La séduction | Elle était belle comme un ange du ciel

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by Luigi Balestra (1808 - 1863)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

La seduzione

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Era bella com'angiol del cielo,
Innocente degl'anni sul fiore,
Ed il palpito primo d'amore
Un crudele nel cor le destò.

Inesperta, fidente ne' giuri,
Sè commise all'amante sleale; 
Fu sedotta! e l'anello nuziale, 
Poveretta, ma indarno invocò.

All'infamia dannata, allo scherno,
Nove lune gemé la tradita;
Poi, consunta dal duolo la vita,
Pregò venia al crudele e spirò.

Ed il frutto del vil tradimento
Nel sepolcro posogli d'appresso;
Là non sorse una croce, un cipresso,
Non un sasso il suo nome portò.

Text Authorship:

by Luigi Balestra (1808 - 1863) [author's text not yet checked 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 Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901), "La seduzione", 1839. [
text verified 1 time
]

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

ENG English (Anne Evans) , title 1: "The seduction", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , title 1: "La séduction", copyright © 2015, (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: 16
Word count: 82

La séduction

Language: French (Français) after the Italian (Italiano)

Elle était belle comme un ange du ciel,
Innocente comme une fleur nouvelle,
Quand le premier frisson de l'amour
Fut éveillé par un cruel dans son cœur.

Inexpérimentée et confiante en les serments,
Elle s'engagea envers l'amant déloyal ;
Elle fut séduite et l'anneau nuptial,
Pauvrette, fut demandé en vain.

Condamnée à l'infamie, au mépris,
Pendant neuf lunes elle gémit, trahie ;
Puis, consumée par la douleur de la vie,
Elle demanda le pardon pour le cruel et expira.

Et le fruit de la vile trahison
Fut amené à la tombe peu après ;
Là il n'y avait aucune croix, aucun cyprès,
Aucune pierre portant son nom.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Guy Laffaille, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Italian (Italiano) by Luigi Balestra (1808 - 1863)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-06-17
Line count: 16
Word count: 104