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by Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863 - 1938)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Che dici, o parola del Saggio?
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Our translations:  FRE
Che dici, o parola del Saggio?
"Conviene che l'anima lieve,
sorella del vento selvaggio,
trascorra le fonti ove beve."

Io so che il van pianto mi guasta
le ciglia dall'ombra sì lunga...
O Vita, e una lacrima basta
a spegner la face consunta!

Ben so che nell'ansia mortale
si sfa la mia bocca riarsa...
E un alito, o Vita, mi vale
a sperder la cenere scarsa!

Tu dici: "Alza il capo; raccogli
con grazia i capelli in un nodo;
e sopra le rose che sfogli
ridendo va incontro all'Ignoto.

L'amante dagli occhi di sfinge
mutevole, a cui sei promessa,
ha nome Domani; e ti cinge
con una ghirlanda più fresca."

M'attende: lo so. Ma il datore
di gioia non ha più ghirlande:
ha dato il cipresso all'Amore
e il mirto a Colei ch'è più grande,

il mirto alla Morte che odo
rombar sul mio capo sconvolto.
Non tremo. I capelli in un nodo
segreto per sempre ho raccolto.

Ho terso con ambe le mani
l'estreme tue lacrime, o Vita.
L'amante che ha nome Domani
m'attende nell'ombra infinita.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863 - 1938) [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 Francesco Paolo Tosti (1846 - 1916), "Che dici, o parola del Saggio?", alternate title: "Che dici, o parola del Saggio", 1907, from Quattro canzoni d'Amaranta, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , 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: 32
Word count: 177

Que dis‑tu, ô parole du Sage ?
Language: French (Français)  after the Italian (Italiano) 
Que dis-tu, ô parole du Sage ?
« Il faut que l'âme légère,
sœur du vent sauvage,
traverse les sources où elle boit. »

Je sais que de vains pleurs abîment
mes cils à l'ombre si longue...
Ô Vie, une seule larme suffit
à éteindre le flambeau consumé !

Je sais bien que dans l'anxiété mortelle
ma bouche desséchée s'amollit...
Et un souffle, ô Vie, me vaudra
de disperser la cendre insuffisante !

Tu dis : « Lève la tête, rassemble
gracieusement tes cheveux en un nœud ;
et sur les roses que tu effeuilles
en riant va vers l'inconnu.

L'amant aux yeux de sphinx
volage à qui tu t'es promise
a pour nom Demain, et il te couronnera
D'une guirlande plus fraîche, »

Il m'attend : je le sais. mais le donneur
de joie n'a plus de guirlande :
il a donné le cyprès à l'Amour
et le myrte à Celle qui est plus grande,

le myrte à la Mort que j'entends
tonner au dessus de ma tête troublée.
Je ne tremble pas. Mes cheveux, en un nœud
secret sont rassemblés pour toujours.

J'ai essuyé de mes deux mains
les dernières larmes, ô Vie.
L'amant qui a pour nom Demain
m'attend dans l'ombre infinie.

About the headline (FAQ)

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 Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863 - 1938)
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2015-11-29
Line count: 32
Word count: 198

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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