Era de maggio - 'Twas in May

Era de maggio e te cadéano 'nzino A schiocche a schiocche, li ccerase rosse Fresca era ll'aria e tutto lu ciardino Addurava de rose a ciento passe Era de maggio, io no, nun mme ne scordo Na canzone cantávamo a doje voce Cchiù tiempo passa e cchiù mme n'arricordo Fresca era ll'aria e la canzona doce E diceva: "Core, core Core mio, luntano vaje Tu mme lasse, io conto ll'ore Chisà quanno turnarraje" Rispunnev'io: "Turnarraggio Quanno tornano li rrose Si stu sciore torna a maggio Pure a maggio io stóngo ccá Si stu sciore torna a maggio Pure a maggio io stóngo ccá" E só' turnato e mo, comm'a na vota Cantammo 'nzieme la canzona antica Passa lu tiempo e lu munno s'avota Ma 'ammore vero no, nun vota vico De te, bellezza mia, mme 'nnammuraje Si t'arricuorde, 'nnanz'a la funtana: Ll'acqua, llá dinto, nun se sécca maje E ferita d'ammore nun se sana Nun se sana: ca sanata Si se fosse, gioja mia 'Mmiez'a st'aria 'mbarzamata A guardarte io nun starría E te dico: "Core, core! Core mio, turnato io só' Torna maggio e torna 'ammore Fa' de me chello che vuó' Torna maggio e torna 'ammore Fa' de me chello che vuó'" Poem by Salvatore Di Giacomo, set to music by Mario Pasquale Costa, 1885 "Era de maggio" was written in 1885 for the reopening of the annual song festival at Piedigrotta, which had been closed the prior year due to an outbreak of cholera. It was one of three songs entered that year based on the work of Salvatore Di Giacomo.

‘Twas in May and they fell in your lap in clumps, in clumps, the red cherries. The air was cool and the whole garden smelled of roses a hundred steps away. ‘Twas in May; no, I won’t forget it – we sang, in two voices, a song. The more time passes, the more I remember it, the air was cool and the song sweet. And she said, “Dear heart! My dear heart, you’re going far away, you’re leaving me and I count the hours . . . who knows when you’ll return?” I responded, “I’ll return when the roses return. If this flower returns in May, then in May I’ll be here. If this flower returns in May, then in May I’ll be here. And I returned, and now, like before, we sang together the old song. Time passes and the world changes, but true love, no, it never changes. With you, my beautiful, I fell in love, if you recall, before the fountain: the water, there inside, never dries up and the wounds of love don't heal. They don't heal: because if healed they were, my joy, in the midst of this scented air I would not be to look at you. And I tell you, “Dear heart! My dear heart, I have returned, May returns and love returns, do with me what you wish. May returns and love returns, do with me what you wish. English translation © 2023 Dennis Criteser The tradition of Neapolitan songs has its roots in the 13th century, and came into full bloom in the period from 1830-1950, when an annual song competition would honor the best song each year. Between 1963 and 1965, Roberto Murolo released a 12-album anthology of Neapolitan songs ranging from 1200 through the early 1960s. Volume 4 includes songs from 1880 to 1897.