by Arturo Birga (1871 - 1959)
Translation © by Joshua Breitzer

Quando nasceste voi
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Our translations:  ENG ENG
Quando nasceste voi, disse la rosa:
"Vo' dare alle tue gote il mio colore,"
E 'l giglio: "Anch'io vo' darti qualcosa:
Ti darò la purezza e 'l mio candore..."
La colomba li udì così parlare
E smise tutt'a un tratto di volare...
"Oh, voglio darti qualche cosa anch'io:
Ti darò la mitezza del cor mio!"
Sentirono, di sù dal ciel, le stelle
E dissero anche loro tutte 'n coro:
"Noi daremo alle tue pupille belle
La nostra luce..." E 'l sole: "Io darò l'oro
Del mio colore a tuoi biondi capelli..."
E l'usignolo primo tra li augelli:
"Darò alle tue parole l'armonia
Del canto ch'esce dalla gola mia!"

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Text Authorship:

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

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

  • ENG English (Joshua Breitzer) , "When you were born", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , "When you were born", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-08-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 108

When you were born
Language: English  after the Italian (Italiano) 
When you were born, the rose said:
“I want to give my colour to your cheeks.”
And the lily said: “I too want to give you something:
I shall give you purity and my whiteness of hue.”
The dove heard them talking thus
and suddenly paused its flight…
“Oh, I want to give you something too:
I shall give you the mildness of my heart!”
High in the heavens the stars heard this
and they too spoke from their hearts:
“We shall give your beautiful eyes
our light…” And the sun added: “I shall give
my golden colour to your fair hair…”
And, first among the birds, the nightingale said:
“I shall give your voice the tunefulness
of the song that flows from my throat!”

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2022 by Joshua Breitzer, (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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This text was added to the website: 2022-09-30
Line count: 16
Word count: 125