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Mar. 9, 2005 One of the premier Italian songs, of course, is “’O Sole Mio” (My Sun), which appeared in 1898, with music by Eduardo di Capua and lyrics by Giovanni Capurro. The original song is in the Neapolitan dialect of the Italian language, that is, the dialect spoken in Naples, but there is a version in standard Italian too. I have written both versions below, with my own translation of the Italian lyrics, which, apparently, are themselves a faithful translation of the Neapolitan lyrics. It’s not always possible to find the meaning of a Neapolitan word you don’t know, but there are online Italian-English dictionaries. The song was sung in Neapolitan or Italian by Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarroti, Mario Lanza and others. There were two English versions, one called “There’s No Tomorrow”, from 1949, and one called “It’s Now or Never”, from 1960. But I’ve decided just to omit them, inasmuch as they have so little to do with the original lyrics. I became familiar with the melody as early as 1950, when it appeared in English, but it wasn’t till about 1984 that I learned the Neapolitan lyrics, which are the only ones I sing. The melody can be heard at this URL: http://ingeb.org/songs/osolemio.mid ’O SOLE MIO (Neapolitan lyrics) Che bella cosa na jurnata’e sole, N’aria serena doppo na tempesta. Pe’ll’aria fresca pare gia’ na festa Che bella cosa na jurnata‘e sole. Refrain : Ma n’atu sole cchiu bello, oi ne’ O sole mio sta ’nfronte a te, O sole, o sole mio, Sta ’nfronte a te, sta ’nfronte a te. Lùceno ’e ’llastre d’a fenesta toia, ’Na lavannara canta e se ne vanta, E pe’ tramente torce, spanna e canta, Lùceno ’e ’llastre d’a fenesta toia, Refrain Quanno fa notte e ‘o sole se ne scenne, Mme vene quase ’na malincunia. Sotto ’a fenesta toia restaria, Quanno fa notte e ‘o sole se ne scenne. Refrain IL SOLE MIO (Standard Italian lyrics) Che bella cosa una giornata di sole, Un’aria serena dopo la tempesta! Per l’aria fresca pare già una festa. Che bella cosa una giornata di sole! Refrain: Ma un altro sole più bello non c’è. Il sole mio sta in fronte a te. Il sole, il sole mio, Sta in fronte a te, sta in fronte a te. Luccicano i vetri della tua finestra. Una lavandaia canta e si vanta. Mentre strizza, stende e canta, Luccicano i vertí della tua finestra. Refrain Quando fa sera e il sole se ne scende, Mi viene quasi una malinconia. Resterei sotto la tua finestra, Quando fa sera e il sole se ne scende. Refrain ’O SOLE MIO (Translation) What a beautiful thing is a sunny day, A gentle breeze after the storm! Through the fresh air already appears a feast. What a beautiful thing is a sunny day! Refrain: But another, lovelier sun doesn’t exist. My sun is your face. The sun, my sun, Is your face, is your face. There’s a light in the panes of your window. A laundress sings and boasts. While she wrings and spreads and sings, There’s a light in the panes of your window. Refrain When night is falling and the sun is setting, A feeling almost like melancholy overcomes me. I would stop under your window, When night is falling and the sun is setting. Refrain ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so far. I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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