Heart Figaro

Heart Figaro

Can anybody help me with the translation of The Marriage Of Figaro / "Duettino - Sull "Aria"?

It has been famously used in the Shawshank Redemption and more recently in the Alfa Romeo advert on tv. Upon hearing this beautiful piece of music I felt compelled to discover what the 2 ladies are singing about. I feel the same as Red from the film who said, "I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singin' about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I like to think they were singin' about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared, higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away. And for the briefest of moments, every last man at Shawshank felt free.

You may want to read the story about the opera to put the song in context. There are many websites where you can do this. Just search for "The Marriage of Figaro" and many will come up, including Wikipedia. I've listed one very readable one below. In the listed source, the explanation regarding the letter is given in the description of Act Three, third paragraph.
The aria occurs in the third act, scene nine. Here's the text with translation, Italian and English side-by-side. Yahoo! Answers won't hold the neat format, but at least everything is on the same line.
I've included the lead-in recitative as well as the duettino text.

SCENA X SCENE X
La Contessa e Susanna The Countess and Susanna

Recitativo Recitative

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
Cosa mi narri! What are you telling me!
e che ne disse il Conte? and what did the Count say to that?

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
Gli si leggeva in fronte Anyone could see
il dispetto e la rabbia. the anger and frustration in his face.

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
Piano, Softly;
che meglio or lo porremo it will be easier now
in gabbia. to trip him.
Dov'è l'appuntamento Where did you propose
che tu gli proponesti? to meet him?

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
In giardino. In the garden.

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
Fissiamgli un loco. Scrivi. We'll fix a place. Write.

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
Ch'io scriva ... ma, signora ... I, write? ... but, my lady ...

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
Eh, scrivi dico; e tutto Oh, write, I tell you;
[Susanna siede e scrive] [Susanna sits to write]
io prendo su me stessa. and I take it all on myself.
"Canzonetta sull'aria ... " "A little song on the breeze ... "

N.21. Duettino No. 21. Duet

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
[scrivendo] [writing]
"Sull'aria ... " "On the breeze ... "

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
"Che soave zeffiretto ... " "What a gentle zephyr ... "

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
"Zeffiretto ... " "Zephyr ... "

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
"Questa sera spirerà ... " "Will whisper this evening ... "

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
"Questa sera spirerà ... " "Will whisper this evening ... "

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
"Sotto i pini del boschetto." "Beneath the pines in the copse."

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
"Sotto i pini ... " "Beneath the pines ..."?

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
"Sotto i pini del boschetto." "Beneath the pines in the copse."

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
"Sotto i pini ... del boschetto ... " "Beneath the pines ... in the copse ... "

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
Ei già il resto capirà. And he'll understand the rest.

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
Certo, certo il capirà. Oh, yes, certainly he'll understand it.

Recitativo Recitative

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
[piega la lettera] [folds the paper]
Piegato è il foglio ... The letter's closed;
or come si sigilla? now how shall it be sealed?

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
[si cava una spilla e gliela dà] [takes a pin and gives it to her]
Ecco ... prendi una spilla: Here ... take a pin:
Servirà di sigillo. It will serve for a seal.
Attendi ... scrivi Listen ... write
sul riverso del foglio, on the back of the letter,
"Rimandate il sigillo". "Return the seal".

SUSANNA: SUSANNA:
È più bizzarro It's much more unusual
di quel della patente. than the seal of the commission!

LA CONTESSA: THE COUNTESS:
Presto nascondi, Hide it quickly -
io sento venir gente. I hear people coming.
[Susanna si pone
il biglietto nel seno.] [Susanna hides the letter.]

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