The Funeral, Albino Pierro was a 20th century Italian poet who was twice nominated for the Nobel prize for literature (in 1986 and 1988) despite the relatively narrow nature of his work. He came from a small town in the south of the country called Tursi and much of his later work was written in the local “Lucan” dialect.
His subject matter seemed to be almost exclusively based on his hometown and when nominated for the award many saw it as a controversial move with some literary critics saying that others were more deserving. His memory is preserved in Tursi with many local festivals and events celebrating his work, yet outside of this region his name is less well known.
The Funeral by Albino Pierro
to Ernesto de Martino
Before, if there was
a funeral in town,
the band would follow,
and so did with his rakes
Domenico the Dwarf.
I can still hear the deep
sound of the saxhorn
cut clean as with an ax
by the crash of cymbals
that lengthened quivering to weep
in the white thin voices of the clarinets.
Now everything has changed
even if the change’s been slow,
but the priests are still around
and the sextons with the cross
walking behind young boys in a long row
holding small moon-yellow
iron crowns.
They carry the casket on their shoulders
and the peasants’ feet trundle like lead
in their heavy shoes and hobnailed heels:
they make the sound that country wagons make,
when they come out at night, in the light rain,
and like pelted stones violently wrench
the luckless rich people from their sleep.
