Felici piume, che così sovente

This Italian madrigal for SATB voices paints a vivid scene of longing. The poet addresses the feathers of a bird, envying them their closeness to a beloved. These feathers, he imagines, often hide the beloved's face and shield them from loving glances, yet they also hold immense sweetness. He implores the feathers to gather his sighs and his suffering, brought on by love's sharp darts. His wish is that the beloved, with her gentle breath, might receive his torments. Although her heart may not be that of a tigress or a bear, he hopes her pleasure in receiving his pain will extinguish his own sorrow.