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by Torquato Tasso (1544 - 1595)
Translation by Edward Fairfax (1580 - 1635)

Amico hai vint'io
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
"Amico, hai vint'io ti perdon;
Perdona tu ancora, al corpo no che nulla pave,
Al alma si; Deh, per lei prega e dona
Battesmo a me ch'ogni mia colpa lave."

In queste voci languide risuona
Un non so che di flebile e soave
Ch'al cor gli serpe, et ogni sdegno ammorza
E gl'occhi a lacrimar gl'invoglia e sforza.

Poco quindi lontan nel sen del monte
Scaturia mormorand'un picciol rio
Egli ci accorse e'l elmo empie nel fonte
E torno mesto al grande ufficio e pio.

Tremar senti la man mentre la fronte
Non conosciuta ancor sciolse e scoprio
La vide, la conobbe, e resto senza e voce e moto.
Ahì vista, ahì conoscenza!

Non morì già, che sue virtudi accolse
Tutte in quel punto e in guardia al cor
Le mise e premendo il suo affanno a dar
Si volse vita con l'acqu'a chi col ferro uccise.

Mentr'egli il suon de sacri detti sciolse
Colei di gioia trasmuttossi e rise,
E in atto di morir lieto e vivace
Dir parea "s'apre il Ciel; io vado in pace".

Text Authorship:

  • by Torquato Tasso (1544 - 1595) [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 Sigismondo d'India (1582? - 1629?), "Amico hai vint'io" [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

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

  • ENG English (Edward Fairfax) , title 1: "Friend, thou hast won"


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-12-29
Line count: 24
Word count: 177

Friend, thou hast won
Language: English  after the Italian (Italiano) 
"Friend, thou hast won; I pardon thee, nor save
This body, that all torments can endure,
But save my soul; baptism I dying crave,
Come, wash away my sins with waters pure."

His heart relenting nigh in sunder rave,
With woeful speech of that sweet creature;
So that his rage, his wrath and anger died,
And on his cheeks salt tears for ruth down slide.

With murmur loud down from the mountain's side
A little runnel tumbled near the place,
Thither he ran and filled his helmet wide,
And quick return'd to do that work of grace;

With trembling hands her beaver he untied,
Which done, he saw, and seeing knew her face,
And lost therewith his speech and moving quite;
O woeful knowledge! An unhappy sight!

He died not, but all his strength unites,
And to his virtues gave his heart in guard;
Bridling his grief, with water he requites
The life that he bereft with iron hard:

And while the sacred words the knight recites,
The nymph to heav'n with joy herself prepar'd;
And as her life decays her joys increase;
She smil'd and said "Farewell! I die in peace".

Text Authorship:

  • by Edward Fairfax (1580 - 1635), "Friend, thou hast won" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Italian (Italiano) by Torquato Tasso (1544 - 1595)
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-12-29
Line count: 24
Word count: 192

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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