The most beautiful song ever written in my view, is an aria called “Lascia ch’io pianga” which translates from Italian to English to “Let me weep” (over my cruel fate).
It is the opening aria from Handel’s opera “Rinaldo”. In the aria the character Almirena expresses sorrow and despair over her unfortunate circumstances, and the aria expresses her deep sense of longing and emotional pain, reflecting the her struggles.
The lyrics start with:
Lascia ch’io pianga
mia cruda sorte,
e che sospiri
la libertà .
Il duolo infranga
queste ritorte,
de’ miei martiri
sol per pietà .
Literal translation:
Let me weep over
my cruel fate,
and let me sigh for
liberty.
May sorrow shatter
these chains,
of my torments
out of pity alone.
If you like and appreciate classical music, then this baroque masterpiece is for you.
A.G. Munson
