…Lo maggior corno de la fiamma antica
cominciò a crollarsi mormorando,
pur come quella cui vento affatica;
indi la cima qua e là menando,
come fosse la lingua che parlasse,
gittò voce di fuori e disse: «Quando
mi diparti’ da Circe, che sottrasse
me più d’un anno là presso a Gaeta,
prima che sì Enëa la nomasse,
né dolcezza di figlio, né la pieta
del vecchio padre, né ‘l debito amore
lo qual dovea Penelopè far lieta,
vincer potero dentro a me l’ardore
ch’i’ ebbi a divenir del mondo esperto
e de li vizi umani e del valore;
ma misi me per l’alto mare aperto
sol con un legno e con quella compagna
picciola da la qual non fui diserto.
L’un lito e l’altro vidi infin la Spagna,
fin nel Morrocco, e l’isola d’i Sardi,
e l’altre che quel mare intorno bagna.
Io e ‘ compagni eravam vecchi e tardi
quando venimmo a quella foce stretta
dov’ Ercule segnò li suoi riguardi
acciò che l’uom più oltre non si metta;
da la man destra mi lasciai Sibilia,
da l’altra già m’avea lasciata Setta.
“O frati”, dissi, “che per cento milia
perigli siete giunti a l’occidente,
a questa tanto picciola vigilia
d’i nostri sensi ch’è del rimanente
non vogliate negar l’esperïenza,
di retro al sol, del mondo sanza gente.
Considerate la vostra semenza:
fatti non foste a viver come bruti,
ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza”.
Li miei compagni fec’ io sì aguti,
con questa orazion picciola, al cammino,
che a pena poscia li avrei ritenuti;
e volta nostra poppa nel mattino,
de’ remi facemmo ali al folle volo,
sempre acquistando dal lato mancino.
Tutte le stelle già de l’altro polo
vedea la notte, e ‘l nostro tanto basso,
che non surgëa fuor del marin suolo.
Cinque volte racceso e tante casso
lo lume era di sotto da la luna,
poi che ‘ntrati eravam ne l’alto passo,
quando n’apparve una montagna, bruna
per la distanza, e parvemi alta tanto
quanto veduta non avëa alcuna.
Noi ci allegrammo, e tosto tornò in pianto;
ché de la nova terra un turbo nacque
e percosse del legno il primo canto.
Tre volte il fé girar con tutte l’acque;
a la quarta levar la poppa in suso
e la prora ire in giù, com’ altrui piacque,
infin che ‘l mar fu sovra noi richiuso».

The future of Europe is strongly conditioned by the crisis, but not only. We have analised the reason why the crisis is on the european nations; we have talked about the strong economical interests of America and the political schemes set up by american istitutions, however they don’t explain until the bottom the future situation. I’m strongly convinced that could be a future for Europe only if all the nations will decide to leave many of their own caracteristic prerogatives for a new political and economical subject: the united nations of Europe. It’s very hard for the ancient continent to decide to give up to centuries of history, traditions, political decisions, power, conflicts, fights that have been the main characteristic during more than 2000 years. I don’t think that will be another way to come out from this difficult situation. Alas the main obstacle is the present political leadership, expecially in Germany and France. Angela Merkel, the german chancellor, seems not to be at the same level of her “political father”, Helmut Kohl. This one was the main actor of the reunion of Germany, as follower of the Ostplitik of Willy Brandt, and political scandals apart, maybe the most capable political man that Germany has had in the last 30/40 years. We can’t say for sure that a woman or a man like him could have been more adapted to understand the path to lead Europe towards a different future, but Angela Merkel seems not to be able to do it. She comes from a scientific education and she has had a shortsighted vision about the integration of Turkey into the EU, making the adversion against this possibility as one her strong point during the political elections of 2003. She was also in favour of the invasion of Iraq like an “inevitable action” and she strongly accused the chancellor Gerhard Schröder to be an anti-american. So the figure of this political leader is quite disputable, especially if we consider that is the leader of the main economy in Europe and of the leading country aswell. More atypical seems to be the french President Nicolas Sarkozy. Degree in law and political science, he has a mixture of decisionism typical of the Torys and openings typical of neoliberal parties. Nevertheless he hasn’t the political highness to lead Europe towards a very difficult, but necessary union. I don’t mention the United Kingdom, ’cause it’s a peculiar story that of the relationship between UK and USA against Europe. Nothing to say, unfortunately, about Italy: we don’t have a such leading figure to push up the other nations towards this kind of changing. And isn’t a such figure our prime Minister Mario Monti, capable to reach this goal. So, we must just hope for a new generation of leaders, but not so far in the future, because we don’t have so much time to wait for.