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Journal of Italian Translation
power struggles taking place between animals, plants, and human
beings. Together with other relevant themes, such as animal mimicry
and aggression, Neri has initially elaborated his subject matter
in the style of the most objective and impersonal prose poem, to
the point that his poems look sometimes closer to a scientific prose
that they are to poetic dictation”. (12) The “icy estrangement” (15)
and stylistic coldness communicated by his poetry is consequently
the result of the firm control maintained by the poet on his subject
matter. The coldness and seeming impersonality of his style adheres
well to the dramatic essence (i. e. violence spreading as an
unavoidable doom both in the human and in the natural realms)
of his main poems’ message. Again, Surliuga proficiently defines
the interaction at the core of these texts: “Neri’s detached and
carefully chosen tone speaks of feelings that linger without ushering
in catharsis – of sorrows that have grown over time without
any solace. His poems are written while contemplating an abyss
that opens up in the very act of recollection. Words constitute the
impassive countermelody of this sudden void”. (20)
As the translator of such poetry, one must adhere as much as
possible to such a cold and impersonal register. In other words,
the translator needs to avoid the possibility of drafting a translation
which neglects a poems’ “affective” tone. The danger here is
the complete betrayal of the author’s expressive intentions, given
that – in Neri’s conception of style - words “must be measured because
even the simplest one brings about history’s violence” (Ib.).
The translator of such poetry therefore attempts to avoid adding
an expressive layer not drawn from the poetical source. That is
why in his note (see p. 21), Ron Banerjee proves to be inclusively
aware of the formal linguistic structures – punctuation included
- underpinning Neri’s unique poetic style. The translator must
know those as well as possible in order to have the possibility
to reproduce, in another language, that particular literary style.
Moreover, Neri’s unmistakable register of expression also comes,
as we have already seen, from a very thorough verbal selection,
necessary to keep the tone of understatement so preferred by the
poet. This is the reason Banerjee stresses the fact that «His deceptively
easy style, choice of common words, use of simple verbs in
their simplest forms, all point to a deliberate strategy. A poet of
memory, he avoids the elegiac ubi sunt theme; there is a little of
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