Poetry : leopardi

Gaicomo LEOPARDI (1798-1837)
L’ Infinito
translated by Andrea Grover pg3@nyu.edu



This solitary hill has always been dear to me
And this hedge, that keeps so much
Of the horizon from view.
But pausing and contemplating, I create from my thoughts
Interminable spaces beyond that, and superhuman
Silences, and the most profound calm;
Almost frightening to me. But when I
Hear the wind rustling through these plants, I start comparing
That infinite silence to this sound: and I am reminded of eternity,
And seasons past, the present
And living one, and the sound of it. Thus amidst this
Vastness my thoughts drown;
And it is sweet to be shipwrecked in this sea.