I shall seek a far-off land | Poor Ernesto! O how in a single stroke

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by Giovanni Ruffini (1807 - 1881)

Translation © by Andrew Schneider

Cercherò lontana terra

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG

Povero Ernesto! oh come in un sol punto    
mi veggo al colmo giunto
d'ogni miseria! dallo zio cacciato,
da tutti abbandonato,
mi restava un amico,
e un coperto nemico
discopro in lui, che a' danni miei congiura.
Ah meglio, o Malatesta,
io mertava da te! Ma non è questa
la mia più gran sventura.
Perder Norina, oh dio!
Questo è il sommo dei mali! e con che core
offrirle un'esistenza,
meco unita, di pene e d'indigenza?
Ah no. Ben feci a lei
d'esprimere in un foglio i sensi miei.
Ora in altra contrada
i giorni grami a terminar si vada.

Cercherò lontana terra  
dove gemer sconosciuto,
là vivrò col cuore in guerra
deplorando il ben perduto...
ma né sorte a me nemica,
né frapposti i monti il mar,
ti potranno, o dolce amica,
dal mio seno cancellar.

E se fia che ad altro oggetto
tu rivolga un giorno il core,
se mai fia che un nuovo affetto
spenga in te l'antico ardore,
non temer che un infelice
te spergiura accusi al ciel;
se tu sei, ben mio, felice,
sarà pago il tuo fedel.

Text Authorship:

by Giovanni Ruffini (1807 - 1881) [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 Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1848), "Cercherò lontana terra", 1843, first performed 1843. [ sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Andrew Schneider) , "I shall seek a far-off land", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-05-31
Line count: 34
Word count: 183

I shall seek a far‑off land

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

Poor Ernesto! O how in a single stroke
I see myself at the peak of all misery!
Driven out by my uncle,
abandoned by everyone,
one friend remaining to me,
and I discover him to be 
my secret enemy who conspires to 
bring about my ruin!
I have deserved far better from you, o Malatesta!
But not even this is my greatest misfortune.
Losing Norina, my God!
This is the greatest of woes! 
and with what heart
could I possibly offer her an existence 
united to me, yet plagued with misery and poverty?
Ah, no; I have done well by her
to express my feelings to her by letter.
Now let me go to other lands to end my wretched days.

I shall seek a far-off land, 
unknown, yet moaning,
where I shall war with my heart
as I bewail my lost love...
But neither adverse fate
nor mountains in the way of the sea
shall ever remove your image from my breast,
my dearest love.

And if it happens that you should redirect
your heart towards another,
if it should pass that a new affection
extinguished your old passion,
have no fear that an unhappy one
accuse you before heaven of being faithless;
your faithful lover will be satisfied
if you, my dearest, are happy.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2018 by Andrew Schneider, (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.
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Based on:

a text in Italian (Italiano) by Giovanni Ruffini (1807 - 1881)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-06-14
Line count: 34
Word count: 216