| La versione inglese di Dennis Criteser [2014]
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A PATHWAY TO THE SEA | COBBLED SEA PATH |
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Shadows of faces, faces of seamen, | Shadows of faces, faces of sailors, |
where do you come from, where are you going to? | where do you come from, where is it you’re going? |
From where the moon is naked | From a place where the moon shows itself naked |
and the night’s like a knife on our throats | and the night has pointed a knife at our throat, |
and where only God has remained to ride a donkey; | and God remains to mount the donkey |
the devil’s in heaven and has made itself a nest there; | and the Devil is in heaven and makes his nest there, |
let’s leave the sea to dry our bones at Andrea’s | we come in from the sea to dry out at Andrea's place, |
at the well of the pigeons, in a house of stone. | at the fountain of the doves in the stone house. |
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And who are there in that house of stone, | And in the stone house, whoever will be there |
in the house of Andrea who’s not a seaman? | in Andrea's house who isn’t a sailor - |
People of Lugano, faces of pickpockets, | people of Lugano, faces like pickpockets, |
those who prefer wings to fins, | those who prefer the wing of the sea bass, |
good smelling girls of good families, | family girls, smelling good, |
good to look at without a rubber. | whom you can watch without condoms. |
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And what has he got to offer to fill these empty stomachs? | And to these empty stomachs, what will he give them? |
Something to drink, something to eat, | Things to drink, things to eat, |
fried fish, white Portofino wine, | fried fish, a white Portofino, |
lamb brain in that same wine, | lamb brains in the same wine, |
lasagna with four sauces, | four-sauce lasagna to cut, |
and sweet-sour roof-hare pie. | sweet and sour hare-of-the-tiles pie. |
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And with a ship of wine we sail against the cliffs, | And in a boat of wine we’ll navigate the perils, |
emigrants of laughter with nails in our eyes, | emigrants of laughter with nails in our eyes, |
until the morning grows in order for us to catch it, | until the morning grows to be able to gather him up, |
brother of the carnations and girls, | brother of the cloves and of the girls, |
master of the rope - spoiled by water and salt - | master of the rope, rotten from water and salt |
that ties us and leads us on a pathway to the sea. | that binds and carries us on a cobbled sea path. |