by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)
Translation by John Addington Symonds (1840 - 1893)
Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi forma d'uman aspetto or questo o quello, dal ministro, ch'el guida iscorgie e tiello, prendendo il moto, va con gli altrui passi: Ma quel divin, ch'in ciela alberga e stassi, altri, e sè più, col proprio andar fa bello; e se nessun martel senza martello si può far, da quel vivo ogni altro fassi. E perchè 'l colpo è di valor più pieno quant' alza più se stesso alla fucina, sopra 'l mie, questo al ciel n'è gito a volo. Onde a me non finito verrà meno, s' or non gli dà la fabbrica divina aiuto a farlo, c' al mondo era solo.
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Text Authorship:
- by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 46 [author's text not yet checked 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 Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975), "Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi", op. 145 no. 8, from Suite on verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti, no. 8, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954) ; composed by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John Addington Symonds) , "After the death of Vittoria Colonna: Irreparable loss", appears in The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English, first published 1878
- FRE French (Français) (Romain Rolland) , "Rime no. 46", appears in Vie de Michel Ange, first published 1908
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bettina Jacobson) , "Auf Vittoria Colonnas Tod", from Michelangelo: Gedichte und Briefe, first published 1907
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , subtitle: "Kai kietas mano kūjis uolą talžo", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Caroline Diehl
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
After the death of Vittoria Colonna: Irreparable loss
Language: English after the Italian (Italiano)
When my rude hammer to the stubborn stone
Gives human shape, now that, now this, at will,
Following his hand who wields and guides it still,
It moves upon another's feet alone:
But that which dwells in heaven, the world doth fill
With beauty by pure motions of its own;
And since tools fashion tools which else were none,
Its life makes all that lives with living skill.
Now, for that every stroke excels the more
The higher at the forge it doth ascend,
Her soul that fashioned mine hath sought the skies:
Wherefore unfinished I must meet my end,
If God, the great artificer, denies
That aid which was unique on earth before.
Text Authorship:
- by John Addington Symonds (1840 - 1893), "After the death of Vittoria Colonna: Irreparable loss", appears in The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English, first published 1878 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 46
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 114