Consider, that this very moment | Consider, that this very moment

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi (1698 - 1782), as Pietro Metastasio

Translation © by Laura Prichard

Pensa che questo istante

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Pensa che questo istante
Del tuo destin decide;
Ch'oggi rinasce Alcide
Per la futura età.

Pensa che adulto sei,
Che sei di Giove un figlio,
Che merto e non consiglio
La scelta tua sarà.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Tutte le opere di Pietro Metastasio, Firenze, Tipografia Borghi e compagni 1832, page 659.

The text appears in "Alcide al Bivio", scena I, Aria di Fronimo

Text Authorship:

by Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi (1698 - 1782), as Pietro Metastasio, no title, written 1760, appears in Alcide al Bivio [author's text checked 1 time 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 Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804 - 1857), "Pensa, che questo istante", also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Pensa, che questo istante", D 76 (1813) [ bass and piano ], First version published 1969, second version published 1871 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by V. Rozhdestvensky ; composed by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Pensa que aquest instant", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Consider, that this very moment", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Pense que cet instant", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 34

Consider, that this very moment

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

Consider, that this very moment
May decide your destiny,
Whether today is reborn Alcide
For a future age.

Consider, that you are a man,
What you are a son of Jove,
That on merit, and not on [someone else’s] counsel
Your choice will be made.

Translator's note: Hercules (AKA Heracles), was originally named Alcides by his parents.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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 Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi (1698 - 1782), as Pietro Metastasio, no title, written 1760, appears in Alcide al Bivio
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-05-10
Line count: 8
Word count: 45