Ligurian:
# Scirvio Opisso (1884–1965)

O l’é stæto direttô de l’Ansaldo Coke e di anni Vinti o l’à conlaborou co-a testâ giornalistica Il Lavoro. Stæto piggiou, comme atri autoî do tempo comme Carbon, Firpo, Aquaron, into fenòmeno da Canson Zeneise, o l’à derivou da quella unna çerta veña façile, melòdica e no de ræo folcloristica e bossettistica. Inti seu testi megio, in cangio, o Opisso o manifesta unn’inspiaçion ben ben vexiña à quella panica e panteistica do Firpo, ma con unna ciù gran coltua e cua formale. Se peu vedde, a-o risguardo, Spera… ch’a l’é unn’alcaica, stæta imitâ segondo e regole da metrica barbara carducciaña. Con tutto ch’o l’ea perfettamente a-o corrente da tradiçion letteräia zeneise, comme ne mostra à exempio Ciæebelle, che con evidensa a tramanda a-a Chiarabella do Cavallo, o Opisso, inte unn’epoca no adattâ de seguo à revendicaçioin e speimentaliximi, gh’é stæto ciù cao refollâse e ciù tante vòtte, inte unna poexia minô e burlesca, de soventi retoricamente dedicâ à l’exartaçion de glöie çittadiñe, tutti i mòddi no priva d’effetto. I seu testi poetichi son accuggeiti inte L’Isoa (1951).

Ascì ben ch’a se mantëgne delongo à di livelli dignitoxi, a poexia do Opisso a conserva sempre de trasse di seu ligammi originäi co-o mondo da Canson Zeneise, evidenti inta façilitæ de rimma e inta reçerca de ritmi cantabili e de tematiche sentimentale.

O Opisso de vòtte o s’é avvexinou à di temmi soçiali, comme inte sti doî sunetti sciuti, teixi, sensa frexetti, donde l’ia e a commoscion no cazzan into melodramatico, fæta ecceçion fòscia pe-a segonda terçiña do segondo sunetto. L’òmmo do sacco, inte l’acceçion ciù commun, o l’é un de quelli spaventaggi che vëgnan ben pe fâ stâ bravi i figgeu, quande fan i capriçi.

Atro temma favoio do Opisso: l’escapiximo, o scappâ verso de tære aluxi, mâ definie, lontan da-a vitta de tutti i giorni, in çercâ, fòscia, de arcañe veitæ, ò donca un ciù vertadeo senso da vitta.

De vòtte o Opisso o tenta a construçion de l’imagine eteria, stilisticamente elegante, in linia co-a poetica do frammentiximo de mòdda a-i seu tempi.

Un sunetto ch’o peu fâ pensâ, da-a lonxi, à l’analoga compoxiçion L’esile pesco al marzo che lo allaccia do F. Pastonchi, che pe tempi a l’ea in sce tutte e antologie de scheua; ma che fòscia o se distingue pe unna ciù gran concretessa, tutta ligure.

English translation:
# Silvio Opisso (1884–1965)

He was director of Ansaldo Coke and in the 1920s contributed to the newspaper Il Lavoro. Opisso was involved, just like other authors of the time such as Carbone, Firpo, Acquarone, in the Canson zeneise movement, and he derived from it a certain easily melodic and not infrequently folkloric and stereotypical vein. In his best works, however, Opisso reveals an inspiration very similar to the pantheistic inspiration of Firpo, with in addition greater cultural and formal care. See, for example, Spera…, which is written in Alcaic stanza, imitated according to the rules of Carduccian barbaric metrics. Although perfectly aware of the Genoese literary tradition, as demonstrated, for example, by Ciæebelle – which obviously refers back to the Chiarabella of Cavalli – Opisso, in an era hardly suited to sweeping claims and experimentalism, preferred to take refuge more often than not in a type of poetry that was minor and burlesque, and often rhetorically devoted to the exaltation of city glories, yet not without effect. His poetic texts are collected in L’Isoa (1951).

Though Opisso’s poetry always remains at a dignified level, it retains traces of its original ties to the world of Canson zeneise, apparent in the ease of rhyme, the pursuit of singable rhythms and sentimental themes.

Opisso sometimes approached social themes, as in these two dry, tense, no-frills sonnets, where the outrage and emotion do not fall into the melodramatic, except perhaps for the second triplet of the second sonnet. L’òmmo do sacco, in the most common sense, is one of those bogeymen used to keep children quiet when they throw tantrums.

Another favorite theme of Opisso: escapism, the flight to distant, undefinable lands, away from everyday life; in search, perhaps, of arcane truths or a more authentic meaning of life.

Opisso sometimes attempts the construction of the ethereal, stylistically elegant image, in keeping with the poe tics of fragmentism in vogue in his day.

A sonnet that may be distantly reminiscent of the similar composition L’esile pesco al marzo che lo allaccia by F. Pastonchi, once housed in all school anthologies, but perhaps marked by a greater concreteness, uniquely Ligurian.