Death of a Diva

- In Memoriam -

By John Herlihy

She stood there once in repose,

Applause in waves invade the stage.

While she herself was not there,

Only the voice left behind to still hear.

Its echo of beauty still filled the hall,

The stunned listeners still wrapped in thrall.

The stage lights hum and blink,

The lights warm and brightly blinding.

She hears the applause of the audience,

Their moon faces shine borrowed light.

First expectation, then admiration,

Thrilled on this unique night.

Gone the presence, a vanished ghost,

Left behind the voice, still whispering,

Disembodied, precious and unique.

The voice of stars, of angels, of light,

That soared thru celestial spheres,

To arrive in the hearts of listeners.

The trills as ripples across the pond,

The breath as wind to take us beyond,

The tone flawless, innocent and pure,

The melody in its eternal beauty sure,

The texture feeling like velvet, like silk,

With all the richness of mother’s milk.

She lay there now on the last threshold,

Her life summed up in one moment.

All the unbearable lightness now heavy;

All the unbearable heaviness now light.

“O patria mia, mai piu! Mai piu,ti rivedro!”

“My homeland, never more to see you again!”

(Aria in Verdi’s Aida)

But hear her we will, again and again,

The voice thru the ages will always soar.

I heard her once in concert at Carnegie Hall,

I remember then and still hear her now.

She had the voice of a solitary bird,

The sweetest voice ever heard.

- Rest in peace, Montserrat Caballe  –

1933 - 2018