La torre di Biasone
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Vedi là, sulla collina,
quella torre bruna bruna,
sovra cui giammai ne inchina
i suoi raggi amica luna,
tra i cui ruderi deserti
è perpetuo tenebror!
[Vedi!] Spesso allor che il mondo dorme,
se ti affisi in quei veroni,
errar vedi oscure forme
di sibille, di stregoni
ed ascolti un suon di festa
che di tema agghiaccia il cor.
Fuggi, fuggi, o passeggero,
dalla torre del mistero.
Su quei merli stanno assisi
la sventura ed il terrore.
Quando l'alba in ciel si accende
Sulla cima dirupata,
Una striscia si distende
Di meteora insanguinata;
E fra quella, orrendi spetri
Stan giojosi a carolar:
E poi tuona, a destra, il cielo,
La meteora in fiamma è volta,
E una donna in bianco velo,
Con la chioma all'aure sciolta,
Tra le fiamme si profonda
Con un grido di dolor.
Spesso ardito cavaliere
Desioso di ventura
Per lo ripido sentiere
S'avviava a notte oscura,
E tra gli orridi rottami
Già spronando il corridor.
Ma tal fremito improvviso
Gli agghiacciò nell'opra il core,
Che, di tema allor conquiso,
Volse indietro il corridore,
Invocando al suo ritorno
Della Vergine il favor.
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , "The tower of Biasano", copyright © 2016, (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: 40
Word count: 185
The tower of Biasano
Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)
Look there, on the hill,
that very dark tower,
upon which never shine
the rays of the friendly moon,
among whose deserted ruins
there is perpetual darkness!
Often when the earth sleeps,
if you look fixedly at those balconies
you see obscure forms wandering,
soothsayers, ugly witches,
and you hear a festive sound
that freezes your heart with fear.
Flee, flee, o passenger,
from the tower of mystery.
Those battlements are seats
of misfortune and terror.
When dawn enflames the sky
over the rocky summit,
a streak stretches overhead
of a meteor covered with blood,
and meanwhile, horrid specters
are joyously caroling.
And then, to the right, the sky thunders,
the meteor has turned to flames,
and a lady veiled in white,
with her hair blowing in the breeze,
plunges into the flames
with a cry of pain.
Often an ardent cavalier,
desiring an adventure,
climbed the steep banks
in the dark of night,
and among the horrible wrecks
who are encouraging the runner.
But what a sudden trembling
froze his heart while he was struggling,
because, already conquered by fear,
the runner turned around
invoking upon his return
the favor of the Virgin.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2016 by John Glenn Paton, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2016-01-20
Line count: 40
Word count: 194
