The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #84539   Message #1560539
Posted By: Ferrara
10-Sep-05 - 01:48 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: O Paese d'o sole - translation requested
Subject: RE: O Paese d'o sole
I'll do the best I can. Here's the first verse. It's lovely, brings up memories of Naples for me (my father was born near there.) It's a song of nostalgia and joy on returning to Naples, but the Naples it writes about is mostly in the past, I suspect.

I've translated it literally and line by line in hopes you can get a feeling for the meaning of the Neapolitan words. I've also translated a few of the Neapolitan words into Italian [in square brackets] but I dont' know if I'll do that for every verse. I apologize, I need to post it verse by verse because I'm afraid of losing all this work if I don't post it right away! - Rita Ferrara

O paese d'o sole………by.D'Annibale
Oh land of sunshine (of the sun)


1.
Ogge stó' tanto allero [allegro, happy]
Today I am so happy

ca, quase quase, mme mettesse a chiagnere [piangere, cry]
that, almost, I started to cry

pe' 'sta felicitá...
for this happiness....

Ma è overo o nun è overo [overo = vero, true]
But ... is it true, or is it not true

ca só' turnato a Napule?
that I have returned to Napoli?

Ma è overo ca stó' ccá? [ca sto cca == que sto qua, that I am here]
But ... is it true that I am here?

'O treno steva ancora 'int''a stazione
The train was still standing in the station

quanno aggio 'ntiso 'e primme manduline...
when I heard the first mandolins...

(chorus) Chist'è 'o paese d''o sole, , etc.