snowy |
| canto (v.) | from the verb cantare, meaning to make musical sounds with the voice | sing, croon, trill |
| canzoni (n.) | a musical composition | hymns, melodies, songs, ballads |
| carità (n.) | a benevolent action or attitude | kindness, compassion, love |
| d’amore (prep. + n.) | with a feeling of strong affection for someone | of love, about love, loving |
| dal (prep.) | used to describe a person or thing | with a |
| di (prep.) | related to | of, for |
| distesa (adj.) | from the verb distendere, meaning to stretch out | lying, sprawled, prone, knocked |
| e (conj.) | in addition | and |
| ero (v.) | from the verb essere, meaning to be | was |
| gentile (adj.) | pleasant and graceful | fine, elegant, noble |
| grande (adj.) | large in size or stature | grand, great, huge |
| ha fermato (v.) | from the verb fermare, meaning to stop | halted, ended, put an end to |
| il mio (art. + adj.) | indicating possession | my, of mine |
| io (pron.) | used by the speaker or writer referring to himself or herself | I |
| le mie (art. + adj.) | indicating possesion | my, of mine |
| ma (conj.) | expressing opposition or contrast | but, yet, however, still |
| mari (n.) | bodies of salt water | seas, oceans, depths, waves |
| mi ha tagliato la gola (phrase) | describing a violent way of killing an animal | cut my throat, slit my throat, slashed my throat |
| non so (v.) | from the verb sapere, meaning to have knowledge of | I don't know, I'm not sure |
| ora (adv.) | at the present moment | at this moment, now |
| per (prep.) | with the purpose of | to, in order to, so as to |
| per terra (prep. + n.) | expressing position or location | on the ground, on the earth |
| qualcuno (pron.) | an unspecified person | someone, somebody |
| riderci sopra (v. + prep.) | from the verb ridere, meaning to laugh | laugh at, joke about, tease, have a laugh |
| senza nessuna (prep.) | expressing absence or lack | without any, with no, showing no |
| sui (prep.) | expressing position or location | on the, over the, above the |
| suono (n.) | what is perceived with the ear | speech, sounds, words |
| uccello (n.) | an animal with wings and feathers | bird |
| un (art.) | used to refer to someone or something for the first time | a, an, one |
| ventre (n.) | the central part of the body | chest, breast, belly |
| viaggio (n.) | the act of traveling from one place to another | journey, trip, voyage |
| volteggiavo (v.) | from the verb volteggiare, meaning to move in a circle | I circled, I twirled, I flitted |
Bio
Alda Merini is one of Italy’s most beloved poets. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Milan on the first day of spring, she began writing at a young age. As an adult, she suffered from mental illness and spent more than twenty years in psychiatric hospitals. This experience influenced her writing. Her poems discuss solitude, love, magic, and the beauty that can be found even in sad, difficult moments. Of her poetry, she once said: “I find verses by dipping my inkwell into the sky.”