Lo guarracino [English translation]

The chromis that swam in the sea

he decided to marry.

He made a nice suit

From the sharp scale, very neat.

He' put on a curly wig

Strewed with small cockle-shell,

A collar, a shawl on a neck and cuffs

made of english silk, very thin.

Trousers from a net,

Boots and socks from a skin of tunny,

A cloak and a cape

From algae and bristle of a dugong,

With buttons and press-buttons

From eyes of octopus, cuttlefish and vendace,

Buckles, a sword and gilded bands

From ink of cuttle and a bile of saddle bream.

Two beautiful chains

From cockle-shells,

An elegant hat

From tails of ling.

Everything is starched and ironed,

He seemed like a dandy.

He swam here and there

To find a bride.

A sardine stood on her balcony,

Playing the lute;

And hearing a sound of trumpet,

She sang a song:

"Oh, sea, sea,

A daughter of my aunt Lena

Left his fiance

Because he gave nothing to her!"

The chromis saw her

And felt in love with sardine.

went away to a blenny

Grumbling old fish.

He gave her money

To send a message to sardine.

The blenny, in a whisper,

Told it to her clearly.

Hearing this message,

The sardine was blushed.

From the shyness

She hided under a rock.

But old blenny

told her: "Ah, fastidious!

In this way you'll not find a fiance

And remain without husband.

If you want to marry,

You don't have to make difficulties!

Forward the courtesy 1 and away the shyness!

Be with the kind heart and soul!"

Listening to an aunt, the sardine

looked out from window

And winked in consent

At the lover, full with hopes.

But the patella that stood beside,

called her "Impudent,

Traitress, shameless,

Not keeping word and rude",

Because she had left the tunny,

Her first fiance.

She went away from him so fast

And told him many things.

When poor tunny heard it,

He was possessed by demon.

He went to home, armed himself with knife,

He loaded himself like a mule

With guns, springalds,

Powders, bullets, tows and gun tubes.

Four pistols and three bayonets,

He put them in his pocket.

On his shoulders there were seventy muskets,

Eighty bombs and ninety cannons

And like a cruel knight

He came search the chromis.

The misfortune wanted so,

And in the middle of square the tunny found him,

Has seized him by the collar

And told him: "Ah, villain!

You've stolen my bride,

Take this blow!"

Million punches,

He slapped him in the face.

Slaps in face, clips on the back of head,

Stabs, bumps, punches on head,

Kicks, punches on face,

He broke to pieces his bones and cartilages.

The noise was risen,

Relatives and friends came out.

Who with maces, knives and clasp-knives,

Who with swords, rapiers and sabres.

That came with girders, this came with spears,

Who with almonds and who with nuts,

Who with nippers and who with hammers,

Who with turrons and susamielli 2.

Fathers, children, husbands and wives

Fighted like the beasts.

Millions gathered in throng,

Fishes of two sides.

How many sardines one could see,

How many shads, plaices and various rays,

Crucians, dentexes and saddle breams,

Mackerels, tunnies and tunas.

Houndsharks and sea-devils,

Scorpionfish, dusky groupers and anchovies,

Stingrays, amberjacks, cods and gobies,

Pompanos, barracudas and sturgeons,

Hakes, congers and morays,

Cachalots, killer whales and whales,

Eels, garfishes and herrings,

Mullets, gurnards, weeverfishes and tenches.

Surmullets, electric rays, trouts and tunnies,

Pomfrets, bandfishes, sand-smelts, picarels,

Octopuses, cuttlefishes and squids,

Swordfishes and starfishes,

Houndsharks and hammerhead sharks,

Shade-fishes and sand eels,

Octopuses and chromises,

Sword razors, oysters and sea urchins.

Carpet shells, cockles and sea snails,

Sharks and crabs,

Wrasses, sea breams and blennies,

Bogues, widows and married,

Seabasses, sea daces, snakes, salema porgies,

Barefooted, with heels or with boots,

Sea snails, shrimps and spine lobsters,

Everybody came with the diligence.

Eels, horse-mackerels and grigs,

Small and big fishes

Of every estate and nation,

Small, big and biggest.

How many punches, mama mia,

They have made. Horror!

Thousands punches with stick,

Millions punches with stone!

Billions bites and tweaks,

A hail of punches to neck.

I cannot tell you what live fire

burned everywhere.

Te - te - ttè, here a wound from pistols,

Ta - ta - ttà, there from guns,

Tu - tu - ttù, here from muskets,

Bu - bu - bbù, there from cannons.

But I'm tired already sing about it

And now I'm short of breathing.

Therefore give me a respite,

Dear and nice public!

Let's drink a half glass

Health of him and her,

Otherwise my throat will be dry parched,

The lungs will be empty.

1. the original expression is a little vulgar, so I preferred a not literal translation 2. typical Neapolitan sweets

• Artist:Roberto Murolo