Sonnet XXIV | Noble spirit, in whom is reflected

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by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)

Translation © by Carl Johengen

Sonetto XXIV

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG FRE LIT SPA

Spirto ben nato, in cui si specchia e vede
Nelle tuo belle membra oneste e care
Quante natura e 'l ciel tra no' puo' fare,
Quand'a null'altra suo bell'opra cede;
Spirto leggiadro, in cui si spera e crede
Dentro, come di fuor nel viso appare,
Amor, pietà, mercè, cose sì rare
Che mà furn'in beltà con tanta fede;
L'amor mi prende, e la beltà mi lega;
La pietà, la mercè con dolci sguardi
Ferma speranz'al cor par che ne doni.
Qual uso o qual governo al mondo niega,
Qual crudeltà per tempo, o qual più tardi,
C'a sì bel viso morte non perdoni?

Text Authorship:

by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 41 [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Sonetto XXIV", op. 22 no. 7 (1940), published 1943 [ voice and piano ], from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, a translation by John Addington Symonds (1840 - 1893) , appears in The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English ; composed by John Mitchell.
- Go to the text.

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

ENG English (Carl Johengen) , "Sonnet XXIV", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Sonnet XXIV", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , "Sonetas XXIV", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Juan Henríquez Concepción) , copyright © 2008, (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: 14
Word count: 103

Sonnet XXIV

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

 Noble spirit, in whom is reflected,
 and in whose beautiful limbs, honest and dear, one can see
 all that nature and heaven can achieve within us,
 excelling any other work of beauty;
 graceful spirit, within whom one hopes and believes
 dwell - as they outwardly appear in your face -
 love, pity, mercy, things so rare
 and never found in beauty so truly;
 love takes me captive, and beauty binds me;
 pity and mercy with sweet glances
 fill my heart with strong hope.
 What law or power in the world,
 what cruelty of this time or of a time to come,
 could keep Death from sparing such a lovely face?

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © by Carl Johengen, (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 Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 41
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 109