Non so se s'è la desïata luce Del suo primo fattor, che l' alma sente; O se dalla memoria della gente Alcun'altra beltà nel cor traluce; O se fama o se sogno alcun produce Agli occhi manifesto, al cor presente; Di sè lasciando un non so che cocente, Ch'è forse or quel ch'a pianger mi conduce; Quel ch'i' sento e ch'i' cerco: e chi mi guidi Meco non è; nè so ben veder dove Trovar mel possa, e par c' altri mel mostri. Questo, signor1, m'avvien, po' ch'i' vi vidi; C'un dolce amaro, un sí e no mi muove: Certo saranno stati gli occhi vostri.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 This is thought to be Tommase de' Cavalieri.
Authorship:
- by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), no title, appears in Rime, no. 76 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892 - 1988), "Non so se s'è la desïata luce", KSS 36 no. 2 (1923), published 2005, first performed 1980 [ voice and orchestra ], from Cinque sonetti di Michelagniolo Buonarroti, no. 2, Bath, The Sorabji Archive; critical edition [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Walter Heinrich Robert-Tornow (1852 - 1895) ; composed by Hugo Wolf.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926) , no title, appears in Michelangelo-Übertragungen ; composed by Anton Schoendlinger.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Addington Symonds) , "Love's Loadstone", appears in The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English, first published 1878
- ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , "I do not know if it is the longed-for light", written 2002, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Sophie Hasenclever) , from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 105
Ist dieses ihres ersten Schöpfers Licht, das jetzt die Seele fühlt ? Hat aus Gestalten von hier im Herzen Schönheit sich erhalten und bricht auf einmal durch? Ich weiß es nicht. Wie oder geht ein Traum vor, ein Verdacht, dem Herzen wahr, den Blicken zu erkennen, und hinterläßt ich weiß nicht welches Brennen, das jenes ist, das mich jetzt weinen macht. Das, was ich fühl und suche, was mich führt, ist nicht mit mir und kein Gefühl durchdringt mich, daß ich es fände ; zeigen muß mirs einer. Da ich dich schaute, Herr, hab ichs gespürt, ein Ja und Nein, ein Süß und Bitter zwingt mich: hat dies ein Blick getan, so war es deiner.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Übertragungen, Insel-verlag, 1927, p255
Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Michelangelo-Übertragungen [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), no title, appears in Rime, no. 76
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Anton Schoendlinger (1919 - 1983), "Ist dieses ihres ersten Schöpfers Licht", 1980 [ soprano, violin, flute and harpsichord ], from Fünf Sonette Michelangelo Buonaroti Deutsche Nachdichtung von Rainer-Maria Rilke, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-11-17
Line count: 14
Word count: 115