Texts of the Neapolitan songs

Tiene mente 'sta palomma,
Comme ggira, comm'avota,
Comme torna 'n'ata vota
'Sta ceroggena a ttentà!

Palummè, chist'è 'nu lume,
Nun è rosa o giesummino,
E tu a fforza ccà vvicino
Te vuò mettere a vulà!

Vattenne 'a lloco!
Vattenne, pazzarella!
Va', palummella, e torna,
E torna a 'st'aria
Accussì fresca e bella!
'O bbì ca i' pure
Mm'abbaglio chianu chiano,
E ca mm'abbrucio 'a mano
Pe' te ne vulè caccià?

Carulì, pe' 'nu capriccio,
Tu vuò fà scuntento a 'n'ato
E po', quanno ll'hê lassato,
Tu addu 'n'ato vuò vulà.

Troppe core staje strignenno
Cu 'sti mmane piccerelle;
Ma fernisce ca 'sti scelle
Pure tu te può abbrucià.

Vattenne 'a lloco!
Vattenne, pazzarella!
Va', palummella, e torna,
E torna a 'st'aria
Accussì fresca e bella!
'O bbì ca i' pure
Mm'abbaglio chianu chiano,
E ca mm'abbrucio 'a mano
Pe' te ne vulè caccià?

Torna, va', palomma 'e notte,
Dint'a ll'ombra addò sì nnata!
Torna a 'st'aria 'mbarzamata
Ca te sape cunzulà!

Dint' ô scuro e pe' mme sulo
'Sta cannela arde e se struje,
Ma c'ardesse a tutt' 'e dduje,
Nun 'o ppozzo suppurtà!

Vattenne 'a lloco!
Vattenne, pazzarella!
Va', palummella, e torna,
E torna a 'st'aria
Accussì fresca e bella!
'O bbì ca i' pure
Mm'abbaglio chianu chiano,
E ca mm'abbrucio 'a mano
Pe' te ne vulè caccià?

Look at this moth,
How it whirls, how it flits,
How it comes back again
To tempt this candle!

Moth, this is a lamp,
It's not a rose or jasmine,
And you at any cost
Want to fly nearer to it!

Fly away from here!
Fly away, crazy moth!
Fly, moth, and come back,
And come back to the air
So fresh and beautiful!
Do you see that I also
Make a mistake
And that I burn my hand,
Trying to chase you away?

Caroline, for a caprice,
You want to make unhappy an other
And then, when you leave him,
You want to fly away to an other.

Many hearts you are squeezing
By your little hands,
But in the end your wings
You can also burn them.

Fly away from here!
Fly away, crazy moth!
Fly, moth, and come back,
And come back to the air
So fresh and beautiful!
Do you see that I also
Make a mistake
And that I burn my hand,
Trying to chase you away?

Come back, fly, nightly moth,
To the shadow where you were born!
Come back to the balmy air
That can console you!

In the dark only for me
This candle burns and melts,
But let it burn to both of us
Because alone I can't bear it!

Fly away from here!
Fly away, crazy moth!
Fly, moth, and come back,
And come back to the air
So fresh and beautiful!
Do you see that I also
Make a mistake
And that I burn my hand,
Trying to chase you away?