Eugenio Montale (1896 – 1981) - Italian poet, writer, editor and translator, recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature.

With thanks to WW1 from Italy on Twitter, whose post led to this research, and to AC Benus* for translating the poem for us 

Born in Genoa, Italy on 12th October 1896, Eugenio was was the youngest of six sons. His family were traders in chemical products. He gave up his secondary education and began to train as an opera singer.  During the First World War, Eugenio served as an Infantry Officer in the Italian Army on the Italian Front.   

Eugenio was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1975;   he died in Milan on 12th September 1981.

His poetry collection “Ossi di seppia” ("Cuttlefish Quills") was first published in 1925 and contains this poem, bearing in mind the title of the poem - "Valmorbia", it seems very likely that this was inspired by his First World War service in the Italian Army. 

"Valmorbia"

Valmorbia, discorrevano il tuo fondo

fioriti nuvoli di piante agli àsoli. 

Nasceva in noi, volti dal cieco caso, 

oblio del mondo.

Tacevano gli spari, nel grembo solitario 

non dava suono che il Leno roco. 

Sbocciava un razzo su lo stelo, fioco 

lacrimava nell'aría.

Le notti chiare erano tutte un'alba 

e portavano volpi alla mia grotta. 

Valmorbia, un nome – e ora nella scialba 

memoria, terra dove non annotta.

"Valmorbia" - Montale's poem translated into English for us by Poet, Writer, Historian AC Benus*

Valmorbia, your thick flowered clouds of plants on high

speak a breath of wind to your bottom lands.

Says, it's been left to us, by blind circumstances,

to face the world's oblivion.

Muffled were the gunshots in the solitary lap of depth

to grant no sound but that of the hoarse god of war.

Above, a rocket bloomed on a tall stem, dimly

weeping plaintively in the air.

The calm, clear nights all became the dawns of my discharge,

and they would drive forth the vixens into my dugout.

Valmorbia, a hollow name – now dulled in whitewashed

memory, a land with no sleep.

NOTE: Valmorbia is a hamlet in the municipality of Vallarsa, in the province of Trento, in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. Fort Pozzacchio was built there during World War I above Valmorbia, Italy. 

The fort was the last fortification of the barricade to be started on the imperial border with Italy. On the Italian side, the complex is called "Forte Pozzacchio".

Fort Pozzacchio, Italian Front, WW1

Sources:

https://liceocuneo.it/raimondo/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/Testi-Montale.pdf

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1975/montale/biographical/

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/eugenio-montale

http://www.worldwarone.it/2013/06/the-poets-and-world-war-valmorbia-by.html

https://www.summitpost.org/valmorbia-by-eugenio-montale-the-poet-soldier-on-the-summits-of-pasubio/814748

*AC Benus is the author of a book about German WW1 poet Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele : “The Thousandth Regiment: A Translation of and Commentary on Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele’s War Poems” by AC Benus (AC Benus, San Francisco, 2020). Along with Hans's story, the book includes original poems as well as translations.    ISBN: 978-1657220584

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1657220583