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Madonna ha
‘n sé vertute con valore
più che
nul[l]’altra gemma preziosa:
ché
isguardando mi tolse lo core,
cotant’è
di natura vertudiosa.
Più luce
sua beltate e dà sprendore
che non fa
‘l sole né null’autra cosa;
de tut[t]e
l’autre ell’è sovran’e frore,
ché nulla
apareg[g]iare a lei non osa.
Di nulla
cosa non ha mancamento,
né fu ned
è né non serà sua pare,
né ‘n cui
si trovi tanto complimento;
e credo
ben, se Dio l’avesse a fare,
non vi met[t]rebbe
al su’ntendimento
che la
potesse simile formare.
Giacomo da
Lentini
(13esimo
secolo
[documentato
1233-1240])
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My lady
has within her virtue, with a worth
greater than
any other precious gem;
for, just by
looking, she took my heart –
so
virtuous is she by nature.
Her beauty
gives more light and splendor
than any
other thing, even the sun;
over all
other women she is sovereign and flower,
so that no
one dares compare herself.
There is nothing
in which she is lacking.
There
never was, nor is there, nor will there be her equal –
nor one in
whom we find such perfection;
and I well
believe, if God were to remake her,
the divine
intention would not be so disposed
as to be
able to form anyone similar.
Giacomo da
Lentini
(13th
century [documented 1233-1240])
The
translation here is my own.
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Welcome to
Pictures of Sicily, which I began in 2013 with articles about the delicious
cooking school run by Fabrizia Lanza, as well as the Palermo women’s
organization Arcidonna, headed by Valeria Ajovalasit. I returned to Sicily in the summer of 2017 to
interview some more wonderful keepers of cultural traditions, in particular
celebrating religious diversity, respecting ecology and conveying historic culinary
delights to young people.
Palermo's
Jewish community will soon open a cultural center and synagogue for the first
time since the Renaissance synagogue was closed by decree of King Ferdinand of
Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile in 1492.
In so doing, the community, with the help of Archbishop Corrado
Lorefice, is also opening a portal to share information about the medieval convivenza, cooperative co-existence, of
people of diverse religions.
Not far from
Palermo in Alcamo, the food writer Mary Taylor Simeti recently published her
book, Sicilian Summer: An Adventure in
Cooking with My Grandsons, about preparing Sicilian classics with four
thoughtful young men, nearly always with ingredients from the Taylor Simeti
organic farm, Bosco Falconeria.
To frame my
articles on these fascinating people of Sicily, I include above Giacomo da
Lentini’s beautiful sonnet on the non-fungibility of humans. Now that I have come to know Sicily a bit
better, I also include a couple of photographic essays on some examples of
the island’s powerful beauty today.