Hi,

Liszt set 3 of Petrarchs sonnets as songs, then rearranged them for solo piano. Sonnet 123 is number 6 in Annees de Perelinage 2iems annee: Italie and is on the repertoire list for Diploma. I was considering having a go at it (amongst a lot of other stuff) over the summer. I thought (still think) that knowing the text of the sonnet cannot harm in trying to play the music but my copy of the music has the poem in Italian and German but not English, and my language skills are just not that good.

I tried to find an English translation on the internet but to my surprise I failed. (I tried Google, but I'm no master)? Can anyone help?

Thank you!

I know there is at least one native German speaker on the forums, and someone living in Italy. A PM to the right person, perhaps?

I tried Google myself on this and had no more success than you did, so a native speaker sounds like a good bet for translation.

Had a look and amazon have a book called.... The sonnets of Petrarch: In the original Italian with english translations. It's by Francesco Petrarcha, Thomas G. Bergin and Aldo Salvadori. (published 1966)

Don't know if it's still in print or not.... if you google that you should be able to order it from amazon as it's on their site.

I did this piece when I was a college and it's beautiful... one I'm now thinking of resurrecting.
Happy hunting. Let us know if the book is any good!

That particular book is no longer in print. It is available second hand - but not cheap - ranging from about £70 to well over £300 depending on condition. You can get it From Abe Books.

I found a newer book that covers other poems by Petrarch on www.amazon..co.uk here The Sonnets, Triumphs, and Other Poems of Petrarch. The blurb does not state whether itn is in Italian, English or Both, but you'd guess that it is an English translation. It costs just under £25.


Rant ahead ...
I think there was a copy of the older book in Chorley Library before the disgraceful powers-that-be allowed one of the finest book collections in any small town to be split up, or otherwise destroyed - amongst other reasons through merging with the county service, and through deserting a beautiful, historic, and custom made library building (which was then allowed to fall into ruin and eventually demolished) - and replaced with the collection of mostly cheaply produced tat that currently fills the shelves in the basement of the former grammar school [the rest of which is now - big surprise! - council offices - along with two or three more of the nicer old buildings in town to have survived the council's own neglect, and lack of care, for what was priceless in the heritage entrusted to it.]
...

I was sure I'd seen this on the internet before (I've played this myself) so I googled for "Petrarch sonnet 123".
This was on the Fourth link (hope you haven't already bought a book):

I once beheld on earth celestial graces
And heavenly beauties scarce to mortals known
Whose memory lends nor joy nor grief alone
But all things else bewilders and effaces
I saw how tears had left their weary traces
Within those eyes that once like sunbeams shone
I heard those lips breathe low and plaintive moan
Whose spell might once have taught the hills their places
Love, wisdom, courage, tenderness and truth
Made ill their mourning strains more high and dear
Than ever wove sweet sounds for mortal ear
And heaven seemed listening in such saddest ruth
The very leaves upon the boughs to soothe
Such passionate sweetness filled the atmosphere (Petrarch, sonnet 123)

There is also a CD of Liszt songs which contains the song version of this piece. I played this for my diploma and found that being able to reference and compare the song to the piano transcription made for an interesting programme note. It helps to clarify a couple of the little musical ideas when you hear how the text was actually set.

I think the CD was on Hyperion label, it's well worth a listen.

Thank you for this. I googled the same and gave up after the fourth PAGE of links, never mind the fourth link so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Still, knowing something of poetry and the problems of translating it, this is a beautiful translation (I cannot comment on how close). Do you happen to know who the translator was?

No idea, sorry.

A really useful site for an awful lot of song texts and their translations is the Lied and Art Song Texts Page. Where one can find translations of the sonnets into a variety of languages :here