"Che gelida manina"
Aria for Tenor from La bohème
"Che gelida manina" is one of the most popular tenor arias in the opera repertoire.
Music: Giacomo Puccini
Libretto: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
First performance: Teatro Regio, Turin, February 1, 1896
Key: b
minor / A Major
Meter and Tempo: 2/4 Andantino affetuoso – 3/4 Andante sostenuto – 4/4 Andante lento
Vocal range: e -b’ (E3-B4)
Act I: The delicate and beautiful Mimì knocks on the door of the garret in which Rodolfo lives. Her candle has gone out; could she have a light? She drops her key in the dark room, Rodolfo joins her in her search, groping for it on the dusty floor, their hands touch…
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Che gelida manina, | Your little hand is frozen |
| se la lasci riscaldar. | Let me warm it up |
| Cercar che giova? | What's the use of searching? |
| Al buio non si trova. | We won't find it in the dark, |
| Ma per fortuna | But luckily |
| é una notte di luna, | This is a night of the moon, |
| e quie la luna | And in the moonlight |
| l'abbiamo vicina. | We'll continue our search. |
| Aspetti, signorina, | Please wait, signorina, |
| le dirò con due parole | while I tell you a couple of words |
| chi son, e che faccio, | about who I am, what I do, |
| come vivo. Vuole? | and how I live. Shall I? |
| Chi son? Sono un poeta. | Who am I? I am a poet. |
| Che cosa faccio? Scrivo. | What do I do? I write. |
| E come vivo? Vivo | How do I live? I live! |
| In povertà mia lieta | I'm poor but I am carefree |
| scialo da gran signore | Scaling the ranks of the lords |
| rime ed inni d'amore. | I trot out rhymes of passion. |
| Per sogni e per chimere | In dreams and fond illusions |
| e per castelli in aria, | Or castles in the air |
| l'anima ho milionaria. | I feel like a millionaire! |
| Talor dal mio forziere | From time to time two robbers |
| ruban tutti i gioelli | Steal all the jewels |
| due ladri, gli occhi belli. | From my coffer, two beautiful eyes, |
| V'entrar con voi pur ora, | They came in with you just now, |
| ed i miei sogni usati | And all my usual dreams, |
| e i bei sogni miei, | Beautiful dreams , |
| tosto si dileguar! | Dissolved into thin air. |
| Ma il furto non m'accora, | But I don't regret the theft |
| poiché, poiché v'ha preso stanza | Because their place is taken |
| la speranza! | By love! |
| Or che mi conoscete, | Now you know my story, |
| parlate voi, deh! Parlate. Chi siete? | Tell me yours, please! Tell! Who are you? |
| Vi piaccia dir! | Please say! |