Lyrics and translation Francesco Guccini - Canzone Della Bambina Portoghese (1996 Digital Remaster)

Canzone Della Bambina Portoghese (1996 Digital Remaster)

E poi, e poi
Gente viene qui e ti dice
Di saper gia'
Ogni legge delle cose
E tutti, sai, vantano un orgoglio cieco,
Di verita' fatte di formule vuote.
E tutti, sai, ti san dire come fare
Quali leggi rispettare, quali regole osservare
Qual'e' il vero vero;
E poi, e poi,
Tutti chiusi in tante celle
Fanno a chi parla piu' forte
Per non dire che stelle e morte fan paura.

Al caldo del sole, al mare scendeva,
La bambina portoghese.
Non c'eran parole, rumori soltanto,
Come voci sorprese;
Il mare soltanto e il suo primo bikini amaranto
Le cose piu' belle e la gioia del caldo alla pelle.
Gli amici vicino sembravan sommersi
Dalla voce del mare;
O sogni o visioni, qualcosa la prese
E si mise a pensare.
Senti' che era un punto al limite di un continente,
Senti' che era un niente,
L'Atlantico immenso di fronte;
E in questo sentiva qualcosa di grande
Che non riusciva a capire, che non poteva intuire;
Che avrebbe spiegato se avesse capito
Lei e l'oceano infinito,
Ma il caldo l'avvolse, si senti' svanire,
E si mise a dormire;
E fu solo del sole, come di mani future,
Restaron soltanto il mare e un bikini amaranto.

E poi, e poi,
Se ti scopri a ricordare, ti accorgerai
Che non te ne importa niente.
E capirai che una sera o una stagione
Son come lampi, luci accese e dopo spente
E capirai che la vera ambiguita'
E' la vita che viviamo, il qualcosa che chiamiamo
Esser uomini;
E poi, e poi,
Che quel vizio che ti uccidera' non sara' fumare o bere
Ma il qualcosa che ti porti dentro
Cioe' vivere

E poi, vivere, vivere
E poi, poi, vivere.

Song of the Portuguese Girl (1996 Digital Remaster)

And then, and then
People come here and tell you
That they already know
Every law of things
And everyone, you know, boasts of a blind pride
Of truths made of empty formulas .
And everyone, you know, knows how to tell you what to do
What laws to respect, what rules to observe
What is the true truth;
And then, and then,
All locked in so many cells
They shout louder
So as not to say that stars and death are scary.

In the warmth of the sun, she would go down to the sea,
The Portuguese girl.
There were no words, only sounds,
Like surprised voices;
Just the sea and her first amaranth bikini,
The most beautiful things
And the joy of the warmth on her skin.
Her friends nearby
Something gripped her
And she started thinking.
She felt that she was a point at the edge of a continent,
She felt that she was nothing,
The immense Atlantic in front of her;
And in this she sensed something great,
Which she could not understand, which she could not guess;
Which she would have explained if she had understood,
Her and the infinite ocean,
But the heat enveloped her, she felt herself fading away,
And she went to sleep;
And only the sun was left, like future hands,
Only the sea and an amaranth bikini remained.

And then, and then,
If you find yourself remembering, you will realize
That you don't care about it.
And you will understand that an evening or a season
Are like lightning, lights that turn on and then turn off.
And you will understand that the real ambiguity
Is the life we live, the something we call
Being human;
And then, and then,
That the vice that will kill you will not be smoking or drinking
But the something that you carry inside you,
In other words, living.

And then, to live, to live
And then, then, to live.