Signor, se vero è alcun proverbio antico, questo è ben quel, che chi può, mai non vuole. Tu hai creduto a favole e parole, e premiato chi èl del ver nimico. Io sono, e fui già tuo buon servo antico; a te son dato come i raggi al sole; e del mio tempo non t'incresce o duole, e men ti piaccio se più m'affatico. Già sperai ascender per la tuo altezza; e 'l giusto peso, e la potente spada fassi al bisogno, e non la voce d'ecco. Ma 'l cielo è quel ch'ogni virtù disprezza locarla al mondo, se vuol ch'altri vada a prender frutto d'un arbor ch'è secco.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 6 [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 Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975), "Signor, se vero è alcun proverbio antico", op. 145 no. 1 (1974), from Suite on verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti, no. 1, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954) ; composed by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John Addington Symonds) , "To Pope Julius II", from The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English, first published 1878
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Vérité", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bettina Jacobson) , "An Julius II", from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , subtitle: "Yra teisybės sakmėse senovės", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Caroline Diehl
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 109
Est' istiny v rečen'jach stariny, I vot odna: kto možet, tot ne chočet; Ty vnjal, Sin'or, tomu, čto lož' strekočet, I boltuny toboj nagraždeny; JA ž – tvoj sluga: moi trudy dany Tebe, kak solncu luč, – chot' i poročit Tvoj gnev vsë to, čto pyl moj sdelat' pročit, I vse moi stradanija ne nužny. JA dumal, čto voz'mët tvoë velič'e Menja k sebe ne ėchom dlja palat, A lezviem suda i girej gneva; No est' k zemnym zaslugam bezrazlič'e Na nebesach, i ždat' ot nich nagrad – Čto ožidat' plodov s suchogo dreva.
About the headline (FAQ)
Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST
Note on TransliterationsShow untransliterated (original) text
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 6
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975), "Есть истины в реченьях старины", op. 145 no. 1 (1974), from Suite on verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti, no. 1, also set in Italian (Italiano) [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-10-02
Line count: 14
Word count: 94