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epitome of incomprehensibility
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We're singing this at the end of the choir concert tomorrow in honour of the director retiring and moving away. A sort of goodbye. A moving goodbye. But we're singing it in the English translation and it's terrrrrible, so I have to rant.
Starting with the title. English translation calls it "Time to Say Goodbye." I think it's more like "When You Leave."
...Nope, looked it up. Apparently, it means "I'll leave with you," which makes things weird. But they're weird already in the Italian! I'll leave with you on imaginary ships on seas that no longer exist. Weid, right? This is what gives the thing its charm. To me, anyway. The surreal lyrics make the song more interesting, just like the rhythm's flow between triplets and quadruplets makes it more textured. These bits of complexity give leeway for the chorus to be cheesy and sweeping (and oh, it is).
But in English, the beauty of the original poetry is lost. The words just sound nonsensical AND saccharine. Plegh.
Witness:
"Quando sono solo sogno-al l'orizonte-e mancan le parole" (hyphens are for syllables merged together)
vs.
"When I feel so all alone I dream of the horizon and words fail me"
You see what I mean, right?
Also, what the hell is "If you're not here, you're not here with me"?? I mean, obviously!!
And this isn't as bad, but "On ships I will sail on, across the seas"? You can say "on ships." You can say "sail on." But limit it to one "on" per phrase or else it's confusing. Grr.
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