"In time every wrong is made right," said Leonardo da Vinci and quoted Salvatore Quasimodo during his Nobel Lecture on December 11, 1959. And so it is. He wrote Ed e' subito sera in 1942. This was the period after World War II, in which his poetry was concerned with the interpretation of contemporary history, social conditions, and the frustrations and aspirations of the common man.
"The poet is the sum total of the diverse 'experiences' of the man of his times." He said in his acceptance speech where he talks about the poet and the politician, and the constant struggle between the two, a struggle that saw the poet at a disadvantage. Even Leonardo da Vinci was not free.
In re-reading the transcript I could find many a parallel with our current situation where in a way the poet's role has been transferred a little to the voices of critical thinking in social media, and the political powers are the bankers and the systems that are and have vacillated so perilously as to need the backing of the Government.
We need both and while "the night is long that never finds the day" - Shakespeare's words in Macbeth - it's important to find a way to remember the past with fondness and still have hope for the future. Freedom can be a conquest, a bloody one, too. It comes with the sacrifice of fear for love.
We all stand alone at the center of the earth, pierced by a ray of light and it's quickly evening.
(Note: This is my translation, if you find a better one, go ahead and share it)
[image by Michele Catania]