Friday, April 12, 2019

Conphiteor - Confiteor

Mia madre, quando parla di me,
dice che son un buon figlio.
E i miei fratelli mi chiamano
il loro buon fratello.
I miei amici, poi, dicono di me
che sono un buon amico.
Ma essi non sanno......
Che uccido le formiche
e do pedate ai cani
che ho tante tentazioni,
tante tante tante.
Che un giorno in una rissa
mi sono arreso a un nano,
che sento il desiderio
di avere tutto, tutto.
Che tengo nel mio pugno
insetti dell'inferno
e sogno dolci ninfe
in lunghi laghi bianchi.
Che giuro ogni mattina
di fare grandi cose
ma quando vien la sera
che ho fatto? Niente niente.
Che gioco sui cavalli
il soldo che mi resta
e tengo nelle tasche
sogni strani sogni.

Ma essi non sanno.....
Che vedo tanti sguardi
che sento tanti passi
poi chiudo la finestra
e viene strano il buio.
E aspetto che qualcuno
mi dica piano piano
"andiamo in riva al mare
ci aspetta una sirena".
"andiamo in riva al mare
ci aspetta una sirena".

Conphiteor © 1961 Piero Ciampi, Gianni Marchetti

The Confiteor (Latin for "I confess") is a prayer said in the Penitential Act at the beginning of Mass in the Catholic Church.



My mother, when she speaks of me,
says that I’m a good son.
And my brothers call me
their good brother.
My friends, then, say of me
that I’m a good friend.
But this they don’t know . . .
that I kill ants
and give the boot to dogs,
that I have so many temptations,
many, many, so many.
That one day in a brawl
I surrendered to a dwarf,
that I feel the desire
to have everything, everything.
That I hold in my fist
insects of Hell,
and I dream of sweet nymphs
in long white lakes.
That I pledge every morning
to do great things,
but when evening comes,
what have I done? Nothing, nothing.
That I gamble on horses
what little money I have left
and I keep in my pockets
dreams, strange dreams.

But this they don’t know . . .
that I see so many glances,
that I hear so many footsteps,
then I close the window,
and strange comes the darkness.
And I expect that someone
will say to me slowly, slowly,
“Let’s go to the seashore,
a Siren awaits us there.”
“Let’s go to the seashore,
a Siren awaits us there.”

English translation © 2021 Dennis Criteser


"Conphiteor" was the first single released by Ciampi, on the Bluebell label in 1961, when he went by the pseudonym Piero Litaliano. Ciampi was invited to Milan and hooked up with the label by Gianfranco Reverberi, whom Ciampi met during their military service. Reverberi was also responsible for bringing Luigi Tenco, Gino Pauli, and Fabrizio De André to Milan to start their recording careers.