Modesto Della Porta
Modesto Della Porta (born March 21, 1885 in Guardiagrele , † July 23, 1938 , ibid) was an Italian poet and writer. He wrote much of his works in the strong local dialect of his hometown.
Life
Modesto Della Porta was born to Donato Della Porta and Marianna Vitacolonna. He attended elementary and middle school and tried to study in Naples for five years , mainly to escape the limited environment of his small hometown. Despite his studies, which were not very successful, the stay was a gain for him, he enjoyed working with theater and literature and got to know Libero Bovio and Salvatore Di Giacomo , among others .
After graduating as a tailor, he returned to Guardiagrele and opened a tailor shop there. This profession, in connection with the not particularly high cultural level of his origin, is occasionally seen as an obstacle to the unprejudiced appreciation of his works.
Della Porta was a heavy smoker throughout his life. He died of lung cancer at the age of only 53 .
plant
His works are characterized by a strong local dialect. His best-known poem is Serenate a Mamma (Serenade to my mother), which indirectly gives its name to the volume of poetry Ta-Pù : "Ta-Pù" is an onomatopoeic or onomatopoeic word for the sound of the trombone , which is the instrument commonly used for serenades was.
Serenate a mom
O Ma ', se quacche notte mi ve' nmente,
ti vujje fa 'na bella' mpruvisate
t'aja minì a purtà na serenate
'nche stu trombone d' accumpagnamente.
Nè ride, Ma ', le sacce:
lu strumente è ruzze e chi le sone nen te fiate,
ma zitte, ca se cojje lu mumente,
capace ca l'accucchie na sunate.
Quande lu vicinate s'arisbejje,
sentenneme suna ', forse pu' dire:
“vijat'a jsse coma sta cuntente”!
Ma tu che mi cunusce nen ti sbejje:
li si ca ugne suffiate è nu suspire,
li si ca ugne mutive è nu lamente!
Translation: Serenade to my mother
Oh mother if I feel like it one night
Then I would like to play an improvisation for you
I have to bring you a serenade
With this trombone accompaniment
Don't laugh, mother, I know
The instrument is rough and whoever plays it has no breath
But be silent, I have the inspiration
I need to play beautiful music for you
If all the neighbors wake up
because they hear my playing, they may say,
“God bless him, how pleased he is!”
But you know me and you don't misunderstand me:
you know that every sound blown is a sigh
And every motive a complaint!
Trivia
- In his hometown Guardiagrele a street is named after him, in which the house where he was born is (house number 25).
- A few meters from the house where he was born (house number 37) there is now a wine bar and restaurant that bears the name of his most famous volume of poetry, Ta-pù (see above). Reading evenings with culinary accompaniment take place there at irregular intervals.
Individual evidence
- ^ Della Porta, Modesto (1947): Ta-pù, lu trumbone d'accumpagnamente , foreword by L. De Giorgio, Lanciano: G. Carabba, p. 3f.
- ^ Della Porta, Modesto (1947): Ta-pù, lu trumbone d'accumpagnamente , Lanciano: G. Carabba, p. 5
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Della Porta, Modesto |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian poet and writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 21, 1885 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Guardiagrele |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 23, 1938 |
| Place of death | Guardiagrele |