Fiume ch'à l'onde

In the heat of summer, a lover implores a river to reveal the reflection of his beloved. He describes how he often sees his Phyllis adorning herself with flowers by the river, and asks that the river's waters, which have grown from his own tears, show him her image. He laments that the river denies him this solace, suggesting that the river has learned cruelty from the sea. He contrasts his own generosity with tears to the beloved's stinginess with love, sadly concluding that both the river and his beloved are miserly. This secular Italian madrigal for SSATB choir captures the intense emotion and pastoral imagery characteristic of the genre, with its interwoven vocal lines painting a vivid emotional and natural scene.