Remember Euryalus and Nisus, the Virgilian queeromance that inspired the story of Renly Baratheon and Loras Tyrell?
Well, an Italian songwriter retold their star-crossed tale as that of two freedom fighters in WW2-era Nazi-occupied Italy. Hope you enjoy this retelling!
EURIALO E NISO
La notte era chiara, la luna un grande lume
Eurialo e Niso uscirono dal campo verso il fiume
e scesero dal monte, lo zaino sulle spalle
dovevan far saltare il ponte a Serravalle.
Eurialo e Niso uscirono dal campo verso il fiume
e scesero dal monte, lo zaino sulle spalle
dovevan far saltare il ponte a Serravalle.
Eurialo era un fornaio e Niso uno studente
scapparono in montagna all'otto di settembre
i boschi già dormivano, ma un gufo li avvisava
c'era un posto di blocco in fondo a quella strada.
scapparono in montagna all'otto di settembre
i boschi già dormivano, ma un gufo li avvisava
c'era un posto di blocco in fondo a quella strada.
Eurialo fece a Niso asciugandosi la fronte
"Ci sono due tedeschi di guardia sopra al ponte."
La neve era caduta e il freddo la induriva,
ma avevan scarpe di feltro e nessuno li sentiva.
"Ci sono due tedeschi di guardia sopra al ponte."
La neve era caduta e il freddo la induriva,
ma avevan scarpe di feltro e nessuno li sentiva.
Le sentinelle erano incantate dalla luna:
fu facile sorprenderle tagliandogli la fortuna,
una di loro aveva una spilla sul mantello,
Eurialo la raccolse e se la mise sul cappello.
fu facile sorprenderle tagliandogli la fortuna,
una di loro aveva una spilla sul mantello,
Eurialo la raccolse e se la mise sul cappello.
La spilla era d'argento, un'aquila imperiale,
brillava nella notte più di un'aurora boreale,
fu così che li videro i cani e gli aguzzini
che volevan vendicare i camerati uccisi.
brillava nella notte più di un'aurora boreale,
fu così che li videro i cani e gli aguzzini
che volevan vendicare i camerati uccisi.
Eurialo fu sorpreso in mezzo a una radura,
Niso stava nascosto spiando di paura
Eurialo circondarono coprendolo di sputo
a lungo ci giocarono come fa il gatto col topo.
Niso stava nascosto spiando di paura
Eurialo circondarono coprendolo di sputo
a lungo ci giocarono come fa il gatto col topo.
Ma quando vide l'amico legato intorno al ramo
trafitto dai coltelli come un San Sebastiano
Niso dovette uscire che troppo era il furore
quattro ne fece fuori prima di cadere.
Niso dovette uscire che troppo era il furore
quattro ne fece fuori prima di cadere.
E cadde sulla neve ai piedi dell'amico
e cadde anche la luna nel bosco insanguinato
due alberi fiorirono vicino a quel cimitero:
i fiori erano rossi sbocciavano d'inverno.
La notte era chiara, la Luna un grande lume
Eurialo e Niso uscirono dal campo verso il fiume.
Here is the English translation (a formidable and exceedingly faithful singable English version):
EURYALUS AND NISUS
The bright moon like a big lamp in the sky it did quiver,
Euryalus and Nisus went downhill to the river.
They walked out of the fields shouldering their rucksacks,
they had been order’d to blow up the bridge of Serravalle.
Euryalus was a baker, and Nisus was a student:
They had passed to the Partisans on the eighth of September
The wood was sleeping but an owl warned them of danger,
there was an armed roadblock just at the road end.
Euryalus told Nisus drying up his forehead,
"Look at the German watches just on the bridge ahead."
The snow had fallen and the cold made it so hard,
but they had on their felt shoes, and nobody heard.
The watches weren’t moving, they looked like moonstruck:
It was easy to overtake them and cut off their good luck,
One of them had a silver pin on his soldier’s greatcoat:
Euryalus picked it up and attached it to his beret.
The pin with the imperial eagle shone so vivid and bright
like an aurora it glitter’d in the darkness of night.
So he was easily noticed by the dogs and by the butchers
wanting to avenge the death of their comrades in arms.
Euryalus was caught in the middle of the plain,
Nisus kept well hidden for fear of being slain,
Euryalus was surrounded, at him long time they spat
playing with him like cats toying with a poor rat.
But when he saw his friend tied up to a tree branch
like St. Sebastian pierced, but with their army daggers
Nisus jumped out and rush’d to them with all his wrath:
Four of them he did kill before they slew him dead.
He fell on the snowy ground to the feet of his friend,
so did the moon fall down on the bloodstained woodland,
Two trees then bloomed just next to the graves where they lay
their flowers were red and sprang up even in wintertime.
The bright moon like a big lamp in the sky it did quiver,
Euryalus and Nisus went downhill to the river.
e cadde anche la luna nel bosco insanguinato
due alberi fiorirono vicino a quel cimitero:
i fiori erano rossi sbocciavano d'inverno.
La notte era chiara, la Luna un grande lume
Eurialo e Niso uscirono dal campo verso il fiume.
Here is the English translation (a formidable and exceedingly faithful singable English version):
EURYALUS AND NISUS
The bright moon like a big lamp in the sky it did quiver,
Euryalus and Nisus went downhill to the river.
They walked out of the fields shouldering their rucksacks,
they had been order’d to blow up the bridge of Serravalle.
Euryalus was a baker, and Nisus was a student:
They had passed to the Partisans on the eighth of September
The wood was sleeping but an owl warned them of danger,
there was an armed roadblock just at the road end.
Euryalus told Nisus drying up his forehead,
"Look at the German watches just on the bridge ahead."
The snow had fallen and the cold made it so hard,
but they had on their felt shoes, and nobody heard.
The watches weren’t moving, they looked like moonstruck:
It was easy to overtake them and cut off their good luck,
One of them had a silver pin on his soldier’s greatcoat:
Euryalus picked it up and attached it to his beret.
The pin with the imperial eagle shone so vivid and bright
like an aurora it glitter’d in the darkness of night.
So he was easily noticed by the dogs and by the butchers
wanting to avenge the death of their comrades in arms.
Euryalus was caught in the middle of the plain,
Nisus kept well hidden for fear of being slain,
Euryalus was surrounded, at him long time they spat
playing with him like cats toying with a poor rat.
But when he saw his friend tied up to a tree branch
like St. Sebastian pierced, but with their army daggers
Nisus jumped out and rush’d to them with all his wrath:
Four of them he did kill before they slew him dead.
He fell on the snowy ground to the feet of his friend,
so did the moon fall down on the bloodstained woodland,
Two trees then bloomed just next to the graves where they lay
their flowers were red and sprang up even in wintertime.
The bright moon like a big lamp in the sky it did quiver,
Euryalus and Nisus went downhill to the river.
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