There are more literary references to a caged bird yearning
for freedom than junk cars trapped in groves. The reference has become cliché, but as with
most clichés, they become cliché for a reason. They illustrate truths well. I
wonder where the caged bird metaphors came from. Was it Zaide? I doubt it. If
anyone knows for sure, let me know on my Facebook page. So, why does this
metaphor resonate? In some way or another, we all feel trapped. Mozart for sure.
In Trostlos schluchzet
philomele Zaide finds herself in a dungeon. She compares herself to a
nightingale. Calling out day and night. Interesting fact about nightingales,
they are known for singing at night (Duh). But, they do so in search of a mate.
So, they cry out day and night until they find their love. Nice poetic happy hippy
stuff. The nightingale has been fine fodder for fancy verse from its first
flight. I’m sure Mozart was aware of all this. But, I am not out to accuse him
of delving into the cliché.
The music’s mood is that of seeking, searching, yet there a smidge
of content. It has more peace than Ruhe Sanft. Not a peace that says, 'Things are going my way,' but one that says, 'Things are not, and I'm ok with that.'
The lyrics ‘Ach, wer könnte sie wohl strafen,
Wenn sie findet, was sie sucht’ hold the key. (I hope I have them
translated right. But if not… Well, what would you expect from a troglodyte.) In
both the music and the lyrics, this is the work of a man searching, not the
work of a man knowing. Mozart was seeking that thing (or things) that would
bring him real, lasting joy. The song (the entire opera even) seems to elude
that that joy-invoking element is love. Yet, why do so many, who write these
lofty, beautiful songs about love, seem to have such trouble in the practical
department? Have they idealized it too much? Or have the sought it in the wrong
place?
Do Zaide’s words “Oh, who could ever punish her, when she
finds what she is looking for,” suggest a love no one can ever steal. A love
that can endure anything. Do her words reflect Mozart’s desires? His struggles?
Is such a love possible? If so, did Mozart ever find what he was seeking?
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