The Infinite Poem by Count Giacomo Leopardi

The Infinite

Rating: 3.9


This solitary hill has always been dear to me
And this hedge, which prevents me from seeing most of
The endless horizon.
But when I sit and gaze, I imagine, in my thoughts
Endless spaces beyond the hedge,
An all encompassing silence and a deeply profound quiet,
To the point that my heart is almost overwhelmed.
And when I hear the wind rustling through the trees
I compare its voice to the infinite silence.
And eternity occurs to me, and all the ages past,
And the present time, and its sound.
Amidst this immensity my thought drowns:
And to founder in this sea is sweet to me.

L'infinito

Sempre caro mi fu quest'ermo colle
E questa siepe che da tanta parte
De'l ultimo orrizonte il guarde esclude.
Ma sedendo e mirando interminati
Spazi di la da quella, e sovrumani
Silenzi, e profondissima quiete,
Io nel pensier mi fingo, ove per poco
Il cor non si spaura. E come il vento
Odo stormir tra queste piante, io quello
Infinito silenzio a questa voce
Vo comparando; e mi sovvien l'eterno,
E le morte stagioni, e la presente
E viva, e'l suon di lei. Cosi tra questa
Immensita s'annega il pensier mio:
E'l naufragar m'e dolce in questo mare.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Fabrizio Frosini 15 June 2015

another translation: ''The Infinite'' It was always dear to me, this solitary hill, and this hedgerow here, that closes off my view, from so much of the ultimate horizon. But sitting here, and watching here, in thought, I create interminable spaces, greater than human silences, and deepest quiet, where the heart barely fails to terrify. When I hear the wind, blowing among these leaves, I go on to compare that infinite silence with this voice, and I remember the eternal and the dead seasons, and the living present, and its sound, so that in this immensity my thoughts are drowned, and shipwreck seems sweet to me in this sea.

34 0 Reply
Connie Marcum Wong 15 August 2022

This translation is my favorite. It has a soul depth. Bravo. Aloha

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Fabrizio Frosini 15 June 2015

one of the most beautiful poems..

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Sylvia Frances Chan 25 January 2023

I believe you wholly, Dr. Frosini, best wishes from Sylvia from The Netherlands

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Fabrizio Frosini 15 June 2015

probably written in the autumn of 1819, it shows a keen sense of mortality conveyed in the dying of seasons and drowning of thoughts..

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Chinedu Dike 25 January 2023

The poet has left readers with an enigma to ponder about. A thought-provoking rendition

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MAHTAB BANGALEE 25 January 2023

infinite all of the universe except the life! ~

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GOLSHA 19 August 2021

the poem is beautiful but you read it like a robot, like a machine! like a bank accountant just try to understand and learn how to read a poem, I am so sorry for you

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Roberto Bannella 07 March 2017

The translation tell exactly what I feel reading the original.. (RB, Italian born)

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Fabrizio Frosini 04 January 2016

Sempre caro mi fu quest'ermo colle - This solitary hill has always been dear to me - but note that Leopardi hated Recanati and made several unsuccessful attempts to leave the village -

20 0 Reply
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