From time to time they are less harsh to me

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by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374)

Translation © by A. S. Kline

Di tempo in tempo mi si fa men dura

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG

Di tempo in tempo mi si fa men dura
l'angelica figura e 'l dolce riso,
et l'aria del bel viso
e de gli occhi leggiadri meno oscura.
Che fanno meco omai questi sospiri
che nascean di dolore
et mostravan di fore
la mia angosciosa et desperata vita?
S' aven che 'l volto in quella parte giri
per acquetare il core,
parmi veder Amore
mantener mia ragione et darmi aita.
Né però trovo ancor guerra finita
né tranquillo ogni stato del cor mio,
ché più m'arde 'l desio.
quanto più la speranza m'assicura.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 149 [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 Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Di tempo in tempo mi si fa men dura" [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: Barbara Miller

This text was added to the website: 2007-04-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 92

From time to time they are less harsh to...

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

From time to time they are less harsh to me
the angelic figure and the sweet smile,
and the expression on her face
and the charming eyes are less dark.
What have these sighs now to do with me
which were born of grief
and served to show
my anguish and my desperate life?
If I turn my look that way
to quiet my heart,
I see Love with me
arguing my case, and giving aid:
yet I still see no end to my war,
nor any tranquil state in my heart,
since my desire blazes out the more,
the more hope should reassure me.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) 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 Italian (Italiano) by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 149
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-03-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 105