O ciucciarella
Jean-Claude sent this song with the note: "The most famous Corsican lullaby is 'O ciucciarella', known throughout the island."
O ciucciarella
O Little One
Lullaby
Lullaby
(Corsican)
(English)
O ciucciarella
Nun sai quantu t'adoru
Le to bellezze
Le to cullane d'oru
Ciucciarella inzuccarata
Quantu hè longa sta nuttata
Fà la ninna fà la nanna
U to babbu hè à la campagna
Cullà ne vogliu
Quassù per sse cullette
Ci sò le capre
Le muvre è le cervette
Quassù sò li trè cuniglii
Corri tù, sè tù ti piglii
Fà la ninna fà la nanna
U to babbu hè à la campagna
Trovu aghju un nidu
Nentru c'era duie ove
Sò statu à vede
L'acellu chì le cova
Era un nidu di culomba
È trè volte l'aghju trova
O culomba cullerata
Cusì longa sta nuttata
So statu à l'ortu
Stamane di bon'ora
Ciucciu nun c'era
Chì era andatu à la scola
Tuttu era per vede à tene
O màzzulu di viole
Fà la ninna fà la nanna
U to babbu hè à la campagna
Zifulà puru
È mughja o tramuntana
Filgu lu linu
È carmingu la lana
Fattu t'aghju lu mantellu
È guarnitu la suttana
Lu to mantellu fatatu
Tutt'intornu riccamatu.
O little one,
You don't know how much I love you,
Your beauty,
Your gold necklaces,
Sweet little one.
How long this night is!
Lullaby, lullaby
Your daddy is in the countryside.
I want to climb
Up there on those hills.
There are goats,
Wild sheep* and does.
Up there are three rabbits.
Do run, try to catch them!
Lullaby, lullaby,
Your daddy is in the countryside.
I found a nest.
There were two eggs in it.
I went to see
The bird that broods them.
It was a dove's nest
And three times I found,
The collared dove.
How long this night is!
I went to the garden
Early this morning.
The little boy wasn't there,
He went to school.
The world wanted to see you,
My posy of violets!
Lullaby, lullaby,
Your daddy is in the countryside.
So whistle
And roar, O North Wind**.
I spin the flax
And card the wool.
I made you a cloak
And decorated your skirt,
The fairy-like cloak
Embroidered all around.
Notes
*It's a female mouflon (a subspecies of wild sheep).
**North Wind: Here it's specifically Tramuntana (lit. "beyond/the other side of the mountain"), a classical name for the North Wind of the Mediterranean.
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Jean-Claude Casanova from l-invitu for contributing this song. Translated into English by Monique Palomares and Lisa Yannucci.
Grazie!
