by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)
Translation by Sophie Hasenclever (1824 - 1892)
Non so se s'è la desïata luce
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Non so se s'è la desïata luce Del suo primo fattor, che l' alma sente; O se dalla memoria della gente Alcun'altra beltà nel cor traluce; O se fama o se sogno alcun produce Agli occhi manifesto, al cor presente; Di sè lasciando un non so che cocente, Ch'è forse or quel ch'a pianger mi conduce; Quel ch'i' sento e ch'i' cerco: e chi mi guidi Meco non è; nè so ben veder dove Trovar mel possa, e par c' altri mel mostri. Questo, signor1, m'avvien, po' ch'i' vi vidi; C'un dolce amaro, un sí e no mi muove: Certo saranno stati gli occhi vostri.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 This is thought to be Tommase de' Cavalieri.
Text Authorship:
- by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), no title, appears in Rime, no. 76 [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):
- by Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892 - 1988), "Non so se s'è la desïata luce", KSS 36 no. 2 (1923), published 2005, first performed 1980 [ voice and orchestra ], from Cinque sonetti di Michelagniolo Buonarroti, no. 2, Bath, The Sorabji Archive; critical edition [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Walter Heinrich Robert-Tornow (1852 - 1895) ; composed by Hugo Wolf.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926) , no title, appears in Michelangelo-Übertragungen ; composed by Anton Schoendlinger.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Addington Symonds) , "Love's Loadstone", appears in The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English, first published 1878
- ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , "I do not know if it is the longed-for light", written 2002, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Sophie Hasenclever) , from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 107
Was ist es, das die Seele mir entzündet?
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Italian (Italiano)
Was ist es, das die Seele mir entzündet? Ahn' ich der Gottheit Glanz, die Strahlen krönen? Sah ich auf Erden je ein Bild des Schönen, Das meine Seele zitternd nachempfindet? Blieb mir ein Himmelsstrahl, der nie erblindet, Von jener Seligkeit, nach der mit Tränen Sich die verbannten Menschenherzen sehnen, Die niemals ganz aus dem Gedächtnis schwindet? Das, was ich fühl' und schau', das, was mich leitet, Ist nicht in mir, noch weiss ich, wo es finden! Zeig' du es mir, denn seit ich dich erschaue, Fühl' ich, wie sich in meinem Busen streitet Ein Ja und Nein, ein bittersüss Empfinden; Gewiss dein Auge ist es, holde [Fraue]1!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 in the original text by Michelangelo, this is a male (signor)
Text Authorship:
- by Sophie Hasenclever (1824 - 1892), from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), no title, appears in Rime, no. 76
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: 2008-08-14
Line count: 14
Word count: 108