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by Pédro Calderón de la Barca y Henao (1600 - 1681)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Es verdad; pues reprimamos
Language: Spanish (Español) 
Our translations:  ITA
Segismundo:

Es verdad; pues reprimamos
esta fiera condición,
esta furia, esta ambición
por si alguna vez soñamos.
Y sí haremos, pues estamos
en mundo tan singular,
que el vivir sólo es soñar;
y la experiencia me enseña
que el hombre que vive sueña
lo que es hasta despertar.
Sueña el rey que es rey, y vive
con este engaño mandando,
disponiendo y gobernando;
y este aplauso que recibe
prestado, en el viento escribe,
y en cenizas le convierte
la muerte (¿desdicha fuerte!);
¿que hay quien intente reinar,
viendo que ha de despertar
en el sueño de la muerte!
Sueña el rico en su riqueza
que más cuidados le ofrece;
sueña el pobre que padece
su miseria y su pobreza;
sueña el que a medrar empieza,
sueña el que afana y pretende,
sueña el que agravia y ofende;
y en el mundo, en conclusión,
todos sueñan lo que son,
aunque ninguno lo entiende.
Yo sueño que estoy aquí
destas prisiones cargado,
y soñé que en otro estado
más lisonjero me vi.
¡Qué es la vida? Un frenesí.
¡Qué es la vida? Una ilusión,
una sombra, una ficción,
y el mayor bien es pequeño;
que toda la vida es sueño,
y los sueños, sueños son. 

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Pédro Calderón de la Barca y Henao (1600 - 1681), no title, from La vida es sueño [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):

    [ None yet in the database ]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, a translation by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945) , "From "La Vida es Sueño" of Calderon", appears in Poems of Arthur Symons, Volume 1, first published 1914 [an adaptation] ITA ; composed by John Weinzweig.
      • Go to the text.

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

  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "E'vero. Soffochiamo dunque", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-07
Line count: 41
Word count: 203

E'vero. Soffochiamo dunque
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the Spanish (Español) 
Sigismondo:
 
E'vero. Soffochiamo dunque
questa fiera indole,
questa furia, questa ambizione,
perché forse non facciamo che sognare.
E così faremo, perché viviamo
in un mondo tanto singolare,
che vivere non è altro che sognare;
E la esperienza mi insegna
Che l'uomo che vive, sogna
di se stesso fino a quando si sveglia.
Il re sogna di essere re, e vive
di questa illusione comandando,
disponendo e governando;
e questo applauso che gli viene
prestato, lo scrive nel vento
e in cenere lo trasforma
la morte (sventura immensa!);
chi sarebbe disposto a regnare,
consapevole di doversi ridestare
nel sonno della morte!
Sogna il ricco delle sue ricchezze
che lo preoccupano tanto;
sogna il povero di patire
la sua miseria e la sua povertà;
sogna chi inizia a fare fortuna,
sogna chi si impegna e pretende,
sogna chi si risente e offende;
e nel mondo, in conclusione,
tutti sognano di se stessi,
e nessuno se ne rende conto.
Io stesso sogno di stare qua
oppresso da questo carcere,
e ho sognato  di vedermi
in una situazione più lusinghiera.
Cosa è la vita? Una frenesia.
Cosa è la vita? Una illusione,
un'ombra, una finzione,
e il bene più grande resta una miseria;
perché tutta la vita è un sogno,
e i sogni non sono altro che sogni.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Spanish (Español) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2008 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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in Spanish (Español) by Pédro Calderón de la Barca y Henao (1600 - 1681), no title, from La vida es sueño
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-13
Line count: 41
Word count: 214

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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