Io Stongo 'e Casa 'America I Liv'in America
Neapolitan poems by Nino Del Duca Translated by Michael F. Capobianco
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Hypopastemia
(An Easily Cured Illness)
A doctor I went to see
for a regular check up
(I suffer from old age…)
told me, but with a smile,
that a new malady had just come out.
Its name is rather strange
Hypopastemia is what it's about.
He said that when a body is deprived
of a basic and essential element,
it affects both its health and mood.
Whoever is afflicted by it gets in a depression,
gets very nervous, and wears a stupid expression.
This malady affects Italians most of all
when (by chance or obligation)
they go to dinner at some venue
and there's no pasta on the menu.
It may seem like nothing, but the doctors
who have discovered this sickness
all agree that the lack of pasta
in the daily diet, offending both the tastes
and the customs of the Italian people,
who are used to it, brings about a very
curious effect.
Even if you've stuffed your stomach
with all kinds of foods, it still seems
small:
"It's just as though you haven't eaten
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Book Details
About the Book
This book is the first part of Del Duca's book of poems, "Io Stongo 'e Casa '
About the Author
Nino Del Duca is a well-known Neapolitan poet who contributes regularly to various publications. He has published a book of poems, the first part of which, "Concerning Myself" has been translated, and is contained in this bilingual volume.
Michael F. Capobianco is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at St. John's University, NY. He has been writing and translating for over thirty years, and has several short stories and poems published, some of which have won awards. He has also published five books with Author House.