Lagrime Mie
Barbara Strozzi
My Tears
My tears that you hold back
Why don’t you let out the fierce pain
That takes my breath away
And crushes my heart
Lydia, whom I adore so much for her pitying glance
Ah, she gave me the fatherly harshness
She locked me between two walls
The beautiful innocent is confined
Where no ray of sunlight can reach
And what hurts me the most
And adds to my torment and pain
Is that because of me
My love suffers
And you, sorrowful lights, don’t cry
My tears, why do you hold back
Lydia, alas, I see my dear idol
The one I adore so much is with her
Among hard marbles for which I breathe
And yet I do not die
If death is pleasing to me
Now that I’m devoid of hope
Oh, take my life, I beg you
My harsh pains
But I realize that to torment me even more
Fate denies me even death
So if it’s true, oh God
That only from my tears
The river of fate is thirsty.
