Claudio Monteverdi's Sestina - Lagrime d’amante al sepolcro dell’amata (Tears of a Lover at the Tomb of the Beloved). Recorded at Aarhus Cathedral August 31st 2018.
Ars Nova Copenhagen conducted by Paul Hillier
Soprano: Ann-Christin Wesser Ingels, Carina Tybjerg Madsen, Hanna Kappelin, / Alto: Hanne Marie le Fevre, Laura Lamph, Miles Lallement / Tenor: Luís Toscano, Chris Fitzgerald-Lombard, Jakob Skjoldborg / Bass: Thomas Kiørbye, Asger Lynge Petersen, Danny Purtell
Incenerite spoglie, avara tomba
Fatta del mio bel Sol, terreno Cielo,
Ahi lasso! I' vegno ad inchinarvi in terra.
Con voi chius'è 'l mio cor a marmi in seno,
E notte e giorno vive in foco, in pianto,
In duolo, in ira, il tormentato Glauco.
O ashes of my beloved, the stingy tomb
lit by my earthly sun is now my heaven.
Alas, I grieve. I come to bury you in the earth.
My heart is buried with thee, as my love is buried within my breast.
And night and day, Glauco lives in tears,
in fire, in pain, in bitterness and torment.
Ditelo, O fiumi, e voi ch'udiste Glauco
L'aria ferir dì grida in su la tomba,
Erme campagne - e'l san le Ninfe e 'l Cielo:
A me fu cibo il duol, bevanda il pianto,
- Letto, O sasso felice, il tuo bel seno -
Poi ch'il mio ben coprì gelida terra.
O rivers and you who hear Glauco,
rend the air with cries over this tomb
and these barren fields, with cries heard only by the Nymphs and the skies.
Anguish became my food; tears my drink.
Rocks are my bed where I dream of your beautiful breast
since the frozen earth has covered my beloved.
Darà la notte il sol lume alla terra
Splenderà Cintia il di, prima che Glauco
Di baciar, d'honorar lasci quel seno
Che fu nido d'Amor, che dura tomba
Preme; né sol d'alti sospir, di pianto,
Prodighe a lui saran le fere e 'l Cielo!
The sun will light the earth by night
and the moon by day before Glauco will cease to kiss,
to honor this breast which was
the nest of love, now crushed by the weighty tomb.
May the heavens be kind to him, now alone
with the pain of his weeping.
Ma te raccoglie, O Ninfa, in grembo 'l Cielo,
Io per te miro vedova la terra
Deserti i boschi e correr fium'il pianto.
E Driade e Napee del mesto Glauco
Ridicono i lamenti, e su la tomba
Cantano i pregi dell'amante seno.
Receive her, O Nymphs, in the lap of heaven.
I look to thee, for the earth is widowed,
deserted are the woods, and the rivers are filled with tears.
The Dryads and the Nymphs
echo sorrowful Glauco's lament
and sing over his beloved's breast.
O chiome d'or, neve gentil del seno
O gigli della man, ch'invido il cielo
Ne rapì: quando chiuse in cieca tomba,
Chi vi nasconde? Ohimè! Povera terra
Il fior d'ogni bellezza, il Sol di Glauco
Nasconde! Ah! Muse! Qui sgorgate il pianto!
O golden hair, o delicate snowy breast,
o white hand that heaven, envious, has stolen:
though locked in this blind tomb,
who can hide thee? Ah, me! Poor earth -
will thou hide the flower of beauty, the sun of Glauco?
Ah muses, shed your tears.
Dunque, amate reliquie, un mar di pianto
Non daran questi lumi al nobil seno
D'un freddo sasso? Eco! L'afflitto Glauco
Fa rissonar »Corinna«: il mare e 'l Cielo,
Dicano i venti ogn'or, dica la terra
»Ahi Corinna! Ahi Morte! Ahi tomba!«
Therefore, lovers, unleash a sea of tears;
for do they not light the noble heart
of this cold stone? Here the afflicted Glauco
shouts Corinna's name to the skies,
crying each hour to the winds and the earth:
O Corinna! O death! O tomb!
Cedano al pianto I detti! Amato seno
A te dia pace il Cielo, Pace a te, Glauco
Prega, honorato tomba E sacra terra.
Let words yield to tears, beloved breast.
Let heaven give thee peace and peace to Glauco,
praying at thy honored tomb and sacred earth.
