Thanks to this article from Alan Chapman at Classical KDFC (the classical music station in San Francisco, California), I learned that there are four sonnets to accompany each of the concertos in Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” suite—possibly written by the composer himself.

I did a bit of searching, and found the wonderfully informative Baroque Music Site, which includes a page devoted to the piece, as well as the sonnets in their original Italian and with English translations. The Baroque Music Site is included in the Britannica Internet Guide “for quality, accuracy, and presentation”, so I’m inclined to think the information and translations are reliable.

Christopher DiMatteo, a polymath extraordinaire, runs a site devoted to “Writing, Translations, Music & Design”, and includes his own translations of the sonnets. His translation of the “Autumn” sonnet was read on air during the BBC Radio 4 program “Something Understood” on November 25, 2018.

If you don’t have a copy of the Concertos, you can easily find recordings on Youtube to listen to as you read.

Enjoy!

[Image description: An oil painting of Antonio Vivaldi in a red robe, loosely fitted, open to show the pleated collar, v-neck, and ruffled cuffs of his white shirt. He wears a curly, long white wig. He is holding a quill pen in his right hand, and a violin in his left hand. There are pieces of paper with music written on them, and a pot of ink on the desk in front of him. The caption reads, “Antonio Vivaldi, Anonymous portrait, 1723, Museo della Musica, Bologna (public domain).]

Today’s Nice Thing: A photo essay of 16 of the most beautiful trees in the world. While the list is rather North America-centric, it’s still a lovely visual break in the middle of the day.

My personal favorite:

[Image description: A photo of a man standing in filtered sunlight between two rows of tall, dark trees. The caption reads “The Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland”, with an image credit for Stephen Emerson at the bottom.]

As the Mourning Mother, Sigyn understands your pain when you grieve. She understands your rage at the unfairness of life, and she understands your desire to strike back, and your impotent fury that there is no real way to do so. Sigyn reminds you to feel your pain, to weep your tears, to let your heart break fully so that you can begin to heal.

Allow yourself to feel the grief, to mourn the loss, to weep and wail and keen. Suppressed grief is dangerous, eating at the heart and soul, darkening your spirit for the remainder of your years.

Mourn, bless, and release; the release includes not only releasing the pain once you have acknowledged it, but also releasing yourself from the cave to rejoin life after the period of mourning, and to live fully each day.

As the Lady of Victory, Sigyn reminds you to persevere, to persist, to keep going. No matter how dark the cave, no matter how many times the bowl fills and must be emptied, no matter how many times you want to cry or scream or collapse in frustration, Sigyn reminds you that you can do this. Whatever it is, you can make it through the darkness, and emerge from the cave victorious, ready to once again be part of your family and community, to live and thrive and create a full, rich life.

May Sigyn bring you comfort in your pain, and help you move through your grief so that you can return to the world stronger in heart and soul, and ready to reconnect with your life and your purpose.

Sigyn Speaks Comfort

by Anastasia Haysler

Listen, Dear One.
Hold my words in your heart.
Know you are safe and loved.
Let your heart fill with peace.

I, who am Mother to the lost,
the sorrowful, the mad;
I am here,
and you are under my protection.

Wrapped in my mantle,
safe within its folds,
You may rest, and
let your mind be at ease,
your heart be at peace,
your soul find rest and comfort.

All is well, Dear One,
and all shall be well.