That scornful little glance | That scornful little glance

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by Bartholomeo Magni

Translation © by Laura Kate Marshall

Quel sguardo sdegnosetto

Language: Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Quel sguardo sdegnosetto
Lucente e minacioso,
Quel dardo velenoso 
Vola a ferirmi il petto:
Bellezze ond'io tutt'ardo
E son da me diviso.
Piagatemi col sguardo,
Sanatemi col riso.

Armatevi pupille 
D'asprissimo, d'asprissimo rigore,
Versatemi su'l core 
Un nembo di faville,
Ma 'l labro non sia tardo
A ravvivarmi ucciso.
Feriscami quel sguardo,
Ma sanimi quel riso.

Begli occhi a l'armi, a l'armi!
Io vi preparo il seno.
Gioite di piagarmi,
Infin ch'io venga meno.
E se da vostri dardi
Io resterò conquiso,
Ferischino quei sguardi,
Ma sanimi quel riso.

Text Authorship:

by Bartholomeo Magni [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 Claudio Monteverdi (1567 - 1643), "Quel sguardo sdegnosetto", SV. 247, published 1632, from Scherzi musicali cioè arie et madrigali, no. 2. [ sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Laura Kate Marshall) , "That scornful little glance", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Ce regard dédaigneux", copyright © 2019, (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: 24
Word count: 89

That scornful little glance

Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)

That scornful little glance
gleaming and threatening -
that poisonous dart -
Shoots out and strikes my heart.
Charms that have set me on fire,
and have divided me.
Wound me with a glance
Heal me with laughter!

Eyes be armed
with roughest rigor
pour on my heart
a cloudburst of sparks!
But let not the lips be late
in reviving my corpse;
let that glance wound me
but that laughter heal me.

To arms sweet eyes!
I prepare my breast for you:
take joy in wounding me
until I faint.
For if by your darts
I remain conquered,
Wound me with those glances!
But heal me with  that laughter.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2003 by Laura Kate Marshall, (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 Bartholomeo Magni
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 108