Pavarotti, Nessun Dorma and the Meaning of Wow

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." ~John Keats

I was in a conversation recently with some people talking about the question, "When was the last time you cried?" and at the moment I couldn't remember. It's harder for men, I think, and though the release of a good bawl feels good, it doesn't seem like something you make happen at will.

And you know how it is when you can't remember where you put something or you can't remember a name, so it was that I left that conversation trying to remember... when did I cry last, a really good cry?

A few days passed and it came to me. A number of years ago I was listening to a CD in my car, to this song by Pavarotti, Nessun Dorma. There is something powerfully emotional about beauty.

That Pavarotti was a sensation is an understatement. One only needs to recite the accollades of his career, spanning from 1961 to two years ago this month. Perhaps his Guinness Book of World Records for Most Curtain Calls can be seen as telling. 165!

Of the song itself, the title means "None Shall Sleep." It is an aria from the final act of Puccini's opera Turandot. In the opera, Turandot is a beautiful but cold hearted princess. Her beauty is such many a man has desired her, but to win her heart they must answer three questions or be beheaded. It's a high risk game to fall in love with a beautiful cold-heart maiden.

The one who sings it is Calaf, "the unknown prince." Calaf has answered the questions but she recoils at the thought of marrying him. Calaf' puts a riddle to her... she has to guess his name by dawn. If she succeeds, she may behead him. If she fails, she must marry him.

Against this backdrop we hear the theme music rise... and Pavarotti sings.

Nessun dorma

Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
Tu pure, o Principessa,
nella tua fredda stanza
guardi le stelle che tremano
d`amore e di speranza!

Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me,
il nome mio nessun sapr"!
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò,
quando la luce splender"!
Ed il mio bacio scioglier"
il silenzio che ti fa mia!

Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle! All`alba vincerò!
Vincerò! Vincerò!

Here is a YouTube video of Pavarotti performing this fabulous piece. I found it especially amusing that it has Spanish subtitles. The English translation follows.


Nessun dorma

No man will sleep! No man will sleep!
You too, oh Princess,
in your virginal room,
watch the stairs
trembling with love and hope!

But my secret lies hidden within me,
no-one shall discover my name!
Oh no, I will reveal it only on your lips
when daylight shines forth!
And my kiss shall break
the silence that makes you mine!

Depart, oh night! Set, you stars!
Set, you stars! At dawn I shall win!
I shall win! I shall win!