Translation of Don Carlo Libretto
Evi
Evi
--
--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/evwool/Opera%20Page.htm
tresbirri
>
>My translation of the libretto of Don Carlo is now available on my website
>Evi
Evi, finally I have looked at one of your translations. I read only a small
part of the first page. I am sorry to say, I find many errors in the Italian.
The English is in general good but in detail often incorrect. May I give one
small example? I choose a very short sentence which has the illustration of
several problems.
You write:
Ascolta, le porte dell'asil s'apre già. Qui verranno Filippo e la Regina.
It is incorrect in grammar, you have written "the doors opens." It must be: le
porte s'apron (si aprono).
You translate as:
Listen, the door of the church is open now; thence go Filippo and the Queen.
There is more than one door (le porte). They are not open, but they are opening
in this moment. An asilo is a refuge or shelter, in this case the sanctuary of
the church. Filippo and the Queen do not "go there", they will (future) come
here. I suggest:
Listen, the doors of the sanctuary are opening already. Filippo and the Queen
will come (or arrive) here.
In truth I would prefer to say: Filippo and the Queen will arrive here soon.
It is clear in the sentence, they are coming now.
I hope you understand me well. The difference between your translation and my
translation is small in meaning, it is only in detail.
But in general I am quite surprised that you make such a big work. Is it really
possible, it is so difficult to find a good translation of Don Carlo into
English?
I admire your industry. I hope you do not object to this post. You have
previously asked for criticism. I intend this only friendly and positively.
tresbirri
Evi
my translation. I'm certainly not offended.
Hopefully, practice will make perfect eventually. I sometimes spot my (many)
errors, when I re-read my stuff at a later date.
You'll see the reason for my translations on the page. They are for those
who have either bought one of the cheaper CDs, like Naxos or Opera D'Oro or
who are listening to the opera on the radio. Most of them were for my own
use in the first place, then I thought, 'why not share?' It's opera on a
shoe-string.
I did actually find one 'translation' of Don Carlo in my local library but
its purpose was to provide an English translation which fitted in with the
music, even though it meant that the text differed significantly in meaning
from the Italian.
I don't suppose you can figure out a translation for the line in Lucrezia
Borgia which says:
Sè e parti no.
It's in the section that starts with
'Va, se vuoi: tentar m'è caro' in Act 2
The bit around it says:
'GENNARO
Caro Orsino! sempre insieme,
O sarem curvati al suol.
Caro Orsino! sempre insieme, o viva, o mora.
Al festino.
ORSINI
Sè e parti no.
Oh mio Gennaro! ah! ah!
Sia qual vuolsi il tuo destino, ecc
GENNARO
Oh caro Orsino! ah! ah!
Sia qual vuolsi il tuo destino, ecc '
Just to add to the fun, it may be an error in the text online.
Evi
"tresbirri" <tres...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c18ag...@drn.newsguy.com...
tresbirri
>I did actually find one 'translation' of Don Carlo in my local library but
>its purpose was to provide an English translation which fitted in with the
>music, even though it meant that the text differed significantly in meaning
>from the Italian.
I am curious to know the form of this translation. Can you not find at your
library the score? Or a recording with a good text and translation? I have
many recordings of Don Carlo. Several of them include the printed text
perfectly, with excellent translations into several languages. Is it not
possible to take such a recording from the library to read the text? I am only
curious!
>I don't suppose you can figure out a translation for the line in Lucrezia
>Borgia which says:
>Sè e parti no.
>Just to add to the fun, it may be an error in the text online.
It is without question a grave error. The sentence which is meaningless does
not exist in the text of Lucrezia Borgia. I am just looking in the score, but
you may look also at any good libretto. These words are not in the text of this
opera. What is your source for this strange error, for curiousity?
tresbirri
tresbirri
>
>>I don't suppose you can figure out a translation for the line in Lucrezia
>>Borgia which says:
>>Sč e parti no.
>
>>Just to add to the fun, it may be an error in the text online.
>
>It is without question a grave error. The sentence which is meaningless does
>not exist in the text of Lucrezia Borgia. I am just looking in the score, but
>you may look also at any good libretto. These words are not in the text of this
>opera.
Ah, Evi, I must apologise! I see now, what is the mistake. The sentence was so
strange to me as you have written it, I could not recognise the original. By a
second looking I see it:
Sě, e partirň.
Gennaro: Al festino!
Orsini: Sě, e partirň.
tresbirri
Evi
Thank you so much, tresbirri. You've cleared up a big mystery for me. The
way I wrote it, is the way it was in the Italian text online.
The Italian texts of these operas are available on several sites, especially
Karadar, unfortunately only one version of Lucrezia exists on all the
various sites, so each one has the same spelling errors.
My library doesn't have an enormous opera collection and Lucrezia Borgia
isn't one of those available. The Don Carlo is the Naxos edition (no
libretto). They have even fewer scores for operas (although several
musicals)and only 4 libretto translations in book form.
Doing my own translating does have certain advantages. It means that I can
share the translation with others, (copyright would, rightly, forbid me
doing this with commercial translations). It helps me to learn
(Opera)Italian. It gives me an added appreciation of the Italian text - some
of the clever bits of word play in certain libretti. It makes it easier to
follow the opera (eventually) without using the libretto, because I can
understand what they are saying by listening to the words. Finally, it makes
me realise how often the word 'Ah!' is used in a libretto (163 times in 'I
Capuletti E I Montecchi')
Evi
tresbirri
>Thank you so much, tresbirri. You've cleared up a big mystery for me.
I am very happy to think that I have helped you.
>The
>way I wrote it, is the way it was in the Italian text online.
This is for me the big problem. Evi, I admire very much what you are doing.
Ah, I hope that you understand my English!
My problem is, you are working from an incorrect source.
I have learned from you that there are texts on the Internet. I have looked
myself, I have seen, these texts are incorrect. What shall you do, Evi, you are
trying to translate a text which is ridiculously incorrect!
I admire again your industry. But, I must say, you are working from an
incorrect source. This results in nonsense.
>Doing my own translating does have certain advantages.
Yes, certainly. You are learning a language! But it is painful to me to think,
you are learning from a source which is corrupt. Your version of Don Carlo or
Lucrezia Borgia is corrupt. As an Italian it is sad for me to think, you are
learning from a corrupt source.
>Finally, it makes
>me realise how often the word 'Ah!' is used in a libretto
I think, in every post I have made to you, I have said "ah"! I often say "ah".
To my friends I say "eh". "Ah" is formal. To you, Evi, I say, "Eh, Evi!"
Eh, Evi, please find a better source for your translations!
When you have a problem with your translations, eh, ask me!
tresbirri
Evi
There is no choice about the source, unfortunately, unless I get lucky on
Ebay and find an affordable copy of the CD. We are lucky to have anything
available at all. If I do get a correct source, or someone like yourself can
suggest a correction then I can correct my own text so that at least there
is one source available which is not as incorrect.
The biggest errors, however, are not the source, but my translation. I just
realised today that the line in Nabucco 'Guerrieri, č preso il tempio!'
which I translated (a year ago) as 'Warriors, the time is near' actually
means, 'Warriors, the temple has been taken'!
Interesting to learn that the interjection 'Ah!' is used commonly in the
spoken language.
Thank you very much for your kind offer, tresbirri. That will be wonderful.
Evi
PS Your English is fine and perfectly comprehensible.
Mark D Lew
<evwoolTa...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> There is no choice about the source, unfortunately, unless I get lucky on
> Ebay and find an affordable copy of the CD.
I can see how you'd have trouble with Lucrezia Borgia, but surely you
can get a reliable source for Don Carlo.
Librettos for all of Verdi's operas are on the Fondazione Verdi site
<http://www.giuseppeverdi.it/>. Has anyone had problems with these
texts? I've never studied any in detail, but I was under the impression
that FV is a reliable source.
You also might ask your local public library about interlibrary loan.
mdl
Evi
Lucrezia. There may be faults with the Italian text in my translation but
when I spot them I can correct them because I can get the Italian Don Carlo.
Thanks for the site. The pages about the librettists are especially welcome.
Evi
"Mark D Lew" <mark...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:250220040010010690%mark...@earthlink.net...