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Go, my sighs
Go, my sighs,
and find her
whose breast holds
the adamantine ice
that is the cruel
cause of my pain.
Arouse pity
in her who is deaf
to my laments
as an asp is to song
and is never saddened
by my suffering.
Ah, enemy of love,
priestess of pain,
your pretty eyes and face
are full of sweetness,
but scorn and poison
fill your soul.
Ah, from head to foot,
love made you beautiful,
if heaven was so generous
in its gifts to you,
why are you so mean
in your gifts to others?
Beauty and cruelty
are not good together,
and yet a thousand
natural charms
hide the cold heart
of a hard woman.
English translation by Paul Archer of the text of Ite, sospiri miei by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (c1580-1651)) from Libro secondo di villanelle, no. 4 (1619). See the copyright notice below.
Ite, sospiri miei
Ite, sospiri miei
a ritrovar colei,
che nel suo petto accoglie
adamantino giel,
onde mi dà crudel
cagion di doglie.
Destate in lei pietà,
in lei che sorda stà,
al suon di miei lamenti,
come aspe al canto suol',
e già mai non le duol,
di miei tormenti.
Ahi nemica d'Amor,
ministra di dolor',
se gl'occhi belli e'l volto,
hai di dolcezze pien',
ond' hai sdegno e velen',
nel alm'accolto.
Deh, se dal capo al piè,
si bell'Amor ti fè,
s'el ciel di doni sui,
a te si largo fù,
perché di lor' sei tù,
si scars'altrui.
Non ben insieme và,
bellezza e crudeltà,
pero che di natura
mille vaghezze al fin',
oscura' un cor ferin',
di Donna dura.
Copyright notice. The translation is provided as an aid to musicians and audiences. Publication of the translation in print or digital formats is expressly forbidden unless permission from the author has been first obtained and acknowledgement of authorship is duly made. Permission will usually be granted so please contact Paul Archer with details of how you wish to make use of the translation.
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