Ligurian:
# Italo Mario Angeloni (1876–1957)

Insegnante de Lettie e dapeu de Istöia de l’Arte inte scheue erte, giornalista, fotògrafo e ceramista, o Angeloni o l’à passou o ciù tanto da seu vitta à Torin, dond’o l’é stæto vexin a-o movemento neofelibrista de «Ij Brandé» e o no l’é un caxo se a prefaçion da seu accheuggeita de versci in zeneise a l’é stæta scrita da-o Nino Costa, un di poæ do reneuvamento da poexia piemonteise. Into Angeloni, à parte quarche conçescion a-e convençioin da poexia dialettale, se peu osservâ unna çerta missa à giorno do lenguaggio poetico, l’autô o conosce a poexia di seu tempi italiaña e strangea e o ne tëgne o giusto conto. In zeneise, o Angeloni o va apreuvo à unna poetica de reneuvamento, con çercâ pe de longo un livello «erto», à unna mainea no despægia da quella do contemporaneo Doardo Firpo, asci ben se inte unna mainea independente. Ma quella veña, che inte l’autodidatta Firpo a spæga sôo che de ræo e à lampi, da mezo à un muggio de frazzo, inte l’Angeloni a strixella in cangio de unna mainea ciù queta e constante, apreuvo a-a ciù struttuâ e regolare formaçion cultuale de l’Autô. O F. Toso o l’attreuva inti seu versci «proçedimenti imprescionistichi, de seguo infloensæ da-i speimentaliximi de l’epoca», [1] e sens’atro o Angeloni o l’imprimme a-e sò compoxiçioin un taggio lesto, moderno, nervoso, sciben de necce ciù audaçiose in sciô cian formale, à uso quelle do futuriximo ò de l’ermetiximo, arrestan lontañe da-i seu zinæ. O Angeloni o l’é stæto ascì stòrico e critico letteräio e s’arregòrda a-o propòxito un seu affortunou volumme in scê _Rime_ do Dino Frescobaldi, e ascì unna seu reçenscion ben ben critica à _La via del rifugio_ (1907) in scê pagine do giornale _Il Momento_ pâ ch’a desse un pittin de despiaxei a-o Guido Gozzano, co-o quæ quarche tempo apreuvo o l’à fæto paxe, dòppo un incontro à Cornigen donde anavan tutti doî de stæ à fâ i bagni; ançi, temmi e movençe da poexia do Angeloni, lê ascì lirico à fondo parnassian, de soventi fan pensâ pròpio a-o poeta da _Signorina Felicita_. O l’à scrito ascì di versci italien e piemonteixi.

Inta representaçion di sentimenti, o Angeloni o deuvia de longo delicatessa e senscibilitæ; inte sta poexia o rappòrto platònico tra i doî personaggi o vëgne transonto da unna tenia e maiçiosa metafora sessuale (sensa guastâte o fisciù).

I temmi ciù cai a-o Angeloni ne vëgnan de soventi da-o Pascoli, da-o scimboliximo e da-o decadentiximo europei. Sta «voxe inta nebbia» carrega de reciammi mistico-religioxi, e semeggeive à de atre «voxe», à exempio pascoliañe, a ne peu vegnî – in senso letteale – de da-i monti de Croxefieschi, paisetto de l’entrotæra ch’o l’é dito in zeneise «a Croxe», ma ascì, inte unna mainea indefinia e alluxiva, da-i monti do Carvaio, franco comme l’òrto donde o poeta o se treuva inzenoggiou o porrieiva ëse l’òrto di oivi. Staiemo à sentî, ciù avanti, unn’atra voxe inta negia, Dialogo into caligo, tra e liriche do Plinio Guidoni, sensa un axatto refeimento a-a religion, con ciù grande consapevolessa postmoderna e minô inmediatessa.

Inte sta poexia, comme inte doe apreuvo, un di temmi cai do Angeloni, l’amô, trattou co-a delicatessa chi appartëgne à st’autô.

Anche inte sto caxo, di elementi esterni strapòrtan in sce un cian fixico e mateiale i stati d’animo do poeta; a cioenda stæta cresciua abrettio a l’asconde e nostargie e i regòrdi, e ascì a consapevolessa da mòrte da moæ.

E imagine, de longo fiñe e elegante, à sottoliniâ sfummatue e stati d’animo, into Angeloni son testimoniansa de l’adexon a-o gusto floreale e liberty di seu tempi.

Pægio che inte çerta poesia baròcca, i oggetti do mondo de feua, fiña quelli da vitta de tutti i giorni, vëgnan testemonianse e scimbolo di sentimenti e do ravaxo do poeta.

O poemmetto Balilla dedicou a-i fæti do 1746, o patisce de unna fondamentâ ambiguitæ ideològica, apreuvo che i avvegnimenti, comme se usava a-i tempi che o Angeloni o scriveiva, vëgnan relezzui in ciave resorgimentale, con taxei o fæto che ascì di italien, preçisamente di piemonteixi, ean alleæ di invasoî austriachi. E, à tutte e mainee, o patriottiximo «zeneise» o se fa vedde ciù evidente inte l’Autô e o se contende into seu penscê o primmo pòsto co-o patriottiximo «italian».

[2] O commandante austriaco, à l’amorrâse do caro ch’o portava un mortâ de pe Piccapria into popolare sestê de Portöia, o l’aiva ordenou a-i presenti de aggiuttâ i sordatti inte opeaçioin neçessäie à delibeâ o cannon, sensa ëse pagæ, tanto ch’o menassava de baccæ se no gh’obedivan; sto fæto o l’à caxonou a reaçion de gente. [3] Pavian: localitæ donde se treuva l’uspiæto, l’ospiçio pe-i pövei. [4] portolian: portorian, do sestê de Portöia; pe scineddoche: «zeneise». [5] a Madonnetta: «ben conosciua imaginetta scituâ in Portöia» (N.d.A.).

English translation:
# Italo Mario Angeloni (1876–1957)

A teacher of Literature and then of History of Art in secondary schools, a journalist, photographer and ceramist, Angeloni spent most of his life in Turin, where he was close to the neo-felibrist movement of “Ij Brandé” and it is no coincidence that the preface to his collection of Genoese verse was written by Nino Costa, one of the fathers of the renewal of Piedmontese poetry. In Angeloni, if we exclude some occasional concessions to the tired conventions of “dialectal” poetry, we can observe a moderate renovation of poetic language; the author is familiar with contemporary Italian and foreign poetry and takes due account of it. Angeloni pursues a poetic of renewal in Genoese, in constant search of a “high” level, not unlike that of his contemporary Edoardo Firpo, while being completely independent from it. But that vein, which in the self-taught Firpo only transpires in rapid and rare flashes amid much ballast, flows more steadily in Angeloni, through the author’s more structured cultural training. F. Toso finds in his verses “impressionistic procedures clearly influenced by the experimentalism of the time”, [1] and certainly Angeloni gives his compositions a rapid, modern, nervous edge, although more daring choices on a formal level, such as those advocated by Hermeticism or Futurism, remain far beyond his reach. Angeloni was also a historian and literary critic and it is worth mentioning in this respect his successful volume on Dino Frescobaldi’s _Rime_, while a very harsh review of _La via del rifugio_ (1907) in the pages of the newspaper _Il Momento_ seems to have given Gozzano some displeasure, with whom he later reconciled, after a meeting in Cornigliano, the place chosen by both as a seaside resort; Indeed, the themes and motifs of Angeloni’s poems, himself a lyricist with a Parnassian background, are often reminiscent of the poet of the _Signorina Felicita_. He also wrote Italian and Piedmontese verse.

In the portrayal of feelings, Angeloni always uses delicacy and sensitivity; in this poem, the platonic relationship between the two characters is summed up by a tender and mischievous sexual metaphor (without being crass).

Angeloni’s favourite themes are also often borrowed from Pascoli, from European symbolism and from decadentism. This “voice in the fog” laden with mystical-religious suggestions, and similar to other “voices”, e.g. Pascoli’s, may come in a literal sense from the mountains of Crocefieschi, an inland village called “a Croxe” in Genoese, but also, in an indefinite and allusive way, from the cross of the Calvary, just as the garden where the poet is kneeling could be the garden of Gethsemane. We will later hear another voice in the fog, Dialogo into caligo, among Plinio Guidoni’s lyrics, without explicit reference to religion, with more postmodern awareness and less immediacy.

In this poem, as in the following two, one of Angeloni’s favourite themes, love, is treated with the delicacy that is characteristic of this author.

Here again, external elements transpose the poet’s moods onto a physical and material plane: the overgrown hedge conceals nostalgia and memories, and also the awareness of his mother’s death.

The images, always subtle and elegant, emphasising delicate nuances of moods testify to Angeloni’s adherence to the floral and Art Nouveau taste of his time.

As in certain Baroque poetry, external objects, even those from everyday life, become witnesses and symbols of the poet’s feelings and torment.

The poem Balilla, dedicated to the events of 1746, suffers from a fundamental ideological ambiguity, in that the events, as was the custom at the time Angeloni wrote, are reinterpreted in a Risorgimento key, concealing the fact that Italians too, specifically the Piedmontese, were allied to the Austrian invaders. And yet «Genoese» patriotism is evident in the author and contends in his soul for first place with «Italian» patriotism.

[2] The Austrian commander, when the wagon carrying a mortar ran aground through the Piccapietra area in the popular Portoria district, ordered the bystanders to help the soldiers in the necessary operations to free the barrel, without any compensation, while threatening to strike them if they did not comply with the command; this was the cause of the popular uprising. [3] Pavian: Paverano, location of the poorhouse. [4] portolian: portorian, from the Portoria district; by synecdoche: «Genoese». [5] a Madonnetta: «famous icon located in Portoria» (note by the author).