While the text takes one image, the heart as a sea, and goes slightly overboard with it (sorry), Carissimi gave the setting more variety, though he does frame it by repeating the opening verse at the end of the piece. In doing so, he demonstrates the near-complete break between the Baroque and the Renaissance in how text was treated; he repeats the opening verse, though the text does not do so, the ornamentation is placed according to the shape of the musical line rather than the meaning of the text, and when the text repeats a structure, the music does not necessarily do the same. Similarly, he uses the two voices solely for the musical effect; there is no textual logic behind whether they are using solo lines, imitation, or harmony. However, he is careful to maintain the sense and overall imagery of the text, with gently sinking lines that suggest the fall of tears, and while he doesn't word-paint on every word that could lend itself to it, he does use the technique effectively on "lagrime" (tears) and "turbano" (shake). One could even argue that he reinforces the overall image of the heart as a sea of tears by the way that he leads up to one musical expectation and instead of the predicted conclusion, returns to the theme associated with the first statement of "Il mio core..." as he does at the end of the second verse. While the interplay of the two voices is decidedly unadventuresome, it is very pleasing and creates just the right effect of languid amorousness.

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