In qual parte del ciel, in quale idea

Canzoniere #159 (CLIX)

Poetic form: sonnet

In qual parte del ciel, in quale idea era l'exempio, onde Natura tolse quel bel viso leggiadro, in ch'ella volse mostrar qua giù quanto lassú potea? Qual nimpha in fonti, in selve mai qual dea, chiome d'oro sì fino a l'aura sciolse? quando un cor tante in sé vertuti accolse? benché la somma è di mia morte rea. Per divina bellezza indarno mira chi gli occhi de costei già mai non vide come soavemente ella gli gira; non sa come Amor sana, et come ancide, chi non sa come dolce ella sospira, et come dolce parla, et dolce ride.

From what part of the heavens, from what idea came the example, from which Nature took that beautiful joyful face, in which she chose to show down here what power she has above? What nymph of the fountain, what goddess of the wood loosed hair of such fine gold on the breeze? How did a heart gather so much virtue to itself, though the sum of it is guilty of my death? He looks in vain for divine beauty who has never yet seen how tenderly she moves those eyes of hers around: he does not know how Love heals, and how he kills, who does not know how sweet her sighs are, and how sweet her speech, and sweet her smile.

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All translations copyrighted by A.S. Kline, and are used with explicit permission.

Composer	Title	Subtitle	Language	Parts	Files
Adrian Willaert (c.1490-1562)	In qual parte del ciel, in quale idea	Prima parte	italian	6	Score + parts
Adrian Willaert (c.1490-1562)	Per divina bellezza indarno mira	Seconda parte	italian	6	Score + parts