by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)
Translation by Bettina Jacobson
Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi forma d'uman aspetto or questo o quello, dal ministro, ch'el guida iscorgie e tiello, prendendo il moto, va con gli altrui passi: Ma quel divin, ch'in ciela alberga e stassi, altri, e sè più, col proprio andar fa bello; e se nessun martel senza martello si può far, da quel vivo ogni altro fassi. E perchè 'l colpo è di valor più pieno quant' alza più se stesso alla fucina, sopra 'l mie, questo al ciel n'è gito a volo. Onde a me non finito verrà meno, s' or non gli dà la fabbrica divina aiuto a farlo, c' al mondo era solo.
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Text Authorship:
- by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 46 [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 Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975), "Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi", op. 145 no. 8, from Suite on verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti, no. 8, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954) ; composed by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John Addington Symonds) , "After the death of Vittoria Colonna: Irreparable loss", appears in The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English, first published 1878
- FRE French (Français) (Romain Rolland) , "Rime no. 46", appears in Vie de Michel Ange, first published 1908
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bettina Jacobson) , "Auf Vittoria Colonnas Tod", from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , subtitle: "Kai kietas mano kūjis uolą talžo", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Caroline Diehl
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Auf Vittoria Colonnas Tod
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Italian (Italiano)
Ward auch schon manches Menschenbild gesehn, Das aus dem harten Stein mein Hammer bricht, So steht er doch in Meisters Bann und Pflicht, Durch den allein kann Schlag und Führung gehn. Nur was da göttlich wohnt in Himmelshöhn, Ist schön durch sich, versendet eignes Licht; Doch wird ein Hammer ohne Hammer nicht, Kann Leben auch aus Leben nur erstehn. Weil nun der Schlag nur stärker niederfährt, Je höher wir hinauf den Hammer schwingen, Flog über mich der deine himmelan. So, wenn Gott gnädig Hilfe nicht gewährt, Kann des Unfert'gen Bildung nur misslingen, Weil sie kein andrer hier vollbringen kann.
Text Authorship:
- by Bettina Jacobson , "Auf Vittoria Colonnas Tod", from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 46
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: 2008-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 99