
Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at 
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Io ti seguii come iride di pace Lungo le vie del cielo: Io ti seguii come un'amica face De la notte nel velo. E ti sentii ne la luce, ne l'aria, Nel profumo dei fiori; E fu piena la stanza solitaria Di te, dei tuoi splendori. In te rapito, al suon de la tua voce, Lungamente sognai; E de la terra ogni affanno, ogni croce, In quel [sogno]1 scordai. Torna, caro ideal, torna un istante A sorridermi ancora, E a me risplenderà, nel tuo sembiante, Una novella aurora.
1 Tosti: "giorno" (verified by G. Miscia at the Istituto Nazionale Tostiano in Ortona, Italy, as being in the original score; with thanks to John Byrne for inquiring)
Authorship:
- by Carmelo Errico (1848 - 1892) [author's text checked 1 time 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 Francesco Paolo Tosti (1846 - 1916), "Ideale", published 1882 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , "Ideal", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English [singable] (Harrison Millard)
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Idéal", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Ideal", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Danilo Serrano) , "Ideal", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 88
I followed you like a rainbow of peace along the paths of heaven; I followed you like a friendly torch in the veil of darkness, and I sensed you in the light, in the air, in the perfume of flowers, and the solitary room was full of you and of your radiance. Absorbed by you, I dreamed a long time of the sound of your voice, and earth's every anxiety, every torment I forgot in that dream. Come back, dear ideal, for an instant to smile at me again, and in your face will shine for me a new dawn.
Authorship:
- Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © 2000 by John Glenn Paton, (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:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Carmelo Errico (1848 - 1892)
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 101