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Lover's jealousy
O jealousy, that horrid constraint on lovers,
you suddenly come and grip me so tightly,
O sister of evil and bitter death,
with a look you darken the clear sky;
O snake nestled in the soft hearts
of joyful flowers, so my hopes have died,
into prosperity comes adversity
into pleasing food, sour venom.
From what hell-hole in the world did you come -
O cruel monster, O plague on mankind -
to make my days so gloomy and sad?
Go back there, don’t double my troubles!
Woeful fear, why did you descend on me?
Wasn’t it enough to have Cupid with his arrows?
English translation by Paul Archer of the text of O gelosia, d’amanti by Luis de Milán (c1500-1561) from Libro de Música de Vihuela de mano, Valencia, 1536. Although Luis de Milán was a Spanish composer, and probably lived most of his life in Valencia, the book included villancicos in Portuguese and settings of Italian sonnets of which this is one written by Jacobo Sannazaro.
O gelosia d’amanti
O gelosia, d’amanti orribil freno,
che in un punto mi volgi e tien sì forte,
o sorella de l’empia amara morte,
che con tua vista turbi il ciel sereno;
o serpente nascosto in dolce seno
di lieti fior, che mie speranze hai morte,
tra prosperi successi avversa sorte,
tra soavi vivande aspro veneno;
da qual valle infernal nel mondo uscisti,
o crudel mostro, o peste de’ mortali,
che fai li giorni miei sì oscuri e tristi?
Tornati giù, non raddoppiar miei mali!
Infelice paura, a che venisti?
Or non bastava Amor con li suoi strali?
Recording. A wonderful performance by Fiona Stuart-Wilson and Guillermo Femenias from The Archduke's Consort which captures very well the pains and torments of jealousy.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKtT3M2eHxQ
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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