Text & Translation
Odi d'un uom che muore
Italian source:
Giovanni Luigi Redaelli
Odi l'estremo suon;
Quest'appassito fiore
Ti lascio, Elvira, in don.
Quanto prezioso ei sia
Tu dei saperlo appien;
Nel dì che fosti mia
Te lo involai dal sen.
Simbolo allor d'affetto,
Or pegno di dolor,
Torna a posarti in petto
Questo appassito fior.
E avrai nel cor scolpito,
Se duro il cor non è,
Come ti fu rapito,
Come ritorna a te.
Hear from a dying man
English translation ©
Roger Parker & Opera Rara
Hear the final sound;
This faded flower
I leave you, Elvira, as a gift.
You must fully understand
How precious it is;
On the day you became mine
I stole it from your breast.
Then a symbol of our love,
Now a token of sorrow,
Place once more on your breast
This faded flower.
And you will have engraved on your heart,
If your heart is not hard,
How it was stolen from you,
How it was returned to you.
Odi d'un uom che muore
Italian source:
Giovanni Luigi Redaelli
Hear from a dying man
English source:
Roger Parker & Opera Rara
Odi d'un uom che muore,
Hear from a dying man,
Odi l'estremo suon;
Hear the final sound;
Quest'appassito fiore
This faded flower
Ti lascio, Elvira, in don.
I leave you, Elvira, as a gift.
Quanto prezioso ei sia
You must fully understand
Tu dei saperlo appien;
How precious it is;
Nel dì che fosti mia
On the day you became mine
Te lo involai dal sen.
I stole it from your breast.
Simbolo allor d'affetto,
Then a symbol of our love,
Or pegno di dolor,
Now a token of sorrow,
Torna a posarti in petto
Place once more on your breast
Questo appassito fior.
This faded flower.
E avrai nel cor scolpito,
And you will have engraved on your heart,
Se duro il cor non è,
If your heart is not hard,
Come ti fu rapito,
How it was stolen from you,
Come ritorna a te.
How it was returned to you.
Composer
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, Donizetti was a leading composer of the bel canto opera style during the first half of the nineteenth century. Read more here.
