This aria is Peter's lament after denying three times that he knew Jesus. It is one of the most beautiful melodies in the history of western music. As a piano piece the melody is in the middle of the other voices. The translation of the words is as follows:
Have mercy Lord,
My God for the sake of my tears!
Heart and eyes weep bitterly
Before you.
Thank you to Derek Tam for conducting the St. Matthew Passion with the Vallejo Choral Society. There is a YouTube of the entire Passion through the VCS website. The orchid pictures are from the botanical garden in New York.
