"" ( Italian, "Song of the Verbena"), officially "" ("And while Siena sleeps") and also known simply as "la Verbena", is a traditional song from the city of

Siena, Italy Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

. Its common title and

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

refer to the

verbena ''Verbena'' (), also known as vervain or verveine, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 150 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the Americas a ...

plant, which, according to local folklore, grew within the

Piazza del Campo Piazza del Campo is the main public space of the historic center of Siena, Tuscany, Italy and is regarded as one of Europe's greatest medieval squares. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity. The Palazzo Pubblico and i ...

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 A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''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 Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club. On 12–13 March 2020, a

viral Viral means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). Viral may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spread a marke ...

tweet circulated that showed a video of residents, who were under generalised

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, 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

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''. 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 A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

very commonly come into existence. Often

goliardic The goliards were a group of generally young clergy in Europe who wrote satirical Latin poetry in the 12th and 13th centuries of the Middle Ages. They were chiefly clerics who served at or had studied at the universities of France, Germany, Spa ...

, these may be battle hymns for one's own contrade or a

taunt A taunt is a battle cry, sarcastic remark, gesture, or insult intended to demoralize the recipient, or to anger them and encourage reactionary behaviors without thinking. Taunting can exist as a form of social competition to gain control of the tar ...

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 A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

. A common ''palio''-specific hymn is sung as follows: When a contrade is victorious, the last line may instead be sung: "" ("for strength and for love / you have been purged"), a derisive taunt towards a rival contrade that has just been defeated ("purged").

References

{{Italy topics Tuscany Siena Italian songs Italian folk songs