by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
L'orfano
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Available translation(s): ENG
Sono andato al cimitero a trovar la madre mia,
Ho baciato il marmo vero ove dorme quella pia.
E parlandole siccome le parlando ai lieti dì,
Col suo dolce e santo nome dal mio cor tal prece uscì:
Sarà vero, o madre amata, ch'io potrò vederti ancora?
Oltre l'urna desolata splende ai morti un' altra aurora?
Un abisso tenebroso s'apre ai varchi dell'avel.
Deh tu, o madre, al cor dubbioso svela un lembo del tuo cielo.
Della morte e della vita meditando il gran mistero
La mia fede andò smarita si fé notte il mio pensier.
Se per sempre orfano io son, se qui tutto ha da finir,
Troppo orrendo è l'abbandon, troppo amaro è il sovvenir!
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, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Kyle Gee) , title 1: "The orphan", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Kyle Gee
This text was added to the website: 2012-08-18
Line count: 12
Word count: 117
The orphan
Language: English  after the Italian (Italiano)
I went to the cemetery to find my mother,
I kissed the exact marble where that pious woman lies.
And speaking to her just like I used to in a happier time,
I, invoking her sweet and holy name, said this prayer:
"Will I truly be able to see you again, my beloved mother?
Does another dawn shine on the dead who've passed the desolate urn?
A dark abyss opens to the passages of the tomb,
Mother, reveal some small piece of your heaven to my doubtful heart."
While meditating on the great mystery of life and death
I lost my faith, and in doing so night consumed my thoughts.
If I'm going to be an orphan forever, if this is where it all ends,
(then) it is so terrible to be abandoned, the memory is too bitter!
Authorship:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2012-08-18
Line count: 12
Word count: 138