Carmina Burana

Carl Orff (1895-1982)
Carmina Burana, A Scenic Cantata
1. O Fortuna (Audio, 2:37 min 637 Kb)
New England Conservatory Chorus
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa

Lyrics, Latin
O Fortuna, velut luna, statu variabilis,
semper crescis, aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis, nunc obdurat, et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem, egestatem, potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem. . .

Sors immanis, et inanis,
rota tu volubilis, status malus,
vana salus, semper dissolubilis,
obumbrata shadowed
et velata and veiled
michi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum, dorsum nudum, fero tui sceleris. . .

Sors salutis
et virtutis, michi nunc contraria,
est affectus, et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora, sine mora
corde pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem, sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!

Lyrics, English
O Fortune, like the moon, you are changeable,
Ever waxing, and waning. . .
Hateful life, first oppresses, and then soothes,
As fancy takes it, poverty, and power,
It melts them like ice. . .

Fate, monstrous, and empty,
You whirling wheel, you are malevolent,
Well-being is vain, and always fades to nothing,
You plague me too;
Now through the game,
I bring my bare back, to your villainy. . .

Fate is against me,
In health, and virtue,
Driven on, and weighted down, always enslaved.
So at this hour, without delay,
pluck the vibrating strings,
Since Fate, strikes down the string man,
Everyone weep with me!