La Trobe University - Library: Medieval Music Database - Annual cycle of feasts of liturgical chant, liturgical polyphony and secular music of the late middle ages.

De[h], pon quest'amor giù!

ballata by Francesco Landini

Sources

Florence: Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Palatino 87 (Squarcialupi Codex), fol. 144 (2/2); Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Magliabechiano VII 1041, fol. 51v (text); Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Panciatichiano 26, fol. 2 (2/2);
Rome: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Chigiano L.IV.131, fol. 387 (text).

Facsimiles

1. Il codice musicale Panciatichi 26 della Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze, facsimile edition by F. Alberto Gallo, Florence: Leo S. Olschki Editore, 1981, no. 3 (FP).
2. Il Codice Squarcialupi edited by F. Alberto GALLO, Lucca: Libreria Musicale Italiana, 1992.

Editions

1. The Works of Francesco Landini, edited by Leonard Ellinwood, Cambridge/Massachusetts: The Mediaeval Academy of America, 1939, p. 67.
2. Der Squarcialupi-Codex Pal. 87 der Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana zu Florenz, edited by Johannes Wolf and H. Albrecht, Lippstadt: Kistner and Siegel, 1955, p. 250.
3. The Works of Francesco Landini, edited by Leo Schrade, Monaco: Editions de L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1958. Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century IV, p. 4.

Text Editions

1. CORSI, Giuseppe. Rimatori del Trecento, Turin: Unione tipografica editrice torinese, 1969, p. 1060.
2. CORSI, Giuseppe. Poesie musicali del Trecento, Bologna: Commissione per i testi di lingua, 1970, p. 152.

Literature

1. ELLINWOOD, Leonard. 'Francesco Landini and his music', Musical Quarterly, XXII (1936), p. 204.
2. CORSI, Giuseppe. 'Madrigali e ballate inedite del Trecento', Belfagor, XIV (1959), pp. 338-339.
3. GALLO, F. Alberto. 'The musical and literary tradition of 14th century poetry set to music', Musik und Text in der Mehrstimmigkeit des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts, edited by U. Günther and L. Finscher, Kassel: Bärenreiter: 1984, pp. 55-76.

Text

- Deh, pon quest'amor giù!
Dico a te, mente stolta.
Dove ti se' tu volta?
Troppo col tuo pensier raguardi 'n su.

Come se' tanto folle
mirar sì alta cosa
e non misuri te? -
- Perché questo Amor volle
quando sì graziosa
donna veder mi fé. -
- Di lei degno non se',
né a lei degno pare
che tu la deggi amare.
Leva, dunque, 'l disio; non l'amar più. -

- Levar non potrei mai
il mio amor da lei,
tanto legata m'ha. -
- E tu sempre starai
in pene e degli omei
tuo non si curerà. -
- Certo nessun lo sa
donna di gran valore
a un picciol servidore
per sofferenza già benigna fu. -

- A questa, cu' non cale
di questa ballatetta,
con riverenza di'
che sa ben che nol vale;
ma fuggir la saetta
non può, la qual sentì
e sì forte ferì,
che cura poca pace.
Se tal servo li spiace,
amor lo scusa e la sua gran virtù.

Translation

- Come, desist from this love!
I speak to you, you softhead.
Where have you turned to?
You have ideas too much above your station.

How can you be so foolish
and aim so high,
and not appraise yourself?
- That is because Love wanted it,
when he showed me
such a delightful woman.
- You are unworthy of her,
nor will she think it seemly
that you should love her.
Set aside your desire and love no more.

- I never could remove
my love from her,
so much I am bound to her.
- Then you shall always be
in pain, and she won't care
about your cries of sorrow.
- A fact nobody knows
is that excellent women
did now and then show mercy
to an unimportant servant in his sorrow.

Say to this lady, who
does not care for this little ballad,
respectfully, that he
knows full well he's unworthy;
but he cannot escape
love's dart; he felt it deeply;
it wounded him so badly
that he cares little for peace.
If such a servant fails to please her
let Love and Love's great power excuse him.
Text revision and translation © Giovanni Carsaniga