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by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)
Translation Singable translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954)

Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Our translations:  CAT LIT
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.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 46

Go to the general single-text view

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

[No title]
 (Sung text for setting by D. Shostakovich)
 Matches base text
Language: Russian (Русский)  after the Italian (Italiano) 
Когда скалу мой жесткий молоток
В обличия людей преображает, -
Без мастера, который направляет
Его удар, он делу б не помог,

Но божий молот из себя извлек
Размах, что миру прелесть сообщает;
Все молоты тот молот предвещает,
И в нем одном - им всем живой урок.

Чем выше взмах руки над наковальней,
Тем тяжелей удар: так занесен
И надо мной он к высям поднебесным;

Мне глыбою коснеть первоначальной,
Пока кузнец господень - только он! -
Не пособит ударом полновесным.

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Note on Transliterations

Composition:

    Set to music by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975), no title, op. 145 no. 8 (1974), from Suite on verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti, no. 8, also set in Italian (Italiano)

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954)

Based on:

  • a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 46
    • Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view


Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2008-10-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 75

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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