Line 1

The title of Ungaretti's poem "Variations on Nothing" is as much a part of the poem summary as any of its twelve lines. There is a resounding sense of negativity that recurs throughout the brief but poignant work, and the premise of "nothing[ness]" and "negligib[ility]" makes for an unsettling poetic environment overall. In the first line, it is a "bit of sand" that is "negligible"—a word meaning something so small and insignificant that it can be disregarded and forgotten. While the irony of the word is not evident in this first mention of it, later its important paradox will be revealed.

Line 2

Line 2 explains that the sand is in an "hourglass" and that it slides "Without a sound and settles" at the bottom of the container. The description of the granules silently falling into place serves to emphasize their negligibility. It is like any...