When he is born, the human being enters
(Poet's title: Entra l'uomo allor che nasce)
Set by Schubert:
D 33
[September-October 1812]
Entra l’uomo, allor che nasce,
In un mar di tante pene,
Che si avvezza dalle fasce
Ogni affanno a sostener.
Ma per lui sì raro è il bene,
Ma la gioia è così rara,
Che a soffrir mai non impara
Le sorprese del piacer.
As soon as he is born, a man enters
A sea of so much suffering
That he becomes accustomed to the shackles
Of each care, and learns to bear them.
But goodness is so unusual for him,
But joy is such a rare thing,
That he never learns
The surprises of pleasure.
All translations into English that appear on this website, unless otherwise stated, are by Malcolm Wren. You are free to use them on condition that you acknowledge Malcolm Wren as the translator and schubertsong.uk as the source. Unless otherwise stated, the comments and essays that appear after the texts and translations are by Malcolm Wren and are © Copyright.
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Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Tutte le opere di Pietro Metastasio, Firenze, Tipografia Borghi e compagni 1832, page 546.
The text appears in “Isacco figura del redentore”, parte II, Aria di Abramo.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 410 [422 von 438] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ176741500