by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

How like a winter hath my absence been
Language: English 
Available translation(s): ITA
How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
What old December's bareness everywhere!
And yet this time remov'd was summer's time,
The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
Bearing the wanton burthen of the prime,
Like widow'd wombs after their lords' decease:
Yet this abundant issue seem'd to me
But hope of orphans and unfather'd fruit;
For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
And thou away, the very birds are mute;
  Or if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer
  That leaves look pale, dreading the winter's near.

About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

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

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

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


Researcher for this text: Barbara Miller

This text was added to the website: 2005-08-06
Line count: 14
Word count: 107

E' stata la mia assenza simile a freddo inverno
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the English 
E' stata la mia assenza simile a freddo inverno,
La mia assenza da te, gioia dell’anno che muore!
Freddo ho sentito, e ho visto oscuro il giorno,
E di Dicembre, attorno, lo squallore!
Eppure quei giorni d’assenza erano tempo estivo,
E già l’Autunno fecondo il suo frutto copioso,
che della primavera è il fardello lascivo,
portava nel grembo ormai vedovo dell’amato sposo:
Ma quella ricca progenie a me appariva,
solo promessa di orfani, senza padre frutti,
poiché la gioiosa estate te sola accompagnava,
e, te lontana, stanno anche gli uccelli zitti.
O se pur cantano, è con sì triste suono
Che scolora il fogliame, temendo l’inverno vicino.

Authorship

  • Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2007 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.
    Contact: 

Based on

 

This text was added to the website: 2007-01-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 107