Soave Sia Il Vento
This past week, very good friends of ours left town to move back to their native England. The family moved here about ten years ago following a job the husband had in a multinational organization with offices here in Washington D.C. area. It was a temporary assignment, as they all knew from the start, yet ten years is an eternity, especially for their two young daughters, both of whom are now in high school, the oldest in her senior year. It was a bittersweet farewell. I realize it was difficult to be separated from their extended families for so very long with only infrequent visits to and fro, and yet I could see in their daughters’ eyes a hint of sadness to be leaving the many friends they have made while living here.
I suppose in the day and age of Facebook and other social media, it will be far easier to keep in touch and keep up with the goings on than in the past. Still, I will miss them dearly. As you depart for another world, I offer this sentimental passage to you, my good friends Jane, Richard, and to your lovely daughters Ashleigh and Carol. Safe journeys my dear friends…
Soave Sia il Vento
~W. A. Mozart (from the Opera “Cosi Fan Tutti)~
Lyric in Italian:
Soave sia il vento,
Tranquilla sia l’onda,
Ed ogni elemento
Benigno risponda
Ai vostri desir.
English translation:
May the winds be gentle
May the waves be calm
And may every one of the elements
Respond warmly
To your desire.
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Lorna's Voice
Phil
I’m sure they are looking forward, but they must be casting a fond, bittersweet glance back at their time and friendship with you and your family. How could they not? Such a sweet, heart-felt post, my friend.
Thank you Lorna. We all realize this is a good thing, and yet the heart aches just a little with sentimentality. Smiles mixed with a few tears. Life in miniature.
Sad to say good-bye, but on the upside, it is great to have good friends you can visit on distant shores!
Yes Margie, we definitely look forward to just such visits. What better way to explore a distant Country than with friends who are native?
A beautiful piece of music to follow beautiful sentiments. I’m sure they’ll return, one day; this adventure is not over… Lovely post, Phil… albeit rather sad.
Thank you Carolyn. The piece is indeed both beautiful and melancholic at this passage in the Opera, when boyfriends are leaving distraught young women who don’t know when or if they’ll see their partners again. I remain far more optimistic in outlook.
What a wonderful photo, Phil, to accompany your post: New Horizons for your friends. Talk about the “Blues” (in more ways than one).
A lovely farewell to your friends and, as you say, in today’s world we are never out of reach. Sometimes scant comfort since the medium to physically share a drink or hug a friend hello and goodbye across the pond has yet to be invented. Though Concorde came close.
U
Thank you Ursula. I took that photo from a cruise ship. I was struck by the deep sapphire blue color of the water that you don’t see from the shallower shorelines; your comment about the “Blues” is on the mark entirely! And I do have to agree there is little comparison between the virtual world and the real world counterpart when it comes to true physical contact such as sharing a drink and a hug.
Lovely photo! Must be so difficult for the kids to move back to what is almost a foreign country for them.
Thank you Ladyfi. I took that shot while on a cruise to Bermuda a few years ago, just amazed at the deepness of the blue in the deep Atlantic as compared with the greener, more turquoise variety near the coastline. I do believe it will be the most difficult for the girls to adjust, as they’ve matured into teens from very young children on our shore here. The oldest is hoping to attend University here in the States. We’ll see what the future brings.
The words from the song are so perfect for them. It’s always sad to say goodbye to friends.
But on the bright side you’ll have a place to stay should you visit England!
A really lovely farewell post for your friends.
Big hug, Nikki x
Thank you Nikki. We do remain optimistic in our outlook, looking forward to visiting there, and for an occasional visit from them should they venture here on holiday.
Never say goodbye Phil
Time will see you together
once again…
A very nice but
a tad melancholy
Androgoth
I am sure we will see them whenever we make it to your shores Androgoth. And when we do, I may have to swing by and pay a visit to your environs, as long as whatever wicked creatures you may unleash upon me, allow me to leave eventually…
This post brings so many emotions to my heart. How sad goodbyes are, and how wonderful cherished friends are.
Thanks Barb. The benefits of good friendships are always worth whatever heartache comes when we have to part. We are all the richer from time spent together.
Hi Phil
I came here to thank you for re-blogging my piece and then I saw that the previous post was about “Soave Si Il Vento”, which I think is the loveliest piece of music ever written.
I think you and I are going to get on.
Hi Tinman. That’s a heck of a nice way to thank me! I do love all kinds of music, but I do have a special place in my heart for Mozart. Thanks for swinging by and peeking in.
Very, very beautiful. Thank you for translating it.