Home
Q&A
Hola! Can anyone help me with a translation? Zarzuela text from El Duo de la Africana

Hola! Can anyone help me with a translation? Zarzuela text from El Duo de la Africana

0
votes

Hi! I am having a bit of trouble with a translation for my opera production. The zarzuela is basically making fun of Italian opera, extremely popular at the time of production in Spain, so it contains what the cast refers to as spitalian! (spanish-italian mashups)
Any help in translating this text would be helpful!

Here goes:
QUERUBINI
Il coro! Coro imbecile!
Chiama al coro.

PEREZ
(Que genio!) Coro de salvajes! (Llamando).

UNO
Que nos llaman!
(El Coro de caballeros viene al prescenio).

QUERUBINI
Signori: nel cuarto atto. Siete salvaggi, capite? Salvaggi? salva? salva?

PEREZ
Salvajes.

QUERUBINI
Un slavaggi si arranca il cappello, morde, grita, e con la sua voce ladra; ma voi, con cara di risa, e con le due mani sempre dentro de la tasca, de bol? bol?

PEREZ
Bolsillo.

QUERUBINI
Ecco.
Ma un salvaggi, non ha bolsillo perche anda fuora di casa sin pantaloni. Pensate in questo e andate. Chiama le donnine.
(Sale el Coro de caballeros por la izquierda.)

PEREZ
Coro de virgenes!...
(Llamando)
(Llamando mas fuerte).

UNA
Pero, es a nosotras?

QUERUBINI
Voi siete vergine. La vergine e pura, casta, tutta candore e modestia; e ha le due mani sempre l'una sopra l'altra in

questa forma. Perche? Perche e una vergine candida.
Pensate in questo e andate.
(Sale el Coro de senoras por la derecha)

ESCENA III
Querubini

QUERUBINI
Va bene, Si canta male, molto male; ma si gana denaro, molti quatrini. E mia exposa, la Prima Donna! Non la pago; e la impresaria. La contralto e mia figlia. Non la pago. Il caricato e mio tio. Non la pago. Il coro come canta molto male, non lo pago. Il tenore? e una estatua. Ma, que voce, que garganta! E un tenore gratuito!
(con mucho entusiasmo).
E escapato de sua casa, e escapato de sua matre, e andato al buscarmi a Italia per cantar al lato mio. Non lo pago. E una compania questa di opera barata.

ESCENA IV
Dicho, Perez, por la derecha.

PEREZ
Senor Querubini!...

QUERUBINI
Que?

PEREZ
Para el cuarto acto hace falta decoracion.

QUERUBINI
Come, come?

PEREZ
Es necessario pintarla.

QUERUBINI
Pintare? Non c'e un giardino?

PEREZ
Si que hay jardin.

QUERUBINI
Ecco, basta.

PEREZ
Pero el jardin representa.

4225 views
updated FEB 5, 2009
posted by lea2

3 Answers

0
votes

Ecco, basta.
Here are just. [Spanish: enough]

"Ecco, basta" in Italian means "That's it. Enough!" That is, the speaker is fed up with something. Ecco here could also be translated as OK, among a number of other possibilities.

Pintare? Non c'e un giardino?
Pintar? There is a garden? [apparently misunderstood pintar]

More precisely, "Isn't there a garden'" And I don't think there was a misunderstanding of pintar, but rather than Querubini is asking why a real garden would have to be painted, and he is subsequently disappointed to learn that it is only going to be depicted as a painting.

Come, come?
How, how? [Spanish "Eat, eat'"]

More like "What do you mean'" "(Whaddaya mean'," as in "How come'")

I didn't read through the whole thing, but maybe this will help a little.

updated FEB 5, 2009
posted by 00bacfba
0
votes

QUERUBINI is mostly speaking Italian, but appears to be stumbling around for Spanish words; and PEREZ is mostly speaking Spanish. It's obvious that we would need to understand both languages in order to "get" the humor here. Here is my attempt translating the Spanish (in bold), just for fun. I'm no fan of machine translators, but have used one here for the Italian (in italics). You get the idea.

QUERUBINI
Il coro! Coro imbecile!
Chiama al coro.
The chorus! Coro imbecil! [Imbeciles!!]
Call the chorus.

PEREZ
(Que genio!) Coro de salvajes! (Llamando).
(What a genius! or, What a temper!) Chorus of savages! (calling)

UNO [ONE]
Que nos llaman!
(El Coro de caballeros viene al prescenio).
They're calling us!
(Male Chorus comes to the [not a Spanish word, but presumably stage]).

QUERUBINI
Signori: nel cuarto atto. Siete salvaggi, capite? Salvaggi? salva? salva?
Gentlemen: In cuarto [fourth'] act. Salvaggio you, you understand? Salvaggio ... unless ... unless ...

PEREZ
Salvajes.
Savages.

QUERUBINI
Un slavaggi si arranca il cappello, morde, grita, e con la sua voce ladra; ma voi, con cara di risa, e con le due mani sempre dentro de la tasca, de bol? bol?
Arranca slavaggi is a hat, bites, grita [Spanish - shouts], and with his voice thief [Spanish - barks], but you, dear laugh with, and with both hands still inside the pocket, bol ... bol de ... [This is a "mashup" and then some -- Spanish and Italian words all mixed.]

PEREZ
Bolsillo.
Pocket.

QUERUBINI
Ecco.
Ma un salvaggi, non ha bolsillo perche anda fuora di casa sin pantaloni. Pensate in questo e andate. Chiama le donnine.
There.
But a Salvaggio, bolsillo [Spanish - pocket] why not go outside the home since [Spanish - without] trousers. Think on this and go. Call the woman.
(Sale el Coro de caballeros por la izquierda.)
(Male Chorus exits to the left.)

PEREZ
Coro de virgenes!...
(Llamando)
(Llamando mas fuerte).
Female Chorus! (Chorus of virgins)
(Calling)
(Calling louder)

UNA [ONE]
Pero, es a nosotras?
But, is that for us?

QUERUBINI
Voi siete vergine. La vergine e pura, casta, tutta candore e modestia; e ha le due mani sempre l'una sopra l'altra in

questa forma. Perche? Perche e una vergine candida.
Pensate in questo e andate.
You are a virgin. The virgin and pure, chaste, all candor and modesty, and the two hands always the one above the other in this form. Why? Why a virgin and candida [Spanish: candid, white].
Think on this and go.

(Sale el Coro de senoras por la derecha)
Female chorus exits to the right.

ESCENA III
SCENE III
Querubini

QUERUBINI
Va bene, Si canta male, molto male; ma si gana denaro, molti quatrini. E mia exposa, la Prima Donna! Non la pago; e la impresaria. La contralto e mia figlia. Non la pago. Il caricato e mio tio. Non la pago. Il coro come canta molto male, non lo pago. Il tenore? e una estatua. Ma, que voce, que garganta! E un tenore gratuito!
(con mucho entusiasmo).
E escapato de sua casa, e escapato de sua matre, e andato al buscarmi a Italia per cantar al lato mio. Non lo pago. E una compania questa di opera barata.
Okay, It sings bad, very bad, but you gana [Spanish - earn] money, many quatrini. And my expose [Spanish - spouse'''], the Prima Donna! Not pay, and the impresario. The contralto and my daughter. Not pay. The loaded and my tio [Spanish - uncle']. Not pay. The choir sings as very bad, do not pay. The content ... and a estatua [Spanish - statue]. But, que voce, que garganta! [Spanish - what a voice, what a throat!] It is a free content!
(with mucho enthusiasm). [Spanish - with much enthusiasm]

ESCENA IV
SCENE IV
Dicho, Perez, por la derecha.
''? Perez, on the right.

PEREZ
Senor Querubini!...
Mr. Querubini!

QUERUBINI
Que?
What?

PEREZ
Para el cuarto acto hace falta decoracion.
For the fourth act, the scenery isn't ready.

QUERUBINI
Come, come?
How, how' [Spanish "Eat, eat'"]

PEREZ
Es necessario pintarla.
It has to be painted.

QUERUBINI
Pintare? Non c'e un giardino?
Pintar? There is a garden' [apparently misunderstood pintar]

PEREZ
Si que hay jardin.
Of course there is a garden!

QUERUBINI
Ecco, basta.
Here are just. [Spanish: enough]

PEREZ
Pero el jardin representa.
But the garden is symbolic. [']

updated FEB 5, 2009
posted by Natasha
0
votes

Tell us which parts you have the problems with and try to do it yourself first. Most of it is in Italian.

updated FEB 5, 2009
posted by 00494d19
SpanishDict is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website.