by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374)
Translation © by A. S. Kline

Gli occhi di ch'io parlai sí caldamente
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Our translations:  ENG
Gli occhi di ch'io parlai sí caldamente,
e le braccia, e le mani, e i piedi, e 'l viso,
che m'avean sí da me stesso diviso,
e fatto singular da l'altra gente;

le crespe chiome d'òr puro lucente,
e 'l lampeggiar de l'angelico riso
che solean fare in terra un paradiso,
poca polvere son, che nulla sente.

Et io pur vivo; onde mi doglio e sdegno,
rimaso senza 'l lume ch'amai tanto,
in gran fortuna, e 'n disarmato legno.

Or sia qui fine al mio amoroso canto:
secca è la vena de l'usato ingegno,
e la cetera mia rivolta in pianto.

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•   A. Banlaky 

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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 (A. S. Kline) , no title, copyright © 2002, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-08-26
Line count: 14
Word count: 101

The eyes I spoke about so warmly
Language: English  after the Italian (Italiano) 
The eyes I spoke about so warmly,
and the arms, the hands, the ankles, and the face
that left me so divided from myself,
and made me different from other men:

the crisp hair of pure shining gold
and the brightness of the angelic smile,
which used to make a paradise on earth,
are now a little dust, that feels no thing.

And I still live, which I grieve over and disdain,
left without the light I loved so much,
in great ill-fortune, in a shattered boat.

Now make an end of my loving songs:
the vein of my accustomed wit is dry,
and my lyre is turned again to weeping.

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Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2002 by A. S. Kline, (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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This text was added to the website: 2015-03-11
Line count: 14
Word count: 111