Sicilian Emigrant’s Song
Sicilian Emigrant’s Song - context Summary
Published in Al Que Quiere!
Published in 1917 in Williams’s collection Al Que Quiere!, this short lyric adopts a Sicilian emigrant voice to dramatize homesickness and the transatlantic move. The speaker contrasts Palermo’s "blue" sky and warm evenings with the new land’s "gray" dawn and cold wind. Songlike refrains and direct address to Donna/Maria create intimacy; the closing promise to "sing thee more songs after the landing" frames the poem as hopeful longing amid displacement.
Read Complete AnalysesO—EH—lee! La—la! Donna! Donna! Blue is the sky of Palermo; Blue is the little bay; And dost thou remember the orange and fig, The lively sun and the sea breeze at evening? Hey—la! Donna! Donna! Maria! O—eh—li! La—la! Donna! Donna! Gray is the sky of this land. Gray and green is the water. I see no trees, dost thou? The wind Is cold for the big woman there with the candle. Hey—la! Donna! Donna! Maria! O—eh—li! O—la! Donna! Donna! I sang thee by the blue waters; I sing thee here in the gray dawning. Kiss, for I put down my guitar; I’ll sing thee more songs after the landing. O Jesu, I love thee! Donna! Donna! Maria!
Feel free to be first to leave comment.