'Italian' Lady Isobel

Subject: 'Italian' Lady Isobel
From: dorareever
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 03:25 PM

I know the lyrics of an italian song which is very similar in subject (don't know about the tune because is sung to many different tunes.)to various versions of "Lady Isobel and the Elf-Knight".I post translation of the words and maybe ,if you're interested, the original lyrics as well.Let me know what you think.Translation from dialect into italian then english is a bit hard to do... sorry... (the title given in the book is "an heroine")

The count son wants to marry and he goes to ask/ goes to ask a "Munfreina" she is the knight's daughter/on Saturday they were engaged and on Sunday they were married/He took her around for 50 miles and never said a word/first time he spoke he spoke these words:/"Look there,fair "munfreina" this castle/I already took 52 "munfreine" there/ of 52 "munfreine" I cut off the head/When you will be there I'll do the same with you"/"listen,Count,give me your sword"/"Oh,fair munfreina, what you wan to do with it?"/"I want to cut off a branch for giving some shade to my horse"/when she had the sword she put it through his heart/"go,go,count in those deep ravines"/she turned her horse and went back/the first man she met was her brother/"oh tell me fair munfreina,how long have you been there?"/"We met the bandits and they killed my husband"/"oh tell me fair munfreina,you kill him didn't you?"/"yes,brother,I want to tell the truth,they haven't been the bandits to kill my husband"/"oh,tell me fair munfreina you have to come back home now"/"oh no my brother I don't want to go home,I want to go to Rome/to the Pope for confession

Okay this translation really SUCKS!

bye,Dora

Subject: RE: 'Italian' Lady Isobel
From: JenEllen
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 04:13 PM

Please post your Italian lyrics! I'd be interested to see them. Link to DT Lady Isabel lyrics.
~J

Subject: RE: 'Italian' Lady Isobel
From: MMario
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 04:22 PM

dora - I wouldn't say your translation "sucks" - as you said - to translate from dialect to italian and then to english is difficult.

(boy - you can say that again....I took "standard" Italian in college hoping to surprise my grandmother by speaking to her in her native tongue - the vocabulary differences and pronunciation differences made it nearly impossible - and she accused me of having a Neopolitan accent!)

Your translation certainly carries the essence of the storyline.

Subject: RE: 'Italian' Lady Isobel
From: dorareever
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 05:49 PM

hey MMario is your grandmother from *where* in Italy? I liked your story about her. :)

Subject: RE: 'Italian' Lady Isobel
From: pavane
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 06:03 PM

Just been in Friuli, (NE Italy) for the Paliodonna (see other thread) - they have their own language there too, but we don't speak Italian anyway, so it doesn't make much difference.

Subject: RE: 'Italian' Lady Isobel
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 09:07 PM

There can be scarcely a country in Europe (and further afield) where this story is not known in at least one form; usually several.  F.J. Child mentioned a number of Italian sets, in which the heroine's name is variously Monchesa (or Monchisa), Mampresa, Monferrina, and so on.   This earlier thread:  The Outlandish Knight  includes links to quite a lot of related material available online at -relatively- reliable sites.

We would all, I think, be very interested to see an Italian-language version (standard Italian or dialect, it doesn't matter) if you would like to post it here; even more so if you are able to give us a tune as well.  Thankyou for mentioning this; I look forward to hearing more.