"Il Tuono" (The Thunder) by Giovanni Pascoli. English translation, with original Italian text. " "Il Tuono" (The Thunder) from the collection "Myricae" (1891-1900)

"A ship against the mewstone, at the entrance to Plymouth Sound," by J.M.W. Turner

The following translation of "Il Tuono" (The Thunder) by Giovanni Pascoli is from the book "The Poems of Giovanni Pascoli: Translated in English, with Original Italian Text," published by LiteraryJoint Press (2017). Also available as Amazon ebook (Free on Kindle Unlimited!)  

 

The Thunder

And in the night black like nothingness,

at once, with the rumble of a steep precipice

falling, the thunder roared all of a sudden:

roared, bounced, rolled in a dull sound,

then fell silent, then waved and broke,

then vanished. Then was heard the gentle singing

of a mother, and the rocking of a cradle.

From the collection “Myricae” (1891-1900)

Il Tuono

E nella notte nera come il nulla,

a un tratto, col fragor d’arduo dirupo

che frana, il tuono rimbombò di schianto:

rimbombò, rimbalzò, rotolò cupo,

e tacque, e poi rimareggiò rinfranto,

e poi vanì. Soave allora un canto

s’udì, di madre, e il moto di una culla.

From the collection “Myricae” (1891-1900)