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by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375)
Translation by Francisque Reynard (1835 - ?)

Donna bella
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Io son sì vaga della mia bellezza,
che d'altro amor giammai non curerò,
né credo aver vaghezza.
Io veggio in quella, ogn'ora ch'io mi specchio,
quel ben che fa contento lo 'ntelletto,
né accidente nuovo o pensier vecchio
mi può privar di sì caro diletto.
Qual altro dunque piacevole oggetto
potrei veder giammai,
che mi mettesse in cuor nuova vaghezza?
non fugge questo ben, qualor disio
di rimirarlo in mia consolazione;
anzi si fa incontro al piacer mio
tanto soave a sentir, che sermone
dir nol poria, né prendere intenzione
d'alcun mortal giammai,
che non ardesse di cotal vaghezza.
E io, che ciascun'ora più m'accendo,
quanto più fiso gli occhi tengo in esso,
tutta mi dono a lui, tutta mi rendo,
gustando già di ciò ch'el m'ha promesso,
e maggior gioia spero più da presso
sì fatta, che giammai
simil non si sentì qui di vaghezza.

Text Authorship:

  • by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375), appears in Il Decamerone - Prencipe Galeotto [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 Guido Alberto Fano (1875 - 1961), "Donna bella", 1901 [voice and piano], from Tre canzoni dal Decameron, no. 1. [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Francisque Reynard) , title 1: "Dame belle"


Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2011-03-01
Line count: 24
Word count: 146

Dame belle
Language: French (Français)  after the Italian (Italiano) 
Je suis si amoureuse de ma beauté,
Que d’un autre amour jamais
N’aurai, je crois, souci ni désir.

J’y vois, chaque fois que je me regarde en un miroir,
Ce bien qui rend l’esprit content,
Et aucun accident nouveau ou pensée ancienne
Ne peut me priver de ce cher plaisir.
Pourrai-je voir jamais
Quelqu’un qui me mette au cœur un nouveau désir ?

Ce bien ne fuit pas quand je veux
Le contempler encore pour ma satisfaction ;
Au contraire, il accourt au-devant de mes yeux,
Si suave à ressentir, qu’aucune parole
Ne le pourrait dire, ni être comprise
D’aucun mortel jamais
Qui ne brûlerait pas d’un semblable désir.

Et moi, qui m’enflamme de plus en plus à chaque heure.
Plus je tiens les yeux fixés sur lui,
Plus je m’y donne, plus je m’y livre toute,
Goûtant déjà un peu de ce qu’il m’a promis ;
Et j’en espère encore par la suite plus grande joie,
Ainsi faite que jamais
On ne sente ici-bas pareil désir.

Text Authorship:

  • by Francisque Reynard (1835 - ?), "Dame belle" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Italian (Italiano) by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375), appears in Il Decamerone - Prencipe Galeotto
    • Go to the text page.

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

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2015-11-20
Line count: 23
Word count: 164

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