I'm not new to opera...no, not at all, but the feeling is new,
green, naive, hungry, insatiable.

My mom listened to opera, as she listened to Bob Dylan
and Willie Nelson and Belafonte and Mancini and Cash and on and on...

I grew up thinking I'd never like anything she listened
to.

Then came my own trips to the opera. Age 40+. Madame
Butterfly. Turandot.

That's it.

And now my dining room vibrates as Maria Callas sings
her octaves. La Mamma Morta. How beautiful. How tragic.
How the diningroom in the late night hours transforms me,
the oval oak table becomes the mirror, the hardwood floors
my stage...how alone I am. How alone. In my fears and in my love
and in my passion.

How is it:

La mamma morta "("Andrea Chenier" Maddalena di Giordano atto 3°)
Madeleine
La mamma morta
They killed my mother
m'hanno a la porta
Close by the doorway leading to
della stanza mia;
my chamber.
moriva e mi salvava!...
In dying,she saved my life.
Poi a notte alta io cor.Bersi errava,
Then,at dead of night.
quando,ad un tratto,un livido
I left the house with Bersi,
bagliore
And in the distance,
guizza e rischiara innanzi a'passi
The flames leapt up behind us;
miei
Fierce tongues of fire set all the
la cupa via!
sky aglow,
Guardo!...Bruciava il loco di mia
Lighting our path.
culla!
My home,my well-loved home,
Così fui sola!...E intorno il nulla!
Was burnt to ashes.
Fame e miseria!...
I was alone.
Il bisogno,il periglio!...
I had no shelter.
Caddi malata!...
Hungry and needy,danger
E Bersi,buona e pura,
haunted my footsteps.
di sua bellezza ha fatto
Then I fell ill,and Bersi,poor
un mercato,un contratto per me!
faithful creature,
Porto sventura a chi bene mi vuole!
She would not leave me:

She bartered her beauty to keep me alive.
(A un tratto nelle pupille larghe di Ma
I bring misfortune even to those.

who love me.
dalena si effonde una luce di suprema
In all this sorrow,
gioia, una gran luce profonda come
My poor heart woke to love.

In a voice of soft compassion he
riflesso di splendore misterioso)
murmured: "Heard him who
Fu in quel dolore
calls thee.Life itseid enfolds thee!
che a me venne l'amor!
In my arms,no harm can befall
Voce piena d'armonia
thee,
E dice: "Vivi ancora! Io son la vita!
I am here beside thee.
Nè miei occhi è il tuo cielo!
Thy tears of despair,I will banist
Tu non sei sola! Le lagrime tue
Tho guide thy faltering footsteps,
io le raccolgo!...io sto sul tuo
I shall be near thee!
Cammino
Let joy fill thy being,
e ti sorreggo!
For Love itself am I!
Sorridi e spera! Io son l'amore!...
Though thy path be dark with
Tutto intorno è sangue e fango?...
terror,
Io son divino!...
I shall bring solace.
Io son l'oblio!...
Take heart again!
Io sono il dio
Raise your eyes and behold me;
che sovra il mondo scende da
I come to thee from out the vault
l'empireo.
of heaven above,
Fa della terra un ciel....
Making earth a paradise.
Ah! Io son l'amor!...
The god of Love am I!
E l'angelo si accosta,bacia,e vi
The angel hovered near me
bacia la morte!...
And kissed me with the cold kiss
Corpo di moribonda è il corpo
of death.
mio!
So take this worthless body,here
Prendilo,dunque!..Io son già
before you.
Morta cosa!....
"This as you wish...for I am dead already"




Perhaps because I am reading a biography of Maria
I am so entranced. Perhaps because "I am dead already" I love this so.