The Troubadour | Whoever listens to my secondhand song

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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by Garrett Medlock

Il Trovatore

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG

Chi m'ascolta il canto usato
Lieto sciogliere talor
Crederà ch'io sia beato,
Che a miei voti arrida amor.
Non è ver! Cerco col canto
Di sfogar il mio martir.
Vo celando ad altri il pianto,
Interrompo il mio martir.
Canto amor perché colei
Che così mi fa penar
Del mio duol, de' mali miei
Mai non s'abbia a rallegrar.
E così scemando il foco
Che racchiudo nel mio sen,
Vo’ veder se a poco a poco
Con me barbaro sia amor.

Note: the last four lines appeared in Il salotto romantico, Ongaku No Tomo, Japan, 1999.

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [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 Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (1792 - 1868), "Il Trovatore" [ baritone ], aria ; in Gateway to Italian Art Songs, Alfred Publishing Co., edited by John Glenn Paton [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , "The Troubadour", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , John Glenn Paton [Guest Editor] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 81

The Troubadour

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

Whoever listens to my secondhand song,
Releasing gaily sometimes,
Will believe that I am content,
That upon my vows smiles love.
It is not true! I attempt with song
To pour out my martyrdom.
Wishing to conceal from others my weeping,
I interrupt my martyrdom.
I sing of love because of her
Who makes me suffer this way,
In my anguish, in my pains
Never does she rejoice.
And thus diminishing the flame
That is held within my breast,
I wish to see if little by little
Love is cruel with me.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2019 by Garrett Medlock, (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 Italian (Italiano) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2019-01-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 92