Does anyone here know Italian?

How many poets does it take to change a light bulb?
Post Reply
User avatar
CalebPerry
Perspicacious Poster
Perspicacious Poster
Posts: 3073
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:26 am

Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:13 pm

I have a small problem with my poem "Rosalia". The ending has too many "knows" in it:

but what sleep is this? Rosalia knows.
She knows the secret we all want to know
but will never know until we join her.

I want to use Italian for the first "knows", as follows:

but what sleep is this? Rosalia lo sa.
She has learned the secret we all want to know
but will never know until we join her.

Have I got the Italian right?

Thank you!
Signature info:
If you don't like the black theme, it is easy to switch to a lighter color. Just ask me how.
If I don't critique your poem, it is probably because I don't understand it.
jisbell00
Perspicacious Poster
Perspicacious Poster
Posts: 5619
Joined: Sat May 21, 2022 4:53 am

Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:28 pm

Yes, that Italian is correct. And I think it works there.

Cheers,
John
User avatar
CalebPerry
Perspicacious Poster
Perspicacious Poster
Posts: 3073
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:26 am

Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:45 pm

Thank you, John!

As you probably noticed, I substituted "learned" for one of the "knows", but I still didn't want three "knows" there. In English, the only alternatives were multisyllabic words:

Rosalia understands
Rosalia comprehends

and those didn't sound right, so I looked into Italian.

Thanks again!
Signature info:
If you don't like the black theme, it is easy to switch to a lighter color. Just ask me how.
If I don't critique your poem, it is probably because I don't understand it.
jisbell00
Perspicacious Poster
Perspicacious Poster
Posts: 5619
Joined: Sat May 21, 2022 4:53 am

Thu Mar 09, 2023 1:55 am

No problem!

Cheers,
John
Post Reply