Giuseppe Verdi - Va’ Pensiero
(Fly thoughts / Πέτα σκέψη)

«Πέτα σκέψη»

Ἀπὸ τὴν Ὄπερα «Ναμποῦκο» τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ Βέρντι (1813-1901)

Ἡ πρώτη ἐπιτυχημένη ὄπερα τοῦ Βέρντι, τὸ Ναμποῦκο (Ναβουχοδονόσωρ), συνετέθη στὰ 1842. Σχετίζεται μὲ τὴν βιβλικὴ ἱστορία τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν Ἑβραίων στὴν Βαβυλώνα, τὸν 6ο αἰ. π.Χ. Στὸ ἔργο, τὸ χορικὸ «Πέτα σκέψη» (παράφραση τοῦ Ψαλμοῦ 136) τραγουδιέται ἀπὸ τοὺς ἐξορίστους στὶς ὄχθες τοῦ Εὐφράτη, ὡς θρῆνος γιὰ τὴν ἀπώλεια τῆς πατρίδας τους.

Περὶ τὰ 1815, ἡ Αὐστρία κατέλαβε τὴν Βόρεια Ἰταλία, τὴν Λομβαρδία συγκεκριμένα. Τὸ κομμάτι «Πέτα σκέψη» σύντομα ἔγινε δημοφιλὴς ὕμνος γιὰ τὸν Ἰταλικὸ λαό, ἐκφράζοντας τὴν σφοδρή τους ἐπιθυμία γιὰ ἐλευθερία ἀπὸ τὴν Αὐστριακὴ κατοχή. Οἱ κατακτητὲς δὲν ἀντελήφθησαν πολλά, ἐπειδὴ συγχέονταν ἀπὸ τὴν ἐμμονὴ τῶν Ἰταλῶν μὲ τὴν μουσική, εἰδικὰ μὲ τὸ «Πέτα σκέψη» τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ Βέρντι. Τὸ θεωροῦσαν γουστόζικο, ἀλλὰ τὸ παρέβλεψαν ἐκείνη τὴν ἐποχή. Στοὺς δρόμους, τοὺς τοίχους, ἔβρισκαν χαραγμένη ἢ βαμμένη τὴν λέξη VERDI. Ἔτσι, νόμιζαν πὼς ὅλοι ἦσαν ὁπαδοὶ τοῦ συνθέτη. Στὴν πραγματικότητα, αὐτὴ ἡ λέξη ἦταν κλήση γιὰ ἐθνικὸ φρόνημα καὶ προσέβλεπε στὸν πατριωτισμὸ τῶν Ἰταλῶν, ἀλλὰ ἴσως ἀκόμη περισσότερο στὴν ἐπανένωση τῆς Λομβαρδίας. Αὐτὸ συνέβαινε ἐπειδὴ τὸ σύνθημα VERDI ὑπῆρξε ἀκρωνύμιο τῆς φράσης Vittorio Emmanuele Re d᾿Italia. (Βίκτωρ Ἐμμανουήλ, Ῥήγας τῆς Ἰταλίας).

Ὅταν τὸ φέρετρο τοῦ Βέρντι μεταφερόταν πρὸς τὸ κοιμητήριο, στὰ 1901, πλῆθος λαοῦ, ὑπὲρ τῶν 25000, ἄρχισαν αὐθορμήτως νὰ τραγουδοῦν κατὰ τὴν διαδρομὴ τὸ ἐν λόγῳ χορικό.

Αὐτὸ τὸ ἐκλεκτό, πολὺ συγκινητικὸ κομμάτι τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ Βέρντι ἔχει ἐνορχηστρωθεῖ καὶ ἀποδοθεῖ ἀπὸ μεγάλο ἀριθμὸ σπουδαίων τραγουδιστῶν καὶ ἐπαγγελματικῶν χορωδιῶν, σὲ διάφορα στύλ, ἀπὸ πὸπ ἕως ὄπερα. Ἕνα μικρὸ δεῖγμα καλλιτεχνῶν ποὺ ἀπέδωσαν τὸ ἄσμα αὐτό, εἶναι ὁ Albano Carisi, ἡ Dame Jane Sutherland, ὅπως ἐπίσης καὶ ντουέτα: ἕνα ἦταν ὁ Lucio Dalla καὶ ὁ Luciano Pavarotti καὶ ἕνα ἄλλο ὁ Zucchero καὶ ἡ Sinead O᾿Connor.

«Fly thought»

From the Opera «Nabucco» by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Verdi᾿s first successful opera, Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar), was written in 1842. It relates the Biblical story of the captivity of the Hebrews in Babylon in the 6th century B.C. In the opera, the chorus «Va, pensiero» (a paraphrase of Psalm 137) is sung by the exiles on the banks of the Euphrates, lamenting the loss of their homeland.

Late in the 1800᾿s, Austria occupied Northern Italy, Lombardy specifically. The piece «Va, pensiero» soon became a popular anthem for the Italian people, expressing their own longing for political freedom from Austria. They apparently understood little as they were bemused by the pre-occupation Italians had with music, in particular Verdi᾿s «Va Pensiero». They thought is was quaint and did not attach much importance to it at the time. On the streets, the walls, they would find scrawled or painted the word VERDI. And so they thought everyone was in love with the composer. In fact, that word was a call to nationhood and spoke to Italian patriotism, but perhaps more to Lombardy re-unification. Because it was not just the song - it was because the name of Verdi was also an acronym for Vittorio Emmanuele Re d᾿Italia. (Vittorio Emmanuele, King of Italy).

When Verdi᾿s coffin was carried to its final resting place a month after his death in 1901, the crowd of over 25,000 people along the route spontaneously began singing this stirring chorus.

This eclectic and extremely touching piece from Giuseppe Verdi has been stylized and performed by a multitude of amazing singers and Professional Choirs, in styles ranging from pop to opera. A small sample of the artists who performed this song include Albano Carisi, Dame Jane Sutherland, as well as duets; one comprised of Lucio Dalla and Luciano Pavarotti and another by Zucchero and Sinead O᾿Connor.

Italiano (originale)

Va᾿, pensiero, sull᾿ali dorate.
Va᾿, ti posa sui clivi, sui colli,
ove olezzano tepide e molli
l᾿aure dolci del suolo natal!
Del Giordano le rive saluta,
di Sionne le torri atterrate.
O mia Patria, si bella e perduta!
O remembranza si cara e fatal!
Arpa d᾿or dei fatidici vati,
perché muta dal salice pendi?
Le memorie del petto riaccendi,
chi favella del tempo che fu!
O simile di Solima ai fati,
traggi un suono di crudo lamento;
o t᾿ispiri il Signore un concento
che ne infonda al patire virtu!

Русский

Мысль перемещает на золотистые крыла,
котор оно идет и отдыхает на
шеях скал где принесена
тепловатая и мягкая аура земли.
Где река Иордан приветствует
приземленные башни Жион.
Oh моя красивейшая и потерянол родная земля, да!
Памяти oh, да, дорогие и окончательные!
Золотистые арфы пророков - почему
делает их изменение сообщения
как воздух через вал вербы?
Памяти в груди говорят времени было!
Oh эти же как духи, когда они
плачут вне с их сетует.
Это когда лорд воодушевляет вас,
и капает в вас терпя добродетеля!

Ἑλληνικά

Πάρε σκέψη φτερὰ χρυσωμένα,
στῆς πατρίδας μας πέτα τὰ ἱερά,
ὅπου ρυάκια κυλοῦν μαγεμένα,
ὅπου οἱ αὖρες πνέουν γλυκὰ παντοτεινά!
Στοῦ Ἰορδάνου τὶς ὄχθες χαιρέτα,
τῆς Σιὼν τὰ ἐρείπια τὰ θλιβερά.
Στὴν πατρίδα ὦ σκέψη μας πέτα
ν᾿ ἀσπαστεῖς τὰ χώματα τὰ ἱερά!
Ἅρπα ψάλε ξανὰ γιὰ τὴ γῆ μας·
γιατί μένεις βουβὴ ξεχασμένη;
Παρηγόρα τη δόλια ψυχή μας,
διηγήσου μία δόξα παλιά!
Ἂς ἠχήσει ὁ θρῆνος σου πέρα,
γιὰ ἕνα ἔθνος ποὺ ζεῖ στὴ σκλαβιά·
ἂς ἐμπνεύσει ὁ Κύριος μία μέρα
τοῦ λαοῦ σου νὰ ψάλεις τὴ λευτεριά!

English1 (poetic)

Fly, thoughts, on wings of gold;
go settle upon the slopes and the hills,
where, soft and mild,
the sweet air of our native land smells fragrant!
Greet the banks of the Jordan
and Zion᾿s toppled towers.
Oh, my country so lovely and lost!
Oh, memory so dear and despairing!
Golden harp of the prophetic seers,
why do you hang mute upon the willow?
Rekindle our heart᾿s memories
and speak of times gone by!
Mindful of the fate of Jerusalem,
either sound a song of sad lamentation,
or else let the Lord give us
the strength to bear our sufferings!

English2 (poetic)

Go, my thoughts on golden wings;
Go, settle on the cliffs and hills
Where the sweet breezes bring
The warm, soft fragrances of your native land
From Jordan, the river of salvation, and
From the desolate towers of Zion.
Oh my fatherland so beautiful and lost!
Oh remembrances, so dear and so deadly
Golden Harps of our prophets and poets,
Why have you changed into weeping willows?
The battered memory in my heart
Which speaks of the time which was!
Either like Solomon to the fates
You present a sound of crude lament,
Or the Lord inspires in you a song
Which takes courage into the depths.

English (Exact Translation)

Thought travels on golden wings
It goes and rests on the necks of cliffs
Where the tepid and soft
aura of the ground is born.
Where the river Jordan greets
the landed towers of Zion.
Oh my beautiful and lost native land, yes!
Oh memories, yes, dear and final!
The golden harps of the prophets -
Why does their message change like the air
          through a willow tree?
The memories in the breast speak
of the time that was!
Oh the same as the spirits,
when they cry out with their laments.
This is when the Lord inspires you,
and instills in you a suffering virtue!

German

Flieg gedanke, auf goldenen flügeln; fliege,
lasse dich auf den hängen und hügeln nieder,
wo die süßen lüfte seines heimatlichen
bodens zart und lieblich duften!
grüße die Ufer des Jordans,
von Zion die niedergerissenen mauern...
O mein heimatland, so schön und so verloren !
O erinnerung, so lieblich und so schicksalhaft !
Goldene harfe der prophetischen dichter,
warum hängst du stumm an der weide?
Entflamme die erinnerungen in der brust,
erzähle uns von vergangenen zeiten!
Entreiße dir ähnlich dem schicksal
Jerusalems einen ton der bitteren klage,
oder der herr stimme dich harmonisch,
damit wir unser schicksal mutig ertragen!

Français

Va, pensée, sur tes ailes dorées;
Va, pose-toi sur les pentes et les cols
Où fleurent, tièdes et humides
les brises douces du sol natal!
Du Jourdain, elle salue les rives,
de Sion les tours détruites.
Oh, ma patrie si belle et perdue!
Oh, souvenir si cher et funeste!
Harpe d’or des prémonitoires devins,
Pourquoi pends-tu, muette, du saule?
Les souvenirs au cœur, tu ravives,
tu nous parles du temps qui fut!
Ou que, pareille au sort d᾿Israël,
tu tires un son de triste complainte
Ou que le Seigneur t’inspire une harmonie
Qui nous insuffle la vertu d’endurer les souffrances!

Español

¡Vuela pensamiento, con alas doradas,
pósate en las praderas y en las cimas
donde exhala su suave fragancia
el aire dulce de la tierra natal!
¡Saluda a las orillas del Jordán
y a las destruidas torres de Sión!
¡Oh, mi patria, tan bella y abandonada!
¡Oh recuerdo tan grato y fatal!
Arpa de oro de los fatídicos vates,
¿por qué cuelgas silenciosa del sauce?
Revive en nuestros pechos el recuerdo,
¡háblanos del tiempo que fue!
Canta un aire de crudo lamento
al destino de Jerusalén
o que te inspire el Señor una melodía
que infunda virtud al padecimiento.

Σύνδεσμοι YouTube: Instrumental, Opera, Zucchero, Zucchero and Pavarotti

Version by Zucchero & Luciano Pavarotti

Va pensiero sul' alli dorate,
Cross the mountains and fly over the oceans,
Reach the land, find the place where all children roam,
Every night after listening to this lullaby.

There you find the heroes alive, protecting the innocents,
Bless them all 'cause their simple song is so pure and wonderful.

Va pensiero sul' alli dorate,
Life᾿s beautiful dream carry on for all night long.
Lead them your golden wings every feel will fly away
Take them by the hand, help them find an easy way.

Lead them back to the light, back to the light,
Where they once used to belong,
Where they can remain children as long as they want.

Va pensiero sul' alli dorate,
Cross the mountains and fly over the oceans,
Reach the land, find the place where all children roam,
Every night after listening to this lullaby.
Every night after listening to this lullaby.

Appendix / Παράρτημα
By the rivers of Babylon / Ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος

By the rivers of Babylon
Song Lyrics by The Melodians
B.Dowe-F.McHaughton, adapted from Psalm 137:1

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion. (2)

When the wicked
Carried us away in captivity
Required from us a song
Now how shall we sing the Lord᾿s song in a strange land. (2)

Sing it out loud
Sing a song of freedom sister
Sing a song of freedom brother
We gotta sing and shout it
We gotta talk and shout it
Shout the song of freedom now

Let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart
Be acceptable in Thy sight here tonight (2)

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion. (2)

By the rivers of Babylon (dark tears of Babylon)
There we sat down (you got to sing a song)
Ye-eah we wept, (sing a song of love)
When we remembered Zion. (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)

By the rivers of Babylon (rough bits of Babylon)
There we sat down (you hear the people cry)
Ye-eah we wept, (they need their God)
When we remember Zion. (ooh, have the power)

Σύνδεσμοι YouTube: Melodians 1970 & Boney M 1978

By the rivers of Babylon (Psalm 137:1)
King James Bible

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down,
yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

4 How shall we sing the LORD᾿s song in a strange land?

5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.

8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

ἡ ἀγγλικὴ (King James Version) ἀρίθμηση τῶν ψαλμῶν εἶναι +1, γιὰ n>10.

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Πρωτότυπον (Ἑβραϊστί)

עַל נַהֲרוֹת, בָּבֶל--שָׁם יָשַׁבְנוּ, גַּם-בָּכִינוּ: בְּזָכְרֵנוּ, אֶת-צִיּוֹן.
ב עַל-עֲרָבִים בְּתוֹכָהּ-- תָּלִינוּ, כִּנֹּרוֹתֵינוּ.
ג כִּי שָׁם שְׁאֵלוּנוּ שׁוֹבֵינוּ, דִּבְרֵי-שִׁיר-- וְתוֹלָלֵינוּ שִׂמְחָה:
שִׁירוּ לָנוּ, מִשִּׁיר צִיּוֹן.
ד אֵיךְ--נָשִׁיר אֶת-שִׁיר-יְהוָה: עַל, אַדְמַת נֵכָר

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΛϚ´ (136)

Τῷ Δαυΐδ, διὰ Ἱερεμίου· εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν.

Ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσαμεν καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν ἐν τῷ μνησθῆναι ἡμᾶς τῆς Σιών.

Ἐπὶ ταῖς ἰτέαις ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ἐκρεμάσαμεν τὰ ὄργανα ἡμῶν·

Ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἐπηρώτησαν ἡμᾶς οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντες ἡμᾶς λόγους ᾠδῶν καὶ οἱ ἀπαγαγόντες ἡμᾶς, ὕμνον· ᾌσατε ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν ᾠδῶν Σιών.

Πῶς ᾄσωμεν τὴν ᾠδὴν Κυρίου ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας;

Ἐὰν ἐπιλάθωμαί σου, Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐπιλησθείη ἡ δεξιά μου·

Κολληθείη ἡ γλῶσσά μου τῷ λάρυγγί μου, ἐὰν μή σου μνησθῶ, ἐὰν μὴ προανατάξωμαι τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὡς ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς εὐφροσύνης μου.

Μνήσθητι, Κύριε, τῶν υἱῶν Ἐδώμ, τὴν ἡμέραν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τῶν λεγόντων· Ἐκκενοῦτε, ἐκκενοῦτε, ἕως τῶν θεμελίων αὐτῆς.

Θυγάτηρ Βαβυλῶνος ἡ ταλαίπωρος, μακάριος, ὃς ἀνταποδώσει σοι τὸ ἀνταπόδομά σου, ὃ ἀνταπέδωκας ἡμῖν.

Μακάριος, ὃς κρατήσει καὶ ἐδαφιεῖ τὰ νήπιά σου πρὸς τὴν πέτραν.

Μὲ ἀντίστροφη χρονικὴ σειρά, ἀφιεροῦται στὸ Αἴγιον Αἰγιαλείας Ἀχαΐας (1989), στὰ Σκουπιὰ Ἁλώνης Προικοννήσου Προποντῖδος (1927), στὸ Ῥέθυμνο Κρήτης (1869).

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Πολυέλεος «Ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν» (Ἦχος πλ. δ´) Πέτρου Λαμπαδαρίου, ἐξήγησις Σίμωνος Καρᾶ ἐδῶ

Dedicated to all refugees from Asia Minor!