{"id":234709,"date":"2025-01-26T11:17:20","date_gmt":"2025-01-26T11:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/uomo-sulla-neve\/"},"modified":"2025-01-27T13:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T13:29:13","slug":"uomo-sulla-neve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/uomo-sulla-neve\/","title":{"rendered":"L\u2019uomo sulla neve – The man in the snow"},"content":{"rendered":"

L\u2019uomo sulla neve<\/span><\/h1>\n

Un uomo \u00e8 disteso per terra,
\ncoperto dalla neve.
\nTanta gente gli si raduna intorno,
\nqualcuno mormora:
\n\u201cPovero vecchio!\u201d
\ne, in un gesto di piet\u00e0,
\nlo copre con la propria giacca.<\/p>\n

\u201cChi \u00e8?\u201d, domando.
\n\u201cNon si sa\u201d, mi rispondono.
\n\u201cNon ha documenti.
\nUn dolore lo ha piegato su se stesso,
\ne poi \u00e8 stramazzato.\u201d<\/p>\n

Di lui restano solo le orme,
\ntracce lasciate sulla neve,
\nprima di morire.
\nIl cuore di quel vecchio, immagino,
\nha ceduto.<\/p>\n

\u201cSi pu\u00f2 morire cos\u00ec,
\nsenza nessuno accanto,
\nin un solo istante?\u201d
\nChe pena!<\/p>\n

Il telefono squilla.
\nUn prete mi d\u00e0 la notizia.
\nCorro all\u2019ospedale.
\nMi chiedono:
\n\u201c\u00c8 suo padre?\u201d<\/p>\n

Quell\u2019uomo,
\ndisteso per terra,
\nsulla neve,
\nera lui.<\/p>\n

E io,
\navevo avuto piet\u00e0
\ndi mio padre\u2026<\/p>\n

Zaira Sellerio<\/p>\n

The man in the snow<\/span><\/h1>\n

A man is lying on the ground,
\ncovered by snow.
\nMany people gather around him,
\nsomeone murmurs:
\n\u2018Poor old man!\u2019
\nand, in a gesture of pity,
\ncovers him with his jacket.<\/p>\n

\u2018Who is he?\u2019, I ask.
\n\u2018No one knows,\u2019 they reply.
\n\u2018He has no papers.
\nA pain bent him over himself,
\nand then he collapsed.\u2019<\/p>\n

All that remains of him are footprints,
\ntraces left in the snow,
\nbefore he died.
\nThe old man’s heart, I guess,
\ngave out.<\/p>\n

\u2018One can die like that,
\nwith no one beside you,
\nin a single instant?\u2019
\nWhat a pity!<\/p>\n

The phone rings.
\nA priest gives me the news.
\nI run to the hospital.
\nThey ask me:
\n\u2018Is that your father?\u2019<\/p>\n

The man,
\nlying on the ground,
\nin the snow,
\nwas him.<\/p>\n

And I,
\nI had taken pity
\nof my father…<\/p>\n

Zaira Sellerio<\/p>\n

\"Winter<\/a>
Winter trail in the snow Image by Nicky \u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\udf3f\ud83d\udc1e\ud83c\udf3f\u2764\ufe0f from Pixabay<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Review<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u2018The Man in the Snow<\/em>\u2019 is a poignant poem inspired by a true story that happened to an acquaintance of the author. The text recounts with touching simplicity the sudden death of a man, taken ill – perhaps a heart attack – while he was alone, outdoors, on a snowy day.<\/span><\/p>\n

The poem opens with the description of an almost cinematic scene: a man lying in the snow, surrounded by people watching him with pity, unable to help him. Someone has seen him keel over, but life has left him too quickly. The man’s identity is initially unknown, and only at the end is it revealed that he is the narrator’s father.<\/span><\/p>\n

The strength of the poem lies in its ability to transform a personal tragedy into a universal reflection. The images of snow and footprints left on the ground delicately evoke the theme of transience: life breaking down in an instant and traces vanishing, like ephemeral marks in the snow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing that someone witnessed the man’s last moments makes the story even more poignant. Despite the presence of witnesses, death arrives silent and inexorable, underlining the loneliness that often accompanies the crucial moments of existence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The author leads us to reflect on the unpredictability of life, the family bond and the regret that emerges when it is too late to do or say what one would have wanted. It is a poem that speaks to the heart, reminding us of the fragility of existence and the importance of not neglecting those we love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Il nostro tempo – Our time<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Some recognitions for her works<\/span><\/h2>\n