Carl Orff – O Fortuna
O Fortuna – Latin and English lyrics (Carmina Burana – composed by Carl Orff)
Written in the 1930s, this is an incredibly powerful piece of music.
Latin and English translation.
| O Fortuna
velut luna statu variabilis, semper crescis aut decrescis; vita detestabilis nunc obdurate 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 et velata 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! |
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, shadowed and veiled 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 strong man, everyone weep with me! |
Listen to the opera “O Fortuna”, with English subtitles, using the player below:




#1 by June E Coughlin on December 14, 2009 - 10:34 am
This piece of music brings out my goose bumps
#2 by jake on July 30, 2010 - 9:05 am
i want to die with this song playing in the background.
#3 by bela on October 26, 2010 - 6:29 am
oh my god i’m in love with this music
#4 by Howard Yeend on October 27, 2010 - 2:28 am
I’m seeing it performed live this weekend at the Royal Albert Hall! I can’t wait :) :)
#5 by Ashley on March 3, 2011 - 11:56 am
I absolutely love this song. I need to download it to my ipod and memorize the words in both languages!
#6 by Sam on March 24, 2011 - 11:59 am
5 things this song makes look epic:
Dumping your boyfriend.
Getting on a bus.
Walking.
Entering an office building wearing outrageous clothing….
and Dieing.
#7 by Your Mother on November 17, 2011 - 1:26 am
dying not dieing
#8 by John on January 9, 2012 - 2:57 am
She’s clearly talking about dieing clothes, not death
#9 by Nabil on August 1, 2011 - 9:53 pm
You should totally get this stuff translated into Swedish :)
#10 by Devin on November 3, 2011 - 6:53 am
This is my favorite song. It scares the hell out of me. It would make any fight to the death epic in all ways. Flower Duet, Ride of the Valkries, and Rain Drops Prelude are good too.