PRELUDES

Mother, each night at my windows,
a young man sings tearfully of my indifference:
“Love me, my sweet, and at the foot
of the altar you shall be blessed”.

This sweet melody has such power
that hearing it makes me sad and happy;
Tell me why such melodies
cause sadness and happiness.

“Daughter, what girls like you feel
When someone sings at their windows
is but the prelude of the greatest poem
that exists in the world.

”The pure Virgin became the Holy Mother,
sadness and happiness she felt in turn,
and this poem is, my child, the one
which began outside your windows”.