E questa quella fede

Onofrio Antenoreo's E questa quella fede is a secular madrigal for ATTB voices, written in Italian. The text expresses a lover's bitter disillusionment, lamenting a faithless beloved. The opening lines speak of a love that seemed true but has proven false, leading the speaker to feel abandoned and betrayed. The poet curses the moment they first saw their beloved, acknowledging how love blinded them to the deceit. This intense emotional journey, a common theme in madrigals, moves from a sense of being trapped by false affection to a desperate desire for oblivion, even in hell, rather than enduring such pain. The final lines convey a complete renunciation of life and pleasure, bidding farewell to the lady as death approaches.