| Composition Year | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Genre Categories | Songs; For 2 voices, piano; For voices with keyboard; |
Contents |
|
| Work Title | Ausencia |
|---|---|
| Alternative. Title | Absence |
| Composer | Carbajo, Víctor |
| I-Catalogue NumberI-Cat. No. | IVC 23 |
| Year/Date of CompositionY/D of Comp. | 1999 |
| Librettist | Lope de Vega (1562-1635) |
| Language | Spanish |
| Average DurationAvg. Duration | 4.5 minutes |
| Composer Time PeriodComp. Period | Modern |
| Piece Style | Early 20th century |
| Instrumentation | soprano, mezzosoprano (or contralto), piano |
| External Links | carbajo.net |
On sonnet by Lope de Vega (1562-1635):
Ausencia
Ir y quedarse, y con quedar partirse,
partir sin alma, y ir con alma ajena,
oír la dulce voz de una sirena
y no poder del árbol desasirse;
arder como la vela y consumirse
haciendo torres sobre tierna arena;
caer de un cielo, y ser demonio en pena,
y de serlo jamás arrepentirse;
hablar entre las mudas soledades,
pedir prestada, sobre fe, paciencia,
y lo que es temporal llamar eterno;
creer sospechas y negar verdades,
es lo que llaman en el mundo ausencia,
fuego en el alma y en la vida infierno.
Absence
To go and stay, to stay and split apart,
to part without a soul and make your way
with someone else’s soul; to have to stay
bound to the mast while a siren tempts your heart;
to burn straight down the wick until you’re spent,
constructing castles on the softest sand;
to tumble from a heaven and be damned,
a tortured demon, never to repent;
to speak among hushed solitudes; to accrue
on faith a debt of patience; to proclaim
eternal all this fleeting daily strife;
to trust suspicions and suspect what’s true
is what the world calls absence: it’s a flame
within your soul, a hell within your life.
