A una lágrima

About

“A una lágrima is a piece for soprano and cello based on the eponymous poem by José Campo-Arana, published in 1876. It can be performed by one or two performers. The text describes a man addressing a tear running down his face, whose slow descent reminds him of the woman he loves, having lost all hope of being loved in return. The various changes in rhythm, character, and pronunciation of the text highlight the man’s complex, tormented emotions, oscillating between sadness, rage, and contemplation. This piece should be performed with great exaggeration in the dynamics, almost theatrically.”

– Clara Olivares, April 2015


Roll on, bathing my frozen cheek,
trembling and hesitant tear;
pause for a moment as you touch my lips,
and refresh their dry and cracked skin.
With you goes, from the beloved woman,
the last delirious memory;
with you goes, from my giant ambition,
the illusion sooner dead than dreamed.
But go no further… Stop… If you knew
that feeling your coolness on my lips
pain gives me life, you would stop…
So much is the bitterness my lips draw from you,
that if the sea itself turned sweet,
you alone could return it to bitterness.

José Campo-Arana, Impresiones (1876)