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by Ottavio Rinuccini (1562 - 1621)

Lamento della ninfa
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Non havea Febo ancora
recato al mondo il dí,
ch'una donzella fuora
del proprio albergo uscí.

Sul pallidetto volto
scorgeasi il suo dolor,
spesso gli venia sciolto
un gran sospir dal cor.

Sí calpestando fiori
errava hor qua, hor là,
i suoi perduti amori
cosí piangendo va:

"Amor", dicea, il ciel
mirando, il piè fermo,
"dove, dov'è la fè
ch'el traditor giurò?"

Miserella.

"Fa' che ritorni il mio
amor com'ei pur fu,
o tu m'ancidi, ch'io
non mi tormenti più."

Miserella, ah più no, no,
tanto gel soffrir non può.

"Non vo' più ch'ei sospiri
se non lontan da me,
no, no che i suoi martiri
più non dirammi1 affè.

Perché di lui mi struggo,
tutt'orgoglioso sta,
che si, che si se'l fuggo
ancor mi pregherà?

Se ciglio ha più sereno
colei, che'l mio non è,
già non rinchiude in seno,
Amor, sí bella fè.

Ne mai sí dolci baci
da quella bocca havrai,
ne più soavi, ah taci, 
taci, che troppo il sai."

Sí tra sdegnosi pianti
spargea le voci al ciel;
cosí ne' cori amanti
mesce amor fiamma, e gel.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 note: this is often published with a typo: "darammi"

Text Authorship:

  • by Ottavio Rinuccini (1562 - 1621) [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 Claudio Monteverdi (1567 - 1643), "Lamento della ninfa", 1638 [chorus], from Libro VIII: Madrigali guerrieri e amorosi, no. 18. [
     text verified 2 times
    ]

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

  • ENG English (Paolo Montanari) , title 1: "The nymph's lament", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , title 1: "La plainte de la nymphe", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Paolo Montanari

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 43
Word count: 183

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