Summer Evening

‘I Know Not How It Falls On Me’

I know not how it falls on me,
This summer evening, hushed and lone;
Yet the faint wind comes soothingly
With something of an olden tone.

Forgive me if I’ve shunned so long
Your gentle greeting, earth and air!
But sorrow withers even the strong,
And who can fight against despair?

Emily Brontë (1818 – 1848)

The summer evening “falls” with a sorrowful note, but the acceptance of that sad feeling allows the poet to connect with the earth and breathe its air, something neglected in the past. Therefore she regrets having been overwhelmed by melancholy and therefore unable to see the beauty in life.
But even though she feels stronger now, it is difficult for her to fight against “despair”.

Non so come mi cada addosso
questa sera d’estate, silenziosa e solitaria;
eppure ila brezza arriva e consola
con una nota che sa d’antico.

Perdonatemi se ho evitato così a lungo
il vostro dolce saluto, terra e aria!
Ma il dolore fa appassire anche chi è forte,
e chi riesce a combattere contro la disperazione?

(Trad: L.Z.)