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Ol’ Man River

Paul Robeson
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OriginaleCercando una traduzione quanto meno in inglese della versione...
OL’ MAN RIVER

Dere's an ol' man called de Mississippi
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd like to be
What does he care if de world's got troubles
What does he care if de land ain't free

Ol' Man River, dat Ol' Man River
He mus' know sumpin', but don't say nuthin'
He jes' keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along

He don' plant taters, he don't plant cotton
An' dem dat plants' em is soon forgotten
But Ol' Man River
He jes' keeps rollin' along

You an' me, we sweat an' strain
Body all achin' an' wracked wid pain,
Tote dat barge! Lif' dat bale!
Git a little drunk an' you lands in jail

Ah gits weary an' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin' an' skeered of dyin'
But Ol' Man River
He jes' keeps rolling' along

Niggers all work on de Mississippi
Niggers all work while de white folks play
Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset
Gittin' no rest till de judgement day

Don't look up an' don't look down
You don' dar'st make de white boss frown
Bend your knees an' bow your head
An' pull dat rope until you're dead)

Let me go 'way from the Mississippi
Let me go 'way from de white man boss
Show me dat stream called de river Jordan
Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross

(Ol' Man River, dat Ol' Man River
He mus' know sumpin', but don't say nothin'
He just keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along)

Long, low river
Forever keeps rollin'

(Don' plant taters, he don' plant cotton
And dem dat plants' em is soon forgotten
But Ol' Man River
He jes' keeps rollin' along)

Long low river
Keeps singin' dis song

You an' me, we sweat an' strain
Body all achin' and wracked wid pain
Tote dat barge! Lift dat bale!
Git a little drunk and ya lands in jail

Ah gits weary an' sick o' tryin'
Ah'm tired o livin' an' skeered o' dyin'
But Ol' Man River
He jes' keeps rollin' along!

THE HOLY WATER FROM RIVER GANGE

On your wide/mighty banks
That are home to countless people
In spite of hearing their anguished cries
so silently and unmindfully
Oh you Old Luit (1)
why do you or how can you flow?

The people who live in the vast stretches on your both side
are screaming in grief, yet meekly, as always,
O Ganga, you! O Ganga, why do you flow [without a protest]?

Morality is destroyed and humanity is corrupted,
yet shamelessly why do you flow [without a protest]?
With a loud voice of anger, the history beacons,
O stream of Ganga, yet why do you not turn weak into strong warriors and complete doers?

There are uncountable numbers of uneducated, illiterate, and unfed people,
yet like a blind that cannot see, O Ganga, why do you keep silent ?
With a loud voice of anger, the history is beaconing,
O stream of Ganga, yet why do you not turn weak into strong warriors and complete doers?

[Female Voice]
The people who live in the vast stretches on your both side
are screaming in grief, yet meekly, as always,
O Ganga, you! O Ganga, why do you flow [without a protest]?

People are self-centered and society is bereft of a character.
O Ganga, why do you not dissolve the lifeless society?
With a loud voice of anger, the history beacons,
O stream of Ganga, yet why do you not turn weak into strong warriors and complete doers?

[Female Voice]
The people who live in the vast stretches on your both side
are screaming in grief, yet meekly, as always,
O Ganga, you! O Ganga, why do you flow [without a protest]?

Why did you stop being a source of action and energy?
Why did you become inanimate? Why you stopped giving inspirations to lives?
Where are the battle cries of Avani or Kuruskshetra? (2)
O mother Ganga, in the new India, why do you not beget a victorious son like Bhishma, the great warrior?

[Female Voice]
The people who live in the vast stretches on your both side
are screaming in grief, yet meekly, as always,
O Ganga, you! O Ganga, why do you flow [without a protest]?

(1) Il traduttore afferma che “Luit” è il nome in assamese del fiume Brahmaputra... Non so se sia corretto o meno... Resta il fatto che nelle strofe successive si fa riferimento al Ganga, cioè al grande fiume Gange.
(2) Avani e Kurukshetra: credo si tratti di nomi di luoghi dove si tennero alcune delle tante battaglie descritte nel poema epico “Mahābhārata”.


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