Recondita Armonia Poem by gershon hepner

Recondita armonia
is the harmony that’s hidden,
as when in prosopopoiea
a person speaks, although unbidden,
and finds another’s voice within
his own, enabling him to show
he has a soul that is his twin,
and revel in its afterglow.

Inspired by Cavardossi’s aria to Floria Tosca in the first Act of “Tosca”:

Recondita armonia di bellezze diverse!
È bruna Floria, l'ardente amante mia.
E te, beltade ignota, cinta di chiome bionde,
Tu azzurro hai l'occhio,
Tosca ha l'occhio nero!
L'arte nel suo mistero,
le diverse bellezze insiem confonde...
Ma nel ritrar costei,
Il mio solo pensiero,
Il mio sol pensier sei tu,
Tosca, sei tu!
A prosopopoeia (Greek: π ρ ο σ ω π ο π ο ι ί α ;) is a rhetorical device in which a speaker or writer communicates to the audience by speaking as another person or object. The term literally derives from the Greek roots meaning 'a face, a person, to make'. Prosopopoeiae are used mostly to give another perspective on the action being described. For example, in Cicero's Pro Caelio, Cicero speaks as Appius Claudius Caecus, a stern old man. This serves to give the 'ancient' perspective on the actions of the plaintiff. Prosopopoeiae can also be used to take some of the load off of the communicator by placing an unfavorable point of view on the shoulders of an imaginary stereotype. The audience's reactions are predisposed to go towards this figment rather than the communicator himself. This term also refers to a figure of speech in which an animal or inanimate object is ascribed human characteristics or is spoken of in anthropomorphic language. Quintilian writes of the power of this figure of speech to 'bring down the gods from heaven, evoke the dead, and give voices to cities and states' (Institutes of Oratory [see ref.]) .

7/25/08