Son animali al mondo de sí altera vista che ’ncontra ’l sol pur si difende; altri, però che ’l gran lume gli offende, non escon fuor se non verso la sera; et altri, col desio folle che spera gioir forse nel foco, perché splende, provan l’altra vertú, quella che ’ncende: lasso, e ’l mio loco è ’n questa ultima schera. Ch’i’ non son forte ad aspectar la luce di questa donna, et non so fare schermi di luoghi tenebrosi, o d’ ore tarde: però con gli occhi lagrimosi e ’nfermi mio destino a vederla mi conduce; et so ben ch’i’ vo dietro a quel che m’arde.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Francesco Petrarca, Canzoniere, testo critico e introduzione di Gianfranco Contini, annotazioni di Daniele Ponchiroli, Torino : Giulio Einaudi editore, 1964, p.41
Text Authorship:
- by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 19 [author's text checked 1 time 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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Charlotte Seither (b. 1965) [an adaptation] ; composed by Charlotte Seither.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Leo Lanckoroński)
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-03-14
Line count: 14
Word count: 106
Von Licht getroffen ahnt der Falter zwar, Daß er nicht taugt, das Feuer zu ertragen; Doch treibt's ihn in die Flamme. Mit Behagen Bringt blind dem Zauber er sein Leben dar. Mein Los, du armer Falter, gleicht dem deinen: Zu schwach bin ich; es zieht mich mächtig fort. O, könnt' ich still im Schutz des Dunkels weinen!
About the headline (FAQ)
Excerpts from a translation of Lanckoroński
Text Authorship:
- by Leo Lanckoroński (1884 - 1967) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 19
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 page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-03-14
Line count: 7
Word count: 57