I see in your fair face, my lord | I see in your fair face, my lord

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by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)

Translation © by Charles Hopkins (1952 - 2007)

Veggio nel tuo bel viso, signor mio

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Veggio nel tuo bel viso, signor mio,
quel che narrar mal puossi in questa vita:
l’anima, della carne ancor vestita,
con esso è già più volte ascesa a Dio.
E se ’l vulgo malvagio, isciocco e rio,
di quel che sente, altrui segna e addita,
non è l’intensa voglia men gradita,
l’amor, la fede e l’onesto desio.
A quel pietoso fonte, onde siàn tutti,
s’assembra ogni beltà che qua si vede
più c’altra cosa alle persone accorte;
né altro saggio abbiàn né altri frutti
del cielo in terra; e chi v’ama con fede
trascende a Dio e fa dolce la morte.

Text Authorship:

by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 83 [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 Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892 - 1988), "Veggio nel tuo bel viso, signor mio", KSS 36 no. 4 (1923), published 2005, first performed 1980 [ voice and orchestra ], from Cinque sonetti di Michelagniolo Buonarroti, no. 4, Bath, The Sorabji Archive; critical edition [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926) , no title, appears in Michelangelo-Übertragungen ; composed by Willy Kehrer, Anton Schoendlinger.
- Go to the text.

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

ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , "I see in your fair face, my lord", written 2002, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-07-31
Line count: 14
Word count: 101

I see in your fair face, my lord

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

I see in your fair face, my lord,
What in this life I can but ill describe;
My soul, still decked in flesh,
Has many times already risen with it to God.

And if the common herd, wicked, stupid and evil,
Attribute and ascribe to others only what they themselves feel,
My intense longing is no less cherished,
Nor my love, constancy and honest desire.

More than anything else[,] Every beauty that is to be seen
To those that are wise resembles
That merciful spring, from which everything draws life;

Nor do we have any other example or other fruits
Of heaven on earth; and he who loves you faithfully
Rises up to God and holds death sweet.

Confirmed with an original Microsoft Word Document provided by Alistair Hinton.

Text Authorship:

by Charles Hopkins (1952 - 2007), "I see in your fair face, my lord", written 2002, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 83
- Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

[ None yet in the database ]

Researcher for this page: Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-08-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 118