La vergine e il mare - The Virgin and the Sea

Il gufo tre volte cantò Col vento la porta si aprì La bianca candela morì in un momento Due occhi guardavano me In gola il mio grido fermai “Son solo una donna” Tentai di fuggire La veste, ridendo, strappò Un vergine petto scoprì E, pregando, gridavo pietà Mi prese dai fianchi Piegò la mia schiena Fu, fu su di me Dalla nuda parete Il quadro dei santi E Dio, Dio mi maledì Mi piacque giacere con lui Il gufo tre volte cantò Col vento la porta si aprì Le alghe sui piedi La schiena possente Nel mare in tempesta svanì Nel mare in tempesta svanì La vergine e il mare © 1971 Antonello De Sanctis, Jean Roland Musy and Laurence Matalon "La vergine e il mare" was never transmitted on radio nor on television, dealing as it does with a rape.

The owl three times sang, with the wind the door opened. The white candle died in an instant – two eyes watched me. My cry stopped in my throat. “I’m only a woman,” I tried to flee. The dress he ripped off, laughing. He discovered a virgin breast and, praying, I cried out for mercy. He took me by the hips, he bent my back – he was, he was on me, by the bare wall, the painting of the saints. And God, God cursed me, I enjoyed lying with him. The owl three times sang, with the wind the door opened. The seaweed on his feet, the powerful back, in the stormy sea he disappeared. In the stormy sea he disappeared. English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser Oltre la collina (Beyond the Hill) was Mia Martini's debut album, as well as the debut of her nom de plum (she was born Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè and her previous singles were released under Mimì Bertè). The album treats a number of heavy topics - suicide, spirituality, sexual violence, illness - and Italy wasn't ready for an album so direct, emotionally honest, and dark. The album suffered poor sales, but stands out as a bold statement and testament to Martini's lifelong desire to sing only material that she could personally connect with. She was, at the time, a sort of Gypsy-hippie recreating herself and escaping from the emotional subjugation that traditional southern Italian culture could inflict on women.