# drusiaca



## jedna

Hello people,

I'm trying to translate a poem from the Italian Giuseppe Ungaretti.
It's a poem about Sao Paulo, and the very first word of it 'Drusiaca' I do not understand.
Cannot find it on the net, nor in the Italian encyclopedia, nor in the Italian dictionaries 
This is the first line of the verse: Drusiaca città, celandoti notturna.
Now I found a Portuguese translation which says:
"Cidade coberta de cristais, véu noturno."
But if I search for the Italian translation for 'cristais' , i find cristallo, so cristal.
Is that word: Drusiaca, possible a Portuguese word for a certain type of cristal?

If somebody could help me out here, I would be very grateful,
Thanks in advance
Jedna


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## Bahiano

Hi Jedna,

I'd rather ask in the Italian Forum for "drusiaco"... ;-)


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## jedna

Okay, Bahiano, I'll do that. At least I know that it isn't a Portuguese word!
Thank you for your reply,

Jedna


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## Guigo

Wasn't it a reference to the historical name Druso or Drusus, with so many representatives during the Roman Empire and especially during the times of Paulo de Tarso? 

Just remember that Nero after adoption was named Nero Claudius Caesar _Drusus_ Germanicus.


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## jedna

Hello Guigo,

I think you are a 100% right with your idea. Must be!
I'll go and read the Wikipedia-history to know what it's about and can go on with my translation right away.
So, thank you so much for your kind answer, 
Best wishes,
Jedna


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## Archimec

Could it be "druidic"?


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## Vanda

As  Guigo said it: from Drusus, Portuguese: Druso. So, cidade drusiana.


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## elemika

But maybe the author was thinking about "druses"  -  crystals of minerals, like here.

And in Italian - here

He addressed himself to San Paolo (Brasilia): maybe there are such deposits there...or the town looks a bit like a"druse"?


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## Vanda

That is the problem, elemika, São Paulo is not known by having crystals...


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## Guigo

I tried to make a relation between the city and the saint, since Paul, the apostle, was executed during the ruling of a Druso (the ill-famed Nero)... 

IMHO, the Italian author invented the word "drusiaca" (for poetic purposes) and the translator 'splashed in the mayonaise'. 

Anyway, the Latin name _*drusus*_ seems to have a Celtic origin with the meaning of _strong, powerful; _hence "drusiaca" may mean something along these lines.


EDIT: Sorry people but I went to the famous 'donkeys' father' and found the following (Houaiss). I believe now that I was _viajando na maionese_! 

*Drusa (1873) (alemão Druse)*

*1geol grupamento irregular de cristais no interior de um geodo ou em cavidades de filões, formado por pequenos cristais pertencentes a outro mineral

*


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## Vanda

O pior é que não conhecemos isso em São Paulo. Quem já ouviu dizer que SP é rico em cristais? Se ainda fosse Minas...


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## Guigo

Vanda said:


> O pior é que não conhecemos isso em São Paulo. Quem já ouviu dizer que SP é rico em cristais? Se ainda fosse Minas...



Poderia ser uma referência às vidraças e às vitrinas das lojas e das fachadas dos prédios. Nisso, a cidade de São Paulo excede!

Elemika estava no caminho certo, creio!


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## elemika

Guigo said:


> Poderia ser uma referência às vidraças e às vitrinas das lojas e das fachadas dos prédios. Nisso, a cidade de São Paulo excede!
> 
> Elemika estava no caminho certo, creio!



Sorry ,
I see now that São Paulo has the third highest density of buildings in the world.
And the center could resemble "una drusa" ("a druse"): CLICK
 I tried to interpret the translation given by Jedna...even though there could be another options ...


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## jedna

Good morning, all of you!

Thank you so much for all your efforts and reactions.
I will go and study them all, sure that I will find the right one here.

Best regards. and thank you so much,
Jedna


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## jedna

Hello members,
After having read and thought over all (to me understandble) answers (don't speak Portuguese, sorry), I think I go for the answer from Elemika. This one fits the best, in my opinion, with the Portuguese translation, an then,
if I look at the link with the aerial photo of the city, and see this one  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congonhas-São_Paulo_Airport (please scroll to the photo below) one can see the similarity.

So, again, thank you for all your efforts,
Best regards
Jedna


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## jedna

Hello Guigo,

Some minutes ago I wrote that I would 'go' for the cristal-option. But then I found that the Portuguese word 'Druso', translated into Dutch means:
follower of...
So I think you were right too, and know now that 'Drusiaca' is probably one of Ungaretti's famous 'double-meaning-words'.

So thank you for your help!
Regards Jedna


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## infinite sadness

Che ne pensi di una possibile derivazione da "drudo"? In questo caso potrebbe essere qualcosa tipo "luxuriosa cidade".

drudo
[drù-do]
 A  s.m. (f. _-da_)

  	1 lett. Amante, anche spreg.: ella non ha d. Pascoli

  	2 ant. Fedele difensore, fedele amico


  B  agg.

  	1 ant., lett. Leale, devoto
‖ ant. Amoroso

*2 ant. o lett. Lussurioso, lascivo*: pantera druda Carducci


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## Vanda

As you can see, we natives can't put two and two of it! It might be a metaphor that only Italians would understand.


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## infinite sadness

Entiendo. 
Pero, una vez que el diccionario italiano dice "drudo = lussurioso, lascivo", si esta fuera la solución, no sería más una metáfora.


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## Vanda

One more possibility! Ang that one would be more ''accurate'' to São Paulo, but who knows?


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