E lucevan le stelle, Mario Cavaradossi's aria from Tosca

E lucevan le stelle 			The stars were gleaming,
ed olezzava la terra, 			The ground was fragrant...
stridea l'uscio dell'orto, 		The creak of the garden gate,
e un passo sfiorava la rena...		light footsteps in the sand,
Entrava ella, fragrante,		the smell of her hair. She came
Mi cadea fra le braccia...		  and fell into my arms.

Oh dolci baci, o languide carezze,	Oh tender kisses, sweet caresses,
Mentr'io fremente			While, trembling, I beheld
La belle forme discioglea dai veli!	Her beautiful form freed of its gown.

Svani per sempre il sogno mio d'amore..	Gone forever is my dream of love.
L'ora e' fuggita...			Time has fled, and I die in despair!
E muoio disperato!			I die in despair,
E non ho amato mai tanto la vita!	But never have I loved life so much

Translation copyright ©1999 by Mark D. Lew (markdlew@earthlink.net) 
[poetic translation, not entirely literal]