Non piangere, Liù is an aria

Aria

An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...

 sung by Calàf, the "Unknown Prince" from Act I of the Italian opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

, Turandot

Turandot

Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...

 by Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...

. The lyrics were written by Giuseppe Adami

Giuseppe Adami

Giuseppe Adami was an Italian librettist, known for his collaboration with Puccini on La rondine , Il tabarro and Turandot ....

 and Renato Simoni

Renato Simoni

Renato Simoni was an Italian journalist, playwright, writer and theatrical critic noted for his collaboration work with Giuseppe Adami for Giacomo Puccini's Turandot....

. The scene takes place before the walls of the imperial palace. In the preceding aria (Signore, ascolta! - "My lord, listen!" ), Liù begs Calàf not to risk his life by playing a deadly game to marry Princess Turandot, and Calàf responds to her gently, asking her not to cry.

Libretto

Non piangere, Liù se in un lontano giorno io t'ho sorriso per quel sorriso, dolce mia fanciulla m'ascolta il tuo signore sarà, domani, forse, solo al mondo Non lo lasciare... portalo via con te Dell'esilio, addolcisci a lui le strade Questo...questo, o mia povera Liù, al tuo piccolo cuore che non cade chiede colui che non sorride più.	Do not cry, Liù If on a long-ago day I smiled at you For the sake of that smile, My dear child Listen to me Your lord will be, tomorrow, perhaps, left alone in the world Do not leave him behind... take him with you from exile, make the journey easy for him This... this, oh my poor Liù, to your modest heart that does not fall plead for the one that doesn't smile anymore!