Left: Handel's 1711 autograph score showing the opening few bars of the aria; Right: 1876 aria sheet music
"Lascia ch'io pianga" (Italian: [ˈlaʃʃa ˈkiːo ˈpjaŋɡa]; English: "Let Me Weep"), originally "Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa" (Italian: [ˈlaʃʃa la ˈspiːna ˈkɔʎʎi la ˈrɔːza]; English: "Leave the Thorn, Take the Rose"), is an Italian-language soprano aria by composer George Frideric Handel that has become a popular concert piece.