S’i’ fosse foco, arderei ’l mondo (Sonetto LXXXVI)
S’i’ fosse foco, arderei ’l mondo;
s’i’ fosse vento, lo tempesterei;
s’i’ fosse acqua, i’ l’annegherei;
s’i’ fosse Dio, mandereil’ en profondo;
s’i’ fosse papa, sare’ allor giocondo,
ché tutti cristiani imbrigherei;
s’i’ fosse ‘mperator, sa’ che farei?
A tutti mozzarei lo capo a tondo.
S’i’ fosse morte, andarei da mio padre;
s’i’ fosse vita, fuggirei da lui:
similemente faría da mi’ madre.
S’i’ fosse Cecco, com’i’ sono e fui,
torrei le donne giovani e leggiadre,
e vecchie e laide lasserei altrui.
(da Poeti del Duecento, a cura di G. Contini, Ricciardi)
Cecco Angiolieri (Siena, 1260-1313 circa)
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Due versioni inglesi
(Two english versions)
Cecco Angiolieri, Sonnet 86
If I were fire, I’d burn up the world
If I were fire, I’d burn up the world;
if I were storm, I’d raise a giant swell
and drown it all; if I were God I’d hurl
this rat’s-ass circus all the way to hell.
If I were pope, how happy I would be!
I’d cheat the Christians blind and suck their blood.
To serve as emperor I might agree,
so I could chop off everybody’s head.
If I were death, I’d go to see my dad—
of course with mother I would do the same.
If I were life, I’d run from them like mad.
If I were Cecco, as I was and am,
I’d take the lovely and the lively dames
and leave for you the ugly and the sad.
translation © 1999, 2001 Leonard Cottrell. All rights reserved
Source: Planck.com was Leonard Cottrell’s web site
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Sonnet, If I were fire, I’d burn the world away
translation © Paul Violi
Angiolieri’s “S’i’ fosse foco”
If I were fire, I’d burn the world away;
If I were wind, I’d blow it down;
If I were water, I’d let it drown;
If I were God, I’d deep-six it today.
If I were Pope, what would make me gay?
To ransack every Christian town.
If I were emperor, what would make my day?
To see heads roll on the ground!
If I were death, I’d run down my father;
If I were life, I’d flee from him.
As for dear mama, she gets the same.
If I were Cecco, and that is my name,
I’d take the pretty young girls to screw
and leave the ugly old hags to you.
Paul Violi, “Sonnet” from Likewise. Copyright © 1988 by Paul Violi. Reprinted by permission of Hanging Loose Press.
Source: Likewise (Hanging Loose Press, 1988)
Source: Poetry Foundation
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Due versioni musicali: Fabrizio De André e Leo Ferrè
De André: versione del 1968 (periodo che coincide con la “rivolta studentesca”) inserita nell’album Volume III.
Léo Ferré: la sua versione è in un 45 giri dal titolo Cecco/Allende del 1981, brano poi inserito nella riedizione del 2000 della raccolta La musica mi prende come l’amore (ascolto da 0.46″).
René Magritte “La scoperta del fuoco”(“La découverte du feu”, 1934-1935) -Collectione di Leslee e David Rogath.
