Eran le vostre lagrime (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina)

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• (Posted 2020-07-31)  CPDL #59927:        (LilyPond)

Editor: Allen Garvin (submitted 2020-07-31).   Score information: Letter, 4 pages, 95 kB   Copyright: CC BY NC

Edition notes: In original high clefs. For lilypond users, transposition instructions are in the source zip (or, feel free to email a request to me).

• (Posted 2016-04-17)  CPDL #39359:          (Finale 2014)

Editor: Willem Verkaik (submitted 2016-04-17).   Score information: Letter, 6 pages, 365 kB   Copyright: CPDL

Edition notes: Transposed down a fourth from G-mixolydian.

General Information

Title: Eran le vostre lagrime
Composer: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Lyricist: Tarquinia Molza (1542-1617)

Number of voices: 5vv   Voicing: SSTTB
Genre: Secular, Madrigal

Language: Italian
Instruments: A cappella

First published: 1585 in De floridi virtuosi d'Italia libro secondo (Vincenti & Amadino), Edition 1, no. 5
    2nd published: 1592 in De floridi virtuosi d'Italia libro secondo (Vincenti & Amadino), Edition 2, no. 2
    3rd published: 1600 in De floridi virtuosi d'Italia (Pierre Phalèse), no. 27
Description: 

Original text and translations

Italian text

Eran le vostre lagrime nel viso,
Donna quel dì à vederle,
Qual' in vermiglio vel candide perle,
Et io gridava ahi occhi che farete,
Se con l'humor m'ardete,
Quando fra'l pianto lampeggiando un riso,
Noi, Noi disser in un luoco,
Habbiamo l'acque'el fuoco,
Ma col fuoco immerghiamo,
E con l'acqua abbruggiamo
Perche abbagli l'amante e si confunda,
Fra la fiamme e fra l'onda,
Ne fia forza mortal che si difenda,
Ove il fuoco sommerg'e l'acque incenda.

English translation

That day, my lady, the tears on your face
were like white pearls on a scarlet veil,
and I cried out: ‘Alas, what are you doing, you eyes?
Would you burn me with your moisture?’
Then, as her weeping was shot through with a sudden smile,
her eyes replied: ‘In a single place we hold both water and fire,
but with our fire we inundate and with our water we scorch,
to confuse the lover between the flames and the flood,
so that no mortal strength may suffice for him to defend himself
where the fire submerges and the waters burn.’
Translation by Mick Swithinbank