Caro dolce ben mio, perché fuggire

General information

Author: Angelo Grillo.

Settings by composers (automatically updated)

• Agostino Agresta — Caro dolce ben mio  Italian SSATB
• Andrea Gabrieli — Caro dolce ben mio  Italian SSATB
• Tiburtio Massaino — Caro dolce ben mio  Italian SATTB
• Ascanio Meo — Caro dolce ben mio  Italian SSATB
• Philippe de Monte — Caro dolce ben mio  Italian SAATB
• Giovanni Bernardino Nanino — Caro dolce ben mio perche fuggire  Italian SSATB
• Pietro Vinci — Caro dolce ben mio  Italian SATTBB

Text and translations

Italian text Caro dolce ben mio, perché fuggire, Chi v'ama, et per amor/amar languisce e more? Se vi piace il mio pianto e'l mio martire, Eccovi il petto, e ne cavate il core; Ché quando io deggia per dolor morire, E far del viver mio più brevi l'ore, L'alma lieta da me farà partita Se di man vostra lasciarò la vita.

English translation My sweet dear love, why flee the one who loves you, and for love languishes and dies? If my weeping and my suffering please you, here is my chest, and from it you may rip out my heart; Because when I must, from grief, die, and make shorter the hours of my life, my contented soul will depart from me if by your hand I will lose my life. Translation by Allen Garvin

English translation My beloved, why do you flee from the one who loves you, who is languishing and dying for love? If you take delight in my complaints and my suffering, here is my breast: dig out my heart, so that when my sorrows end my days, shortening my life, my soul will leave my body gladly, so long as I have died at your hand. Translation by Mick Swithinbank

German translation Meine süße und teure Liebste, warum flieht Ihr den, der Euch liebt und aus Liebe dahnisiecht und stirbt? Wenn euch mein Weinen und mein Leiden erfreut, dann ist hier meine Brust, schneidet ihr das Herz heraus, denn wenn ich vor Schmerz sterben sollte und meine Lebenszeit verkürzen, wird meine Seele sich freudig von mir verabschieden, wenn ich durch Eure Hand men Leben lasse. Translation by Gerhard Weydt