Felicina Bonino Priola

Felicina Bonino Priola was born in Piozzo (CN), where she resides, in 1952. She worked as an elementary school teacher until her retirement. A deep, sweet melancholy pervades Bonino Priola’s lyric and her portrayals of nature use vivid, intensely metaphorical imagery. Her books are Tamp Arbris (Soft time) (1987), So nebia tëmporà (Sun Fog Thunderstorm) (2006), and La Travajà (Farmhouse Travajà) (2024). She is regularly featured in collective publications such as A gatagnàu (On all four) (2020).

Speransa (From Tamp Arbris)

Speransa
ùltima lus
d’un lum
ch’a së smòrta
un po’ tuti ij di…
Speransa
ùltima badarà
d’un farò
che a-i resta
ma’ pì ra brasa.

(Speranza «Speranza / ultima luce / d’un lume / che si spegne / un po’ tutti i giorni… / Speranza / ultima fiammata / di un falò / di cui resta / solo più la brace.»)

Hope

Hope
last light
of a lamp that
goes out
a little bit every day…
Hope
last glow
of a bonfire
where only embers
remain.