[Orchestral Intro — soft piano, distant choir, cathedral reverb] [Verse 1 — English, fragile] The night is a cathedral, its silence carved in stone. Lanterns bleed their little fires, but I walk the dark alone. The bells toll mercy, mercy, yet the sound is swallowed whole… Winter’s Crest is burning, but it cannot warm my soul. [Italian Stanza 1 — intimate, trembling tenor, choir soft behind him] In questa notte gelida, le mie mani tremano nel vuoto. Le finestre brillano di calore, ma io rimango fuori, solo. Portami alla tua luce eterna, anche se non sono degno… (In this frozen night, my hands tremble in the void. The windows shine with warmth, but I remain outside, alone. Bring me to your eternal light, even if I am not worthy…) [Refrain — sweeping, choir echo “misericordia… luce…”] Hear my prayer for mercy, on a soul that hides in shame. Hear my prayer for mercy, call me gently by my name. [Verse 2 — English, darker, trembling voice] The snow remembers footsteps, each one a mark of sin. I wear a mask of beauty, but the hollow stares within. The choir sings of blessing, their voices sharp as knives… And chains I cannot loosen still bind my ruined life. [Italian Stanza 2 — pleading, voice cracking, choir echo “pace… pietà…”] Abbi pietà di me, se porto ancora il peso. Dammi il coraggio di credere, che anch’io possa essere amato. Purifica il mio cuore spezzato, dalle catene del passato… (Have mercy on me, if I still carry the weight. Give me the courage to believe that I, too, could be loved. Purify my broken heart from the chains of the past…) [Refrain — stronger, choir full, echo “luce… misericordia…”] Hear my prayer for mercy, though I’m unworthy of the light. Hear my prayer for mercy, through the bitterness of night. [Verse 3 — English, rising intensity] They say the fire is shining, to guide the lost back home. But I have walked in silence, through gardens overgrown. And love — a distant ember — burns too bright for one like me… Yet still I lift this broken voice, to beg what might not be. [Italian Stanza 3 — final plea, choir luminous, echo “amore… luce…”] Ascolta il mio cuore stanco, non voglio essere solo. Se l’amore è ancora vivo, lascia che mi trovi qui. Se la misericordia ha una fiamma, illumini la mia notte… (Hear my tired heart, I don’t want to be alone. If love is still alive, let it find me here. If mercy has a flame, let it light my night…) [Final Refrain — English + Italian overlap, choir echo “luce… misericordia…”] If love is somewhere waiting, let it see me through the snow. Se la misericordia è viva, scenda come fuoco dall’alto… (If mercy is alive, let it descend like fire from above… [Ending — orchestral swell, choir fades, single bell toll + piano note]
