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And the stars were shining

Click to see the original lyrics (Italian)
And the stars were shining,
And the earth was scented.
The gate of the garden creaked
And a footstep grazed the sand...
Fragrant, she entered
And fell into my arms.
 
Oh, sweet kisses and languorous caresses,
While feverishly I stripped the beautiful form of its veils!
Forever, my dream of love has vanished.
That moment has fled, and I die in desperation.
And I die in desperation!
And I never before loved life so much,
Loved life so much!
 
Original lyrics

E lucevan le stelle

Click to see the original lyrics (Italian)

Luciano Pavarotti: Top 3
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Comments
ronnseelyronnseely    Thu, 04/10/2018 - 22:12

Thanks for the translation. The first line of this aria is almost always translated as "The stars were shining...", which isn't right.
"E lucevan le stelle..." means "And the stars were shining..." The first word of the aria is "And" The librettist put that first word there on purpose, and I don't understand why everyone ignores it. Startng the aria with the word "And" is a fascinating decision. When it begins "...And the stars were shining.." it's as if we're catching him in mid-thought. Yes, it sounds a little funny in English to start the aria "And the stars were shining..." but its supposed to. It sounds a little funny in the Italian too. When translators leave out the "And" in order to "fix" or improve the translation, they're doing it a real disservice.

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