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Sino alla morte
Original Language: Italian
Sino alla morte
Mi protesto d'adorarvi,
Voglio amarvi
A dispetto del tempo
E della sorte,
Sino alla morte
L'inanellato crine,
Che biondeggia superbo in masse d'oro,
Per le man dell'età divenga argento;
L'amorose rovine
Della vostra beltà ch'io tanto adoro,
Calpesti il tempo a consumarle intento.
Resti ogni lume spento
Delle pupille, e d'ostri e di cinabri
Veggansi impoverir le guance e i labri.
Pur del pensiero
Che nudre l'alma,
Havrà la palma
Il cieco Arciero.
Al desio ch'a voi s'aggira,
Che per voi sempre sospira,
Goderò del mio core aprir le porte
Sino alla morte.
Turbi la fede mia
Il tosco de gl'amanti,
La ministra de' pianti,
L'origin d'ogni mal: la gelosia.
Servirò la tiranna
Ch'a morir mi condanna,
Tra cure ne' martir, fra le ritorte
Sino alla morte.
Scuota la mia costanza
La nemica d'amore,
La madre del dolore,
La furia d'ogni cor: la lontananza.
In adorar costei
Con tutti i voti miei,
Mi vedrà quale Anteo sorger più forte
Sino alla morte.
Può la fortuna
Trarmi lontano,
Ma sempre invano
Gl'affanni aduna.
Aque non serba il fiume dell'oblio,
Che bastino a temprar l'incendio mio,
Poiché ad estinguer l'amoroso foco
Ci vuol un mare, anzi ch'un mare è poco.
Io so ch'alle faville degl'amanti,
Tutti i mari alla fin non son bastanti.
Poet:
English
Until Death
Until death,
I vow that I will adore you.
I want to love you
in defiance of time
and fate,
until death.
Let your adorned locks,
magnificently resplendent in masses of gold,
be turned to silver by the hand of age;
Let the beloved ruins
of your beauty that I so adore
be trampled by time intent on consuming them.
Let every light be spent
from your eyes and let the scarlet and vermilion
of your cheeks and lips become impoverished.
Even against thought
that nourishes the soul,
the blind archer
will take the prize.
The desire that surrounds you,
that sighs for you continuously,
will delight in opening the door of my heart
until death parts us.
Let my trust be troubled
by the poison of lovers,
that overseer of tears,
the origin of every ill: jealousy.
I will serve the tyrant
that condemns me to death,
amidst the cares of misfortune, amidst trials,
until death.
Let my faithfulness be troubled
by the enemy of love,
the mother of suffering,
the frenzy of every heart: separation.
In adoring her,
by all my vows,
I will be seen, like Antaeus,* to rise
stronger than before, until death.
Let fortune
carry me afar,
yet always in vain
will it bring vexations.
The river of oblivion doesn't hold
enough water to quell my passion,
for to extinguish the fire of my love would take
an ocean, and even an ocean is too little.
I know that all the oceans of the world are not
equal to the sparks that fly between lovers.
Translated by:
Richard Kolb
* In Greek mythology Antaeus was a giant whose strength was renewed whenever he touched the earth. He was commonly used as a symbol of renewed spiritual strength derived from contemplation of fundamental truths.
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Sino alla morte
Published by Cor Donato Editions in historically correct modern transcription, including critical introductory notes on the work, editorial procedures, original texts with new English translations, and other contextual information about the piece.
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