Stories and News No. 156
Next Sunday in Italy we’ll celebrate our Liberation Day, anniversary of the partisans war’s end.
A war requires factions, contenders, at least two.
Nevertheless, it would mean that there is someone who fights with himself.
Yesterday and today many newspapers told about the decision by Lega Nord mayor of Mogliano Veneto, a town in the province of Treviso, to replace the song Bella ciao with La canzone del Piave, as soundtrack of the local official celebration event.
Immediate and opponent replies, especially from the National Association of Partisans of Italy and the Democratic Party, arrived.
That’s the umpteenth conflict.
Two sides, two songs, two Italys fighting…
The Story:
Once upon a time there was a country.
In the country there were only two people: Homeland and Resistance.
Both were born on April 25, 1945.
Each of the two would have turned 65 in 2010.
The two men, now elderly, were completely different.
Probably the only thing they had in common was the day of their birthday and being the only citizens of the country they were obliged to celebrate it together.
Nevertheless, how could we celebrate something ourselves?
However, every year, exactly on the eve of April 25, the tension among them jumped to the stars.
Anyway, in the rest of the time they were ever on a dispute, but one thing is bickering on a normal day and it’s completely different when it’s your birthday.
On that day every difference, every aspect of their character that led them to conflict, was highlighted, bringing the contest to its highest level.
So, any excuse for a clash was welcomed by both.
In 2010, the disagreement explodes deciding what song to sing during the celebration, besides the usual Happy birthday tune.
Homeland proposed to replace the traditional Bella ciao, preferred by Resistance, with La canzone del Piave.
The discussion became hot and they failed to reach an agreement.
So, on April 25, at the propitious moment, both took all the breath in their throat and began unison to sing their hymns:
Homeland: “Il Piave mormorava calmo e placido al passaggio dei primi fanti il ventiquattro maggio; l'esercito marciava per raggiunger la frontiera per far contro il nemico una barriera! Muti passaron quella notte i fanti, tacere bisognava andare avanti. S'udiva intanto dalle amate sponde sommesso e lieve il tripudiar de l'onde. Era un presagio dolce e lusinghiero. Il Piave mormorò: Non passa lo straniero!”
Resistance: “Una mattina mi son svegliato, o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
Una mattina mi son svegliato e ho trovato l'invasor. O partigiano, portami via, o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao! O partigiano, portami via, ché mi sento di morir.”
Homeland: “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, lasciare il tetto, poiché il nemico irruppe a Caporetto. Profughi ovunque dai lontani monti, venivano a gremir tutti i tuoi ponti. S'udiva allor dalle violate sponde sommesso e triste il mormorio de l'onde. Come un singhiozzo in quell'autunno nero. Il Piave mormorò: Ritorna lo straniero!”
Resistance: “E se io muoio da partigiano, o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
E se io muoio da partigiano, tu mi devi seppellir. E seppellire lassù in montagna, o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao! E seppellire lassù in montagna sotto l'ombra di un bel fior.”
Homeland: “E ritornò il nemico per l'orgoglio e per la fame voleva sfogar tutte le sue brame, vedeva il piano aprico di lassù: voleva ancora sfamarsi e tripudiare come allora!
No, disse il Piave, no, dissero i fanti, mai più il nemico faccia un passo avanti!
Si vide il Piave rigonfiar le sponde e come i fanti combattevan l'onde. Rosso del sangue del nemico altero, il Piave comandò: Indietro va', straniero!”
Resistance: “E le genti che passeranno o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
E le genti che passeranno mi diranno che bel fior! È questo il fiore del partigiano, o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!È questo il fiore del partigiano morto per la libertà !”
Homeland: “Indietreggiò il nemico fino a Trieste fino a Trento e la Vittoria sciolse l'ali al vento! Fu sacro il patto antico, tra le schiere furon visti risorgere Oberdan, Sauro e Battisti! Infranse alfin l'italico valore le forze e l'armi dell'impiccatore! Sicure l'Alpi, libere le sponde, e tacque il Piave, si placaron l'onde. Sul patrio suol vinti i torvi Imperi, la Pace non trovò né oppressi, né stranieri!”
At the end, they were both exhausted and voiceless.
Both began to cough and collapsed with pain in the throat as in the chest.
This is the story of a strange country, a country with only two inhabitants: Homeland and Resistance.
They were two men in war.
As you all know, a war provides factions, contenders, at least two.
Nevertheless, it would mean that there is someone who clashes with himself.
In both cases, if there is still a struggle, it means that war isn’t over...
Stories and news: “invented” Stories, fruit of my imagination, inspired by “true” media News.
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