Very famous Venetian song. Composed in 1786 for the beautiful Marina Querini Benzon, known for her exuberant love life, La gondoleta was set to music by Johann Simon Mayr, in its commonly known form, and then by Ludwig van Beethoven (1816) and by Reynaldo Hahn (1901).

La Biondina in gondoleta 

La Biondina in gondoleta
L'altra sera gh'ho menà:
Dal piaser la povareta,
La s'ha in bota indormenzà.

La dormiva su sto brazzo,
Mi ogni tanto la svegiava,
Ma la barca che ninava
La tornava a indormenzar.

G'era in cielo mezza sconta
Fra le nuvole la luna,
G'era in calma la laguna,
G'era il vento bonazzà.

Una solo bavesela
Sventolava i so' caveli,
E faceva che dai veli
Sconto el sen non fusse più.

Contemplando fisso fisso
Le fatezze del mio ben,
Quel viseto cussi slisso,
Quela boca e quel bel sen;

Me sentiva drento in petto
Una smania, un missiamento,
Una spezie de contento
Che no so come spiegar!

So' sta' un pezzo respettando,
Quel bel sonno ho sopportà,
Benché amor di quando in quando,
Ei m'avesse assai tentà

M'ho provà buttarme zoso
Là con ella pian pianino;
Ma col foco da vicino
Non potevo riposar.

M'ho stufà po' finalmente,
De 'sto tanto so' dormir,
E gh'ho fato da insolente,
No m'ho avuto da pentir;

Perchè, oh Dio, che bele cosse
Che gh'ho dito, e che gh'ho fato!
No, mai più tanto beato
Ai mii zorni no son sta.

The blonde in the gondola

The blonde in the gondola

The other night I accompanied,

From pleasure, the poor girl

fell fast asleep.

She slept on this arm

But every now and then I woke her up

But the boat that rocked

It put her back to sleep.

It was in the middle of the sky discovered

Among the clouds the moon,

The lagoon was calm,

There was a bonazzar wind.

Just a gentle breeze

waved her hair,

And made sure that the veils

no longer hid her breast.

Contemplating fixed, fixed,

The features of my good,

That little face so smooth,

That mouth and that beautiful sen.

I felt inside my chest

A longing, a lack,

Kind of happy

Which I don't know how to explain!

For a while respecting

That beautiful sleep I endured,

Although love from time to time.

He wanted to tempt me very much

I tried to throw myself down

There with her very slowly;

But with the fire nearby;

I could not rest.

Then tired at last,

say I'm so lonely sleeping,

I played her insolent,

I have not had to repent.

Because, oh God, what beautiful things

what I told her and what I did to her!

No, never again so blessed

In my days I don't know how to stay.