La canzone di Orlando - The Song of Orlando

Se tutti i monti fossero seminati a grano Se i cavalli in branco ritornassero al piano Volando tra erbe e fiori Io, raccontando i miei amori Avrei ancora vent'anni Anser, anser che va Ma nevica sulla mia mano E il mio cavallo è ormai lontano Notte e nebbia negli occhi Il ferro sui tuoi ginocchi Arco e freccia non scocchi Anser, anser che va Acqua di luce alla foce Con una corsa veloce Bagnami con un sorriso solo Se i monti sono foreste E le strade nelle tempeste Io mi fermerò nel volo E potrò raccontare la mia vita passata E ti saprò aspettare Anser, anser che va La canzone di Orlando © 1971 Lucio Dalla, Roberto Roversi "La canzone di Orlando" must surely have Virginia Woolfe's Orlando in mind, which ends with Orlando crying out, "It's the goose! The wild goose . . ."

If all the mountains were seeded with grain, if the horses in herds returned to the plain flying amongst grasses and flowers, I, recounting my loves, would still be twenty years old. Wild goose, wild goose that goes. But it snows on my hand and my horse is by now far off, night and fog in the eyes. The iron on your knees, bow and arrow you don’t shoot. Wild goose, wild goose that goes. Water of light at the estuary with a fast run, bathe me with a single smile. If the mountains are forests and the roads in the tempests, I would stop myself in flight and I will recount my past life, and I will know how to wait for you. Wild goose, wild goose that goes. English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser Il giorno aveva cinque teste was Dalla's fourth album and the first of a trio of albums in partnership with the poet Roberto Roversi. Before this album, Dalla's main partners as lyricists were Sergio Bardotti, Gianfranco Baldazzi, and Paola Pallottino. But Dalla was tired of writing songs he considered little more than simple ditties (his first love was jazz), and he wanted to develop a new approach with weightier lyrics. The new collaboration with Roversi allowed Dalla to explore new realms of composition, freer and more experimental. While sales were low, the album was well-received by critics and fellow musicians, and helped put Dalla on the map as an important emerging artist. The fruitful relationship with Roversi ended after their third album, over lyrics that the label wanted to tone down; Dalla was amenable, but Roversi was outraged and the album was released using a pseudonym for the poet.