Text & Translation
Quell' innocente figlio, D17 iii
Italian source:
Pietro Metastasio
Dono del ciel si raro,
Quel figlio a te si caro
Quello vuol Dio da te!
Vuol che rimanga esangue
Sotto al paterno ciglio;
Vuol che ne sparga il sangue
Chi vita già gli diè.
This innocent son
English translation ©
Richard Wigmore
such a rare gift from heaven,
this son, so dear to you,
God demands from you.
He demands that he bleeds
before his father’s eyes;
he demands that he who once gave him life
should shed his blood.
Quell' innocente figlio, D17 iii
Italian source:
Pietro Metastasio
This innocent son
English source:
Richard Wigmore
Quell’ innocente figlio,
This innocent son,
Dono del ciel si raro,
such a rare gift from heaven,
Quel figlio a te si caro
this son, so dear to you,
Quello vuol Dio da te!
God demands from you.
Vuol che rimanga esangue
He demands that he bleeds
Sotto al paterno ciglio;
before his father’s eyes;
Vuol che ne sparga il sangue
he demands that he who once gave him life
Chi vita già gli diè.
should shed his blood.
Composer
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an late Classical and early Romantic composer. He produced a vast oeuvre during his short life, composing more the 600 vocal works (largely Lieder), and well as several symphonies, operas, and a large body of piano music. He…
Poet
Pietro Metastasio
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio, was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of opera seria libretti. Metastasio was born in Rome, where his father, Felice Trapassi,…