Corrado Govoni
trans. by Paula Bohince
Shipwreck
The wreckage of me
floated on the black sea of life,
grabbing a collapsed table,
maternal cradle,
watching the stars sway
tenderly as an almond branch.
Opening to another world,
O vertigo, in this abyss
of enchanting nothingness.
Corrado Govoni was born in 1884 in Tamara, Italy. He is considered the father of the literary movement of Crepuscularism, literally meaning “twilight” and concerning itself with humble subjects, melancholy, and introspection. He also wrote novels, stories, and plays. He died near Rome in 1965.
Paula Bohince is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Swallows and Waves. She has been the Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholar and a Fellow of the NEA. She is the 2020 John Montague International Poetry Fellow in Ireland and poetry editor at AGNI.