Barcarolo romano [English translation]

How much pain tonight

is on the river that rolls like this,

unlucky is who dreams and hopes,

we all in the world have to suffer...

but if a soul seeks peace,

it can only find it here...

The boatman goes against the current

and when he sings, the echo resents!

If it is true, river, that you give peace,

fairy river, don’t deny it to me...

More than a month has passed

since one night I told Ninetta:

"This love has now gone down".

She replied, "I see it from me..."

She sighed, then told me, "Goodbye, love,

but I don’t forget you".

And from that day I left her,

I still look for - and never find her.

If it is true, river, that you give peace,

I have repented, let me find her...

Right close to the boat

I see a shadow on the water: over here,

it turns, and it’s a whirlpool,

then it goes down and resurfaces back.

Hurry up... it's a drowned woman!

Poor her... she was in pain, who knows?

The moon, from above, peeps out...

it brightens the face of beautiful Ninetta...

She asked me for peace and I denied it...

quiet river, you gave it to her...

I want to get lost up or down the river,

so, who loves you dies with you...