O miei tristi pensier, che vergognosi

O miei tristi pensier, che vergognosi  
dentro il sen v'ascondete, or che siam soli
uscite fuor dell'affannoso petto.
Che mi giova, a dispetto
delli natali miei, della mia sorte,
aver saputo co' lo scaltro ingegno
una corona, un regno
e il titolo acquistar di re de' Corsi,
se timido e meschino
son costretto a fuggir ed a celarmi?
E a qual birbon della più vil canaglia
Genova pon sul capo mio la taglia?
In ciaschedun che incontro
un assassin pavento,
a ogni passo un'insidia, un tradimento,
un colpo d'archibuso o di pistola,
o un coltel nella gola;
se desino, se ceno,
temo ch'ogni boccon non sia veleno,
e in mezzo a tanti guai per tormentarmi
mancava l'ostessina,
quella crudel che ognora
quanto mi sprezza più, più m'innamora.

Translation(s): ENG

List of language codes

Submitted by Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]

Authorship

• by Giovanni Battista Casti (1724 - 1803) [ author's text checked 1 time]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by Giovanni Paisiello (1741 - 1816), "O miei tristi pensier, che vergognosi", R 1.66 (1784), first performed 1784, from the opera Il re Teodoro in Venezia, no. 2. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• ENG English (Andrew Schneider) , "O my sad thoughts, shamefully hiding", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website: 2018-06-05.
Last modified: 2018-06-05 11:55:28
Line count: 23
Word count: 127

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project, and I have been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated.      - Emily Ezust

O my sad thoughts, shamefully hiding

O my sad thoughts, shamefully hiding
yourselves in my breast,
now that we are alone,
you may leave my tormented breast.
I have succeeded with my astute cunning
in acquiring the crown, the kingdom,
and the title of King of the Corsicans.
What does this benefit me,
if in spite of my fortune and birth,
I am forced to flee and hide myself away,
fearful and wretched?
Genoa has placed what criminal's robes
upon my head?
In everyone I encounter,
I fear an assassin,
at every turn,
a conspiracy, a betrayal,
a shot from some arquebus or pistol,
or a knife to my throat.
At lunch or dinner,
I fear every mouthful might be poison.
And in the middle of so much woe, 
there had to be that hostess to torment me,
that cruel innkeeper
with whom I always fall more in love
the more she spurns me.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

Authorship

• Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2018 by Andrew Schneider, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
  
  Contact:
  
  
  (licenses at lieder dot net)
  
  
  

• a text in Italian (Italiano) by Giovanni Battista Casti (1724 - 1803)
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Giovanni Paisiello. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2018-06-05.
Last modified: 2018-06-05 16:08:15
Line count: 26
Word count: 148