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.
Son’io fortunato d’aver incontrato
voi, donzella dei miei sogni”.
Ah… quanto l’amo………
e forse in questo momento,
mentre l’amata mia dorme,
sto qui a sospirar…
“Madonna mia prediletta
svegliatevi, or dunque
amata mia Giulietta,
padrona del mio cuore.
Fa ch’io ascenda
questo balcone”.
La notte ci sia da complice
anche se desto sono,
sogno
l’amata fra le mie 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 .”
“ 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,
vorrei dirvi che…”
Una voce gridò forte dal cortile,
destando Giulietta dal mondo dei sogni.
“Giuliettaaaa…
Moviti bella!
per colpa tua sinnò
faccio tardi alla partita.
Nnamo, o ti lascio qui cocca.
E te toccherà venì a piedi
dai su, moviti bella…”
Quando Giulietta s’affacciò
un vaso di cactus in testa a Romeo cascò.
Ah! l’amore.
E’ vero che la vita
non può essere senza spine!
Zaira Sellerio
Romeo and Juliet
‘Oh… Juliet,
longed-for love!
You who are the light of my eyes
Let me see just for a moment
under this beautiful silver moon
your beloved face.
Am I fortunate to have met
You, maiden of my dreams.
Ah… how I love her………
and perhaps at this moment
While my beloved sleeps,
I stand here sighing…
‘My beloved Madonna
awake now then
my beloved Juliet,
mistress of my heart.
Let me ascend
this balcony.
Let the night be our accomplice
even if I am awake,
I dream
the beloved in my arms.
‘So lean out
your grace,
let me not here
stand alone and dream……..
until dawn kisses
your sweet face,
wake up Juliet .’
‘Oh my sweet Romeo
I lie here in my bed
Awakened by your beloved voice.
Happy among women
I am beloved
To be loved by you,
my Romeo,
I would like to tell you that…’
A voice cried out loud from the courtyard,
awakening Juliet from the world of dreams.
‘Julietaaa…
Moviti bella!
because of you
I’ll be late for the game.
Let’s go, or I’ll leave you here.
And you’ll have to walk.
Come on, hurry up, beautiful…’
When Juliet looked out
A cactus vase fell on Romeo’s head
Ah, love.
It’s true that life
Can’t be without thorns!
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