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of the linguistic intricacies of Italian and the inherent
complexity of transferring them into another language
(65). The title of this work by Edith Bruck poses a
particular problem because it could be interpreted as
the repetition of either an adjective (alone or lonely)
or an adverb (only). The text appears to support either
choice, depending on which elements one chooses to
focus on. The first seven lines address the simple
wishes of the speaker, who would be content to have
only “a small room / the yellow sheets.” The poem
drastically changes tone when the sheets are
associated with the yellow star of David worn by Jews
in Europe during the second world war. This notion
introduces the underlying theme of this piece: the
solitary and uncertain condition of a Holocaust
survivor in modern society; a person whose unique
experiences clearly distinguish and separate her from
most of humanity. In the introduction to this volume
of poetry, Giovanni Raboni discusses two distinct
voices that come to life within its pages, the second
one belonging to a woman who has been left alone
(vii). Nevertheless, the title should not be translated as
“Alone alone alone” or “Lonely lonely lonely,”
because the Italian adjective solo can only be
understood as masculine and singular, and such an
interpretation cannot be reconciled with the (first
person) female voice adopted by the author. In fact,
almost all indications of gender in the titles of the
poems from the collection Tatuaggio are feminine and
singular: “Paralitica,” “Non sono la bambina,”
“Perché sarei sopravvisuta” and “Sto rannicchiata”
(83–84). The English language is unfortunately illequipped
to properly express the distinctions of
gender and number embedded in many common
Italian idioms.
In the final portion of the poem, the speaker
addresses herself directly, switching from first to
second person: “where you now have a place / without
betraying yourself” (17–18). The word “yourself”
unfortunately cannot imply gender the way the
original text “te stessa” does, nor is it possible to do so
without adding to or modifying the intended meaning
(18). The adjective “alone” (line 14) is a translation of
the Italian “da soli,” which could appear to be a
mistake, as it is both masculine and plural. However,
this expression is used in a general and impersonal
fashion, not dissimilar to the English saying “on your
own.”
Upon completing a rough draft of this translation
of “Solo solo solo,” I was faced with the fact that I
had not been able to transfer any textual evidence of
the speaker as a woman. In truth, I don’t expect I will
ever find a way to convey this notion effectively
without compromising the integrity of the translation.
The fulfillment of the desire for “a small room / the
yellow sheets” is the only concrete piece of
information the poem offers before a series of
reflections on the past and the future. The only other
choice I made in hopes of clarifying the femininity of
the speaker was perhaps too subtle to achieve its
purpose. The words “da cucire sul cappotto,” which
refer to the yellow star, indicate the fact that one was
to wear this symbol on his or her coat (9). The verb
“cucire” means “to sew,” but the expression “da
cucire” could reasonably be translated in two ways: 1)
to be sewn and 2) to sew.
By opting for the second, more active form of the
verb, I wanted to call into question the notion of who
would have done the actual sewing of these symbols. I
felt it safe to assume that, in the average Jewish
household in the 1940s, most if not all of the sewing
was done by women, who would traditionally have
been more likely to acquire (and pass on) such a skill.
To describe the star as something “to be sewn” might
have conveyed the sense of forced urgency associated
with this act, but it would have done nothing to help
the reader ascertain the sex of the voice that dominates
the poem. Proponents of a literal approach to
translation might object to the words “sul cappotto”
being rendered with a possessive adjective (“on my
coat”), but a word-for-word version of the original
text does not make for an accurate translation in this
case. Standard modern Italian allows one to imply the
notion of possession when discussing personal items
and body parts. This tendency is exemplified in such
statements as “mi sono rotto il braccio” (I have broken
my arm) or “ti metti la giacca” (you put on your
jacket). A literal translation would make use of the
definite article in this case (“il braccio” as “the arm” /
“la giacca” as “the jacket”), producing an ineffective
line of poetry: “to sew on the coat.”
In order to stay true to the original text, I tried to
adhere to the original meter whenever possible. This
was only feasible in five cases, lines 3, 11, 12, and 21:
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