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Pullula ne l’opaco bosco e lene tremula e si dilata in suoi leggeri cerchi l’acqua; ed or vela i suoi misteri, ora per tutte le sue chiare vene ha un brivido scoprendo all’imo arene nuziali ove ancor restano intieri i vestigi dei corpi che in piaceri d’amor commisti riguardò Selene. Morta è Selene; morte son le Argire; i talami, deserti; nel sovrano silenzio de la notte l’acqua tace; ma pur sembrami a quando a quando udire il gorgoglio di un’urna che una mano invisibile affonda in quella pace.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Gabriele D'Annunzio, Versi d'amore e di gloria, Milan: Mondadori Meridiani, 2004.
Text Authorship:
- by Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863 - 1938), "La naiade" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ottorino Respighi (1879 - 1936), "La najade", P. 125 no. 2, published 1920, from Quattro liriche, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , "The naiad", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 88
The water crawls [through] the opaque forest and gently trembles and expands in its light circles; and now it veils its mysteries, now through all of its clear veins [passes] a shiver, unearthing the low wedding arenas where still rest intact the vestiges of bodies which in co-mingled pleasures of love regarded Selene. Selene is dead; the [naiads]1 are dead; the bridal beds, deserted; in the sovereign silence of the night the water falls silent; but truly it seems now and then [I] hear the gurgling of an urn which an invisible hand submerges within that peace.
1 These lines seem to reference the Greek myth of Selemnus and Argyra, in which Selemnus falls in love with the naiad Argyra, but is overcome with grief when she forsakes him. As an act of mercy, Aphrodite then transforms him into a river which co-mingles with a spring named Argyra, which provided a mythological exposition for the actual river Selemnus near the ancient Achaean city of Argyra. This allusion is somewhat obscured by D'Annunzio's use of "Selene" for Selemnus rather than the normal Italian spelling "Seleno," and his pluralization of Argira, which I have taken to be a more general reference to those of her species.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2020 by Garrett Medlock, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863 - 1938), "La naiade"
This text was added to the website: 2020-03-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 98