Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem "The Old Italians Dying" captures a poignant scene that spans the last moments of the old Italian-American immigrants as they pass away, juxtaposed against the backdrop of daily life in American cities. With a repetitive and reflective tone, Ferlinghetti emphasizes the inevitable passage of time and the cultural heritage fading with the passing of each generation.

The poem opens by setting the stage across America, where "For years the old Italians have been dying / all over America." This repeated action takes place under the sun in public parks, notably in Washington Square, which becomes a symbolic gathering place for these old men. Ferlinghetti portrays them in "faded felt hats" and "black high button shoes," which not only reflect their style but also symbolize a bygone era that clings to them.

As the poem progresses, Ferlinghetti describes the daily rituals that punctuate the lives of these men: "the slow bell / tolls in the morning / in the Church of Peter & Paul." This church bell, tolling for funerals in the morning and ringing faster for weddings in the afternoon, serves as a metaphor for the cycle of life and death. The old men witness these cycles, "sit sunning themselves in a row / on the wood benches in the park," observing life continue around them as they inch closer to their own ends.

Ferlinghetti dives deeper into the personal histories of these men, recounting their roots from various regions of Italy— "the Piemontesi the Genovesi the Siciliani" —and their complex political pasts, from those "who loved Mussolini" to "the ones who loved Garibaldi / the old anarchists reading L’Umanita Nova." This enumeration of affiliations provides a glimpse into the diverse and often controversial histories that these immigrants carried with them to America.

One of the most powerful aspects of the poem is the depiction of the widows, "the widows with the black long veils / who will outlive them all." These matriarchs, resilient and enduring, represent the strength of the women who keep the cultural fabric intact even as they mourn their spouses. Ferlinghetti portrays them with a dignity that contrasts sharply with the frailty of the old men, suggesting a deeper commentary on gender and survival.

The motif of the bell, which tolls throughout the poem, symbolizes the persistent and unending march of time. The old men, described with "lapstrake faces," are depicted in their final journey "hauled out of the hearses / by the paid pallbearer / in mafioso mourning coats & dark glasses." The ritual of death is both a spectacle and a deeply personal moment, shared publicly on the benches of Washington Square and within the walls of the church.

In the final stanzas, Ferlinghetti brings us back to the church, where an unfinished phrase from Dante’s "Paradiso" adorns the door, reflecting the unfinished lives and stories of these men. As they "watch it all with their hats on," they are portrayed as spectators to their own final act, waiting "for the bocce ball to stop rolling / waiting for the bell / for the slow bell / to be finished tolling."

"The Old Italians Dying" is a melancholic yet beautiful elegy to a fading generation, a meditation on the passage of time, the persistence of culture, and the silent dignity of watching and waiting. Ferlinghetti’s use of repetitive imagery, such as the tolling bells and the processions of life and death, weaves a poignant narrative that captures the essence of loss and the inevitability of change.

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