Poetry Analysis

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Ei fu. Siccome immobile,

Original Poetry

Translation

Ei fu. Siccome immobile,

He was. As if still,

dato il mortal sospiro,

given his last breath,

stette la spoglia immemore

the body stood unaware,

orba di tanto spiro,

deprived of such life,

così percossa, attonita

thus struck, astonished,

la terra al nunzio sta,

the earth stands at the news,

muta pensando all’ultima

silent, thinking of the last

ora dell’uom fatale;

hour of the fateful man;

né sa quando una simile

nor does it know when a similar

orma di piè mortale

footprint of mortal foot

la sua cruenta polvere

will come to tread its bloody dust.

a calpestar verrà.

He, dazzling on the throne,

Lui folgorante in solio

my genius saw and was silent;

vide il mio genio e tacque;

when, with constant change,

quando, con vece assidua,

he fell, rose, and lay down,

cadde, risorse e giacque,

of a thousand voices the sound

di mille voci al sonito

mixed with his is not:

mista la sua non ha:

free from servile praise

vergin di servo encomio

and cowardly insult,

e di codardo oltraggio,

now rises moved at the sudden

sorge or commosso al subito

disappearance of such a light;

sparir di tanto raggio;

and releases to the urn a song

e scioglie all’urna un cantico

that perhaps will not die.

che forse non morrà.

From the Alps to the Pyramids,

Dall’Alpi alle Piramidi,

from the Manzanarre to the Rhine,

dal Manzanarre al Reno,

of that secure the lightning

di quel securo il fulmine

followed the flash;

tenea dietro al baleno;

it burst from Scylla to the Tanais,

scoppiò da Scilla al Tanai,

from one sea to the other.

dall’uno all’altro mar.

Was it true glory? To the descendants

Fu vera gloria? Ai posteri

the difficult judgment: we

l’ardua sentenza: nui

bow our heads to the Supreme

chiniam la fronte al Massimo

Maker, who wanted in him

Fattor, che volle in lui

of his creator's spirit

del creator suo spirito

to leave a wider mark.

più vasta orma stampar.

The stormy and trembling

La procellosa e trepida

joy of a great plan,

gioia d’un gran disegno,

the anxiety of a heart that untamed

l’ansia d’un cor che indocile

serves thinking of the kingdom;

serve pensando al regno;

and he reaches, and holds a prize

e il giunge, e tiene un premio

that was madness to hope for;

ch’era follia sperar;

he experienced everything: the glory

tutto ei provò: la gloria

greater after the danger,

maggior dopo il periglio,

the flight and the victory,

la fuga e la vittoria,

the palace and the sad exile;

la reggia e il tristo esiglio;

twice in the dust,

due volte nella polvere,

twice on the altar.

due volte sull’altar.

He named himself: two centuries,

Ei si nomò: due secoli,

one against the other armed,

l’un contro l’altro armato,

turned to him subdued,

sommessi a lui si volsero,

as if waiting for fate;

come aspettando il fato;

he made silence, and arbiter

ei fe' silenzio, ed arbitro

sat among them.

s’assise in mezzo a lor.

And disappeared, and the days in idleness

E sparve, e i dì nell’ozio

closed in such a short shore,

chiuse in sì breve sponda,

sign of immense envy

segno d’immensa invidia

and of deep pity,

e di pietà profonda,

of unquenchable hatred

d’inestinguibil odio

and of untamed love.

e d’indomato amor.

As on the head of the shipwrecked

Come sul capo al naufrago

the wave rolls and weighs,

l’onda s’avvolve e pesa,

the wave on which of the wretched,

l’onda su cui del misero,

high still just before and tense,

alta pur dianzi e tesa,

the sight ran to discern

scorrea la vista a scernere

distant shores in vain;

prode remote invan;

thus on that soul the heap

tal su quell’alma il cumulo

of memories descended!

delle memorie scese!

Oh how many times to the descendants

Oh quante volte ai posteri

he undertook to narrate himself,

narrar sé stesso imprese,

and on the eternal pages

e sull’eterne pagine

the weary hand fell!

cadde la stanca man!

Oh how many times, at the silent

Oh quante volte, al tacito

dying of an inert day,

morir d’un giorno inerte,

the lightning eyes bent,

chinati i rai fulminei,

arms crossed on the chest,

le braccia al sen conserte,

he stood, and of the days that were

stette, e dei dì che furono

the memory assailed him!

l’assalse il sovvenir!

And he thought

E ripensò le mobili

again of the mobile

tende, e i percossi valli,

tents, and the struck valleys,

e il lampo de’ manipoli,

and the flash of the maniples,

e l’onda dei cavalli,

and the wave of the horses,

e il concitato imperio,

and the excited command,

e il celere ubbidir.

and the swift obedience.

Ahi! Forse a tanto strazio

Alas! Perhaps to such torment

cadde lo spirto anelo,

the weary spirit fell,

e disperò; ma valida

and despaired; but a strong

venne una man dal cielo

hand came from heaven

e in più spirabil aere

and in more breathable air

pietosa il trasportò;

compassionately transported him;

e l’avviò, pei floridi

and led him, through the flowery

sentier della speranza,

paths of hope,

ai campi eterni, al premio

to the eternal fields, to the prize

che i desideri avanza,

that surpasses desires,

dov’è silenzio e tenebre

where silence and darkness

la gloria che passò.

the glory that passed.

Bella Immortal! benefica

Beautiful Immortal! beneficial

Fede ai trionfi avvezza!

Faith accustomed to triumphs!

scrivi ancor questo, allegrati;

write this too, rejoice;

ché più superba altezza

for a prouder height

al disonor del Golgota

to the dishonor of Golgotha

giammai non si chinò.

never bowed down.

Tu dalle stanche ceneri

You from the weary ashes

sperdi ogni ria parola:

scatter every evil word:

il Dio che atterra e suscita,

the God who lays low and raises up,

che affanna e che consola,

who afflicts and consoles,

sulla deserta coltrice

on the deserted bed

accanto a lui posò.

beside him lay.

Explanation

Alessandro Manzoni's poem 'Il Cinque Maggio' is a reflective ode on the life and legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte, written shortly after his death. The poem opens with the image of Napoleon's lifeless body, described as 'immobile' and 'unaware', setting a somber tone. Manzoni uses the metaphor of the earth being 'astonished' and 'mute' to convey the shock and silence following Napoleon's demise.

The poem transitions to a broader reflection on Napoleon's life, questioning whether his glory was genuine. Manzoni acknowledges Napoleon's vast influence, spanning from the Alps to the Pyramids, and the mixed legacy he left behind, characterized by both admiration and deep resentment. The poet uses vivid imagery, such as 'the wave rolls and weighs' on the shipwrecked, to illustrate the overwhelming burden of memories and the weight of Napoleon's past.

Emotionally, the poem moves from a tone of somber reflection to one of philosophical contemplation. Manzoni ponders the nature of glory and the fleeting nature of human achievements. The tone is both reverent and questioning, as the poet grapples with the complexities of Napoleon's impact on history.

Manzoni employs literary devices such as metaphor, personification, and rhetorical questioning to enhance the poem's depth. The use of contrasts, such as 'twice in the dust, twice on the altar', highlights the duality of Napoleon's life, marked by both triumph and downfall.

Ultimately, the poem serves as a meditation on the transient nature of power and the enduring questions of legacy and memory. It reflects Manzoni's Romantic ideals and his engagement with the themes of history, fate, and divine providence, fitting within the broader context of Italian Romanticism and the poet's own philosophical and religious beliefs.

Word Dictionary43

Word	In Italian	In English	Pron.
Ei	Lui	He	Ey
fu	era	was	foo
Siccome	Come	As	Seek-koh-meh
immobile	fermo	still	eem-mo-bee-leh
dato	concesso	given	dah-toh
il	lo	the	eel
mortal	mortale	deadly	mor-tahl
sospiro	respiro	sigh	soh-spee-roh
stette	rimase	stood	steh-teh
la	l'	the	lah
spoglia	corpo	body	spoh-lya
immemore	dimentico	unaware	eem-meh-mo-reh
orba	priva	deprived	or-bah
di	del	of	dee
tanto	così tanto	so much	tahn-toh
spiro	respiro	breath	spee-roh
così	in questo modo	in this way	koh-see
percossa	colpita	struck	per-koh-sah
attonita	sbalordita	astonished	at-toh-nee-tah
terra	mondo	world	teh-rrah
al	al	at the	ahl
nunzio	messaggio	news	noon-tsee-oh
sta	rimane	stands	stah
muta	silenziosa	mute	moo-tah
pensando	riflettendo	thinking	pen-sahn-doh
all’ultima	all'ultima	of the last	ahl-lool-tee-mah
ora	momento	hour	oh-rah
dell’uom	dell'uomo	of the man	del-loo-ohm
fatale	destinato	fateful	fah-tah-leh
né	e non	nor	neh
sa	conosce	knows	sah
quando	in quale momento	when	kwahn-doh
una	una	a	oo-nah
simile	uguale	similar	see-mee-leh
orma	impronta	footprint	or-mah
piè	piede	foot	pyeh
mortale	umano	mortal	mor-tah-leh
sua	propria	its	soo-ah
cruenta	sanguinosa	bloody	kroo-en-tah
polvere	terra	dust	pol-veh-reh
a	a	to	ah
calpestar	pestare	tread	kal-peh-star
verrà	arriverà	will come	ver-rah

Poet & Context

PoetAlessandro Manzoni

Era19th century, Romanticism

Alessandro Manzoni was an Italian philosopher, poet, playwright, and novelist, best known for his novel 'The Betrothed'. He played a key role in the development of the modern Italian language and was a proponent of Liberal Catholicism in Italy.

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When1821

WhyThe poem 'Il Cinque Maggio' was written by Manzoni in response to the death of Napoleon Bonaparte. It reflects on Napoleon's life, achievements, and legacy, and questions the true nature of glory.

FormOde

Themes & More

Themes

LegacyMortalityGloryMemory

Literary devices

Metaphor: the earth is described as astonished and mutePersonification: memories descend on the soulRhetorical questioning: questioning the nature of glory