by Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi (1698 - 1782), as Pietro Metastasio
Translation © by Danilo Serrano

Ah! perfido
Language: Italian (Italiano) 
Available translation(s): ENG FRE GER SPA
Ah! perfido, spergiuro,
Barbaro traditor, tu parti?
E son questi gl'ultimi tuoi congedi?
Ove s'intese tirannia più crudel?
Va, scellerato! va, pur fuggi da me,
L'ira de' numi non fuggirai.
Se v'è giustizia in ciel, se v'è pietà,
Congiureranno a gara tutti a punirti!
Ombra seguace, presente, ovunque vai,
Vedrò le mie vendette,
Io già le godo immaginando.
I fulmini ti veggo già balenar d'intorno.
Ah no! Fermate, vindici Dei!
Risparmiate quel cor, ferite il mio!
S'ei non è più qual era, son io qual fui,
Per lui vivea, voglio morir per lui!

Per pietà, non dirmi addio!
Di te priva che farò?
Tu lo sai, bell'idol mio!
Io d'affanno morirò.

Ah crudel! Tu vuoi ch'io mora! 
Tu non hai pietà di me?
Perchè rendi a chi t'adora
Così barbara mercè?
Dite voi se in tanto affanno
Non son degna di pietà?

Authorship

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

  • by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "Ah! perfido", op. 65, published 1805, first performed 1796 [soprano and orchestra], first published in 1805 without an opus number by Bureau de Musique Hoffmeister & Kühnel of Franz Anton Hoffmeister and Ambrosius Kühnel ; later assigned the opus number 46 by Hofmeister in Leipzig (1819); also in 1819, the opus number 65 was assigned by Artaria, and this has become the accepted opus number in later editions [ sung text verified 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "Ah! You treacherous", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Ah ! perfide", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Ach! Du treuloser", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Danilo Serrano) , "Ah pérfido, perjuro", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Stefan Pilczek

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 26
Word count: 142

Ah pérfido, perjuro
Language: Spanish (Español)  after the Italian (Italiano) 
¡Ah pérfido, perjuro,
bárbaro traidor! ¿te marchas?
¿Y es esta tu última despedida?
¿Dónde se ha escuchado tiranía mas cruel?
¡Vete malvado! Vete, huye pues de mi,
De la ira de los dioses no escaparás.
Si hay justicia en el cielo, si existe la piedad,
conjuraremos todos juntos para castigarte.
Sombra perseguidora, presente donde vayas,
veré mi venganza,
ya disfruto imaginándola.
Ya veo los rayos relampaguear en torno tuyo.
¡Ah no! ¡Deténgase dioses vengadores!
¡Perdonen su corazón, hieran el mío!
Si él no es el que era, yo soy la que fui
Para él vivía, ¡por él quiero morir!
 
Por piedad, no me digas adiós
¿Qué haría sin ti?
Tu lo sabes, bello ídolo mío,
De pena moriré
 
¡Ah cruel! ¡Quieres que yo muera!
¿No tienes piedad de mi?
¿Por qué pagas a la que te adora,
con tan bárbara gracia?
Dime si por tanto sufrimiento  
No soy digna de piedad.

Authorship

  • Translation from Italian (Italiano) to Spanish (Español) copyright © 2011 by Danilo Serrano, (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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Based on

 

This text was added to the website: 2012-01-09
Line count: 26
Word count: 151