HOW I LOVE THE WORLD, THE AIR, ITS BREATH Poem by Franco Loi
HOW I LOVE THE WORLD, THE AIR, ITS BREATH
How I love the world, the air, its breath!
the trees, the grass, the sun, those houses, the lovely streets,
the ever-changing moon, the ivy over the houses;
I like the saltiness of the sea, mad kidding about,
cups between friends, fir-trees in the wind
and all God's things, even the meanest,
and the trams that pass by, the window panes that shine,
backs hurriedly turned and lowered eyes,
the woman who perturbs you:
the world is there and seems to wait for you
to look it in the eye, for you to heed it
since it's always there but easy to forget,
to be distracted from it, to nod off…
But when evening's shadows come,
how the world calls out to you! how that sky
expands and comes upon you in its true
beauty without flaws or kinks in its reflections,
and then for your completion you change colour.
THE ORIGINAL ITALIAN TEXT: 1. Come mi piace il mondo! l’aria, il suo fiato! gli alberi, l’erba, il sole, quelle case, le belle strade, mi piace il salso del mare, le matte stupidate, i calici tra gli amici, gli alberi nel vento, e tutte le cose di Dio, anche le piccolezze,
2. e i tram che passano, i vetri che risplendono, le spalle che vanno di fretta a occhi bassi, la donna che ti turba i sentimenti: è lí il mondo, che sembra aspettarsi che tu lo guardi, che gli dai retta, poiché lui c’è sempre, ma è facile dimenticarlo, distrarsi nei pensieri, essere addormentati…
3. Ma quando arriva l’ombra della sera, come ti chiama il mondo! come si allarga e ti viene addosso quel cielo nella sua vera bellezza senza finzioni nel suo riflettersi, e allora per la tua pienezza cambi colore.
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8/30/2026 1:57:03 AM # rel_20260827T145718Z_a0f1bd3
Well thought out and nicely brought forth with clarity of thought and mind. An insightful poem written with conviction. Thanks for sharing Franco.