ITALIAN LYRICS

Il Piave mormorava calmo e placido al passaggio
dei primi fanti, il 24 maggio;
l’Esercito marciava per raggiunger la frontiera,
per far contro il nemico una barriera...
Muti passaron quella notte i fanti;
tacere bisognava e andare avanti!
S’udiva, intanto, dalle amate sponde,
sommesso e lieve il tripudiar dell'onde;
era un presagio dolce e lusinghiero,
Il Piave mormorò: “Non passa lo straniero!”
 
Ma in una notte triste si parlò di un fosco evento
e il Piave udiva l'ira e lo sgomento.
Ahi, quanta gente ha visto venir giù, lasciar il tetto,
poiché il nemico irruppe a Caporetto!
Profughi ovunque! Dai lontani monti
venivano a gremir tutti i suoi ponti.
S’udiva, allor, dalle violate sponde
sommesso e triste il mormorio dell’onde:
come un singhiozzo in quell' autunno nero,
il Piave mormorò: “ritorna lo straniero!”
 
E ritornò il nemico! per l’orgoglio e per la fame:
volea sfogar tutte le sue brame...
vedeva il piano aprico, di lassù: voleva ancora
sfamarsi e tripudiar come allora...
”No!”, disse il Piave: “No!”, dissero i Fanti,
mai più il nemico faccia un passo avanti.
Si vide allora il Piave rigonfiar le sponde!
E come i fanti, combattevano le onde...
Rosso del sangue del nemico altero,
il Piave comandò: “Indietro, va, straniero!”
 
Indietreggiò il nemico fino a Trieste, fino a Trento
e la Vittoria sciolse le ali al vento!
Fu sacro il patto antico: tra le schiere furon visti
risorgere Oberdan, Sauro, Battisti... 
infranse, al fin l’italico valore 
le forche e l’armi dell’impiccatore!
Sicure l’Alpi... Libere le sponde...
e tacque il Piave: si placaron le onde...
sul Patrio suolo, vinti i torvi Imperi,
la Pace non trovò né oppressi, né stranieri! 

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ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The Piave whispered calm and placid under the crossing  
of the first Infantrymen on May 24;  
the Army was marching to the frontier,
to make a wall against the enemy...
Silently the Infantrymen crossed that night;
they had to be silent and go forward!
From the beloved riverbanks it was heard  
light and low the exultation of the waves.  
It was a sweet and propitious omen,  
the Piave whispered: "the foreigner not pass!"  
 
But a sad night it was heard of a gloomy event  
and the Piave felt the ire and the dismay  
Ah, how many people it saw coming, leaving their homes;  
because the enemy irrupted at Caporetto.  
Refugees everywhere, from far mountains,  
they came to crowd all its bridges.  
It was heard from the violated riverbanks  
light and sad the murmur of the waves  
Like a sob in that black Autumn  
the Piave whispered: "the foreigner returns!"
 
And the enemy returned: he wished to wreak his desires  
because of his pride and his hunger,  
he saw the fertile plains from the upper ground,  
he wanted to feed and to exult again!  
"NO!" said the Piave, "NO!" said the Infantrymen,  
the enemy will never advance again!  
It was seen the Piave raising his waves  
and with the Infantrymen were fighting the waves.  
Red of the blood of the haughty enemy,  
the Piave ordered: "go back, foreigner!"  
 
The enemy flinched back to Trieste, to Trento  
and the victory spreaded her wings to the Wind!  
It was sacred the ancient pact: among the ranks they've seen  
to arise Oberdan, Sauro and Battisti!  
In the end the Italian valour broke the  
gallows tree and the weapons of the hanger!  
Secured the Alps, free the shores  
and the Piave was silent: the waves calmed.  
On Motherland's soil, once the grim Empires were won,
the peace didn't left any oppressed neither any foreigner.
On Motherland's soil, once the grim Empires were won,
the peace didn't left any oppressed neither any foreigner.