La Serie Dei Numeri

The Series of Numbers

And you, sweet little boy, my dear,
tell me, what do you want me to sing?
Sing me the series of numbers,
until I learn it today.
Only death,
nothing else, nothing more.
Two oxen tied to the cart,
and there are three parts of the world,
four stones of Merlin,
sharpening the swords of heroes.
Only death,
nothing else, nothing more.
And on the path that time takes,
five so far are the ages,
and there are six herbs that
the dwarf will mix in the cauldron.
Seven are the suns, seven the moons,
eight are the fires lit in May,
around the fountain are nine
the maidens dancing at the moon...
Only death,
nothing else, nothing more.
And ten ships have come,
bringing us war from afar.
Eleven warriors have returned
when there were three hundred setting out...
Only death,
nothing else, nothing more.
And on the path that time takes,
five so far are the ages,
and there are twelve months that
day by day, always
keep marking time.
And twelve are the signs
that you can read in the sky,
they declared war on each other,
this that I sing will be the end.
Only death,
nothing else, nothing more.
Then the trumpet will sound,
we'll have fire and thunder, rain and wind,
the series of numbers is finished,
for the one you know there is no lie:
Only death,
and two the oxen,
and three the parts,
four the stones,
five the ages, six the herbs,
seven are the suns,
seven the moons,
eight are the fires
and nine the maidens,
but ten the ships,
eleven the warriors,
twelve the signs,
twelve the months
and only death,
always the mother of sorrow.