Voce ‘e Notte (Voice in the Night) (Russo, De-Curtis, 1903)

Voce ‘e Notte (Voice in the Night) (Russo, De-Curtis, 1903)

This is one of my favourite Neapolitan love songs.   It is mournful during descriptions of the present and joyous and hopeful in recollections of the past.  I’ve been trying for some time to find a translation.  I’ve found a partial translation from the version performed by Mario Lanza (which was abridged).  I prefer the rendition of Claudio Villa presented here:

Here is the partial translation.  If anyone has a more complete translation, please provide a link in the comments.

Si ‘sta voce te sceta ‘int’a nuttata,
If this voice wakes you in the night
Mentre t’astringe ‘o sposo tuio vicino,
While the man at your side is holding you
Statte scetata, si vuo sta scetata,
Stay awake if you want to stay awake
Ma fa vede ca duorme a suonno chino.
But pretend that you’re fast asleep.

Nun gghi vicino’e llastre pe’ ffa’ spia,
Don’t go to the window to see who’s there
Pecche nun puo sbaglia: ‘sta voce e’e mia…
Because you can’t mistake it – that voice is mine…
E’a stessa voce ‘e quanno tutt’e dduie
The same voice as when we both
Scurnuse, nce parlavamo c’o "vvuie".
Were strangers, both so formal.

Si ‘sta voce, che chiagn’int’ `a nuttata
If this voice crying into the night
Te sceta’o sposo, nun ave paura,
Wakes your man, don’t be afraid
Vide ch’e senza nomme’a sserenata…
Because there are no names in my serenade…
Dille ca dorme e ca se rassicura…
Tell him to sleep, that everything’s all right.

Dille accussi: "Chi canta ‘inta ‘sta via
Tell him: "Whoever is singing down in the street
O sarra pazzo o more’e ggelusia
Is either crazy or dying of jealousy
Starra chiagneno quacce `nfamita
He’s probably crying over some betrayal,
Canta isso sulo. Ma che canta a ffa?"
He sings alone. But what’s he singing for?”

One thought on “Voce ‘e Notte (Voice in the Night) (Russo, De-Curtis, 1903)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back To Top