Alcun non può saper By: Giovanni Maria Nanino

Editions

Singable Translation PDF By: Carol Anne Perry Lagemann (CC BY SA 4.0)

Info

Number of Voices: 3
Voicings: SSB , SAB , AAB
Date: 16th - 17th century
Language: Italian
Tags: madrigal translation Ludovico Ariosto lyrics

Lyrics

LyricsPoetic Translation
Alcun non può saper da chi sia amato,A man can never know who truly loves him
quando felice in su la ruota siede;When at the summit of the (Fortune's) Wheel he's seated;
però c'ha i veri amici e i sent'a latoFrom both true friends and those (folk) who tire of him,
che mostran tutti una medesma fede.With just the same devoted faith he's greeted.
Se poi si cangia in tristo il lieto stato,But when down to the bottom (his) Fortune shoves him,
volta la turba adulatrice il piede;Then he discovers fawning crowds retreated,
e quel che di cor ama riman forte,While one whose heart in honest love is bonded
et ama il suo signor dopo la morte.Will love his lord till death and then beyond it.
Ludovico AriostoCarol Perry Lagemann

Direct Translation

See William Stewart Rose's translation at the Choral Public Domain Library.