Vivaldi's Four Seasons

The Joy of Winter

Everyone knows the wonderful music of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Few know the four sonnets he wrote on each of the seasons. They are wonderfully evocative cameos, and I have tried to translate them in a form that preserves their sense and poetry.

Fitting the season, here’s my translation of Vivaldi’s sonnet L’Inverno, Winter. The original Italian is below.

In icy snow we shiver from the cold,
Stung by the bitter wind with its fierce breath;
We run and stamp our feet over and over,
Our teeth a-chatter, frozen half to death.
Then by the fire we sit relaxed and happy,
While outside rages a torrential squall.
We tread across the ice with careful footsteps,
Paying attention not to slip and fall –
But turn and crash down on the earth and sleet;
Then, rising, hasten on across the ice
In case the surface cracks beneath our feet.
Through bolted doors we hear the winds compete,
Sirocco, North Wind, all the winds at war.
It’s winter! But it brings us joy for sure.

Aggiacciato tremar trà nevi algenti
Al severo spirar d’ orrido vento;
Correr battendo i piedi ogni momento;
E pel soverchio gel batter i denti;
Passar al foco i di quieti e contenti
Mentre la pioggia fuor bagna ben cento,
Caminar sopra il giaccio, e à passo lento
Per timor di cader girsene intenti;
Gir forte sdruzziolar, cader à terra
Di nuove ir sopra ’l giaccio e correr forte
Sin ch’ il giaccio si rompe, e si disserra.
Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte
Sirocco, Borea, e tutti i venti in guerra:
Quest’ é ’l verno, mà tal, che gioja apporte.