Michael Praetorius
(?1571 - 1621)

Praetorius : Nigra sum sed formosa : illustration

Nigra sum sed formosa
(S.S.A.T.T.B.)
Full score (PDF), €0.00 for unlimited copies   Download this item
Printable cover page (PDF), €0.00 for unlimited copies   Download this item

If you have any problem obtaining a PDF, please see our help page. If that does not resolve the issue, please click here.
Page 1 of 7
Creative Commons Licence
This work, Praetorius : Nigra sum sed formosa : scoreid 145567, as published by notAmos Performing Editions, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. All relevant attributions should state its URL as https://www.notamos.co.uk/detail.php?scoreid=145567. Permissions beyond the scope of this licence may be available at https://www.notamos.co.uk/index.php?sheet=about.
From Musarum Sioniarum, 1607.
Lyrics: Song of Solomon, ch.1 v.4-6

Nigra sum sed formosa, O filiae Jerusalem.
Nolite me considerare, quod sum sub nigra, quia decoloravit me sol.
Indica mihi, quem diligit anima mea, ubi pascas, ubi cubes in meridie:
ne vagari incipiam per greges sodalium tuorum.

I am black but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem.
Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me.
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon:
for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?