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by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani
I am the poet of the Body
Language: English
Our translations: ITA
I am the poet of the Body; And I am the poet of the Soul. The pleasures of heaven are with me, and the pains of hell are with me; The first I graft and increase upon myself -- the latter I translate into a new tongue. I am the poet of the woman the same as the man; And I say it is as great to be a woman as to be a man, And I say there is nothing greater than the mother of men. I chant the chant of dilation or pride; We have had ducking and deprecating about enough; I show that size is only development. Have you outstript the rest? Are you the President? It is a trifle -- they will more than arrive there, every one, and still pass on. I am he that walks with the tender and growing night; I call to the earth and sea, half-held by the night. Press close, bare-bosom'd night! Press close, magnetic, nourishing night! Night of south winds! night of the large few stars! Still, nodding night! mad, naked, summer night. Smile, O voluptuous, cool-breath'd earth! Earth of the slumbering and liquid trees; Earth of departed sunset! earth of the mountains, misty-topt! Earth of the vitreous pour of the full moon, just tinged with blue! Earth of shine and dark, mottling the tide of the river! Earth of the limpid gray of clouds, brighter and clearer for my sake! Far-swooping elbow'd earth! rich, apple-blossom'd earth! Smile, for your lover comes! Prodigal, you have given me love! Therefore I to you give love! O unspeakable, passionate love!
S. Sargon sets stanzas 7-8
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Song of Myself, no. 21 [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 Geoffrey Allen (b. 1927), "Smile o voluptuous cool-breath'd earth", 2008 [ voice and piano ], from Two songs for a wedding, no. 1, note: the sung text begins with stanza 8 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Campbell-Tipton (1877 - 1921), "Rhapsodie", op. 32 no. 1, published 1913, also set in French (translation by Léon de Tinseau) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Benjamin Lees, né Benjamin George Lisniansky (1924 - 2010), "I am the poet of the Body", published 1965 [ soprano, tenor, chorus, and orchestra ], from Visions of Poets, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Homer Albert Norris (1860?5 - 1920), no title, published 1903 [ vocal trio for soprano, tenor, and baritone with piano ], from The Flight of the Eagle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Simon Sargon (b. 1938), "Nocturne", 1995, stanzas 7-8 [ baritone, horn, piano ], from A Clear Midnight: Six Songs set to Poems of Walt Whitman for Baritone, Horn, and Piano, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ralph E. Williams , "The Good Earth", published 1967 [ SATB chorus and optional piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Rapsodia", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-07
Line count: 29
Word count: 267
Rapsodia
Language: Italian (Italiano) after the English
Io sono il poeta del corpo e sono il poeta dell'anima, I piaceri del cielo mi accompagnano e pure le pene dell'inferno. I primi li pianto e li faccio crescere in me stesso, le seconde le traduco in un nuovo linguaggio Io sono il poeta della donna come anche dell'uomo, e affermo che è grande cosa essere donna come è grande cosa essere uomo, e che nulla è più grande della madre degli uomini. Io canto il canto della grandezza e dell'orgoglio, ne abbiamo abbastanza di chinare di teste e di critiche, Voglio dimostrare che grandezza è solo sviluppo. Hai superato gli altri? Se tu il Presidente? A niente vale, essi arriveranno tutti anche più in là,e andranno pure oltre. Io sono quello che cammina in compagnia della tenera notte che avanza, Io invoco la terra e il mare a metà posseduti dalla notte. Stringimi stretto notte dal petto nudo -- stringimi stretto magnetica notte che ristora! Notte dai tiepidi venti -- notte con poche grandi stelle! Silenziosa, seducente, notte -- folle e nuda notte estiva. Sorridi o terra voluttuosa dal fresco respiro! Terra dagli alberi mutevoli e sonnolenti! Terra dal tramonto che svanisce -- terra dalle montagne circondate da nebbie! Terra dal vitreo fluire del plenilunio appena tinto di blu! Terra di bagliori e di ombre che chiazzano la corrente del fiume! Terra dal grigio chiarore delle nuvole, più luminose e trasparenti per amor mio! Terra che ti adagi in ampio curvare -- terra ricca di meli in fiore! Sorridi, perché arriva il tuo amante. Generosa, mi hai regalato amore -- per questo io ti restituisco amore! Indicibile, appassionato, amore.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2008 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Song of Myself, no. 21
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-13
Line count: 28
Word count: 265