Fabrizio de André

Fabrizio de André was a singer and songwriter who has acquired legendary status in Italy. He died of lung cancer in1999 aged 58. Influenced by the kind of songs which the likes of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen have written, his work is notable for its poetic content and empathy with those on the margins of society. A native of Genoa, he developed a profound affection for Sardinia, living on the island for some considerable time, despite a bizarre episode in 1979 when he was kidnapped by Sardinian bandits and held hostage for four months in the Supramonte mountain. He even wrote some songs in the Gallurese dialect of Northern Sardinia.

Maria Rita introduced me to de André's work with the kind gift of a 3 CD Box Set and the more I listen the more I'm convinced that his music is touched by genius. If he had written in English he would have had international success and been a household name all over the world. Just before I left Bristol for Nuoro I started to try to translate some of his songs into English which has proved to be a very useful exercise for the brain. Since I've arrived in Nuoro I've translated one of his most famous songs, 'Il Pescatore' , taking the total of songs translated so far to five.

These are my English lyrics to 'Il Pescatore' (The Old Fisherman):-

The Old Fisherman (Il Pescatore)

In the shade of the setting sun
there slept an old fisherman
with a lined and a wrinkled face
and a smile so full of grace.

And so a killer came to the shore
where a child's eyes were before
and two eyes so full of fear
is the story that we have here.

 

Then he asked the old man for bread

 'I am hungry' is what he said

 'and could you spare me a glass of wine

 because a killer has little time.'

 

He woke up with hardly a sound

but he didn't look or turn around

just poured the wine and he broke the bread

so that a killer he could be fed.

And so, the warmth of a moment there

then off out into the stormy air
the killer walked towards the sun
and left behind an old fisherman.

He left behind an old fisherman
in whom remorse had just begun
the regrets he could not discard
in the shadow of an old backyard.

And so the police soon came to town
and then the army they came around
wondering if an old man knew
if an assassin had passed through.

But in the shade of the setting sun
there slept an old fisherman
with a lined and a wrinkled face
and a smile so full of grace.

English translation © Geoff Davis


Understanding written Italian, by and large, is a lot easier than understanding spoken Italian; perhaps song lyrics and poetry even more so. However, translating song lyrics, especially when my aim is to make the songs singable in English, is quite a challenge. One cannot be too literal, especially when the words have to fit the rhythm of the music, but it is important to try to remain as true to the original sense and spirit of the original Italian lyrics as is possible. My long term aim is to record a collection of Fabrizio de André's songs in English and hopefully make them available on a CD. For now it's very much a work in progress, but as someone who has been writing songs for many years, having sung in bands and put out 2 CDs of my own work, it's a project that I find very exciting. These are the English translations of the songs that I've worked on so far.

Here is a live version of Fabrizio de André performing 'Il Pescatore'