Mario Luzi, 11 settembre, 2001.

Desiderio di pace

Si sono mescolati                                                           1

in quella frenesia di morte

dell’estremo affronto i sangui,

l’arabo, l’ebreo,

il cristiano, l’indio.                                                          5

E ora vi richiamerà

qualcuno ai vostri fasti.

Risorgete, risorgete,

non più torri, ma steli,

gigli di preghiera.                                                            10

Avvenga per desiderio

di pace. Di pace vera.

What immediately strikes the reader’s attention, is that the title refers to a wish but doesn’t say whose it is. This catches the reader’s attention and allow him to make hypotheses: it could be the narrator’s wish, but it could be also someone else’s. Also, the word “pace”, “peace”, implies that there is a not peaceful situation. The title does not provide further information, and the reader has to read the text in order to find out who wishes peace and why he/she does it.

As regards the layout, the text is a poem consisting of a single stanza. It can be divided into four parts, each corresponding to the sentences the poem is made of.

The first sentence matches the reader’s hypotheses about a non-peaceful atmosphere: indeed, the poem is opened by a scenario marked by death. Death is connoted by the word “frenesia”, it seems to be an urge: the run-on-lines between lines 1-2 and 2-3 convey the reader an idea of amuck (follia omicida) – the first three lines are to be read faster. The massacre involves people belonging to different religious codes: the “mixture” of different people is emphasized by the position of the verb “si sono mescolati” (line 1). It is also important to point out that the narrator used religion as a criteria to distinguish people: the reason behind the choice is found in the following lines. At line 9, the narrator directly addresses two towers (“non più torri”), thus making the reader aware that the poem is about the World Trade Center attack. By mentioning different religious codes, the narrator may be making a reference to the religious causes of the attack (Islam).

In the second sentence, the narrator addresses the Twin Towers, and he does it with hope and nostalgia: “vi riporterà ai vostri fasti” implies that he wants the Twin Towers to be restored, even though with some differences, as the following lines will make clear. In particular, the word “qualcuno” implies that since people can’t do bring the Towers back in a symbolical way, they want someone else to do it.

The role of “spokesman” is the link with the third sentence: it is the narrator who takes on the role and speaks for everyone. Indeed, only literature and arts in general have the power to bring back something such as the Twin Towers. In particular, the narrator invokes the Towers and asks them to resurrect (line 8: “risorgete”) as a lily (“giglio di preghiera”). The lily is a flower that carries many meanings, one of them being linked to Christian religion: the lily is associated to the Virgin Mary and therefore is a symbol of chastity and purity (it is said that when Mary first met Joseph he had a lily between his hands, and that’s the reason why she chose him). Both the lily and the resurrection are linked to Christianity: the narrator makes a reference to religion and the reason may be to give hope.

As a conclusion, the narrator says that the Towers should reborn as a symbol of peace and hope. In the last sentence, it is implied that they were first built as a symbol of economic and technological progress. However, such thing implies (America’s) superiority on other countries and it may be considered not fair. Therefore, if the Towers will be built, be it as a sign of peace, union and equality.

As regards the message of the poem, I think the poet wants the reader to understand that it is worth fighting for values such as life and peace, and not for one’s culture or religion. Fighting other religions/cultures in order to prove the supremacy of one’s religion or culture is wrong. However, it doesn’t mean that belonging to a particular religion is wrong: one just has to do it with respect towards the Other.