Amor mi fa sovente
Lo meo core penare,
Dammi pene e sospiri
E son forte temente
Per lunga dimorare
Ciò che poria avveniri:
Non ch'aggia dubitanza
De la dolze speranza
Che 'n ver di me fallanza ne facesse,
Ma tenem' in dottanza
La lunga adimoranza
Di ciò e che venirne potesse!

Va, canzonetta mia,
E saluta Messere,
Dilli lo mal ch' i' aggio,
Quelli che m'à n' balia
Sì distretto mi tene
Ch' eo viver non poraggio.
Salutami Toscana,
Quella ched à sovrana
In cui regna tutta cortesia,
E vanne in Puglia piana,
La magna, capitana,
Là dove lo mio core à nott'e dia!

Love often makes
My heart suffer,
Giving me pains and sighs
And I strongly fear
To dwell here for long
[And I fear] what may happen:
I did not entertain doubts
Of sweet hope
That in truth did not fail me,
But I held in doubt
The long admiration for
What and who might come!

Go, my little song,
And greet the gentleman,
Tell him the pain that I have,
[Tell] those who might show mercy to me
How chains prevented me
From having a [full] life.
I salute you Tuscany,
That [place] which is supreme,
Where all courtesy reigns,
And [imagine] going to simple Puglia,
The mighty [place], the leading [place],
Where my heart [remains] night and day!

Translator's note: In Francesca di Rimini, the character of Biancofiore sings: “Do you not know the song King Enzo made, the King that lost his kingdom in a battle against Bologna, and was put in prison in a big iron cage, and ended his life there, singing his sorrows?” Enzo (c1218-1272) was an illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II who ruled Sardinia from 1238-49. He played major role in northern Italian wars and was imprisoned at Bologna from 1249 until his death in 1272. During his long imprisonment Ezo wrote several poems and his fate was a source of inspiration for other writers. This song is taken from Respighi’s first opera was also entitled Re Enzo (1905).

Text Authorship:

• Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2015 by Laura Stanfield Prichard, (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) misattributed to King Enzo (d. 1271)
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This text was added to the website: 2015-12-26
Line count: 24
Word count: 119