Rima XXVI

from Gaspara Stampa (2014) by Thomas Oboe Lee

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Five poems by Gaspara Stampa (1523-1554)

Rima XXVI

Arsi, piansi, cantai; piango, ardo e canto;
Piangerò, arderò, canterò sempre
(fin che Morte o Fortuna o tempo stempre
a l'ingegno, occhi e cor, stil, foco e pianto)
La bellezza, il valor e 'l senno a canto,
che 'n vaghe, sagge ed onorate tempre
Amor, natura e studio par che tempre
nel volto, petto e cor del lume santo:
Che, quando viene, e quando parte 'l sole,
la notte e 'l giorno ognor, la state e'l inverno,
tenebre e luce darmi e tôrmi suole.
tanto con l'occhio fuor, con l'occhio interno,
agli atti suoi, ai modi, a le parole,
splendor, dolcezza e grazia ivi discerno.

I burnt, I wept, I sang – burn, weep and sing,
And I shall weep, burn, sing forever more
(Until Death, Time, or Fortune wash away
my talent, eyes, heart, style, my fire and tears)
The beauty, courage and deep intellect,
Which in a lovely, wise and honored manner,
Love, nature and the highest art have painted
Within the face, breast, heart of my true light
Who – when the sun itself rises or sets,
By night or day, in summer or in winter -
Gives me or takes away darkness or light.
Thus, with my outer or my inner eye,
I see in all his acts, manners and words
His splendor, and his sweetness and his grace.

From Gaspara Stampa, Selected Poems.
Edited and translated by Laura Anna Stortoni and Mary Prentice Lillie. New York: Italica Press, 1994. Copyright 1994 by Laura Anna Stortoni. Used by permission.

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from Gaspara Stampa (2014), released June 23, 2015

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about

Thomas Oboe Lee Cambridge, Massachusetts

Thomas Oboe Lee was born in China in 1945. He lived in São Paulo, Brazil, for six years before coming to the United States in 1966. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, he studied composition at the New England Conservatory and Harvard University. He has been a member of the music faculty at Boston College since 1990. ... more

thomasoboelee.com

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