Translation of the song Mio padre è stato per me l’assassino artist Umberto Saba

Mio padre è stato per me “l’assassino”;

My father has been, to me, the murderer

fino ai vent’anni che l’ho conosciuto.

until I met him, aged twenty.

Allora ho visto ch’egli era un bambino,

Then, I saw that he was but a kid

e che il dono ch’io ho da lui l’ho avuto.

and the blessing I have, I was given by him.

Aveva in volto il mio sguardo azzurrino,

He had the same baby blue eyes as me,

un sorriso, in miseria, dolce e astuto.

a cunning and sweet smile, even through misery.

Andò sempre pel mondo pellegrino;

He'd roamed around the world since ever, a peregrin

più d’una donna l’ha amato e pasciuto.

more than one woman had loved and cared for him.

Egli era gaio e leggero; mia madre

He was light and gay; my mother

tutti sentiva della vita i pesi.

felt all of the weight of living.

Di mano ei gli sfuggì come un pallone.

Like a balloon, he slipped away through her fingers.

“Non somigliare – ammoniva – a tuo padre”:

Do not grow - she warned - to ressemble your father

ed io più tardi in me stesso lo intesi:

and I only realised it later in me:

Eran due razze in antica tenzone.

They were two breeds in ancient conflict.