I would like an interlinear translation of the following Italian song
lyrics, as literal as possible please.  I understand the song is
called "Rondine al nido" (Swallow in the nest?) and was written by a
man named Vincenzo de Crescenzo (1875-1964).  I don't know if it
appears in any opera, or if it is from Puccini's opera "La rondine." 
If you could also track down the origin of this song, I would be
grateful.

 Sotto la gronda della torre antica
 Una rondine amica,
 Allo sbocciar del mandorlo é tornata.
 Ritorna tutti gli anni,
 Sempre alla stessa data;
 Monti e mare essa varca per tornar.
 Solo amore
 Quando fugge e va lontano
 Speri in vano e non torna piú.

 Nella penombra dolce della sera
 passa la primavera.
 Cinguettano le rondini nel volo,
 Ebbre di luce e d'aria.
 Ed io son triste e solo;
 Monti e mare tu non varchi per tornar.
 Mia piccina, fosti tutta la mia vita;
 Sei fuggita e non torni piú.

Hello

Thank-you for your question. I have kept the translation literal, as
you requested, though on the lines marked with an asterisk - * - I
have changed the word order to make it readable.
You asked about the title. Yes, it could mean swallow in or at the
nest. Here, though, it has the sense of swallow *to* the nest, which
may explain why the title is sometimes given as 'homing swallow'.

 Sotto la gronda della torre antica 
Under the eaves of the ancient tower
 Una rondine amica, 
A swallow friend
 Allo sbocciar del mandorlo é tornata.
Has returned at almond blossom time *
 Ritorna tutti gli anni,
It comes back every year 
 Sempre alla stessa data; 
Always on the same date;
 Monti e mare essa varca per tornar.
It crosses mountains and sea to return. *
 Solo amore 
Only love
 Quando fugge e va lontano 
When it flees and goes far away
 Speri in vano e non torna piú. 
Hopes in vain and returns no more.
 
 Nella penombra dolce della sera 
In the sweet shadow of the evening
 passa la primavera. 
it passes the spring.
 Cinguettano le rondini nel volo, 
The swallows in flight chirrup
 Ebbre di luce e d'aria. 
Drunk on light and air.
 Ed io son triste e solo; 
And I am sad and alone;
 Monti e mare tu non varchi per tornar. *
You do not cross mountains and sea to return
 Mia piccina, fosti tutta la mia vita;
My little one, you were all my life
 Sei fuggita e non torni piú.
You have fled and return no more.



The song is not from Puccini's "La Rondine" which was first performed
in 1917, a little before de Crescenzo composed the music for "Rondine
al Nido" in the 1920s. The words may be traditional; they are always
attributed to "anonymous".  I'm afraid I couldn't track down any more
about the words, even though I looked at both Italian and English
websites.
We may have come to think of "Rondine al Nido" as an 'operatic' song
since it is often found in collections which include operatic arias.
However,it is also featured in collections with a different emphasis,
for instance a CD called 'Neapolitan Café'.



TRANSLATION

I translated the song using my previous knowledge and a printed
dictionary but if you are interested in individual words you could use
this online Italian-English dictionary:
http://dictionaries.travlang.com/ItalianEnglish/

Be warned! There is at least one incorrect translation on the net. It
even calls the swallow 'he', when she is clearly feminine. But this
one line summary gives the right overall sense:

"Homing swallow, you return every year, but lost love is gone
forever."
http://www.cez.com/cristina/cont-it.html



OTHER SOURCES

These confirm that the words are traditional or anonymous and the
music was composed by de Crescenzo in the nineteen twenties:

Text by Anonymous
Set by Vincenzo de Crescenzo (1875-1964)
http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/a/anonymous/ran.html

words anonymous
http://www.bellinghamfestival.org/Vocal%20Recital.htm

music composed 1920
http://shopping.yahoo.com/shop?d=product&id=1920019858

music composed 1925
http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/txt_main/tr.htm

Neapolitan Café
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005ABHQ/qid=1038303247/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-5235161-4384024?v=glance&s=classical



I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to get back to me if anything
needs further explanation, by using the 'request clarification'
button. Enjoy the song!

Regards - Leli


search terms used:
"rondine al nido" Crescenzo traditional "canto popolare" folksong
Puccini

---

Clarification of Answer by leli-ga on 26 Nov 2002 04:22 PST

Thank-you very much for the tip, rating and kind words. I'm glad you
were pleased with the answer.

Fantastic!  Thanks for clarifying that de Crescenzo merely composed
the music and did not write the song itself.  This is exactly what I
was looking for.