Originale | Traduzione siciliana / Sicilian translation / Traduction sicilienne... |
THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA | A BANNA SUNAVA WALTZING MATILDA |
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Now when I was a young man I carried me pack | Quannu era picciottu mi carriava un saccu |
And I lived the free life of the rover. | e faciva la vita libbera d’ un vacabunnu. |
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback, | Di li favari virdi do Murray [1] ‘nsinu a li cuntrati sicchi, |
Well, I waltzed my Matilda all over. | nsumma, mi carriava a tutti banni la me Waltzing Matilda. |
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Then in 1915, my country said, "Son, | Appressu, no 1915, u me paisi mi dissi: “ Figghiu, |
It's time you stop ramblin', there's work to be done." | è ura ca finisci di vacabbunnari, c’è travagghiu di fari”. |
So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun, | Mi dettiru n’elmettu e un fucili, |
And they marched me away to the war. | e mi fuddaru a jiri luntanu a la uerra. |
And the band played "Waltzing Matilda," | E la banna sunava Waltzing Matilda |
As the ship pulled away from the quay, | mentri a nave lassava u portu, |
And amidst all the cheers, the flag waving, and tears, | e ammenzu scrusci di manu, banneri ca paliavanu e chianti |
We sailed off for Gallipoli. | partemmu ppi Gallipoli. |
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And how well I remember that terrible day, | Comu m’arricordu bonu ddu jornu terribili, |
How our blood stained the sand and the water; | e comu lu nostru sangu nchiappau rina e mari; |
And of how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay | e comu ‘nne ddu ‘nfernu ca chiamanu baia di Süvla |
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter. | nni scannaru comu agneddi a la ucciria. |
Johnny Turk, he was waitin', he primed himself well; | U Turcu [2] nni stava spittannu, s’aviva priparatu bonu. |
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shell -- | Grannuliavano baddi a bizzeffi e chiuvìvanu bummi a munzedda, |
And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell, | mancu cincu minuti e c’un sciusciu ‘nni fuddaru no ‘nfernu, |
Nearly blew us right back to Australia. | n’ammuttàru ca pareva n’avissimu a téniri darreri n’Australia. |
But the band played "Waltzing Matilda," | Ma la banna sunava Waltzing Matilda, |
When we stopped to bury our slain, | e cuannu finimmu di sepelliri li nostri morti ‒ |
Well, we buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs, | veni a diri, nuatri li nostri e li Turchi li so ‒ |
Then we started all over again. | acccuminzammu tuttu puntu e dacapu. |
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And those that were left, well, we tried to survive | E chiddi ca ancora campavamu cercammu di ristari vivi |
In that mad world of blood, death and fire. | ne ddu manicomiu di sangu, morti e focu. |
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive | E ppi deci simani fracchi ristai vivu |
Though around me the corpses piled higher. | ccu tuttu ca li morti s’ammunziddavano manu manu. |
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head, | Appressu na bumma turca ranni mi nzirtò ittannumi suttancapu, |
And when I woke up in me hospital bed | e cuannu m’arruspigghiai ‘nt’un lettu di spitali |
And saw what it had done, well, I wished I was dead -- | e vitti chiddu ca m’aviva capitatu,n’summa,m’addisiau la morti ‒ |
Never knew there was worse things than dying. | mai aviva saputu ca cci sunu cosi peggiu di la morti. |
For I'll go no more "Waltzing Matilda," | Picchì nun pozzu jiri cchjù ccu “Waltzing Matilda” |
All around the green bush far and free -- | menzu li troffi virdi, luntanu e libbiru ‒ |
To hump tents and pegs, a man needs both legs, | ppi chiantari tenni e paliddri a unu c’abbisognanu tutti dui gammi ‒ |
No more "Waltzing Matilda" for me. | ppi mi nun ci n’è cchjù “Waltzing Matilda”. |
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So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed, | Accussì pigghiaru li sciancati, li struppiati, li mutilati, |
And they shipped us back home to Australia. | e ni mbarcaru ppi turnari n’Australia. |
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane, | Senza vrazza, senza gammi, orbi, sdiliniati, |
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla. | ddi eroi priati e struppiati di Süvla. |
And as our ship sailed into Circular Quay, | E mentri ca la navi traseva no portu Circular Quay [3], |
I looked at the place where me legs used to be, | mi taliai unni era abbituatu a vidiri li me gammi, |
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me, | e ringraziai Cristu ca nun c’era nuddu ca m’aspittava |
To grieve, to mourn and to pity. | a ddulurarisi, chianciri e ‘nguttarisi. |
But the band played "Waltzing Matilda," | Ma la banna sunava ”Waltzing Matilda” |
As they carried us down the gangway, | mentri ni carriavanu jusu da scala livatizza [4], |
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared, | nun c’era nuddu ca salutava vuciannu , ‘mpassuluti eranu nun spiccicavanu l’occhi ‘ncoddu, |
Then they turned all their faces away. | appressu si firriaru tutti a dda banna. |
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And so now every April, I sit on my porch | E ora, ogni misi d’Aprili, m’assettu ‘nto me tirrazzu |
And I watch the parade pass before me. | E taliu la parata ca passa davanti. |
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march, | E vidu li me vecchi cumpagni, talìaaa[5]… comu marciano prijati !, |
Reviving old dreams of past glory, | arriviscinu sunni antichi di li glori ca foru. |
And the old men march slowly, all bones stiff and sore, | E ddi vecchi marcianu adasciu, tutti ciunchi e appiuncati, |
They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war | sunu li vecchi e stanchi eroi di na uerra scurdata. |
And the young people ask "What are they marching for?" | E li giuvani addumannanu:”Picchì, pi ccù stanu marciannu ? |
And I ask meself the same question. | E puru ju m’addumannu a stissa cosa. |
But the band plays "Waltzing Matilda," | Ma la banna sona “Waltzing Matilda”, |
And the old men still answer the call, | e chiddi vecchi ancora rispunnunu a l’appeddu; |
But as year follows year, more old men disappear | ma annu doppu annu li vecchi ca scumparunu sunu sempri di cchjù, |
Someday, no one will march there at all. | un jornu nun ci sarà cchjù nuddu ca marcia. |
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Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda. | Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda. |
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me? | Cu veni ccu me a fari abballari Waltzing Matilda? |
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong, | E si ponnu sentiri li fantasima di iddi cuannu marcianu vicinu lu stagnuni, |
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me? | Cu veni ccu mi a fari abballari Waltzing Matilda? |
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[2] “Johnny Turk” nte l’originali ,veni a diri “Giuanninu lu turcu”, je la ‘ngiurja ca l’Australiani dettiru a li Turchi
[3] Portu di Sydney
[4] “gangway” nte l’originali, si putissi diri “passerella” ma ju penzu ca “scala livatizza” je megghju.
[5] ‘nte l’originali nun c’è, ma si lu puvirazzu ca cunta fussi un sicilianu, st’esclamazioni l’avissi dittu sicuramenti.