I sang, and now I weep, and I take no less

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by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374)

Translation © by A. S. Kline

Cantai, or piango, et non men di...

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Cantai, or piango, et non men di dolcezza
del pianger prendo che del canto presi,
ch'a la cagion, non a l'effetto, intesi
son i miei sensi vaghi pur d'altezza.

5Indi et mansüetudine et durezza
et atti feri, et humili et cortesi,
porto egualmente, né me gravan pesi,
né l'arme mie punta di sdegni spezza.

Tengan dunque ver' me l'usato stile
10Amor, madonna, il mondo et mia fortuna,
ch'i'non penso esser mai se non felice.

[Viva]¹ o mora o languisca, un piú gentile
stato del mio non è sotto la luna,
sí dolce è del mio amaro la radice.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• R. de Lassus

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ de Lassus: "Arda"

Text Authorship:

by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 229 [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 Roland de Lassus (1532 - 1594), "Cantai hor piango" [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (A. S. Kline) , no title, copyright © 2002, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Steven Cox

This text was added to the website: 2009-09-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 99

I sang, and now I weep, and I take no...

Language: English after the French (Français)

I sang, and now I weep, and I take no less
delight in weeping than I took in singing,
for the cause and not the effect, is in
my senses, longing for my noble one.

So I bear mildness and severity,
cruel or humble or courteous actions,
equally, no weight burdens me,
no weapon tipped with disdain touches me.

Let Love, my lady, world and fortune
treat me as they have always done,
and I will never think myself unhappy.

Alive, or dead, or languishing, there’s no
state better than mine beneath the moon,
so sweet is the root of my bitterness.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2002 by A. S. Kline, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 229
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-03-10
Line count: 14
Word count: 102