Steven Sametz Publications
distributed by NoteNova

Approximate performance time: 4 min.
Year composed: 2014

Premiered by:
CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists)
Steven Sametz, guest conductor
February. 2015

Commissioned by:
CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists)

Text

Miro, rimiro ed ardo,
bacio, ribacio e godo,
e mirando e baciando mi disfiaccio.
Amor tra’l bacio e’l guardo
scherza e vaneggia in modo,
ch’ebro di tanta gloria i’ tremo e taccio;
ond’ella che m’ha in braccio,
lascivamente onesta,
gli occhi mi baccia, e fra le perle elette
frange due parolette:
–Cor mio!–dicendo, e poi,
baciando i baci suoi,
di baccio in bacio a quell piacer mi desta,
che alme insieme allaccia e i corpi innesta.

— Giambattista Marino, (1569-1625) from La canzone dei baci

Translation

I gaze, gaze again and burn
I kiss, kiss again and am overcome
and in gazing and in kissing, I am unmade.
Love, between the kissing and gazing,
jokes and raves in such a way
that drunk with so much glory I tremble and am silent
where she holds me in her arms,
lasciviously chaste,
kisses my eyes, and from the midst of precious pearls
break forth two little words:
saying, “My heart,” and then
kissing her own kisses,
from kiss to kiss taking me to that
which knots souls together and blends bodies in one.

(translation SS)