Poetry without borders - Thirteen languages to celebrate love

The language of poetry knows no bounds and brings together the world as it did on the campus of California State University Long Beach for Poetry Without Borders on November 29th. Thirty-one faculty, staff and students read their favorite poems from thirteen different languages and dialects on the theme of Love and Other Ailments.

Sponsored by The Department of Romance German Russian Languages and Literatures (RGRLL) with the participation of the George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies, Poetry Without Borders is a project of Dr. Enrico Vettore, Professor of Italian, and Dr. Rita Palacios, Professor of Spanish, who have collaborated on this successful event for a fourth time including the second student poetry writing contest.
Poetry Without Borders is held annually in The Karl W.E. Anatol Center to a capacity crowd that reads the projected English translations as the poems are read in their language of origin. “We had 140 people (conservati Liberal Arts. We (Rita Palacios and I) are very happy about it,” said Dr. Enrico Vettore, Italian Professor.

The readers thoroughly engaged those in attendance by displaying the depth of feeling embodied by the poetry through intonation and expressive reading. The audience showed its appreciation through resounding applause following each reading. "Poetry without Borders always reminds me that poetry is the music of the soul, its cadence, flow, and rhythms being the essence of human life.”, said Dr. Clorinda Donato (Chair of The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies).

Poetry reveals the universal aspects of all languages and cultures and gives students the exposure to the beauty of language. “I love this event because it’s fascinating to hear how all the languages are different, yet reflect on similar human values, in the end making us all one.” said Vincenzo Amalfitano, President of Club Italia (The student organization of Italian Studies students on campus). Poetry transcends national, racial, social and ethnic boundaries and gives the students an avenue for self- expression. “Students seem to enjoy reciting their favorite poems” explains Dr. Vettore, “and you can feel as if poetry is being channeled during the evening in so many languages and from so many different eras. Poetry speaks to us as effectively as it did centuries ago to different audiences in different places. Its universality is astonishing."

Exposure to poetic language heightens student interest in majoring or minoring in languages other than English. As they hear universal values expressed in the rhythm and musicality of languages they recognize, such as French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian and Chinese, but also Bosnian, Thai, Turkish, Nahuatl, Farsi and the Italian dialects of Umbrian, Roman and Neapolitan, they are drawn to language. This year’s theme, love, further underscored the commonalities of human emotion no matter what the culture. “It is for this reason that we all come together and understand when poetry is read, no matter what the language,” concluded Dr. Donato who took part in the event with a reading of “The Canticle of the Sun” by Saint Francis of Assisi.

The night ended with a reception where “Love and Other Ailments” moved from the poetic to the prosaic in conversations throughout the Anatol Center where personal reflection mixed with outright awe over the language and languages of poetry and their power in our lives.

For information on the language programs at California State University Long Beach, contact The Romance German Russian Languages and Literatures Department at (562)985-4317 or for Italian Studies, The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies at (562)985-1396.

Alessandro Russo
contributor

Alessandro Russo is the Administrative Assistant to Dr . Clorinda Donato, Chair of The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies at California State University, Long Beach.