Alda Merini is a well-known poet who died in 2009. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature and survived a life that included mental illness and institutionalization. Here is one of her most famous poems, which I wish to present here to learners of Italian because it is an excellent illustration of the important verb sentire, which means to hear, to feel and to smell. It is also a good example of the difficulty of translating poetry.
Mi piace il verbo sentire...
sentire il rumore del mare, sentirne l'odore...
sentire il suono della pioggia che ti bagna le labbra, sentire una penna
che traccia sentimenti su un foglio bianco...
sentire l'odore di chi ami, sentirne la voce sentirlo col cuore...
sentire e' il verbo delle emozioni, ci si sdraia sulla schiena del mondo
e si sente
I like the verb sentire
to hear the sound of the sea, to smell its smell
to hear the sound of the rain that wets your lips, to feel and hear a pen
tracing sentiments on a white sheet...
to smell the smell of the one you love, to hear his voice, to feel it with one's heart...
Sentire is the verb of emotions- one lies down on the back of the world
and feels
