Poet/poetic source: Anonymous poet
Poetic form/text type: madrigal
Music composer: Ruggiero Giovannelli (c.1560-1625)
Music source: Il primo libro de madrigali a5 voci (Angelo Gardano press, Venice, 1586)
| Original Italian | Translation |
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I più candidi gigli ancor non colti vince la bianca mano; fiammeggi l'oro invano al par de' bei capegli all'aura sciolti; alla rosa son tolti i color delle guance delicate, ma le luci beate, col folgorar intorno, rendono oscuro il sol a mezzogiorno. |
Her white hand surpasses the whitest lilies not yet picked; gold gleams in vain to compare with her lovely hair loosed in the breeze; from the rose are taken the colors of her delicate cheeks, but her blessed eyes [lit. lights], by their flashing about, make dark the sun at midday. |