by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)
Translation by Bettina Jacobson
Dal ciel discesce, e col mortal suo, poi
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Dal ciel discesce, e col mortal suo, poi che visto ebbe l'inferno giusto e 'l pio, ritornò vivo a còntemplare Dio, per dar di tutto il vero lume a noi: Lucente stella, che co' raggi suoi fe chiaro, a torto, el nido ove naqqu' io; nè sare 'l premio tutto 'l mondo rio: Tu sol, che la creasti, esser quel puoi. Di Dante dico, che mal conosciute fur l'opre suo da quel popolo ingrato, che solo a' iusti manca di salute. Fuss' io pur lui! C'a tal fortuna nato, per l'aspro esilio suo, son la virtute, dare' del mondo il più felice stato.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 248 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975), "Dal ciel discesce, e col mortal suo, poi", op. 145 no. 6, from Suite on verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti, no. 6, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by John Addington Symonds (1840 - 1893) , appears in The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English, first published 1878 ; composed by John Mitchell.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954) ; composed by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Ernest Lafond) (Edmond Lafond) , "Rime no. 248", appears in Dante, Pétrarque, Michel-Ange, Tasse, Sonnets choisis, first published 1848
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bettina Jacobson) , "Dante", from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , subtitle: "Nužengęs iš dangaus, mirtingu kūnu", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Caroline Diehl
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 103
Dante
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Italian (Italiano)
Als Mensch vom Himmel einst herabgestiegen, Hat Hölle er und Läut'rungsglut gesehn, Dann bracht' er lebend, aus des Himmels Höhn, Uns wahres Licht, die wir im Dunkeln liegen. Dass du bestrahlt die Stätte meiner Wiegen, O lichter Stern, ist unverdient geschehn; Die ganze arge Welt dir zugestehn, Wär' kleiner Preis: Nur Gott kann dir genügen. Von Dante red' ich, dessen Werk verkannt, Missachtet ward vom Volk, dem undankbaren, Das stets sich von Gerechten abgewandt. Wär' ich wie er! Hätt' ich wie er den wahren, Tatkräft'gen Geist, und wär' wie er verbannt: Das schönste Glück der Erde liess' ich fahren.
Authorship:
- by Bettina Jacobson , "Dante", from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 248
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 99