Giulietta e Romeo
“Oh, Giulietta, sospirato amore!
Voi che siete la luce degli occhi miei,
lasciate ch’io veda solo per un momento,
sotto questa splendida luna argentata,
il vostro amato volto.
Sono io fortunato d’aver incontrato voi,
donzella dei miei sogni.”
“Ah, quanto l’amo…” pensò Romeo, mentre Giulietta dormiva ignara.
“Madonna mia prediletta, svegliatevi!
Oh, amata mia Giulietta, padrona del mio cuore,
fate che io ascenda questo balcone.”
La notte era complice del loro amore,
e Romeo sognava di stringere Giulietta fra le sue braccia.
“Dunque, affacciatevi, sua grazia!
Non lasciate che io qui stia solo a sognar…
finché l’alba non baci il vostro dolce volto,
svegliatevi, Giulietta!”
Giulietta si svegliò, destata dalla voce di Romeo.
“Oh, mio dolce Romeo!
Sto qui nel mio giaciglio, destata dalla vostra amata voce.
Felice fra le donne io sono,
prediletta d’esser amata da Voi, mio Romeo…”
Ma una voce gridò forte dal cortile, interrompendo il loro idillio:
“Giulietta! Muoviti, bella!
Per colpa tua finisco tardi alla partita!
Andiamo, o ti lascio qui, cocca!
E ti toccherà venire a piedi da su, muoviti, bella!”
Quando Giulietta si affacciò,
un vaso di cactus cadde sulla testa di Romeo.
“Ah! L’amore… è vero che la vita non può essere senza spine!”
Zaira Sellerio
Romeo and Juliet
“Oh, Juliet, my longed-for love!
You who are the light of my eyes,
let me see, just for a moment,
under this splendid silver moon,
your beloved face.
I am fortunate to have met you,
maiden of my dreams.”
“Ah, how I love her…” thought Romeo, while Juliet slept unaware.
“My dearest lady, awaken!
Oh, my beloved Juliet, mistress of my heart,
let me climb up to this balcony.”
The night was an accomplice to their love,
and Romeo dreamed of holding Juliet in his arms.
“So, appear, your grace!
Do not let me stay here dreaming alone…
until dawn kisses your sweet face,
wake up, Juliet!”
Juliet awoke, stirred by Romeo’s voice.
“Oh, my sweet Romeo!
Here I lie in my bed, awakened by your cherished voice.
Happy among women am I,
blessed to be loved by you, my Romeo…”
But a voice shouted loudly from the courtyard, interrupting their idyll:
“Juliet! Move it, girl!
Because of you I’ll be late for the game!
Let’s go, or I’ll leave you here, honey!
And you’ll have to walk back up, come on, move it!”
When Juliet leaned out,
a cactus pot fell on Romeo’s head.
“Ah! Love… truly life cannot be without thorns!”
Zaira Sellerio
Review
Zaira Sellerio’s text, ‘Juliet and Romeo’, is an ironic and original reinterpretation of the classic Shakespearean drama. The author takes us into a contemporary context, while maintaining the charm and poetic nature of the words of love between the two famous lovers, and then surprises us with an unexpected ending that completely overturns the romantic and solemn atmosphere.
The first part of the text is a re-enactment of Romeo’s poignant and passionate verses, imbued with a lyricism that calls to mind idealised and timeless love. The images evoked, such as the ‘splendid silver moon’ and the ‘beloved face’, are typical of the Renaissance poetic tradition, and transport the reader into an atmosphere of sweet melancholy. Romeo is depicted here as the desperate lover, who dreams of the embrace of his beloved, whose desire to see her becomes almost palpable.
However, Sellerio breaks this spell with the entry of modern reality, embodied in a character who shouts from the courtyard, breaking the idyll with colloquial and vulgar language. The voice enjoining Juliet to move and jokingly threatening her to leave if she does not hurry, abruptly brings us back to the present, in an everyday, ironic atmosphere. The closing of the text, with the cactus vase falling on Romeo’s head, is a touch of humour that underlines how, even in the most intense love stories, real life is often full of surprises and thorns.
In conclusion, Zaira Sellerio with this piece of writing offers a fresh and entertaining reading of the myth of Romeo and Juliet. The combination of poetic and modern language, combined with an unexpected ending, makes the text enjoyable and suitable for anyone who appreciates a good dose of irony mixed with tradition. An affectionate and playful homage to Shakespeare, reminding us that, after all, love is also made up of little incidents and moments of reality, far from romantic idealisation.
Come un soffio di primavera – Like a breath of spring
Some awards for her works
– Arturo Massimi’ National Poetry Prize October 1999, Mentana Rome;
– Targa for the fiction prize; ‘Pelosa’ international competition Messina November 2000
– Poetry plaque October 2000 from the Province of Rome – ‘Antonio de Curtis’ International Competition Rome
– Poets and Society Delegation of German Switzerland Prize (international competition, merit mention)
– Unpublished poetry prize, fifth edition prize / topicality – Bartolucci finalist diploma, 27 October 2001
– International artistic-literary competition, Antonio de Curtis ‘Totò’, Rome 22 October 2002
– ALIAS (Accademia Letteratura Italo Australia Scrittori, with the collaboration c.r.a.s.e.s of Palermo, International Literary Competition III Prize ex aequo of poetry, 10 October 2003
– I POETRY PRIZE gallery ‘Il salotto dell’arte ROMA 22 March 2009
– ONE LIFE FOR CULTURE AWARD ‘Galleria Salotto dell’arte ROMA’ April 2012
– International Dialectal Poetry Prize ‘Radici Poetiche’ (Poetic Roots)
– Finalist in the anthology dedicated to Massimo Troisi, June 2015.
– X. Navarro International Prize ‘Narrativa Edita’, Sambuca di Sicilia – Borgo dei Borghi May 2018.
– International Literary Prize Europe section, Lugano (Switzerland), May 2014.
– UNA VITA PER LA CULTURA Award 2009, Rome, May 2009
– Donne D’Amore International Prize 2023- 1st prize poetry section Rome, May 2023
Il coraggio è femmina
The Italian language paperback book Il coraggio è femmina (Courage is female) can be pre-ordered with an exclusive dedication by the author.
To place your order, please send an email with your details to zairasellerio@sunrise.ch