Il testamento di Tito
Fabrizio De André| La versione inglese di Dennis Criteser [2014] | |
| TITUS' WILL First, Thou shalt have no God but Me. This often made me reflect, Strangers who came from East unto me Said 'twas the very same thing; Though they believ’d in a different god, No harm have they done to me, Though they believ’d in a different god No harm have they done to me. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, The name of thy God, in vain. Nay, when a dagger did pierce my side My pain and thy Name did I shout; But the Lord, maybe, He was busy or was tir’d And did not hear all my pain, But He was, maybe, so distant and tir’d, I took, really, His name in vain. Thou shalt honour thy Father and Mother, Thou shalt honour their stick, too, And kiss the hand that broke your nose When you asked them them for some food; When my father’s heart ceased to beat I did not feel any grief, When my father’s heart ceased to beat I did not feel any grief. Thou shalt hallow the Lord’s holy days, ‘twas easy for a thief like me To get into temples resounding with psalms Of slaves, of their masters and all; Yet I’ve never laid bound to an altar in chains To be slaughter’d like a sheep, Yet I’ve never laid bound to an altar in chains To be slaughter’d like a sheep. Fifth commandment: Thou shalt not steal, And this must I have kept, for sure, When I cleanëd out the pockets and purses Of many an authorised thief, But I was an outlaw and robb’d in my own name, The others, in the name of the Lord, But I was an outlaw and robb’d in my own name, The others, in the name of the Lord. Thou shalt not commit impure acts, That is, do not waste your semen; Get a woman pregnant anytime you love her, So you will be a man full of faith; Then lust disappears and the child remains And many do starve by hunger; I’ve often confused my pleasure with love But I have created no sorrow. Seventh commandment: Thou shalt not kill If you want to ascend into Heaven; Well, see how this holy Commandment of God Was nail’d thrice to a wooden cross; Look at this Nazarene dying in pain And a thief’s dying the same death, Look at this Nazaren dying in pain And a thief’s dying the same death. Thou shalt not bear false witness, yes,. And you will help them kill someone; They all know the Laws of God by heart But always forget their forgiveness; I’ve perjured by God and my word And I don’t regret it, I don’t, I’ve perjured by God and my word And I don’t regret it and won’t. Thou shalt not covet other people’s things, Nor lust after another man’s wife; Go tell it to those most lucky of men Who do have a woman and wealth, In other men’s beds, in the warmth of love I did not feel any regret, Yesterday’s envy isn’t all over yet, Today I envy you your life. But now that the evening is drawing near To release my eyes from pain, And the sun is slipping down beyond the clouds To violate other nights, I’m looking, mother, at this dying man, Mother, I’m now feeling grief, In the compassion not yielding to grudge Mother, I am learning to love. | TITO'S WILL Tito: “You shall have no other gods before me. It often made me think: different peoples hailing from the East said that essentially it’s all the same. They believed in another one, different from you, and they've done me no harm. They believed in another one, different from you, and they've done me no harm. Don’t take the name of God, don’t take it in vain. With a knife planted in my hip I shouted my pain and his name: but perhaps he was tired, perhaps too busy, and he didn’t hear my sorrow. But maybe he was tired, maybe too far away, indeed I did take it in vain. Honor the father, honor the mother, and honor also their rod, kiss the hand that broke your nose because you asked for a morsel: when my father’s heart stopped I felt no sorrow. When my father’s heart stopped I felt no sorrow. Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy. Easy for us thieves to enter the temples that regurgitate psalms of slaves and of their masters, tied without end to the altars, slaughtered like animals. Without end, tied to the altars, slaughtered like animals. The fifth says you shall not steal, and maybe I obeyed it, emptying in silence the pockets already bulging with things they had stolen: But I, lawless, stole in my name; those others, in the name of God. But I, lawless, stole in my name; those others, in the name of God. Don’t commit acts that aren't pure, that is, don’t scatter your semen. Impregnate a woman every time you love her and thus you will be a man of faith: then the desire vanishes and the child remains, and hunger kills so many of them. I, perhaps, confused pleasure and love: but I didn’t create sorrow. The seventh says not to kill if you want to be worthy of Heaven. Look at it today, this law of God, three times nailed to the wood: look at the end of that Nazarethan, and a thief dies no less. Look at the end of that Nazarethan, and a thief dies no less. Don’t bear false witness and help them to kill a man. They know it by heart, the divine right, and always forget the pardon: I perjured on God and on my honor, and no, I don’t feel any sorrow. I perjured on God and on my honor, and no, I don’t feel any sorrow. Don’t covet the possessions of others and don’t covet the wife. Tell it to those, ask it of the few, who have a woman and something: in the beds of others, already warm with love, I felt no sorrow. Yesterday's envy isn't done yet: this evening I’ll envy your life. But now that evening comes and darkness removes the sorrow from my eyes and the sun slips down beyond the dunes to violate other nights: I, in seeing this man who is dying, Mother, I feel sorrow. In the piety that doesn’t yield to resentment, Mother, I learned love.” |
