Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: opera
Song Meaning of “L’Africaine / Act 4: “Mi batte il cor…O Paradiso”” by Giacomo Meyerbeer
This song from “L’Africaine” is a sublimely beautiful aria of joy and rapture sung by Vasco da Gama as he reaches the end of his long and arduous journey to India. The opening line, “Mi batte il cor…”, translates to “My heart beats with joy…”, and speaks to the emotional intensity of his triumph. The song describes his feelings of blessedness and joy to have reached his destination, as an undeniable euphoria washes over him.
The song continues as he looks around and sees nothing but beauty. His surroundings are so breathtaking that he perfects his expression of joy to a fever pitch, singing, “O Paradiso!” A “paradise”, an idyllic and wondrous place, is the perfect way to describe his blissful state. The aria builds as he fully takes in the beauty of his surroundings and his newfound joy.
The overwhelming emotion he experienced upon reaching India serves to represent the beauty and joy of life itself. Any pain or suffering that led him to this point fades away as he exclaims in the final lines, “Che più felice io non vorrei!” which translates to “I cannot wish to be happier!”