Thursday, July 4, 2019

Conforto alla vita - Solace to Life

Nella sventura non ti colga sgomento
Per te non sorga il giorno
Che alla tua gioia sia compenso di dolore
Ah, quante volte un malefico vento ti colse
Ma il soave profumo risaturò subito l'aria

Il nembo spesso sovrastò minaccioso
Ma fu disperso prima che dal grembo scuro
Si scatenasse orribile tempesta

Ah, quanto fumo si levò che non fu fiamma
Sii forte e sereno
anche nei giorni dell'avverso fato

In un canneto un vento asciutto e svogliato
Portava insieme confusi e inutili pensieri

Ah, quante volte alzando gli occhi al cielo
Spinte dalle correnti ho visto le nuvole vagare

La sera insegna ad attendere il giorno
Che arriva come sempre
a chiudere i passaggi della notte

Conforto alla vita © 2004 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

In "Conforta alla vita," Sgalambro elaborates on some concepts found in the work of the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder.

In misfortune, dismay doesn’t grab you.
For you, a day doesn’t rise
that your joy is remunerated with sadness.
Ah, how many times an ill wind seized you
but sweet perfume quickly resaturated the air.

The rain cloud often towered menacingly
but was dispersed before, from its dark womb,
could erupt a terrible storm.

Ah, how much smoke rose that wasn’t fire.
Be strong and serene
even in the days of adverse destiny.

In a cane field a dry and listless wind
brought together confused and useless thoughts.

Ah, how many times, raising eyes to the sky,
I saw clouds wandering, driven by currents.

The evening teaches the day to attend,
that arrives as always
to close the passages of the night.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Dieci stratagemmi - Attraversare il mare per ingannare il cielo was released in 2004. The title is a takeoff on the Chinese essay Thirty-Six Stratagems, which discusses strategies used in war and politics. The lyrics were mostly co-written by Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
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