Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi

Se'l mie rozzo martello i duri sassi
forma d'uman aspetto or questo o quello,
dal ministro, ch'el guida iscorgie e tiello,
prendendo il moto, va con gli altrui passi:

Ma quel divin, ch'in ciela alberga e stassi,
altri, e sè più, col proprio andar fa bello;
e se nessun martel senza martello
si può far, da quel vivo ogni altro fassi.

E perchè 'l colpo è di valor più pieno
quant' alza più se stesso alla fucina,
sopra 'l mie, questo al ciel n'è gito a volo.

Onde a me non finito verrà meno,
s' or non gli dà la fabbrica divina
aiuto a farlo, c' al mondo era solo.

by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) , from Rime, no. 46

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906-1975) , no title, op. 145 no. 8, from Suite, no. 8, also set in Russian

by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906-1975) , no title, op. 145 no. 8 (1974), from Suite, no. 8, also set in Italian

ENG English (John Addington Symonds)
GER German (Bettina Jacobson)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Gentle Reminder

This project is not funded. If you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated!      - Emily I also have a wishlist at Amazon.ca.

Kogda skalu moj zhestkij molotok

Kogda skalu moj zhestkij molotok
V oblichija ljudej preobrazhajet, -
Bez mastera, kotoryj napravljajet
Jego udar, on delu b ne pomog,

No bozhij molot iz sebja izvlek
Razmakh, chto miru prelest' soobshchajet;
Vse moloty tot molot predveshchajet,
I v nem odnom - im vsem zhivoj urok.

Chem vyshe vzmakh ruki nad nakoval'nej,
Tem tjazhelej udar: tak zanesen
I nado mnoj on k vysjam podnebesnym;

Mne glyboju kosnet' pervonachal'noj,
Poka kuznec gospoden' - tol'ko on! -
Ne posobit udarom polnovesnym.

Show Cyrillic (Покажите текст в кириллице)
Note on Transliteration

by Abram Efros (1888-1954)

a text in Italian by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) , from Rime, no. 46 ENG GER

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906-1975) , no title, op. 145 no. 8 (1974), from Suite, no. 8, also set in Italian

Date added to the website: 2008-10-03.