By Now (Ormai)
By now the primrose and the warmth
at your feet and the green insight of the world
The uncovered carpets
the loggias shaken by wind and sun
tranquil worm of the thorny woods;
my distant pain, distinct thirst
like another life in the breast
Here all that's left is to wrap the landscape around the self
and turn your back.
Andrea Zanzotto is widely considered Italy's most influential living poet. He has published more than twenty collections of poetry and prose, which cover a vast range of themes, from linguistics and nature to politics and science. A lifelong resident of the hilly farm country of the Veneto, he possesses a rare familiarity with place, and his writings frequently explore the ongoing tensions between nature and culture in his native village, the surrounding countryside, and the nearby remnants of ancient forests. The rare writer in Italy to straddle both historical and geographical boundaries, Zanzotto also speaks in a voice that acknowledges Italy's dramatic transformation from an agrarian society to an industrialized nation.
The first comprehensive collection in thirty years to translate this master European poet for an English-speaking audience, The Selected Poetry and Prose of Andrea Zanzotto includes the very best poems from fourteen of Zanzotto's major books of verse and a selection of thirteen essays that helps illuminate themes in his poetry as well as elucidate key theoretical underpinnings of his thought. Assembled with the collaboration of Zanzotto himself and featuring a critical introduction, thorough annotations, and a generous selection of photographs and art,The Selected Poetry and Prose of Andrea Zanzotto will be a major event for both American and Italian letters.
