Blu Posted by Geoff on Aug 15, 2016 in Uncategorized
Singer Irene Fornaciari, daughter of the famous Italian pop star Zucchero, has written a moving song about the plight of North African refugees. But in order to fully appreciate the significance of this song you need to have an insight into the tragic humanitarian crisis behind the lyrics.
A young Syrian migrant girl is held by her mother. The number of people leaving their homes in war torn countries such as Syria, marks the largest migration of people since World War II. (Photo Public Domain, Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Last year, a million desperate refugees undertook the perilous voyage across the Mediterranean sea in overcrowded and often unseaworthy boats in the hope of finding a new life, free from war, poverty and persecution.
So far this year over 256,000 people have disembarked on southern European shores, with roughly 93,500 of these arriving in Italy. The death toll is depressingly high: between the 1st of January and the 31st of July 2016 3,083 men, women and children lost their lives during the sea voyage. This figure doesn’t take into account the hundreds more who died trying to cross the desert on their way to the boats which awaited them on the North African coast.
It’s a long, complex and tragic tale, and I encourage you to find out more about it for yourselves. You’ll find a wealth of information on the internet.
Here’s Irene Fornaciari’s song Blu with my translation into English:
https://youtu.be/7K0ioyS5PYk
| C’è una donna in riva al mare dipinta di blu Guarda un punto all’orizzonte mentre il sole va giù E con la mano saluta i giorni che passano e volano a sud… C’è una donna in mezzo al mare vestita di blu La prende in braccio un pescatore bello come un Gesù e nel suo sguardo si arrende L’amore purissimo E senza un perché allora gli parla di sé… Dimmi dove si nasconde la promessa dignità Questo cielo non risponde Io anche da qua vedo barche sassi e stelle case bianche anche lassù reti di farfalle in mezzo al blu C’è un bambino sulla spiaggia lasciato dal blu* e una donna in riva al mare mentre il sole va giù che con la mano saluta i sogni che passano e lascia una scia che non va più via nell’altamarea… Dimmi dove si nasconde la promessa libertà Questi fiori fra le onde chiedono pietà Non più guerre e religioni ma un’altra vita un sogno in più Cielo, se mi senti almeno tu lascia che sia un angolo di blu |
There’s a woman on the shore painted blue She watches a a point on the horizon while the sun goes down And with her hand she waves at the days that pass and fly south … There’s a woman in the middle of the sea dressed in blue A fisherman takes her in his arms as handsome as a Jesus and looking into his eyes she surrenders Pure love And without asking why she begins talking about herself … Tell me where the promised dignity is hidden This sky doesn’t reply Even from here I can see boats, rocks and stars white houses, even up there nets of butterflies in the middle of the blue There’s a child on the beach left by the blue* and a woman on the shore while the sun goes down who, with her hand, waves at the passing dreams and leaves a wake that doesn’t go away with the high tide Tell me where the promised freedom is hidden These flowers amongst the waves beg for mercy No more war and religion but another life, another dream Sky, if you at least can hear me let there be a patch of blue * These lines refers to the three your old Syrian boy whose body was washed up on a Mediterranean beach in September 2015. See this article: Aylan Kurdi |
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Comments:
Richard Palumbo:
Thank you. It’s a very moving song. What suffering we have brought upon the Syrians. But the first line of the English translation shouldn’t it read: “There’s a woman on the shore of the sea, painted blue.” Don’t you mean the sea is painted blue and not the shore?? At least that’s what the Italian says.
Geoff:
@Richard Palumbo Salve Richard,
“C’è una donna in riva al mare
dipinta di blu”
These lines refer to the woman. If blu referred to the sea it would say “dipinto di blu” (il mare is masculine). In fact if you watch the video you’ll see that the woman is dressed in blue.
Saluti da Geoff
Joan Engelhaupt:
I am in awe of how Italy, with so many economic problems of its own, has rescued and cared for so very many refugees. Would that all nations were as humanitarian; Italy puts us to shame.
Geoff:
@Joan Engelhaupt Ecco, brava! 🙂