Why didst thou promise such a beauteous...
Language: English
Available translation(s): ITA
Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,
And make me travel forth without my cloak,
To let base clouds o'ertake me in my way,
Hiding thy bravery in their rotten smoke?
'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,
To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,
For no man well of such a salve can speak,
That heals the wound, and cures not the disgrace:
Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief;
Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss:
The offender's sorrow lends but weak relief
To him that bears the strong offence's cross.
Ah! but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds,
And they are rich and ransom all ill deeds.
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Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-11
Line count: 14
Word count: 120
Perché mi promettesti un giorno tanto sereno
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the English
Perché mi promettesti un giorno tanto sereno,
al punto che senza mantello ho deciso di uscire,
per consentire poi che odiose nubi, lungo il mio cammino,
velino di nebbie corrotte tutto il tuo splendore?
E non basta che tu, sopraggiungendo, le nuvole spezzi
per asciugare la pioggia che percuote il mio volto,
perché non c'è nessuno che quel rimedio apprezzi,
che chiude la ferita, ma il male non ha tolto:
Nè può la tua vergogna guarire il mio dolore;
non cancella il mio danno che tu ti penta ora:
è ben lieve conforto la pena dell'offensore
per chi la croce porta per l'offesa severa.
Eppure le tue lacrime sono perle d'amore,
tanto preziose da farti perdonare.
Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2012 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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This text was added to the website: 2012-07-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 116