@ foto di William Willinghton
<<< Torna all’elenco delle poesie di Spoon River tradotte in italiano
Spoon River poesia n°138. – Mrs. Kessler – testo inglese e traduzione in italiano
MR. KESSLER, you know, was in the army,
Il signor Kessler, sapete, era nell’esercito,
And he drew six dollars a month as a pension,
e gli venivano dati sei dollari al mese come pensione,
And stood on the corner talking politics,
e sta all’angolo parlando di politica,
Or sat at home reading Grant’s Memoirs;
o seduto in casa leggendo le memorie di Grant’s;
And I supported the family by washing,
e io mantenevo la famiglia facendo la lavandaia,
Learning the secrets of all the people
imparando i segreti di tutti
From their curtains, counterpanes, shirts and skirts.
dalle loro tendine, copriletti, camicie e sottane.
For things that are new grow old at length,
perché le cose nuove diventano vecchie col passare del tempo,
They’re replaced with better or none at all:
sono rimpiazzate con migliori o non lo sono per niente:
People are prospering or falling back.
la gente progredisce o resta indietro.
And rents and patches widen with time;
E gli strappi e le toppe s’allargano col tempo;
No thread or needle can pace decay,
non c’è ago o filo possono frenare la rovina,
And there are stains that baffle soap,
e ci sono macchie che sfuggono al sapone,
And there are colors that run in spite of you,
e ci sono colori che fuggono vostro malgrado,
Blamed though you are for spoiling a dress.
però è voi che rimproverano di rovinare il vestito.
Handkerchiefs, napery, have their secrets—
Fazzoletti, tovaglie, hanno i loro segreti-
The laundress, Life, knows all about it.
la lavandaia, la vita, li conosce tutti.
And I, who went to all the funerals
E io, che andai a tutti i funerali
Held in Spoon River, swear I never
tenutisi a Spoon River, giuro che mai
Saw a dead face without thinking it looked
vedetti la faccia di un morto senza pensare che assomigliasse
Like something washed and ironed.
a qualcosa di lavato e stirato.
<<< Torna all’elenco delle poesie di Spoon River tradotte in italiano
Solo testo inglese della poesia:
MR. KESSLER, you know, was in the army,
And he drew six dollars a month as a pension,
And stood on the corner talking politics,
Or sat at home reading Grant’s Memoirs;
And I supported the family by washing,
Learning the secrets of all the people
From their curtains, counterpanes, shirts and skirts.
For things that are new grow old at length,
They’re replaced with better or none at all:
People are prospering or falling back.
And rents and patches widen with time;
No thread or needle can pace decay,
And there are stains that baffle soap,
And there are colors that run in spite of you,
Blamed though you are for spoiling a dress.
Handkerchiefs, napery, have their secrets—
The laundress, Life, knows all about it.
And I, who went to all the funerals
Held in Spoon River, swear I never
Saw a dead face without thinking it looked
Like something washed and ironed.
<<< Torna all’elenco delle poesie di Spoon River tradotte in italiano