Mais que vous fit-elle, ô étoiles | Mais que vous fit-elle, ô étoiles

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by Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi (1698 - 1782), as Pietro Metastasio

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Ma, che vi fece, o stelle

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: FRE

Ma che vi fece, o stelle,
La povera Dircea, che tante unite
Sventure contro lei! Voi, che inspiraste
I casti affetti alle nostr'alme; voi,
Che al pudico Imeneo, foste presenti,
Difendetelo, o Numi: io mi confondo.
M'oppresse il colpo a segno,
Che il cor mancommi, e si smarrì l'ingegno.
Sperai vicino il lido,
Credei calmato il vento,
Ma trasportar mi sento
Fra le tempeste ancor.
E da uno scoglio infido
Mentre salvar mi voglio,
Urto in un altro scoglio
Del primo assai peggior.

Text Authorship:

by Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi (1698 - 1782), as Pietro Metastasio [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 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791), "Ma, che vi fece, o stelle", K. 368 (1781) [ soprano, orchestra ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Mais que vous fit-elle, ô étoiles", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Garrett Medlock) , "But what did poor Dirce do to you, oh stars,", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: John Versmoren

This text was added to the website: 2004-07-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 83

Mais que vous fit‑elle, ô étoiles

Language: French (Français) after the Italian (Italiano)

Mais que vous fit-elle, ô étoiles,
la pauvre Dircée, que s'unissent tant
de malheurs contre elle ? Vous, qui avez inspiré
ces chastes sentiments dans nos âmes ; vous,
qui au pudique hymen étiez présents,
défendez-le, ô dieux ; je suis perdu.
Le coup me frappe si fort
que le cœur me manque, et l'esprit se perd.
J'espérais le rivage proche,
Je croyais le vent calmé,
mais je me sens emporté
encore par la tempête.
Et tandis qu'à un récif traître
je veux me sauver,
je bute sur un autre récif
pire que le premier.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) to French (Français) copyright © 2010 by Guy Laffaille, (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@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Italian (Italiano) by Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi (1698 - 1782), as Pietro Metastasio
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2010-02-25
Line count: 16
Word count: 92