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"Canto della Verbena" (Italian, "Song of the Verbena"), officially "E mentre Siena dorme" ("And while Siena sleeps") and also known simply as "la Verbena", is a traditional song from the city of Siena, Italy. Its common title and lyrics refer to the verbena plant, which, according to local folklore, grew within the Piazza del Campo thanks to the presence of the Bottini di Siena, a series of underground tunnels used to provision the city with water in the mediaeval period. Today, "la Verbena" has become a hymn to the city of Siena, and is popularly sung at sporting events like those of the Palio di Siena and of the local Robur Siena football club.
On 12–13 March 2020, a viral tweet circulated that showed a video of residents, who were under generalised quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, singing "la Verbena" together from their windows. This was one of many reports of community music-making that surfaced in Italy during the quarantine.
Lyrics
The first verse of the traditional lyrics is little-known, sung neither during the palio di Siena nor on other occasions. The second verse is most well-known and frequently sung outside of the context of the palio.
| Italian lyrics | English translation |
|---|---|
|
E mentre Siena dorme, tutto tace |
And while Siena sleeps, all is quiet |
During the palio, the above version is never sung by the residents of the participating contrades; rather, these lyrics remain as a contrade-neutral version of the song. Lyrical variations set to the same melody very commonly come into existence. Often goliardic, these may be battle hymns for one's own contrade or a taunt for an opposing one. Ad hoc versions are also frequently heard, such as those referring to a particular event like a victory or a rival contrade's defeat, or even hymns dedicated to a particular jockey or horse.
A common palio-specific hymn is sung as follows:
| Italian lyrics | English translation |
|---|---|
|
Si sa che 'un lo volete |
Yes, you know you don't want it |
When a contrade is victorious, the last line may instead be sung: "per forza e per amore / vi s'è fatto ripurgà" ("for strength and for love / you have been purged"), a derisive taunt towards a rival contrade that has just been defeated ("purged").
References
- @valemercurii (12 March 2020). "People of my hometown #Siena sing a popular song from their houses along an empty street to warm their hearts during the Italian #Covid_19 #lockdown" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Ng, Kate (13 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Deserted Italian street rings out with song as people lean out of windows to sing together during lockdown". The Independent. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ Kearney, Christine (14 March 2020). "Italians sing patriotic songs from their balconies during coronavirus lockdown". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
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