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O sweet glances
O sweet glances,
shoot into me
your darts,
for if you wound me,
they are reviving wounds,
your deadly strikes keep me alive.
Ah, sweet glances!
Ah, beloved darts!
O flashing eyes
rain down your fire,
thousands of flames,
so you ignite my
vigour and passion
and dying in the fire my heart is reborn.
O merry lights,
rain down your fire!
Hear, all you lovers,
how this new marvel
of starry eyes
makes me feel
pleasure in pain
and turns my sorrows into song.
O lovely stars,
shoot your darts!
English translation by Paul Archer of the text of O dolci sguardi by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (c1580-1651)) from Libro terzo di villanelle no. 6 (1619). See the copyright notice below.
O dolci sguardi
O dolci sguardi
in me scoccate
i vostri dardi,
che se piagate
son piaghe vitali
e serban in vita quei colpi mortali,
ahi dolci sguardi,
ahi cari dardi.
Vaghe pupille
fiamme piovete
a mille,
che se accendete
vital' e l'ardore
e in foco morendo rinasce il mio core,
O luci liete,
fiamme piovete.
Udite, amanti,
miracol novo
d'occhi stellanti,
per loro io provo
soavi tormenti
e cangio per loro in canto i lamenti
O stelle'amate,
dardi scoccate.
Recording:
Marco Beasley and Private Musicke from the album 'Meraviglia d'amore'.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yegczNQ86aw
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.
For more translations into English of early music texts, go to:
Translations of early music texts. |
