Tempro la cetra

Tempro la cetra, e per cantar gli onori
Di Marte alzo talor lo stil e i carmi.
Ma invan la tento e impossibil parmi
Ch'ella già mai risoni altro ch'amore.

Così pur tra l'arene e pur tra' fiori
Note amorose Amor torna a dettarmi,
Né vuol ch'io prend' ancora a cantar d'armi,
Se non di quelle, ond'egli impiaga i cori.

Or umil plettro a i rozzi accenti indegni,
Musa, qual dianzi, accorda, in fin ch'al canto
De la tromba sublime il Ciel ti degni.

Riedi a i teneri scherzi, e dolce intanto
Lo Dio guerrier, temprando i feri sdegni,
In grembo a Citerea dorma al tuo canto.

Translation(s): FRE GER

List of language codes

Submitted by John Versmoren

Authorship

• by Giambattista Marino (1569 - 1625) [ 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 Claudio Monteverdi (1567 - 1643), "Tempro la cetra", published 1619 [chorus with instrumental ensemble (5)], from Libro VII de madrigali, no. 1, madrigal [ sung text checked 1 time]

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

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "J'accorde ma lyre", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Ich stimme die Lyra", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Ich stimme die Lyra

Ich stimme die Lyra. Um Mars zu lobpreisen,
zuweilen ich höherer Kunst mich besinne;
doch schlag' ich umsonst sie, nie wird sich's erweisen,
dass je sie erklinge für andres denn Minne.

So heißet mich Amor, in Lauben, auf Plätzen,
nichts andres zu spielen als Cupidos Weise:
er will nicht, dass andere Waffen ich preise
als jene, mit denen er Herzen verletzet.

Mit Demut, o Muse, wie einst, musiziere
mit Zartheit und Würde, dass gleich der Posaune
erhabenem Klange der Himmel dich ziere.

Heb an dein zart' Spielen, dass Mars, Gott des Krieges,
den Jähzorn bezähmend besänftigt mag schlafen
zu deinem Gesange im Schoß Aphrodites.

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Authorship

• Translation from Italian (Italiano) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2007 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
  
  Bertram Kottmann. Contact:
  <BKottmann (AT) t-online.de>
  
  
  If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact:
  
  (licenses at lieder dot net)
  
  
  
  

• a text in Italian (Italiano) by Giambattista Marino (1569 - 1625) FRE
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Claudio Monteverdi. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2007-05-31 00:00:00.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:02:22
Line count: 14
Word count: 104