Star Vicino by James P. Dunn and Arthur Schoep

 Lyrics and translation:

Star vicino al bell'idol che s'ama
to be near to the beautiful idol that one loves

E il piu vago diletto d'amor.
is the most attractive joy of love.

Star lotano dal ben ke si brama
to be far away from the beloved who one desires

E damore il piu vivo dolor.
is of love the most vital sorrow.

Character study:

I.  Before
1.)  The event that has occurred prior to this song that has led me to this point, is the departure of my lover.  Perhaps it is because I am off to war, work, school, or because we live so far apart that we can't be together at this moment.
2.)  My thoughts and feelings just before the song begins are longing, love, passion, and strong desire to be with the one I love who is far away.

II.  During
1.)  I am the man in the relationship.
2.)  I am probably a well-educated younger Italian male from the upper-middle class sometime during the 1600's.  This young lady I long for, is perhaps my first love, and a first love is always the fondest and most intense love.  I am full of passion, love, and adoration for my lady.
3.)  The other character involved is my lover.
4.)  My lover is a beautiful young lady who loves me and desires me also.
5.)  I am somewhere far away from the one I love.  It might be away at a university, at war, or at home.
6.)  I am singing to myself.
7.)  My lover is not with me right now.
8.)  I am singing this to comfort and express myself in my time of longing and despair for my lover who is far away and can't be with me.
9.)  My thoughts and feelings throughout this song are that being near my lover is the best part of love and that being far away from her is the worst part of love.  I am happy to be in love with this beautiful woman who loves me but I am full of anguish and longing because she is not with me now.
10.)  The period of this piece takes place sometime around 1681.  People during this time were witnessing the end of Italy's Renaissance Movement and the beginning of the Baroque Period.  There was much political, civil, and military unrest as a cause of persistent conflicts, revolts, and invasions.

III. After
1.)  My thoughts and feelings as the song ends are despair and suffering.  I long to be with the one I love.
2.)  The events that will occur as a result of this song are that I will anxiously await the arrival of my love until she or I return to each other.