Originale | English translation / Traduzione inglese / Traduction anglaise... |
ESCUSÈ MUÀ PUR MON FRANZÈ | I APOLOGIZE FOR MY POOR FRENCH |
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Ma sher Luise | My dear Louise |
escusè muà pur mon franzé | I apologize for my poor French |
ccà sta cchiuvennu | It's raining here, |
e quannu chiovi ‘n Sicilia | And when it rains in Sicily |
pare ‘a fini d'o munnu | It looks like doomsday has come. |
Le jour de mon depart | The day I left |
tuttu lu cielu si scumminau | The sky tore apart over the earth, |
l'oggi muriu | Today, it's all over. |
e i me cumpagni | This day carried off |
si li purtau | My comrades with it. |
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Escusè muà | I apologize |
mi nni scappai senza n'salutu | If I ran away without even a farewell, |
ma lu duluri mi fici mutu | But I was struck dumb by sorrow. |
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Je me rappelle | And I remember |
u gridu d'a terra a Marcinelle | The earth roaring in Marcinelle, |
u nostru sangu nun ci abbastava | It wasn't satisfied with our blood, |
vuleva l'ossa | It craved for our bones |
Si fici fossa, ma sher Luise, si fici fossa | And turned into a grave, my dear Louise, a grave |
ppi chista ggenti, di st' emigranti | For these people. Nothing remains |
nun resta nenti. | Of these emigrants. |
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Nun resta nenti | Nothing remains |
sulu li lacrimi di ‘sti ‘nnuccenti | But the tears of these poor children, |
chiamanu patri | They're calling their fathers |
ma nuddu li senti | But nobody can hear them. |
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Escusè muà | I apologize, |
mi nni scappai ppi lu gran scantu | If I ran away in terror |
e la virgogna ca di triccentu | For the shame of being the only one |
Diu mi salvau. | God spared out of three hundred. |
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Iu ti lassai | And I left you, |
unica rosa intra ‘u carbuni | My only rose off the coal, |
unicu beni intra lu mali | My only good off the evil, |
unica cosa di ricurdari. | The only thing I want to remember. |
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Ma sher Luise | I apologize, |
Escusè muà | My dear Louise: |
iu restu ccà | I stay here. |
ccu la me genti fazzu la fami | I'm going hungry with my folks, |
ma ccu dignità. | But in dignity. |
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Tu si l'amuri | You are my love, |
l'amur tugiùr | My love forever, |
Escusè muà | I apologize |
pur mon franzé... | For my poor French. |