by
Luís de Camões (c1524 - 1580)
Náiades
Language: Portuguese (Português)
Náiades, vós que os rios habitais
que os saudosos campos vão regando,
de meus olhos vereis estar manando
outros, que quase aos vossos são iguais.
Dríades, vós, que as setas atirais,
os fugitivos cervos que derrubando,
outros olhos vereis que, triunfando,
derrubam corações, que valem mais.
Deixai [a aljava]1 logo, e as águas frias,
e vinde, Ninfas minhas, se quereis
saber como de uns olhos nascem mágoas;
vereis como se passam em vão os dias;
mas não vireis em vão, que cá achareis
nos seus as setas e nos meus as águas.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• C. Santoro View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with Luís de Camões, Sonetos, Clássicos da literatura, 2017. Note: the spelling has been modernized.
1 Santoro: "as aljavas"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Andrew Schneider) , "Naiads", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Andrew Schneider
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2010-07-28
Line count: 14
Word count: 93
Naiads
Language: English after the Portuguese (Português)
Naiads, ye who inhabit the rivers
which traverse the fields,
longing for their proffered water:
from my eyes, you shall see oozing forth
other rivers almost like unto yours.
Dryads, ye formidable launchers of arrows
which topple the fugitive deer,
you will see other eyes triumphing,
for they topple far greater hearts.
Put aside your quiver, therefore, and your frigid waters,
and come, my Nymphs, if you wish to know
how eyes can give birth to sorrows.
You will see how the days pass in vain,
but you will not come in vain, for here
you will encounter their arrows trained on us,
and the waters bound for us.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Portuguese (Português) 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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2018-06-12
Line count: 16
Word count: 109
