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Ferir quel petto, Silvio? Non bisognava agli occhi miei scovrirlo, s'avevi pur desio ch'io tel ferissi. O bellissimo scoglio, già da l'onda e dal vento de le lagrime mie, de' miei sospiri sí spesso invan percosso, è pur ver che tu spiri e che senti pietate? o pur m'inganno? Ma sii tu pure o petto molle o marmo, già non vo' che m'inganni d'un candido alabastro il bel sembiante, come quel d'una fèra oggi ingannato ha il tuo signore e mio. Ferir io te? te pur ferisca Amore, ché vendetta maggiore non so bramar che di vederti amante. Sia benedetto il dí che da prim'arsi! benedette le lagrime e i martíri! di voi lodar, non vendicar, mi voglio.
Text Authorship:
- by Giovanni Battista Guarini (1538 - 1612), appears in Il Pastor Fido, Act IV, Scene 9, lines 1286-1305 [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), "Ferir quel petto, Silvio?", published 1605 [ vocal quintet ], from Libro V de madrigali, no. 8, madrigal
Score: IMSLP [external link]  [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Frapper ce sein, Silvio ?", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Javier Pablo Sotelo) , "¿Herir ese pecho, Silvio?", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Alberto Pedrotti
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 118
¿Herir ese pecho, Silvio? No necesitaba descubrir a mis ojos, que tenías aún deseo que yo os lo hiriera. Oh, bellísimo escollo de las olas y el viento, tan frecuentemente golpeado en vano por mis lágrimas, por mis suspiros, ¿Es acaso cierto que tú suspiras y que sientes piedad? ¿O acaso me engaño? Pero sea tu pecho blando o de mármol ya no quiero que me engañe un bello semblante de cándido alabastro, como aquel de una fiera que hoy ha engañado a tu señor y el mío. ¿Herirte a ti? Más bien te hiera Amor que venganza mayor no sabría desear que verte amante. ¡Bendito sea el día en el que por primera vez ardas! ¡Benditos las lágrimas y los martirios! Quiero de vos las alabanzas, mas no vengarme.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Italian (Italiano) to Spanish (Español) copyright © 2015 by Javier Pablo Sotelo, (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:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Giovanni Battista Guarini (1538 - 1612), appears in Il Pastor Fido, Act IV, Scene 9, lines 1286-1305
This text was added to the website: 2015-04-09
Line count: 20
Word count: 130
