Sonetto 123 del Petrarca

[felia]

Hey friends,
one of my friend is working on Sonetto 123 del Petrarca.Does anyone know about this form the history context?
thanks for help

[Sketchee]

I started learning this one a bit ago but having worked on it in the last couple weeks.  I already know the other two Sonetti fairly well now.    The Dover edition of Anees de Pelerinage includes an earlier version that was published.  I sightread it a bit and it was originally much more difficult than the later version.  It's interesting to see the evolution in the two versions

[felia]

Was Liszt actually wrote these Sonetto according to the poems? If yes, do you know the title of the poems?

[Sketchee]

I do have a book from Dover that includes the translation of Sonnetto 104.  I didn't want to type it all out, so I searched online and found a different translation, but numbered 134:

Pace non trovo et non ò da far guerra,
e temo et spero, et ardo et son un ghiaccio,
et volo sopra 'l cielo et giacco in terra,
et nulla stringo et tutto 'l mondo abbraccio.
Tal m'à in pregion, che non m'apre né serra,
né per suo mi riten né sciolglie il laccio,
et non m'ancide Amore et non mi sferra,
né mi vuol vivo, né mi trae d'impaccio.
Veggio senza occhi, et non ò lingua et grido,
et bramo di perir, et cheggio aita,
et ò in odio me stesso et amo altrui.
Pascomi di dolor, piangendo rido,
egualmente mi spiace morte et vita.
In questo stato son, Donna, per vui.

The alternate translation I have begins "I can't find peace, and have no war to wage."  Here's the version I found online, though:

I find no peace and do not wish to make war.
And I fear and hope, and burn and am of ice.
And I fly above the heavens and lie on the earth.
And I hold nothing and embrace the whole world.

One has me in prison who neither opens my way nor locks me in,
neither keeps me for his own nor undoes the bonds;
and Love neither kills nor frees me, neither wishes me alive, nor helps me escape.
I see without eyes, and without tongue I cry.
And I ask to die and seek help to live;
and I hate myself and love another.

I feed on sorrow, weeping I laugh.
Equally displeasing to me are death and life.
in this state am I, Lady, for you.

So I'm not sure if Liszt's numbering is correct or maybe they were renumbered in recent years.  I'll have to search more to find out which correspond to 47 and 123

[Sketchee]

A bit of quick searching and I found 123, titled "I' vidi in terra angelici costumi":

    I once beheld on earth celestial graces,
  And heavenly beauties scarce to mortals known,
  Whose memory lends nor joy nor grief alone,
  But all things else bewilders and effaces.
    I saw how tears had left their weary traces
  Within those eyes that once like sunbeams shone,
  I heard those lips breathe low and plaintive moan,
  Whose spell might once have taught the hills their places.
    Love, wisdom, courage, tenderness, and truth,
  Made ill their mourning strains more high and dear
  Than ever wove sweet sounds for mortal ear;
    And heaven seemed listening in such saddest ruth The very leaves upon the boughs to soothe,
  Such passionate sweetness filled the atmosphere.

And number 47 is "Bendetto sia 'l giorno":

Holy the year, the month, the day of days,
the season, hour of day, the moment fleeting,
the comely land and spot made for our meeting,
the eyes so fair which trapped me with their gaze.

Holy the first sweet pain, the lover's smart
which had Amor alerted to my plight,
the bow, the arrows keen he put in flight,
the wounds his volleys opened in my heart.

Holy my voice, its echoes blessed be,
also the lips which bear thy name divine,
the sighs, the longing, tears wept abundantly;

holy the verse with which I do design
to buy thee fame; in contemplating thee,
my thoughts shut out the rest of womankind.

It's my understanding that Liszt wrote these as songs for voice and piano and later wrote the solo piano versions

[felia]

 ;)Sketchee,

really thanks a lots for your help:)
Thank you very much!