STUMP » Articles » Opera Nugget: Voi che sapete from Le Nozze di Figaro » 16 March 2014, 09:57

As Sundays are not part of Lent, I figure I can put in non-lamentable music up today.

So here’s one of the prettiest arias in opera, sung by a woman playing a teenaged boy.

The lyrics:

Italian Lyrics
Voi che sapete che cosa e amor,
Donne, vedete, s’io l’ho nel cor,
Donne, vedete, s’io l’ho nel cor.
Quello ch’io provo, vi ridiro,
E per me nuovo capir nol so.
Sento un affetto pien di desir,
Ch’ora e diletto, ch’ora e martir.
Gelo e poi sento l’alma avvampar,
E in un momento torno a gelar.
Ricerco un bene fuori di me,
Non so chi il tiene, non so cos’ e.
Sospiro e gemo senza voler,
Palpito e tremo senza saper,
Non trovo pace notte ne di,
Ma pur mi piace languir cosi.
Voi, che sapete che cosa e amor
Donne, vedete, s’io l’ho nel cor,
Donne, vedete, s’io l’ho nel cor,
Donne, vedete, s’io l’ho nel cor.

English Translation
You who know what love is,
Women, see whether it’s in my heart,
Women, see whether it’s in my heart.
What I am experiencing I will tell you,
It is new to me and I do not understand it.
I have a feeling full of desire,
That now, is both pleasure and suffering.
At first frost, then I feel the soul burning,
And in a moment I’m freezing again.
Seek a blessing outside myself,
I do not know how to hold it, I do not know what it is.
I sigh and moan without meaning to,
Throb and tremble without knowing,
I find no peace both night or day,
But even still, I like to languish.
You who know what love is,
Women, see whether it’s in my heart,
Women, see whether it’s in my heart,
Women, see whether it’s in my heart.

Okay, I’ll let the repetition in this time.

And here’s the song (it starts at 45 seconds – the plug in doesn’t let me forward to that bit)