La Canzone del Sole - Lucio Battisti

Thread: La Canzone del Sole - Lucio Battisti

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  1. bellacomeilsole said:

    Default La Canzone del Sole - Lucio Battisti

    I've already translated this song myself, but then found a translation of it online where there were a couple of lines that were different from what I thought. Could you guys help me to figure out which translation is correct? I'm thinking maybe some of them are idioms I've just never heard. Below is the translation I found. The starred parts are the parts I translated differently, as well as just a couple questions I had.

    Le bionde trecce gli occhi azzurri e poi Blonde braids, blue eyes, and then
    le tue calzette rosse your red socks
    e l’innocenza sulle gote tue And the innocence on your cheeks –
    due arance ancor più rosse two oranges redder still
    e la cantina buia dove noi, respiravamo piano And the dark cellar where we breathed softly
    e le tue corse l’eco dei tuoi no, oh no And your running, the echo of your “no’s” – oh, no
    mi stai facendo paura you’re scaring me
    dove sei stata cosa hai fatto mai? Where you have you been, what on earth have you done? * Where have you been, what have you never done?
    una donna, donna, dimmi “A woman” – woman, tell me
    cosa vuol dir sono una donna ormai? What does it mean: “I’m a woman now” ?
    ma quante braccia ti hanno stretto tu lo sai How many arms have held you - you know [the answer]
    per diventar quel che sei to become what you are?
    che importa tanto tu non me lo dirai What does it matter – in any case, you won’t tell me. *it matters a lot but you won't tell me
    purtroppo Unfortunately.
    ma ti ricordi l’acqua verde e noi But do you remember the green water and us,
    le rocce e il bianco fondo The rocks and the white sea floor?
    di che colore sono gli occhi tuoi? What color are your eyes?
    se me lo chiedi non rispondo If you ask me, I won’t answer.
    oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea…
    tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me. *Just a question, why is it "chiaro" here instead of "chiara"
    oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea…
    tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me.
    Le biciclette abbandonate sopra il prato e poi The bicycles abandoned on the grass and then
    noi due distesi all’ombra We two stretched out in the shade.
    un fiore in bocca può servire sai A flower in the mouth can be useful, you know
    più allegro tutto sembra Everything seems more cheerful.
    e d’improvviso quel silenzio tra noi And suddenly that silence between us
    e quel tuo sguardo strano And that strange look of yours.
    ti cade il fiore dalla bocca e poi… The flower falls from your mouth and then…
    oh no ferma ti prego la mano Oh, no, please – stop your hand.
    dove sei stata, cosa hai fatto mai? Where have you been, what on earth have you done?
    una donna, donna, donna dimmi “A woman” – woman? - woman, tell me
    cosa vuol dir “sono una donna ormai”? What does it mean: “I’m a woman now” ?
    Io non conosco quel sorriso sicuro che hai I don’t know that secure smile that you have
    non so chi sei, non so più chi sei I don’t know who you are, I don’t know who you are anymore
    mi fai paura oramai, purtroppo You scare me now - unfortunately.
    ma ti ricordi le onde grandi e noi Do you remember the big waves and us
    gli spruzzi e le tue risa The splashes and your laughs
    cos’è rimasto in fondo agli occhi tuoi? What remains at the bottom of your eyes?
    la fiamma è spenta o è accesa Has the flame gone out or does it still burn?
    Oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea…
    tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me.
    oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea…
    tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me. You were clear and transparent as me.
    Il sole quando sorge, sorge piano e poi The sun when it rises, rises slowly and then
    la luce si diffonde tutto intorno a noi The light spreads all around us
    le ombre di fantasmi nella notte The shadows of phantoms in the night
    sono alberi e cespugli ancora in fiore Are trees and bushes still in flower *ancora in fiore...does this mean still in bloom, or something else?
    sono gli occhi di una donna ancora pieni d’amore They’re the eyes of a woman, still full of love.

    Thank you guys for your help!
     
  2. Lady_A said:

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    dove sei stata cosa hai fatto mai? Where you have you been, what on earth have you done? * Where have you been, what have you never done?
    -----> I'd say it's the first one; "mai" here has the meaning of "ever"

    che importa, tanto tu non me lo dirai What does it matter – in any case, you won’t tell me. *it matters a lot but you won't tell me
    -----> I'd say it's the first one (we have to put a comma after "che importa")

    tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me. *Just a question, why is it "chiaro" here instead of "chiara"
    -----> because it reffers to "il mare" which is a masculine noun: il mare era chiaro e trasparente

    sono alberi e cespugli ancora in fiore Are trees and bushes still in flower *ancora in fiore...does this mean still in bloom, or something else?
    -----> yes, still in bloom
     
  3. bellacomeilsole said:

    Default

    thank you so much! everything makes so much sense now!

    the first one, i'm realizing, probably means something like "what ever have you done?" which is definitely the same idea as the first translation

    second one...i see now! the comma helps a lot. also, i didn't know tanto could be used in that way...there are always new things to learn!

    the third one...i was always thinking he was referring to the girl, which is was of course, but is describing the sea!

    thanks again, this helped me so much!
     
  4. Lady_A said:

    Default

    You are welcome! Translations from/to foreign languages are always up for interpretation