by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)
Translation Singable translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954)

Di morte certo, ma non già dell' ora;
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Our translations:  CAT FRE LIT
Di morte certo, ma non già dell' ora;
la vita è breve, e poco me n'avanza;
diletta al senso è non però la stanza
a l'alma, che mi priega pur ch' i' mora.

Il mondo è cieco, e 'l tristo esempio ancora
vince e sommerge ogni prefetta usanza;
spent' è la luce, e seco ogni baldanza;
trionfa il falso, e 'l ver non surge fora.

Deh quando fie, Signor, quel che s'aspetta
per chi ti crede? Ch' ogni troppo indugio
tronca la speme, el' alma fa mortale.

Che val che tanto lume altrui prometta,
s' anzi vien morte, e senz' alcun refugio
ferma per sempre in che stato altri assale?

About the headline (FAQ)

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):

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

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


Researcher for this page: Caroline Diehl

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 110

Uzh chuya smert`, xot` i ne znaya sroka
Language: Russian (Русский)  after the Italian (Italiano) 
Uzh chuya smert`, xot` i ne znaya sroka,
YA vizhu: zhizn` vse uby'stryaet shag,
No telu eshhyo zhalko plotskix blag,
Dushe zhe smert` zhelannee poroka.

Mir - v slepote: posty'dnogo uroka
Iz vlasti zla ne izvlekaet zrak,
Nadezhdy', net, i vse ob``emlet mrak,
I lozh` czarit, i pravda pryachet oko.

Kogda zh. Gospod`, nastupit to, chego
Zhdut verny'e tebe? Oslabevaet
V otsrochkax vera, dushu davit gnet;

Na chto nam svet spasen`ya tvoego,
Raz smert` by'strej i navsegda yavlyaet
Nas v sramote, v kotoroj zastaet?

About the headline (FAQ)

Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST

Note on Transliterations

Show untransliterated (original) text

Text Authorship:

Based on:

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


Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2008-10-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 83