| English version by Riccardo Venturi for the mailing list Combat... |
EURIALO E NISO | EURYALUS AND NISUS |
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La notte era chiara, la Luna un grande lume | The bright moon like a big lamp in the sky it did quiver, |
Eurialo e Niso uscirono dal campo verso il fiume. | Euryalus and Nisus went downhill to the river. |
E scesero dal monte lo zaino sulle spalle, | They walked out of the fields shouldering their rucksacks, |
Dovevano far saltare il ponte a Serravalle. | They had been order’d to blow up the bridge of Serravalle. |
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Eurialo era un fornaio e Niso uno studente, | Euryalus was a baker, and Nisus was a student |
Scapparono in montagna all'otto di Settembre | They had passed to the Partisans on the eight September |
I boschi già dormivano, ma un gufo li avvisava | The wood was sleeping but an owl warn’d them of danger, |
C'era un posto di blocco in fondo a quella strada. | There was an armed roadblock just at the road end. |
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Eurialo disse a Niso asciugandosi la fronte | Euryalus told Nisus drying up his forehead, |
"Ci sono due tedeschi di guardia sopra al ponte." | "Look at the German watches just on the bridge ahead." |
La neve era caduta e il freddo la induriva | The snow had fallen and the cold made it so hard, |
ma avevan scarpe di feltro, e nessuno li sentiva. | but they had on their felt shoes, and nobody heard. |
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Le sentinelle erano incantate dalla Luna, | The watches weren’t moving, they looked like moonstruck |
Fu facile sorprenderle tagliandogli la fortuna, | It was easy to overtake them and cut off their good luck, |
Una di loro aveva una spilla sul mantello, | One of them had a silver pin on his soldier’s greatcoat |
Eurialo la raccolse e se la mise sul cappello. | Euryalus picked it up and attached it to his beret. |
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La spilla era d'argento, un'aquila imperiale | The pin with the imperial eagle shone so vivid and bright |
Splendeva nella notte più di un aurora boreale. | like an aurora it glitter’d in the darkness of night. |
Fu così che lo videro i cani e gli aguzzini | So he was easily noticed by the dogs and by the butchers |
Che volevan vendicare i camerati uccisi. | wanting to avenge the death of their comrades in arms. |
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Eurialo fu bloccato in mezzo a una pianura, | Euryalus was caught in the middle of the plain, |
Niso stava nascosto coperto di paura | Nisus kept well hidden for fear of being slain, |
Eurialo lo circondarono coprendolo di sputo, | Euryalus was surrounded, at him long time they spat |
A lungo ci giocarono come fa il gatto col topo. | playing with him like cats toying with a poor rat. |
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Ma quando vide l'amico legato intorno a un ramo, | But when he saw his friend tied up to a tree branch |
Trafitto dai coltelli come un San Sebastiano | like St. Sebastian pierced, but with their army daggers |
Niso dovette uscire, troppo era il furore | Nisus jumped out and rush’d to them with all his wrath |
Quattro ne fece fuori prima di cadere. | Four of them he did kill before they slew him dead. |
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E cadde sulla neve ai piedi dell'amico, | He fell on the snowy ground to the feet of his friend, |
E cadde anche la Luna nel bosco insanguinato, | so did the moon fall down on the bloodstained woodland, |
Due alberi fiorirono vicino al cimitero, | Two trees then bloomed just next to the graves where they lay |
I fiori erano rossi, sbocciavano d'inverno. | Their flowers were red and sprang up even in winter time. |
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La notte era chiara, la Luna un grande lume | The bright moon like a big lamp in the sky it did quiver, |
Eurialo e Niso uscirono dal campo verso il fiume. | Euryalus and Nisus went downhill to the river. |