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by Giacomo Leopardi (1798 - 1837)
Translation by Auguste Lacaussade (1815 - 1897)

A se stesso
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Chosen for Diff
Or poserai per sempre,
Stanco mio cor. Perì l'inganno estremo,
Ch'eterno io mi credei. Perì. Ben sento,
In noi di cari inganni,
Non che la speme, il desiderio è spento.
Posa per sempre. Assai
Palpitasti. Non val cosa nessuna
I moti tuoi, né di sospiri é degna
La terra. Amaro e noia
La vita, altro mai nulla; e fango è il mondo.
T'acqueta omai. Dispera
L'ultima volta. Al gener nostro il fato
Non donò che il morire. Omai disprezza
Te, la natura, il brutto
Poter che, ascoso, a comun danno impera,
E l'infinita vanità del tutto.

Text Authorship:

  • by Giacomo Leopardi (1798 - 1837), "A se stesso", Canti, no. XXVIII.  [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 Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "A se stesso", 1965, first performed 1967 [ baritone and orchestra ], from Tre Canti di Leopardi, no. 2, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carlo Rossaro (1827 - 1878), "A se stesso" [ voice and piano ], from 15 Romanze e Contemplazioni in chiave di Sol con accompagnamento di Pianoforte, no. 5, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Robert Hamerling (1830 - 1889) , first published 1866 ; composed by Hanns Eisler.
    • Go to the text.

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

  • ENG English (Lorna de’ Lucchi) , no title
  • FRE French (Français) (Auguste Lacaussade) , "Posa per sempre", written 1836
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Calixto Oyuela) , "Á sí mismo", first published 1883


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 96

Posa per sempre
Language: French (Français)  after the Italian (Italiano) 
Chosen for Diff
Enfin et pour toujours repose-toi, mon cœur,
Ô mon cœur fatigué ! Cette suprême erreur
À qui tu t’es donné, la croyant éternelle,
Elle est morte, et bien morte ! et je sens qu’avec elle
Non seulement l’espoir, mais le désir est mort.
Meurs aussi, pauvre cœur ! Sans regret ni remord
Du passé, rends à l’air ta flamme inassouvie.
Vœux déçus, amertume, ennui, voilà la vie !
Dans le renoncement est la sérénité.
Pour souffrir n’as-tu pas trop longtemps palpité ?
Repose-toi, mon cœur ! Il n’est rien en ce monde,
À tes fiers battements il n’est rien qui réponde.
La terre est vide, et vide est le ciel ! Le Destin,
Pouvoir lâche et caché, nous mène au but certain,
Le néant ! En mépris nous tient cette nature
Qui d’espoirs étoilés nous leurre et nous sature :
De ses déceptions affranchi désormais,
Repose-toi, mon cœur ! — désespère à jamais !

Confirmed with Giacomo Leopardi, La Poésie de G. Leopardi en vers français, translated by Auguste Lacaussade, Alphonse Lemerre, éditeur, 1889, pages 153-154.


Text Authorship:

  • by Auguste Lacaussade (1815 - 1897), "Posa per sempre", written 1836 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Italian (Italiano) by Giacomo Leopardi (1798 - 1837), "A se stesso", Canti, no. XXVIII.
    • Go to the text page.

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 ]


Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-11-08
Line count: 18
Word count: 143

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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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