Edgar Master Lee
(1869, Kansas-1950, Pennsylvania)
Spoon River Anthology
Einaudi
.
Published for the first time in Italy by Einaudi in 1943, discovered by Cesare Pavese, translated by Fernanda Pivano. On the hill is the cemetery, every grave conceals, stores, shows a life.
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.
Minerva Jones
.
I am Minerva, the poetess of the village,
booed, jeered by the villain of the road
for my awkward body, his eyes squinted, and pace off
and so much more when "Butch" Weldy
me taken after a brutal fight.
I surrender to my fate with Doctor Meyers;
and I sank into death, freezing from feet to face, as
who falls in water ice.
Will someone go to the newspaper,
and collect the verses I wrote? -
I was so hungry for love!
I was so hungry for life!
.
I am Minerva, the village poetess,
Hooted at, jeered at by the Yahoos of the street
For my heavy body, cock-eye, and rolling walk,
And all the When more "Butch" Weldy Captured me
after a brutal hunt.
He left me to do my with Doctor Meyers;
And I sank into death, growing numb from the feet up,
Like one stepping deeper and deeper into a stream of ice.
Will some one go to the village newspaper,
And gather into a book the verses I wrote? -
I thirsted so for love!
I hungered so for life!
.
Doctor Meyer
.
Nessuno, tranne il dottor Hill,
more than I did for the people of this city.
And all the weak, the crippled, the thwarted,
and who could not pay flocked to me.
I was comfortable on Dr. Meyers from a good heart.
I was healthy, happy, prosperous,
had a congenial companion, children and adults,
all married, and place in the world.
But one night, Minerva, the poetess,
came to me in trouble, crying.
I tried to help her - she died.
Mi accusarono, i giornali mi coprirono d'infamia,
mia moglie morì di crepacuore.
Mi finì la polmonite.
.
No other man, unless it was Doc Hill,
Did more for people in this town than I.
And all the weak, the halt, the improvident
And those who could not pay flocked to me.
I was good-hearted, easy Doctor Meyers.
I was healthy, happy, in comfortable fortune,
Blessed with a congenial mate, my children raised,
All wedded, doing well in the world.
And then one night, Minerva, the poetess,
Came to me in her trouble, crying.
I tried to help her out - she died -
They indicted me, the newspapers disgraced me,
My wife perished of a broken heart.
And pneumonia finished me.
.
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