“Donna Lombarda” (“Dame Lombarde” means “Lady from Lombardy,”) or “Dona Bianca” (Dame White) is perhaps the most famous of the Italian ballads, also widespread in France and French Canada (Quebec). The ballad handed down to the present day through an infinity of regional variations, tells the story of a young wife instigated by her lover to poison her husband and of a newborn baby who miraculously begins to speak to reveal the intrigue. A typical murder ballad of Celtic area with a supernatural event!
Costantino Nigra considers “Donna Lombarda” originally from Piedmont and, according to the belief of the time that the ancient folk ballads reported the historical events dating back to the Middle Ages, identifies the woman in the Queen of the Lombards, Rosmunda; here is the legend, as the chronicle reported by Paul Deacon in the Historia Longobardorum: in 572 the daughter of the kings of the Gepids (ancient Pannonia) taken in marriage by the kings of the Lombards Alboin as “war trophy” organized the plot for killing her husband in favor of his lover Elmichi. However, the attempt to usurpation was unsuccessful and Rosmunda and Elmichi fled to Ravenna (together with part of the Longobard treasure). In Ravenna the two got married but Rosmunda had not lost the vice of infidelity, so soon after she tried to kill her second husband with the classic system so much advertised in the folk ballads: the poisoned food. Elmichi noticed the poison as he drank from the cup and forced Rosmunda to drink with him, thus they died killed by the same potion!
The Ballad: DONNA LOMBARDA
Probably the ballad “Dame Lombard” is not so ancient but it is spread in a large area from the North to the South of Italy. The textual and melodic versions change and the lyrics are adapted to the various dialects or rendered in an Italian so to speak “popular”, collected and classified here only in a small part.
NORTH-ITALY VERSIONS
The ballad with the title of “Dona Bianca” is based on dialogues between the protagonists: the unfaithful wife, the lover, the husband and the child prodigy (because he speaks from the cradle while being newborn) . Yet an ancient noble context emerges in a few words : the husband returns from the hunt, preferred pastime by the medieval aristocracy, the garden where to find the snake is of a nobleman, the same name “Madonna” is a medieval term that is wife of a “dominus”.
La Lionetta (this song appears in several recordings, the first is in the album “Dances and Ballads of the Italian Celtic Area” Shirak, 1978) The version comes from Asti where it was collected by R. Leydi and F. Coggiola
O vòstu v’tti o dona Bianca o vòstu v’nial ballo cun mi? O si si si che mi a v ‘niria ma j’o paura del me mari Va n ‘tei giardino del mio galante(1) la ié la testa dal serpentin E ti t lu pie t lo piste in póer e poi t’iu bute hit’un bicier ad vin E so mari veti cà d’la cassa o dona Bianca jo tanta sei Ma va di là ‘nt’ la botejera la jé un bicier dal vin pi bum El cit enfant l’era ant’la cuna papa papa beiv pò lulì che la mamina vói fete muri O beivlu ti o dona Bianca se no t’lu fas beive a fil da spà O si si si che mi lo bevria ma jó paura d’ie mie masnà(2) |
English translation Cattia Salto Do you want to come, Dame White , Do you want to come to the dance with me? “/”I’d like to come, but I’m afraid of my husband.” “Go to the garden of my gallant there is the head of a serpent and you take it and reduce it to dust and then put it in a glass of wine ” And the husband comes home from hunting/”O Dame White I am so thirsty” “Go over to the cellar there is a glass of the best wine ” The little baby who was in the cradle/ “Daddy, daddy do not drink it because mom wants to make you die ” “Drink it yourself Dame White otherwise I force you to drink with my sword “/ “Or yes, I would drink it, but I fear for my children ” |
NOTE
1) “galante” stands for a gentleman, a noble courtier; in other versions the garden is of the mother or the father of the woman
2) the woman tries to escape death by invoking her role as a mother. But the ballad is not complete, we can only imagine that the woman, forced by the sword to drink from the glass, dies poisoned!
In this other version coming from the land of “Quattro Province” the context is more direct and popular, instead of the invitation to the court ball, the man asks to have sex and the husband is back from work in the fields; but the ending is more complete both in the description of the woman’s death by poisoning that in the moralizing closing sentence.
Barabàn from Baraban 1994, text version collected in the field by the voice of Angelina Papa (1908), rice-worker of Sannazzaro de ‘Burgondi (Pavia)
Dona lombarda dona lombarda fuma a l’amur fuma a l’amur Mi no mi no o sciur cavaliere che mi ‘l marito gh’i l’ò giamò Là int’al giardino del mio bèl padre si gh’è la testa dal serpentìn la ciaparemo la pistaremo fum ‘na butiglia dal noster bon vin A vegn a cà ‘l sò marì d’in campagna dona lombarda g’ò tanta set O guarda lì int’la cardensola gh’è una butiglia dal noster bon vin L’è salta sù ‘l fantulìn de la cüna bevalo nein bevalo nein Cosa vuol dire dona lombarda al noster bon vin l’è un po’ tulberì Sarà la pulvara d’la cardensola cà la fà ‘gnì un po’ tulberì Dona lombarda dona lombarda al noster bon vin t’la bévare ti La prima guta che lu ‘l g’a dato le la cumìncia a cambià i culur secunda guta che la beviva in tèra morta sì l’è cascà Dona lombarda dona lombarda arrivederci in paradìs tà s’ta scardiva de fag’la ai alter e ta t’le fada di ‘m bèla per tì |
English translation Cattia Salto “Dame Lombarde, Dame Lombarde let’s make love, let’s make love. ” “Not me, not me, sir knight that I have a husband already. ” “There in the garden of my good father there is the head of a pretty snake. We’ll take it, we’ll crush it in a bottle of our good wine. ” Her husband comes house from fields “Lombard woman, I am so thirsty” “Oh, look there in the cupboard there is a bottle of our good wine ” the baby jumped on from the cradle: “Do not drink it, do not drink it!” “What does it mean, Dame Lombarde, that our good wine is a little cloudy? ” “It will be the dust of the cupboard which makes it a little cloudy ” Dame Lombarde, Dame Lombarde our good wine, drink it! ” After the first sip, she begins to turn pale,. after the second she falled to the ground, dead. “Dame Lombarde, Dame Lombarde see you in Heaven! You thought you were betraying others and you did it yourself. ” |
Davide Bortolai from Ballate Lombarde 2007 (a remake very similar to the French version of the Malicorne)
The version from Venice has become a sort of “standard” supra-regional version
Giovanna Iris Daffini called “Callas of the Poor” in the text re-elaboration of Gualtiero Bertelli (founder of the Canzoniere Popolare Veneto)
Francesco De Gregori & Giovanna Marini from “Il fischio del vapore” – 2002 (Rome)
Fabrizio Poggi & Turututela fromCanzoni popolari 2002 (Pavia)
Le tre versioni testuali sono abbastanza simili, si riporta quella di Gualtiero Bertelli:
“Amami me che sono re” “non posso amarti tengo marì” “Tuo marito fallo morire, t’insegnerò come devi far: Vai nell’orto del tuo buon padre taglia la testa di un serpentin Prima la tagli e poi la schiacci e poi la metti dentro nel vin” Ritorna a casa il marì dai camp ” Donna Lombarda oh che gran sé” “Bevilo bianco bevilo nero bevilo pure come vuoi tu” “Cos’è sto vino così giallino?” “Sarà l’avanzo di ieri ser” Ma un bambino di pochi mesi sta nella culla e vuole parlar “O caro padre non ber quel vino Donna Lombarda l’avvelenò” “Bevilo tu o Donna Lombarda tu lo berrai e poi morirai” “E per amore del Re di Spagna io lo berrò e poi morirò” La prima goccia che lei beveva lei malediva il suo bambin Seconda goccia che lei beveva lei malediva il suo marì |
English translation Cattia Salto “Love me I’m a king” “I can not love you I have a husband” “Your husband will die, I will teach you how you must do: Go to the garden of your good father cut the head of a snake First cut it and then crush it and then put it in the wine ” The husband returns from the fields “Dame Lombarde I am so thirsty” “Drink a withe wine, drink a red wine, drink it as you want” “What is this wine so yellow?” “it will be last night’s surplus” But a child of a few months is in the cradle and wants to talk “O dear father do not drink that wine for Lombard Woman poisoned it” “Drink it you Dame Lombarde you will drink it and then you will die” “And for love of the King of Spain I will drink it and then I will die” The first sip she drank was cursing her baby after the second she cursed her husband |
CENTRAL-ITALY VERSIONS
Angelo Branduardi & Scintille di musica (Mantuan area) the version of Branduardi is shorter compared to the recording of Bruno Pianta collected by Andreina Fortunati of Villa Garibaldi (MN), 1975 (for the extended version here) The song is accompanied by the hurdy-gurdy, a typical popular instrument from the Middle Ages.
Donna lombarda, donna lombarda, Ameme mì. Cos volt che t’ama che ci ho il marito Che lu ‘l mi vuol ben. Vuoi vhe t’insegna a farlo morire T’insegnerò mi. Va co’ dell’orto del tuo buon padre Là c’è un serpentin. Vien cà il marito tutto assetato Và a trar quel vin(1). Ed un bambino di pochi anni Lu l’ha palesà. O caro padre non bere quel vino Che l’è avvelenà. Donna lombarda, bevi quel vino, che l’è avvelenà. (2) |
English translation Cattia Salto “Dame Lombarde, Dame Lombarde love me ” “How can I love you? I have a husband who loves me” “Do you want to teach you for killing him?/ I’ll teach you . Go to the bottom of your good father’s garden,/ there is a little snake. ” A thirsty husband comes home, goes to get some wine. But a child of a few years he revealed it. “O dear father, do not drink that wine that is poisoned. ” “Lombard woman, drink that wine, that is poisoned. ” |
NOTE
1) Branduardi skips the part where the woman crushes the head of the snake and puts it in the bottle of the best wine, as well as the fact that the husband knows how the wine is more turbid.
2) the ending
“Sol per amore del re di Francia, sol per amore, del re di Francia io lo beverò e poi morirò.” Ogni goccino che lei beveva, ogni goccino,che lei beveva: ”addio marì, ciao marì”. La s’intendeva da farla agli altri la s’intendeva, da farla agli altri la s’ l’è fata a le’ la s’ l’è fata a le’. |
English translation Cattia Salto “I will drink it only for the love of the king of France, I will drink it only for the love of the king of France,/and then I will die. ” Every little drop that she drank every little drop she drank: “farewell my husband. Hi husband. ” She really believed she was doing it to others she really believed she was doing it to others but she did it to herself but she did it to herself |
Caterina Bueno (Pistoia and Maremma area)
Franco Pacini
Riccardo Tesi & Maurizio Geri
The version was collected in 1979 by Franco Pacini (from Regina Innocenti of Pistoia) and was proposed by Caterina Bueno, who at the time continued to discover and cultivate young musicians of both popular and classical training.
– Donna lombarda, perché non m’ami? Donna lombarda, perché non m’ami? – – Perché ho marì. Perché ho marì. – – Se ciài il marito, fallo morire, se ciài il marito, fallo morire, t’insegnerò; t’insegnerò: Laggiù nell’orto del signor padre, Laggiù nell’orto del signor padre che c’è un serpèn che c’è un serpèn Piglia la testa di quel serpente, piglia la testa di quel serpente, pestàla ben, pestàla ben. Quando l’avrai bell’e pestata, quando l’avrai bell’e pestata, dagliela a be’, dagliela a be’ Torna il marito tutto assetato, torna il marito tutto assetato: chiede da be’, chiede da be’. – Marito mio, di quale vuoi? Marito mio, di quale vuoi? Del bianco o il ne’? Del bianco o il ne’? – – Donna lombarda, darmelo bianco. Donna lombarda, darmelo bianco: ché leva la se’ ché leva la se’. Donna lombarda, che ha questo vino? Donna lombarda, che ha questo vino Che l’è intorbé, Che l’è intorbé? – Saranno i troni dell’altra notte, saranno i troni dell’altra notte, che l’ha intorbé che l’ha intorbé S’alza un bambino di pochi mesi, s’alza un bambino di pochi mesi: – Babbo non lo be’ che c’è il velen – Donna lombarda, se c’è il veleno, Donna lombarda, se c’è il veleno, lo devi be’ te, lo devi ber te’. |
English translation Cattia Salto “Dame Lombarde why you dont’ love me? “Because I have an husband. Because I have an husband.” “If you have an husband, we’ll make him die! I’ll show you I’ll show you At the end of your father garden, At the end of your father garden you’ll find a snake you’ll find a snake cut the snake’s head, cut the snake’s head and crush it well crush it well When you’ll crush it well When you’ll crush it well you’ll offer (the poison) to your husband as a drink, you’ll offer (the poison) to your husband as a drink.” Her thirsty husband comes home, Her thirsty husband comes home, asking for some wine asking for some wine. “dear husband which you want? dear husband which you want? White or red? White or red?” “Dame Lombarde give me some white wine, that removes my thirst Dame Lombarde what has this wine? It’s all torbid It’s all torbid!” The little baby speaks The little baby speaks: “Daddy don’t drink it, that it is poisoned” “Dame Lombarde if there is some poison Dame Lombarden if there is some poison you must drink it first you must drink it first” |
second part (french version)
LINK
https://homepage.univie.ac.at/helmut.satzinger/Wurzelverzeichnis/donnalomb.html
http://www.antiwarsongs.org/canzone.php?lang=en&id=42932 http://goccedinote.blogspot.it/2012/05/donna-lombarda-testo-commento-e-video.html http://www.aess.regione.lombardia.it/percorsi/ canto_narrativo/canti/donna_lombarda/home.htm http://www.canzonierescout.it/g34.pdf http://www.umbc.edu/eol/magrini/mag-mus2.html http://www.webalice.it/macchiavelli/da_xoom/ donna_lombarda_malcapi_TTBB.pdf http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/739356?uid=3738296&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21103845500141 http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW04482.pdf
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