Songs

Pace non trovo

by Franz Liszt

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Text & Translation

Pace non trovo
Italian source: Petrarca, Francesco

Pace non trovo, et non ò da far guerra;
e temo, et spero; et ardo, et son un ghiaccio;
et volo sopra 'l cielo, et giaccio in terra;
et nulla stringo, et tutto 'l mondo abbraccio.

Tal m'à in pregion, che non m'apre né serra,
né per suo mi riten né scioglie il laccio;
et non m'ancide Amore, et non mi sferra,
né mi vuol vivo, né mi trae d'impaccio.

Veggio senza occhi, et non ò lingua et grido;
et bramo di perir, et cheggio aita;
et ò in odio me stesso, et amo altrui.

Pascomi di dolor, piangendo rido;
egualmente mi spiace morte et vita:
in questo stato son, donna, per voi.

I find no peace
English translation © Sir Thomas Wyatt

I find no peace, and all my war is done.
I fear and hope. I burn and freeze like ice.
I fly above the wind, yet can I not arise;
And nought I have, and all the world I season.

That loseth nor locketh holdeth me in prison
And holdeth me not--yet can I scape no wise --
Nor letteth me live nor die at my device,
And yet of death it giveth me occasion.

Without eyen I see, and without tongue I plain.
I desire to perish, and yet I ask health.
I love another, and thus I hate myself.

I feed me in sorrow and laugh in all my pain;
Likewise displeaseth me both life and death,
And my delight is causer of this strife.

Pace non trovo
Italian source: Petrarca, Francesco

I find no peace
English source: Sir Thomas Wyatt

Pace non trovo, et non ò da far guerra;
I find no peace, and all my war is done.
e temo, et spero; et ardo, et son un ghiaccio;
I fear and hope. I burn and freeze like ice.
et volo sopra 'l cielo, et giaccio in terra;
I fly above the wind, yet can I not arise;
et nulla stringo, et tutto 'l mondo abbraccio.
And nought I have, and all the world I season.

Tal m'à in pregion, che non m'apre né serra,
That loseth nor locketh holdeth me in prison
né per suo mi riten né scioglie il laccio;
And holdeth me not--yet can I scape no wise --
et non m'ancide Amore, et non mi sferra,
Nor letteth me live nor die at my device,
né mi vuol vivo, né mi trae d'impaccio.
And yet of death it giveth me occasion.

Veggio senza occhi, et non ò lingua et grido;
Without eyen I see, and without tongue I plain.
et bramo di perir, et cheggio aita;
I desire to perish, and yet I ask health.
et ò in odio me stesso, et amo altrui.
I love another, and thus I hate myself.

Pascomi di dolor, piangendo rido;
I feed me in sorrow and laugh in all my pain;
egualmente mi spiace morte et vita:
Likewise displeaseth me both life and death,
in questo stato son, donna, per voi.
And my delight is causer of this strife.

Composer

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher, arranger and organist of the Romantic era. He was also a writer, a philanthropist, a Hungarian nationalist and a Franciscan…

Poet

Petrarca, Francesco

Francesco Petrarca, commonly anglicized as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar and poet in Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited for initiating the 14th-century Renaissance.…

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