Com'havro dunque il frutto

The poet laments the fruitless nature of his love, comparing his sown seed to jealousy and the flower of his hope dispersed. He pleads with his Madonna, asking if she is aware of his fidelity. He wishes her beauty were matched by her compassion, as his suffering is immense. He swears he would receive the reward he deserves, which his beloved's hardness denies him, not through his own fault. He begs her to change her cruel resolve, as he alone carries the fire of her love in his heart. This secular Italian madrigal for SATB voices captures the intense emotion of unrequited love.