Lullaby | Ding! Dong! Ding!

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possibly by Ugo Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1890 - 1974)

Translation © by Michael P Rosewall

Ninna nanna

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG

Don! Don! Don!
Ogni bimba ha una campana
dolce, strana,
tutta per sè.
Suona a notte, il cielo è bruno
e nessuno
sa dov'è.

Don! Don! Don!
Par che pianga, par che rida,
sa e non sgrida,
perdona e sa.
Dice solo quando suona:
"Sii più buona"
e tace e va.

Don! Don! Don!
Vi volete confidare
voci care?
In voi chi c'è?
Mamma, mamma, la campana
dolce, strana,
mi par te!

Note: the author for the text is given in many catalogues as "U.C.T.", which one might surmise to be the composer's brother.

Text Authorship:

possibly by Ugo Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1890 - 1974) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "Ninna nanna", subtitle: "(per l'album di una bimba)", 1914, published 1919 [ voice and piano ], A. Forlivesi & C., Firenze [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English [singable] (Michael P Rosewall) , "Lullaby", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2017-08-07
Line count: 21
Word count: 72

Lullaby

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

Ding! Dong! Ding!
Ev'ry child can hear a ringing,
Sweet tones bringing - 
Just like a bell.
In the night she hears the sound;
But where it's found,
No one can tell.

Ding! Dong! Ding!
Sometimes with a sound of sadness,
Then full of gladness,
Forgiving and wise.
Ringing only to remind:
"Be always kind."
Then in silence it flies.

Ding! Dong! Ding!
Suddenly, her heart rejoices;
Those dear voices
That speak so true -
"Mama, that sound inside me,
There to guide me:
It must be you!"

Text Authorship:

Singable translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2025 by Michael P Rosewall, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Italian (Italiano) possibly by Ugo Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1890 - 1974)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-06-05
Line count: 21
Word count: 86