E SCOPACHIAZZE DO PAESE MIO
 
O paese mio nu sacco d’anne fa’
ce stevene duie fratielle scopachiazze
tenevene nu linguaggio da’ decifra’
e pe’ capi’ e parla’ ascive pazze
 
Se chiammavene Marianniello e Filuccio
e vedive ammieza a via e sempe attuorne
a scupa’ e marchiappiede e a merde e ciuccio
e faticavene po’ Comune notte e ghiuorne
 
A tarda sera e vedive addrete e chiazze
rinte a cantina e Maria e Mantarracchia
se facevane duie litre l’uno e chille e razza
e se menavene n’ganne senza fa’ na macchia
 
Ascevene m’briache fracite tutt’e’ sere
e camminavene m’braccetto’ l’uno cu’ late
ievene talmente e renze doppe tutto chillu bere
ma nun cadevane maie n’terra o rinte a scarpata
 
Nu jiuorne se sentette a stu’ paese
ca Marianniello ere muorte e male e core
a gente e u Comune le pagarene e spese
do funerale suoie cu’ tante ammore
 
Filuccio rimmanette sule puveriello
e nun ghiette chiu a bere rinte a cantina
pover’omme aveva perduto a Marianniello
e nun vulette mango scupa’ chiu’ a via na matina
 
Chesta e’ a storia e Filuccio e Marianniello
e duie fratielle scopachiezze do paese mio
doppe tanta fatica mo’ stanne rintu o canciello
do’ paravise aunite rinte a Gloria e Dio.
 

di: Antonio De Girolamo

MY HOME TOWN STREET CLEANERS
 
In my home town many years ago
there were two brothers street cleaners
they had a language that needed decoding
and to understand them you would go crazy
 
Their names were Marianniello and Filuccio
you would see them working the streets every day
sweeping sidewalks and donkey’s droppings
working for City Hall ( Sanitation ) night and day
 
Late in the evenings you would see them in a back street
In the tavern of Maria of Mantarracchia
they would drink few liters of wine of the best kind
swallowing it down without a single shirt stain
 
They would come out rotten drunk every night
walking in embrace one to the other
they would sway all over the street after the drinking
but would never fall down on the floor or in the gotter
 
One day it was heard in this town of mine
that Marianniello had died with of heart failure
the people and the City Hall paid for all the expenses
of his funeral with much love.
 
Filuccio was left alone poor guy
And no longer went to drink in the tavern
Poor man he had lost Marianniello
And didn’t even want to go sweeping the street one morning.
 
This is the story of Filuccio and Marianniello
the brothers street cleaners of my home town
after so much work now they are inside the gates
of Heaven together in the Glory of God.

by: Antonio De Girolamo