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Author Topic: Lascia Ch'io Pianga?  (Read 20986 times)
The Leprechaun
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« on: August 10, 2009, 11:19AM »
I was randomly looking up Celtic Woman lyrics and some of them had translations that didn't seem right. The one the puzzled me the most was this:

Let me weep over my cruel fate
And sigh for my lost freedom
[2x]

And sigh
And sigh for my lost freedom

Let me weep over my cruel fate
And sigh for my lost freedom

May the pain shatter the chains
Of my torments just out of mercy
Of my torments just out of mercy

Let me weep over my cruel fate
And sigh for my lost freedom

Is this really the English translation for Lascia Ch'io Pianga?
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Natalia
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« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2009, 11:58AM »
I saw another translation, and it was different, so I dont know if that's the right translation.
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Méav_4EVER
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« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2009, 12:11PM »
Yes it is pretty close, I sang it two years ago and we have to know the word by word translation... The aira is from Rinaldo, Almirena daughter of Goffredo has been abducted by the sorceress Armida and imprisoned in the palace. In this aria she (Almirena) laments her fate.
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MaryNorth93
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« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2009, 02:07AM »
Quote from: Méav_4EVER on August 10, 2009, 12:11PM
Yes it is pretty close, I sang it two years ago and we have to know the word by word translation... The aira is from Rinaldo, Almirena daughter of Goffredo has been abducted by the sorceress Armida and imprisoned in the palace. In this aria she (Almirena) laments her fate.

Really ? Can you post the official translation then, please? It's an awesome piece, so passionate and Hayley does a perfect job on it  Smiley
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Méav_4EVER
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« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2009, 10:57AM »
Here is the translation I used:

Lascia ch'io pianga mia cruda sorte   It leaves that I cry my raw one rising.
E che sospiri la libertà    And that sighs the freedom
E che sospiri, e che so sospiri la lebertà!  And that sighs, and that sighs the freedom

Il duolo in franga queste ritorte   The pain it smashes these skewed ones
Dei miei martiri, so per pietà    Of my martyrdoms, I know for mercy
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Maggie
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« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2009, 02:07PM »
As is the case with most languages, if you try to translate each word literally, the whole piece makes no sense.
Sospiri means I sigh.
The best translation that makes any sense is:


Let me weep over my cruel fate,
And that I sigh for freedom!
And that I sigh, and that I sigh for freedom!
Let me weep over my cruel fate,
And that I sigh for freedom!

Translation of:
Lascia ch'io pianga la dura sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà!
E che sospiri, e che sospiri la libertà!
Lascia ch'io pianga la dura sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà!

Let me weep over my cruel fate,
And sigh for my lost freedom!

May the pain shatter the chains
of my torments for the sake of mercy.

Translation of:
Lascia ch'io pianga mia cruda sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà.

Il duolo infranga queste ritorte
De' miei martiri sol per pietà.

(What a downer of a song, anyway. I never liked it  Sad )
« Last Edit: August 11, 2009, 02:11PM by Maggie » Logged
Méav_4EVER
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« Reply #6 on: August 11, 2009, 09:47PM »
Quote from: Maggie on August 11, 2009, 02:07PM
As is the case with most languages, if you try to translate each word literally, the whole piece makes no sense.
Sospiri means I sigh.
The best translation that makes any sense is:


Let me weep over my cruel fate,
And that I sigh for freedom!
And that I sigh, and that I sigh for freedom!
Let me weep over my cruel fate,
And that I sigh for freedom!

Translation of:
Lascia ch'io pianga la dura sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà!
E che sospiri, e che sospiri la libertà!
Lascia ch'io pianga la dura sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà!

Let me weep over my cruel fate,
And sigh for my lost freedom!

May the pain shatter the chains
of my torments for the sake of mercy.

Translation of:
Lascia ch'io pianga mia cruda sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà.

Il duolo infranga queste ritorte
De' miei martiri sol per pietà.

(What a downer of a song, anyway. I never liked it  Sad )




The second one was the one I used in my program notes!  I hate doing word by word translations because they make no sense but it is part of studying classical voice.
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Jwad
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« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2009, 09:51PM »
Well!  This song sounds more like a happy song...but it really is a downer!  lol.  Oh well, I still love it!
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The Impatient New Yorker
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« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2014, 08:43AM »
blast from the past, but I do have to say, since it's from an opera there are going to be a quite a few translations, some more obscure than others.
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« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2014, 10:19AM »
Quote from: The Leprechaun on August 10, 2009, 11:19AM
I was randomly looking up Celtic Woman lyrics and some of them had translations that didn't seem right. The one the puzzled me the most was this:

Let me weep over my cruel fate
And sigh for my lost freedom
[2x]

And sigh
And sigh for my lost freedom

Let me weep over my cruel fate
And sigh for my lost freedom

May the pain shatter the chains
Of my torments just out of mercy
Of my torments just out of mercy

Let me weep over my cruel fate
And sigh for my lost freedom

Is this really the English translation for Lascia Ch'io Pianga?

I'd say it's quite correct.

Source: I'm Italian  Grin
(obviously this is not current Italian, but still close enough to what our language is today).
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