If | If I must always yearn in vain

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sometimes misattributed to Eva Cattermole Mancini, Contessa Lara (1849 - 1896) and by Eugenio Mancini

Translation © by Anne Evans

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG JPN

Se un tuo pietoso accento
dovrò per sempre desiare in van...
Se m'è negato imprimerti
ardente un bacio sulla bianca man...

Deh! Non fuggirmi,
deh! non fuggirmi almeno...
E de'tuoi sguardi al magico poter
sorrisi, amplessi ed estasi
mi finga inebbriato il mio pensier.

Deh! Non fuggir.... nè mai
a te non parlerò de'miei desir.
Reprimerò i miei palpiti,
T'asconderò le lagrime, i sospir.

Ma un dì  se in cor  ti leggo
quel'amor ch'ognor speme a me rapi,
Morrò quel giorno, ah! credilo,
sarà l'estremo de'miei tristi dì.

Thank you to Renato Toffoli for pointing out the correct poet.

Text Authorship:

sometimes misattributed to Eva Cattermole Mancini, Contessa Lara (1849 - 1896)
by Eugenio Mancini [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 Luigi Denza (1846 - 1922), "Se" [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Anne Evans) , "If", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
JPN Japanese (日本語) (Naoyuki Okada) , "もし", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Anne Evans

This text was added to the website: 2007-01-22
Line count: 17
Word count: 88

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

If I must always yearn in vain
for your soft words of pity...
If I must ever be denied
an ardent kiss upon your hand...

Oh! Do not flee  from me
oh, at least don't run away from me ...
And  then your looks of magical power
your smile, embrace and ecstasy                         
will be conjured up in my intoxicated thoughts.

Oh! Do not flee ....for never                  
will I speak to you of my desire.
I'll never let you hear my throbbing heart,
I'll always hide my tears and sighs from you.

But if one day I read that in your heart
a love like mine has robbed me of all hope,
I'll die that day, ah yes, believe it,                     
for that will be the saddest day of my life.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2007 by Anne Evans, (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) misattributed to Eva Cattermole Mancini, Contessa Lara (1849 - 1896) and by Eugenio Mancini
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2007-01-22
Line count: 17
Word count: 128