Today we read Assoluzione, by Emilio Praga. I remember watching a late night talk show decades ago, likely when I was in high school and wasn’t really supposed to. The host, Maurizio Costanzo, introduced a lady who was apparently known for having had sexual dalliances with many well known personages. To keep the thing classy, he put it this way: è una donna che ha molto amato (“a woman who loved much”). That’s basically how this poem by Emilio Praga ends. He is visited by his lover, who is distressed because during confession the priest scolded her for (we assume) her libertine approach to romantic partners. So he invites her to dinner, and promises to absolve her of her sins himself, if she shows she loves him.
Afterall, God promised forgiveness to those who love a lot… The original: La mia ganza, una bimba assai devota,
e, credo, a molti parroci ben nota,
venne a narrarmi, tutta addolorata,
l’ira del prete che l’ha confessata;
Eh via, le dissi, vien, vieni a cenare,
io stesso poi ti voglio confessare,
e se vedrò che mi vuoi bene assai,
assoluzione e baci in copia avrai;
ché Dio promise, in questo oh grande e buono!
a chi avrà molto amato, il suo perdono!\ The music in this episode is Paganini’s Caprice No. 24, recorded by Elias Goldstein (Viola) and Christina Lalog (Piano) (in the public domain).
