by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374)
Translation by Joseph Poulenc (flourished 1865)
Volgendo gli occhi al mio novo colore
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Volgendo gli occhi al mio novo colore che fa di morte rimembrar la gente, pietà vi mosse; onde, benignamente salutando, teneste in vita il core. La fraile vita, ch'ancor meco alberga, fu de' begli occhi vostri aperto dono, et de la voce angelica soave. Da lor conosco l'esser ov'io sono: ché, come suol pigro animal per verga, cosí destaro in me l'anima grave. Del mio cor, donna, l'una et l'altra chiave avete in mano; et di ciò son contento, presto di navigare a ciascun vento, ch'ogni cosa da voi m'è dolce honore.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 63 [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Dominick Argento (1927 - 2019) , copyright © ; composed by Dominick Argento.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Joseph Poulenc) , no title, appears in Rimes de Pétrarque, first published 1865
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-06-08
Line count: 14
Word count: 92
Si vous fixez les yeux sur mon aspect...
Language: French (Français) after the Italian (Italiano)
Si vous fixez les yeux sur mon aspect terreux Qui dépeint de la mort les traits les plus hideux, Si la pitié vous fait d'un air de courtoisie M'adresser un salut, vous me rendez la vie. Le souffle si léger qui me soutient encor Par vos beaux yeux me fut donné de prime abord Par vos accents divins qui suavement résonnent ; A-leur gré la tristesse ou la joie ils me donnent ; Et comme le fouet fait l'animal hâter, Mon âme si pesante ils eurent exciter. Les deux clés de mon cœur sont dans vos mains, madame, Et d'un tel fait je sens satisfaite mon âme, Toujours prête à voguer aux ordres de tout vent ; Ce qui me vient de vous est un honneur si grand.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Joseph Poulenc (flourished 1865), no title, appears in Rimes de Pétrarque, first published 1865 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 63
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: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2012-06-09
Line count: 14
Word count: 125