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Translation
Boogie
Two notes and the refrain was already beneath the skin of those two [dancers]:
Her body had an African scent, he resembled a crocodile,
The saxes pushed to the end as helper cyclists in a breakaway1,
And the song was going on, sinking deeper and deeper in the air.
Those two were still dancing, she emanated colonial body smells,
Coming to him as from those drugstores that used to be,
Which kept the door open just in front the Spring.
Someone began to sneeze, somewhere,
The fan was buzzing – enormous – by the ceiling – exhausted,
The saxes – hypnotized by her movements – spread
Noises of gum and paint, from him [came] leather ones.
The lights darted on the female cashier's Pekingese face
Smoking menthol cigarettes, others sneezed without malice.
And the song went on elegantly, the orchestra started, it took off.
The musicians were all one with the ceiling and floor,
Only the drummer – in the shadow – watched with a scowl
Those two who were dancing good, a new female cashier replaced the first one:
This one had she-wolf eyes and chewed alescane2 candies.
This music continued, it was a song that said-through3,
The orchestra was swaying like a palm tree in front of a worshipped sea:
Those two knew by heart where they wanted to get.
A fifth character hesitated before sneezing,
Then he sheltered in a nowhere land.
'Twas a grown-up world where you failed professionally.
- 1. in Italian, “helper cyclists” are called “gregari”, that means “in a group”. So, the juxtapossition creates an oximoron.
- 2. Paolo Conte just made up the word: http://senzadedica.blogspot.de/2011/02/parole-le-caramelle-alascane-di-p...
- 3. Most probably, Conte choose to adapt the term “vedo e non vedo”, meaning something opaque (for the sight) or “sheer” (if referred to lingerie). Hence, I choose to adapt the term “see-through” as “said-through” in order to express the same adaptation that Conte did in Italian.
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Paolo Conte: Top 3
| 1. | Via con me |
| 2. | Sparring partner |
| 3. | Come di |
Comments
jackiechan
Tue, 21/02/2017 - 08:30
Hi Azalia,
Thanks a lot for the comments.
For the “Primavera” part, the author literally says that “the drug stores kept the door open in front of the [davanti alla] spring”, so it is like that Spring is already there, and the doors are opened at spring time. So in this case both the drug store and the Spring are related to the woman dancing, to the drug store for the scent, and to the Spring as to symbolize (probably) warmth and love. So I put Spring with a capital letter to express that Spring is another symbol. Maybe there's a more proper way to express that, but the whole song is a play of metaphors.
For the first verse of the second-last stanza, I add a comment in the translated lyrics, hope it makes it more clear.
Thanks again
About translator
Hi Jack,
Maybe a few suggestions from a non-native speaker will come in useful all the same. Take them or leave them, of course.
And the song was going on, increasingly sunking in the air. -> …sinking deeper and deeper into the air.
Her body had an African scent, he seemed like a crocodile, -> … he looked like a crocodile/he resembled a crocodile.
Caming to him as from those drug stores that used to be, -> Coming… drugstores (I’m not sure „drug stores” is acceptable, but surely not the most common)…
Which kept the door open just in front the Spring. -> …just for the arrival of spring (? I’m not sure I understand the meaning in Italian correctly; or is it a reference to the painting by Botticelli?)
The lights darted on the female caschier's Pekingese face -> …cashier’s…
And the song went on elegantly, the orchestra started, it take off. -> …it took off.
Only the drummer – in the shadow – watched with bad looks -> …watched with a scowl
This music continued, it was a song that at times something said and said nothing, -> …was saying something and nothing/all and nothing [at the same time] (if I grasp correctly the meaning in Italian)