Vernacular Poetry of Southern Italy Translated by Cav. Charles Sant’Elia

Cav. Charles Sant’Elia

In addition to the promulgation of the faith and charitable works, our very own Cav. Charles Sant’Elia, in conjunction with the website Il Regno, has been assiduously translating the Neapolitan, Calabrian, and Sicilian verse of contemporary and historical Duosiciliani poets into English, many for the first time, as part of the US Delegation’s cultural mission to foster knowledge of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Royal Family.

Most recently, Cav. Sant’Elia tackled the epic ‘O Luciano d’’o Re by the great Neapolitan poet Ferdinando Russo. Beginning on November 25th, the 152nd anniversary of Russo’s birthday, the annotated poem was published in three installments due to its length. Links to the work have been provided below.

• ‘O Luciano d’’o Re - The King’s Luciano (Parts I-III)
• ‘O Luciano d’’o Re - The King’s Luciano (Parts IV-VI)
• ‘O Luciano d’’o Re - The King’s Luciano (Parts VII-IX)

A two-way street, it has been confirmed that Cav. Sant’Elia has translated Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven into Neapolitan. This is scheduled to be published on January 19, 2019, like with Russo, in honor of the Poe’s 210th birthday.