italian-studies: Scholarly discussions in any field of Italian studies
Dear Nicole,
I think Erminia's translation is correct, but the text is faulty,
because it does not make entirely sense. Prosody is faulty too
(something all too frequent in scores), and one cannot rely on
certain basic predicaments of poetic composition because it is a very
shabby text (cf. the awkward syntax of the first aria, the repetition
of the same rhyme-word 'fedel' with exactly the same meaning(!) in
the second aria etc.. I have tried to produce a metrical
reconstruction of your text:
Filli, tra il gelo e 'l fuoco
timido amante io vissi
adorando tuoi rai,
senza scoprirti mai
l'interno mio dolore. [,]
Par', ch'il crudo Amore, [? -> perche' il crudo Amore,] *
con barbaro consiglio,
m'incaten=F2 le labbra al tuo bel ciglio!
Hor che troppo s'avanza il mio tormento,
pi=F9 celarlo non posso; onde pietosa,
cara, m'ascolti almeno, e son contento.
Il cor, che nel seno,
da['] vaghi tuoi rai
acceso, languisce,
ti chiede piet=E0.
Non esser crudele
a un'alma fedele,
amata belt=E0.
Non isdegna[r?] la s=FA fr=E0 l'alt>r<e moli **
benche' mendiche, ***
vittorie che l'offrisce [? -> t'offrisce ?] **** un cor fedele.
Cosi', bella, ricevi
dell' alma mia, de['] miei voleri il voto. *****
Non gi=E0 t'offro incensi ed ori,
perch=E9 amor non vuol tesori,
ma ti sacro un cor fedel.
Pi=F9 del cor e la mia fede
non so darti, perch=E9 cede
ogni vanto a chi =E8 fedel.
* There is a difficulty with 'Par'' followed by simple past
'm'incateno'' (a subjunctive would be required). I guess 'Par' might
be a misreading for 'per', hence 'perche'' =3D 'as', which would set
things straight ('I lived etc... because cruel Love chained my lips
etc.... Now...'). Yet, 'perch' il crudo Amor' is prosodically awkward.
** 'l'altre' could be a (most common) corruption for 'alte' (as
Erminia has already suggested).
*** A 'quinario' in recitatives is possible, though rare. It seems
that something was dropped here (something again very frequent in
cantata texts).
**** 1. Couldn't it be 't'offr...'? That would make sense. However:
2. 'l'offrisce' is wrong: it should be 'offerisce'. As a rule, the
syncopated form is only possible with the form 'offre'.
***** The whole recitative sounds strange, because it is very
different from the first one. The first has clearly recognizable
rimes, the second one has not. It might have been borrowed from
somewhere else.
Another possible translation would then be:
In your lofty dwelling do not disdain
those despicable victories that
a faithful heart is offering to you.
Do accept, fair lady,
the vow/pledge of my soul and my will.
I apologize for my appalling English 'verse'. I hope it can somehow be usefu=
l.
All the best
Carlo
--
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Dr Carlo Caruso
Department of Italian
School of Modern Languages
University of St Andrews
St Andrews KY16 9PH,
United Kingdom, Scotland Tel (priv): ++ 44 (0) 7930 401 778
Tel (Dept): ++ 44 (0) 1334 463 66=
9
Fax (Dept): ++ 44 (0) 1334 463 67=
7
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