Ho sceso, dandoti il braccio
Poems ·Eugenio Montale’s Ho sceso, dandoti il braccio is a deeply poignant and intimate elegy that reflects on love, loss, and shared life. Addressing his late wife, the poet recalls the countless steps they descended together, symbolizing their journey through life and its challenges. Each step is imbued with her presence, and now, in her absence, even the smallest moments are rendered heavy and incomplete. Through restrained yet evocative language, Montale captures the ache of longing and the enduring power of love, portraying it as a force that transcends mortality and lingers in every memory.
Ho sceso, dandoti il braccio - Eugenio Montale
Ho sceso, dandoti il braccio, almeno un milione di scale e ora che non ci sei è il vuoto ad ogni gradino. Anche così è stato breve il nostro lungo viaggio. Il mio dura tuttora, né più mi occorrono le coincidenze, le prenotazioni, le trappole, gli scorni di chi crede che la realtà sia quella che si vede.
Ho sceso milioni di scale dandoti il braccio non già perché con quattr’occhi forse si vede di più. Con te le ho scese perché sapevo che di noi due le sole vere pupille, sebbene tanto offuscate, erano le tue.
I went down, giving you my arm
I went down, giving you my arm, at least one million of stairs and now that you are no more here it’s the void on every step. Also in such way our long journey has been short too. Mine still goes on, and I need no more connections, reservations, traps, deceptions of those who think that reality is that what you see.
I went down millions of stairs giving you my arm not just because maybe it’s better to see with four eyes than two. With you I went down because I knew that between us the only true pupils, though so much blurry, were yours.