The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #52774   Message #814179
Posted By: Escamillo
30-Oct-02 - 02:27 AM
Thread Name: opera
Subject: RE: opera
Yes, it is ! The problems with these lyrics are that "irradial"is not an existent Spanish word, the original "aureola" (which makes sense) has been replaced by "Aurora", who knows why? , "la alta" is sung incorrectly "el alta" because otherwise it sounds horrible, "el áureo rostro imita" is a messy translation of the Italian and difficult to spell, the eagle itself is an European/ North American bird, while the CONDOR is the typical rapacious bird of the Andes mountains, and "que me ha " sounds identical to "que mea" (that pees). And of course, the title of the Aria is Canzone alla Bandiera and has nothing to do with the dawn. What a tough task is a translation !

Listen to the music and compare this to the Italian original:

Alta pel Cielo un aquila guerriera

Ardita s'erge a volo trionfale

Ha un'ala azzurra del color del mare

Ha un'ala azzurra del color del Cielo !

Cosí nel l'alta aureola irradiale

il rostro d'or punta de freccia appare

Porpora il teso collo e forma stello

l'ali son drappo e l'aquila e bandiera


E la bandiera del paese mío

nata nel Sole e che l'ha data Iddio
... etc.

Un abrazo,
Andrés