I reproduce the text of three songs in the record 'Mi jardín solitario; Madrigal y cinco canciones sefardíes; Concierto de cienfuegos'. The texts are by Celedonio Romero (1913 – 1996), as translated into English by Susannah Howe.
First, the song 'Soledad!'
Let the horse run free, don't pull on his reins, for the day may come when you want him to run but can't
Don't let your heart be tainted by evil, and if love has gone... let it go, Soledad!
I won’t pretend I know what you have been through. I’m here to share what I have experienced, and the tools that have helped me cope,
It is almost 4 AM. I sit down at the computer and type. The words leap from my mind onto the screen. It is almost like magic. I do not feel that it is 'I' who is doing it.
'Not knowing' is what lies beyond the edge of our knowledge. At the edge, we feel discomfort. Our bodies change physically. A layer of perspiration forms on our soles and our torsos. We pace up and down repetitively. We know, without a doubt, that we have arrived at a place where unpleasant feelings await: dread, anxiety and fear. It is a place that we try to avoid.