To a stranger, by Walt Whitman - English, with Italian and Spanish translations

Walt Whitman, often hailed as the father of free verse, revolutionized poetry with his groundbreaking collection Leaves of Grass. Born in 1819, Whitman cast aside traditional forms and meters in favor of a fluid, expansive style that mirrored the democratic spirit of 19th-century America. His poetics embraced the body and the soul, the individual and the collective, the sacred and the mundane—merging them in a bold, sensual language that celebrated life in all its diversity. Whitman’s radical openness, both thematically and formally, laid the foundation for modern and contemporary poetry. His influence echoes in the voices of poets like Allen Ginsberg, Adrienne Rich, and Ocean Vuong, who channel Whitman’s emphasis on authenticity, inclusion, and personal vision. Today, in an era marked by identity politics and global interconnection, Whitman’s vision of unity in multiplicity continues to resonate—reminding us that the poetic self is as vast and complex as the world it inhabits.

To a stranger – Walt Whitman – Leaves of Grass – Calamus – 1855 – translated from English into Spanish and Italian by Enzo Martinelli

©️ 2021 Enzo Martinelli

🇺🇸 To a stranger, by Walt Whitman

PASSING stranger! you do not know how longingly I look upon you,
You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me as of a dream,)
I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you,
All is recall'd as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,
You grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me,
I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become not yours only nor left my body mine only,
You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh, as we pass, you take of my beard, breast, hands, in return,
I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone,
I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again,
I am to see to it that I do not lose you.

🇪🇸 A un desconocido, de Walt Whitman

¡CAMINANTE desconocido! No sabes cuánto tiempo he estado anhelando por ti, 
Debes ser el que estaba buscando, o la que estaba buscando, (es como un sueño) 
Seguramente en algún lugar viví una vida feliz contigo, 
Todo vuelve a pasar rápidamente el uno al otro, fluido, cariñoso, casto, maduro, 
Creciste conmigo, eras un niño conmigo o una jovencita conmigo, 
Comí contigo y me acosté contigo, tu cuerpo no fue solo tuyo, ni dejó mi cuerpo solo mío, 
Me das el placer de tus ojos, tu rostro, tu carne, cuando nos encontramos, me tomas la barba, el pecho, las manos a cambio, 
Yo no tengo que hablar contigo, tengo que pensar en ti cuando estoy sentado solo o me despierto solo en la noche, 
Tengo que esperar, no tengo ninguna duda de volver a verte, 
Tengo que asegurarme de no conseguir perderte.

🇮🇹 Ad uno sconosciuto, di Walt Whitman

PASSANTE sconosciuto! Tu non sai da quanto tempo ti bramo,
Devi essere quello che stavo cercando, o quella che stavo cercando, (è come se fosse un sogno,)
Sicuramente da qualche parte ho vissuto una vita gioiosa con te,
Tutto ritorna mentre passiamo veloci uno vicino all’altro, fluido, affettuoso, casto, maturo,
Sei cresciuto con me, eri un ragazzo con me o una giovinetta con me,
Ho mangiato con te e dormito con te, il tuo corpo non è stato solo tuo, né ha lasciato il mio corpo solo mio,
Mi dai il piacere dei tuoi occhi, del tuo viso, della tua carne, mentre ci incontriamo, tu prenditi in cambio la mia barba, il petto, le mani,
Non devo parlarti, devo pensare a te quando sono seduto da solo o mi sveglio di notte da solo,
Devo aspettare, non dubito di incontrarti nuovamente,
Devo fare in modo di non perderti.