[New-Poetry] ninna nanna

[Anny Ballardini]

Dear Tad,

you know that people at a certain point leave us. They go to a different and more beautiful world with angels and songs and lights. Also Anselmo, who was probably a very very old knight, fell down (earth to the ground), but in his dreams he is still riding towards the East. As a matter of fact, if you look up at the sky, you can see him, the Sirens call him when the moon is full, the clouds look like waves and a most brilliant star directs to the East. 
:-)

  From: TheOldMole 
  Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 3:39 PM


  This is the only one I remember. And I know Ilde sang it it with the (ne) in there, for the rhythm. The only  riding Anselmo I've been able to Google is from Orlando Furioso, and I'm guessing that is not the source of this song. "Stomach on earth" was the only part I wasn't sure of the English for, and I'm wondering if I remember the Italian wrong there. If he's riding, he wouldn't have his stomach to the ground. Is there another word that sounds vaguely similar that would make more sense?
    From: Anny Ballardini 
    Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 3:22 AM


    This is a beautiful little poem, do you have some other ones? 

    Anselmo is riding through mountains and valleys, he asks his vassals where the East is. Nobody knows - which means there is no East. In the meantime the war ended, but he, stomach on earth, rides and does not know. And he crosses mountains and valleys and asks his vassals where the East is.

    I just corrected a couple of things:

    Anselmo cavalca
    Per monti e per valli,
    Chiedendo ai vassalli,
    L'Oriente dov'è?

    Nessuno l'ha visto
    Nessuno (ne) sa niente             (---optional)
    E allora l'Oriente
    Vuol dir che non c'è.

    Intanto la guerra
    Finita è di già,
    Ma lui ventre a terra
    Galoppa e non sa.

    E valica monti
    E valica valli
    Chiedendo ai vassalli
    L'Oriente dov'è?
      From: TheOldMole 
      Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 3:04 AM


      It goes like this. I pretty much know the English translation, but there are still places where my phonetic Italian may be screwed up, even though all Italian is phonetic.

      It was taught to me by an Italian governess. She wasn't exactly a governess, she was a young Italian woman whom my parents wanted to help out by bringing her over to the US, so they told immigration she was the children's governess. Anyway, here it is.

      Anselmo cavalca
      Per monti e per valli,
      Chiedendo ai vassali,
      L'Oriente dove?

      Nessuno l'ai visto
      Nessuno ne sa niente
      E allora l'Oriente
      Vol dir che non ce.

      In tanto la guerra
      Finito e di gia,
      Ma lui ventre a terra
      Gallopa e non sa.

      E valica monti
      E valica valli
      Chiedendo ai vassali
      L'Oriente dove?


        ----- Original Message ----- 
        From: Anny Ballardini 
        To: NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News & Views 
        Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2006 5:48 PM
        Subject: [New-Poetry] ninna nanna


        Which nursery rhyme is it? I think most children know this lullaby:
        http://www.filastrocche.it/nostalgici/ninne/ninna7.htm
        the first version.
          ----- Original Message ----- 
          From: TheOldMole 
          To: NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News &Views 
          Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2006 11:28 PM
          Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] That'll pay for quite a few pints: £60,000 Dylan award shortlist


          Anny -- have I asked you this before? I have an entire nursery rhyme in Italian, in my memory, virtually the only thing I remember from my year in Italy when I was 9. I'm wondering if it's something that Italian children know, or whether I am the only person in the world who remembers it.
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