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

From fairest creatures we desire...
Language: English 
Our translations:  ITA
From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding:
  Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
  To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-10-07
Line count: 14
Word count: 106

Vogliamo discendenza da ogni più bella...
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the English 
Vogliamo discendenza da ogni più bella creatura
In modo che rosa di bellezza non possa  mai cessare,
E se pure debba sfiorire facendosi matura,
la sua tenera erede, memoria ne possa serbare:
Ma tu, che del tuo fulgido sguardo soltanto ti dai cura,
nutri la luce tua bruciando la tua stessa sostanza,
creando carestia dove abbondanza ha dimora,
verso di te ostile, crudele con la tua dolce essenza:
Tu che del mondo ora sei il giovane ornamento,
che ad annunciare la sgargiante primavera da solo basta,
la tua stessa sostanza nel tuo bocciolo hai sepolto,
tu tenero spilorcio che l'avarizia devasta:
  Abbi del mondo pietà, e non essere insaziabile al punto
  da divorare con te, nella tomba, ciò che a lui è dovuto.

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  • Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2009 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: 2009-05-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 123