Η ΣΟΝΑΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΣΕΛΗΝΟΦΩΤΟΣ / MOONLIGHT SONATA
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Autor:
YIANNIS RITSOS
Country:
Greece (GR)
Book Theme:
Poets representing your country poetry
Publisher:
KEDROS
Publishing Year:
1990
Yiannis Ritsos is considered today as one of the great Greek poets of the twentieth century. He was a Communist and his poetry was banned at times in Greece due to his left wing views. But what makes him interesting is that he was not an atheist, his poems resound with belief, belief not in a father figure God who will make everything alright, but belief in a power which perhaps was beyond our comprehension, for which reverence was due. Not only was he a child when a series of tragic blows struck his family, including the death of his mother and eldest brother from TB, but he himself suffered his entire life from tuberculosis as well. Yet another example of a poet who saw that sometimes we have to have been in hell to create heaven.
National Award for Children’s and Young People’s
Abstract
“Moonlight Sonata” by Yiannis Ritsos is a poignant monologue set in the dead of night, capturing the reflective and melancholic voice of an elderly woman. The narrative unfolds in a small, dimly lit room where the woman engages in an intimate conversation with a younger visitor, presumably a man. She shares her deep sense of disillusionment and loneliness, as she reminisces about her youth, love, and the passage of time.
Through her monologue, the woman reveals her inner turmoil and yearning for a life that has passed her by. She expresses a longing for escape, a desire to leave behind the constraints of her current existence and the societal expectations that have stifled her true self. The moonlight, a recurring motif in the poem, symbolizes both illumination and the cold, distant beauty of the life she dreams of but cannot attain.
The woman’s reflections are interwoven with vivid imagery and lyrical language, as Ritsos masterfully conveys the depth of her emotions and the universal themes of aging, regret, and the unfulfilled desires that haunt human existence. The poem’s somber tone and introspective nature invite readers to contemplate their own lives and the passage of time.
“Moonlight Sonata” is a powerful exploration of the human condition, capturing the essence of Ritsos’s poetic genius. Through the voice of the elderly woman, Ritsos delves into the complexities of memory, identity, and the inexorable march of time, leaving readers with a profound sense of empathy and introspection.
