by Andrea Maffei (1798 - 1885)
Translation © by Julia Hamann

Ad una stella
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE GER GER SPA
Bell'astro della terra, 
Luce amorosa e bella,
Come desia quest'anima
Oppressa e prigioniera
Le sue catene infrangere,
Libera a te volar!

Gl'ignoti abitatori
Che mi nascondi, o stella,
Cogl'angeli s'abbracciano
Puri fraterni amori,
Fan d'armonie cogl'angeli
La spera tua sonar.

Le colpe e i nostri affanni
Vi sono a lor segreti,
Inavvertiti e placidi 
Scorrono i giorni e gli anni,
Nè mai pensier li novera,
Nè li richiama in duol.

Bell'astro della sera,
Gemma che il cielo allieti,
Come alzerà quest'anima
Oppressa e prigioniera
Dal suo terreno carcere
Al tuo bel raggio il vol!

Note for stanza 2, line 6, word 2: Some publications and online sources have modernized the word "spera" to "sfera". As of June 13 2015, we found 3 out of 4 published books indexed by Google used the spelling "spera".

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "A una estrella", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Betsy Schwarm) , "To a star", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "À une étoile", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Julia Hamann) , "An einem Stern", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Einem Stern", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "A una estrella", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 94

An einem Stern
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Italian (Italiano) 
 Schöner Erdenstern,
 lieblicher schöner Schein,
 wie groß der Wunsch
 dieser gequälten und gefesselten Seele
 ihre Ketten zu sprengen,
 frei zu Dir zu fliegen!

 Die unbekannten Bewohner,
 die Du vor mir verbirgst, o Stern,
 umarmen sich mit Engeln
 in reiner brüderlicher Liebe,
 in Eintracht mit ihnen in Deinen Verheissungen
 zu schwelgen!

 Schuld und unsere Kümmernisse
 sind ihnen fremd,
 beiläufig und ruhig
 vergehen die Tage und Jahre,
 weder lassen sie sich jemals verführen,
 noch klagen sie im Schmerz.

 Schöner Abendstern,
 Juwel, das Du den Himmel erfreust,
 wie Du erhebst diese gequälte
 und gefesselte Seele
 aus ihrem Kerker - hin
 auf Deinen schönen Strahl gehe der Flug!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Italian (Italiano) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2004 by Julia Hamann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.

    Julia Hamann.  Contact: liaman (AT) gmx.net


    If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to:


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 104