Lamento Della Ninfa

The song "Lamento Della Ninfa" is a classic piece performed by Jordi Savall, who is renowned for his expertise in early music, particularly from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The lyrics, originally composed by Claudio Monteverdi, are in Italian and tell the story of a nymph who has been abandoned by her lover. The song is a lament, a sorrowful expression of her pain and longing for the love that she has lost.

The opening lines set a scene of early morning, before the sun has fully risen, when the nymph leaves her dwelling. Her sadness is immediately apparent on her pale face, and she frequently sighs from the depths of her heart. As she wanders, stepping on flowers, she weeps for her lost love. The repetition of the word "miserella" (unfortunate one) underscores her despair. She pleads with Cupid to either bring back her lover as he once was or to end her life so she may no longer suffer.

The nymph's lament is filled with contrasting emotions. She expresses a desire for her lover to return, yet also rejects the idea of his pity or continued suffering on her behalf. She grapples with feelings of jealousy and betrayal, questioning why she should pine for someone who remains proud and indifferent. The lyrics evoke the torment of unrequited love and the coldness of a lover who has moved on to someone else. The nymph's final words are a mix of anger and resignation, as she tells herself that her former lover will never again receive sweet kisses or tender words from her, even as she acknowledges the depth of her own knowledge of his betrayal.