But be contented: when that fell arrest
Language: English
But be contented: when that fell arrest
Without all bail shall carry me away,
My life hath in this line some interest,
Which for memorial still with thee shall stay.
When thou reviewest this, thou dost review
The very part was consecrate to thee:
The earth can have but earth, which is his due;
My spirit is thine, the better part of me:
So then thou hast but lost the dregs of life,
The prey of worms, my body being dead;
The coward conquest of a wretch's knife,
Too base of thee to be remembered.
The worth of that is that which it contains,
And that is this, and this with thee remains.
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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):
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This text was added to the website: 2010-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 113
Però non protestare: quando morte in...
Language: Italian (Italiano) after the English
Però non protestare: quando morte in arresto,
senza possibilità di cauzione, mi porterà via,
della mia vita resterà traccia in questa poesia,
che, a mio ricordo, ti resterà sempre appresso.
E ogni qualvolta tu l’avrai riletta, in essa rivedrai
quella parte di me che ti è stata consacrata:
La terra non può avere che ciò che a lei dovrai;
ma il mio spirito è tuo, la parte più pregiata:
Avrai perso soltanto le scorie della vita,
preda dei vermi, il mio corpo morto;
La codarda conquista di una lama sciagurata,
Troppo vil cosa per essere ricordata.
Il valore di una cosa è quello che contiene,
ed è questa poesia, che con te rimane.
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Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2025 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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: 2025-07-17
Line count: 14
Word count: 113
