And This Is My Beloved: A musical based on classical themes

I normally sing opera, but this time I made an exception. 

The musical Kismet, with lyrics and musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest, was written based on musical themes by Alexander Borodin. Borodin is an incredibly interesting historical figure: he was a member of a group of Russian composers known as "The Mighty Handful," men who wanted to remain true to Russian classical music rather than learning from Western ideals. Borodin was also a chemist, which is kind of amazing. 

Many of the themes of Kismet are based on his music, and this particular song is based on his String Quartet No. 2, Movement 3. The music is so incredibly stunning, you can understand why they would want to turn it into a musical! The text of the song is as follows: 

Dawn's promising skies
Petals on a pool drifting
Imagine these in one pair of eyes
And this is my beloved

Strange spice from the south
Honey through the comb sifting
Imagine these in one eager mouth
And this is my beloved

And when he speaks and when he talks to me
Music! Mystery!
And when he moves and when he walks with me
Paradise comes suddenly near
All that can stir, all that can stun
All that's for the heart's lifting
Imagine these in one perfect one
And this is my beloved

In this song, Marsinah, a young woman, has met a man who she has immediately fallen in love with. When asked to describe him, she can only do it in metaphors. When she describes the way he looks, his eyes and his mouth, the music is pensive and thoughtful, as though she's thinking through what she wants to say. Then, as she begins to describe their interactions, the music begins to pick up speed. She's excited just thinking of it, and she's flustered as well. By the end, she calls him her "perfect one," finally saying what she's wanted to express all along, just as the music rises to its climax. 

But what can we take from this? Marsinah is a woman completely infatuated with first love. When you've first fallen in love, you call your partner perfect. You describe him with metaphors and with the idea in mind that no one understands him as well as you do. He is everything and there is no question about it. It's only as time passes that you see beyond the immediate excitement and begin to know the deeper meaning in your relationship. These things remain true, and he is your beloved, but you also begin to see what makes him human. And that's just as endearing. 

Love should have these feelings bound up in it - but just because those feelings aren't at the forefront of a relationship as it settles doesn't mean that the love has faded. It means that it's transforming into something even better.