The Italian aria Nessun dorma is from the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini.
Andrea Bocelli - "Nessun dorma"
Nowadays, however, it is probably most associated with Pavarotti after he sang it at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.
In the opera, this song is sung by Prince Calaf, who wanted to marry Princess Turandot. The princess’s father sets three riddles, and if anybody solves them, the princess will marry them. Calaf solves the three riddles but the princess doesn’t want to marry him. Calaf says if the princess can guess him name by the next morning, then she can kill him, but if not, she must marry him.
The princess then sets out on a mission to find out Calaf’s name, and she declares that none of her subjects can sleep until they find out his name, and if they don’t discover his name, she will kill them all. Calaf then starts singing, “Nessun dorma”, which means “Nobody shall sleep.”
The word “nessun” means “nobody” and “dorma” comes from the verb “dormire” meaning “to sleep”. “Dorma” is actually the imperative, or command form of the verb. So, it’s showing how the princess is giving a command saying that nobody is allowed to sleep. It’s actually Calaf singing and mocking what the princess is saying:
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza. Guardi le stelle che tremano d’amore, e di speranza!
Nobody shall sleep! Nobody shall sleep! Even you, oh Princess, in your cold room. Look at the stars that tremble with love, and with hope
guardare — to look at
tremare di — to tremble with
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me; il nome mio nessun saprà! No, No! Sulla tua bocca, lo dirò quando la luce splenderà!
But my secret is shut away inside me; my name nobody will know! No, no! On your mouth, I will say it when the light glistens!
chiuso / chiudere — closed / to close
sapere — to know
dire — to say / to tell
splendere — to shine / to glisten
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio che ti fa mia!
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!
sciogliere — to dissolve / to melt
Then, in the distance, you can hear people singing this next line:
Il nome suo nessun saprà, e noi dovrem, ahimè, morir, morir!
His name nobody will know, and we will have to, alas, die, die!
“dovrem” is short for “dovremo”, which is the future tense of the verb “dovere”. And “morir” is simply a shortened version of “morire”
dovere — to have to
morire — to die
Then Calaf starts singing again, knowing that he is going to win:
Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All’alba, vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!
Vanish, oh night! Fade, stars! Fade, stars! At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!
dileguare — to disappear / to vanish
tramontare — to fade
l’alba — the dawn
vincere — to win
What is the story behind the opera Turandot?
ACT I
Peking, in the mythic past. Outside the Imperial Palace, a mandarin reads an edict to the crowd: Any prince seeking to marry Princess Turandot must answer three riddles. If he fails, he will die. The most recent suitor, the Prince of Persia, is to be executed at the moon’s rising. Among the onlookers are the slave girl Liù, her aged master, and the young Calàf, who recognizes the old man as his long-lost father, Timur, vanquished King of Tartary. Only Liù has remained faithful to him, and when Calàf asks her why, she replies that once, long ago, Calàf smiled at her. The mob cries for blood but greets the rising moon with a sudden fearful silence. As the Prince of Persia goes to his death, the crowd calls upon the princess to spare him. Turandot appears in her palace and wordlessly orders the execution to proceed. Transfixed by the beauty of the unattainable princess, Calàf decides to win her, to the horror of Liù and Timur. The three ministers of state, Ping, Pang, and Pong, appear and also try to discourage him, but Calàf is unmoved. He reassures Liù, then strikes the gong that announces a new suitor.
ACT II
Within their private apartments, Ping, Pang, and Pong lament Turandot’s bloody reign, hoping that love will conquer her and restore peace. Their thoughts wander to their peaceful country homes, but the noise of the crowd gathering to witness the riddle challenge calls them back to reality.
In the royal throne room, the old emperor asks Calàf to reconsider, but the young man will not be dissuaded. Turandot arrives. She recounts the story of her beautiful ancestor, Princess Lou-Ling, who was abducted and killed by a conquering prince. In revenge, Turandot has turned against men and determined that none shall ever possess her. Trumpets then herald the beginning of the riddles. Turandot poses her first question to Calàf: What is born each night and dies each dawn? “Hope,” Calàf answers correctly. Turandot continues: What flickers red and warm like a flame, yet is not a flame? “Blood,” Calàf replies after a moment’s thought. Shaken, Turandot delivers the third riddle: What is like ice but burns, and if it accepts you as a slave, makes you a king? Tense silence prevails until Calàf triumphantly cries “Turandot!” The crowd erupts in joy, and the princess vainly begs her father not to give her to the stranger. Hoping to win her love, Calàf offers Turandot a challenge of his own: If she can learn his name by dawn, he will forfeit his life.
ACT III
At night in the Imperial Gardens, Calàf hears a proclamation: On pain of death, no one in Peking shall sleep until Turandot learns the stranger’s name. Calàf is certain of his victory, but Ping, Pang, and Pong try to bribe him to leave the city. As the fearful mob threatens him to learn his name, soldiers drag in Liù and Timur. Calàf tries to convince the crowd that neither of them knows his secret. When Turandot appears, commanding Timur to speak, Liù replies that she alone knows the stranger’s identity and will never reveal it. Soldiers torture her, but she remains silent. Impressed by her fortitude, Turandot asks what gives Liù the strength to resist. It is love, she replies. When the torture intensifies, Liù tells Turandot that she, too, will know the joys of love. Then she snatches a dagger and kills herself. The crowd forms a funeral procession, and Timur follows as they take away her body. Turandot remains alone to confront Calàf, who impetuously kisses her. Knowing emotion for the first time, Turandot weeps. Calàf, now sure of winning her, reveals his identity.
Once again before the emperor’s throne, Turandot declares she knows the stranger’s name: It is Love.
Just on a side note, here is a very different but very good version of this song, sung by Aretha Franklin. She filled in for Pavarotti once at the Grammys when he was ill and couldn’t sing:
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