Oh, Fortuna | Oh, Fortuna

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by Saúl Botero Restrepo

O Fortuna

Language: Latin

Our translations: ITA SPA

  FORTUNA IMPERATRIX MUNDI 

O Fortuna,
velut luna
statu variabilis, 
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem;
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem.

Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis,
obumbrata
et velata
mihi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.

Sors salutis
et virtutis
mihi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, appears in Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae, first published c1300 [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 Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "O Fortuna ", 1935-6 [ chorus ], from Carmina Burana, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "O Fortuna", 1935-6 [ chorus ], from Carmina Burana, no. 25 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "O Fortuna (Coro)", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Saúl Botero Restrepo) , "Oh, Fortuna", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2011-04-24
Line count: 37
Word count: 86

Oh, Fortuna

Language: Spanish (Español) after the Latin

     Fortuna, emperatriz del mundo

Oh, Fortuna,
cual la Luna,
eres variable,
siempre creces
o decreces, 
la detestable vida
ya oprime,
ya estimula
la mente como juego,
y pobreza 
y opulencia
disuelve como el hielo.

Suerte cruel
e inútil,
rueda voluble,
salud mala,
felicidad vana,
siempre fugitiva,
oscura
y velada
apareces para mí.
Ahora por el juego,
la espalda desnuda
por tu maldad llevo.

La salud
y la fuerza
en mi contra están,
y las tenga
o no las tenga, 
siempre agobiado.
En esta hora,
sin demora,
pulsad las cuerdas,
que la suerte
derriba al fuerte,
¡llorad todos conmigo!

Text Authorship:

Translation from Latin to Spanish (Español) copyright © 2015 by Saúl Botero Restrepo, (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 Latin by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , appears in Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae, first published c1300
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-09-14
Line count: 37
Word count: 99