IL MONDO ALLA ROVESCIA (Aversa - Bertani - Salituro)

Accadde in un bel dì di luna piena
che il sole cadeva ad ampie falde
e la neve, con i suoi raggi cocenti, scaldava la campagna.
Davanti a una casa senza tetto e senza muri stava
una vecchia di vent'anni
seduta su un sasso di legno
che leggeva un libro senza pagine,
alla luce di una candela spenta. *

I pensionati andavano in vacanza nelle Hawai
e di lavoro ai giovani non ne mancava mai,
le tasse le pagavano tutti i contribuenti
e scuole ed ospedali come erano efficenti!

Ragazze sole andavano sicure nella notte,
la moglie era ubriaca e piena era la botte,
la casa ce l'avevano davvero tutti quanti
e i preti confortavano gli ardori degli amanti.

In tutte le case non c'era serratura,
le porte erano aperte perchè nessuno aveva paura e
in periferia, la sola polverina
usata in abbondanza era l'Idrolitina.

I bimbi si chiamavano: Gianni, Ugo, Lucia
e non Pamela, Ridge, J. R. e compagnia
e i loro amici neri, rossi, verdi e gialli
non stavano ai semafori a fare i tergicristalli.

I soldati semplici tornavano dai fronti
e in prima linea andavano ministri e presidenti,
chi lavorava in fabbrica ci stava poche ore
e c'era chi viveva senza televisore.

E notte dopo notte, come un'emorragia,
i clandestini svizzeri fuggivano in Albania
il mare era pulito, il cielo era blu
ma se non ci credi... hai ragione tu!

Camminavo immobile quando,
da vicino in lontananza, vidi il cadavere vivente di un uomo senza testa
che indossava un buffo cappello blu.
Mi avvicinai fuggendo e lo colpii alle spalle
piantandogli nel petto fino al manico il mio coltello senza lama.
Poi...continuando a dormire, mi svegliai...

*Le parti recitate sono tradizionali del Monferrato

THE WORLD UPSIDE-DOWN* (Aversa – Bertani – Salituro)

It happened one full-moon day
That the sun was raining large flakes
And the snow, with its burning rays,
Was heating the countryside.
Before a house with no roof and no walls
There was an old woman aged twenty
Sitting on a wooden stone
Reading a book without pages
In the light of a candle off.

The retired used to go on holiday to the Hawaii
And the young were never left unemployed.
Taxes were paid by all citizens
And schools and hospitals were extremely efficient!

Girls could go around safely in the night
Wives were drunk and wine butts full**
Everybody had its own house
And clergymen conforted lovers’ ardours.
No house had a lock

Doors were left open ’cos nobody was afraid.
And in the suburbs, the only white powder seen and used
was baking soda.

Children were called: Gianni, Ugo, Lucia
And not Pamela, Ridge, J. R. and so on.
And their friends, black, red, green and yellow
Did not work at the traffic lights as car-window cleaners.

Soldiers were back from war
Replaced by ministers and presidents,
Those in the factories worked only a few hours
And some people lived without T. V.

Night after night, like an hemorrhagic
Swiss refugees went to Albania
The sea was unpolluted, the sky was blue
But if you don’t believe it… you’re right!

I was walking still when, from far near,
I saw the living dead body of a man without head
Who had a funny blue hat on.
I got nearer running away and hit him at his shoulders
Deepening in his breast up to the handle
my knife without blade.
Then… keeping on my sleep, I woke…

* Passages in italics are from a traditional rigmarole from Monferrato area in Piedmont.

** After an Italian proverb which says that it is not possible to get two opposit good results at the same time.