The shepherdess on the meadow
(Poet's title: La pastorella al prato)
Set by Schubert:
D 513
for TTBB quartet[1817]
D 528
[January 1817]
La pastorella al prato
Contenta se ne và,
Coll’ agnellino al lato
Cantando in libertà.
Se l’innocente amore
Gradisce il suo pastore,
La bella pastorella
Contenta ognor sarà.
In the meadow the shepherdess
Walks along happily,
With her little lamb by her side,
Singing in her freedom.
If her innocent love
Were to please her shepherd
The beautiful shepherdess
Would always be happy.
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 Drammi Giocosi per Musica. Del Sig. Carlo Goldoni. Tomo Nono. Venezia, dalle stampe di Antonio Zatta e figli. Con approvazione, e privilegio. M.DCC.XCV. [1795], page 104; and with Il Filosofo di Campagna. Dramma giocoso per musica da rappresentarsi alla corte elettorale palatina per comando del serenissimo Elettore l’anno 1756. Mannheim nella Stamperia Elettorale, page 118.
The text appears in Il filosofo di campagna, atto II, scena XVI (Lena’s aria).
To see an early version of the text, go to page 44 [50 von 76] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ20690650X