Te, al centro del mio cuore

I was in Gaeta two summers ago, and I heard a hymn that struck me as very beautiful, both in its music and in its sentiment. After mass, I braved my nervousness and walked to the choir, asking them for the title of that hymn. Some weeks later, I bought an Italian hymn-book simply because it had this hymn in there.

I have a feeling that it's one of the hymns that were born from the charismatic movement of the Italian church. It isn't easy to read, but when I heard it seemed easy to sing. I tend to prefer ancient hymns over the modern, but quite a number of the hymns in this book really speak to me. I'll be posting translations of them, and I'll be adding more translations of Latin hymns in due course, as well.

I wish we had hymns like this in the American church.

1. Ho bisogno d'incontrarti nel mio cuore, di trovare Te, di stare insieme a Te: unico riferimento del mio andare, unica ragione tu unico sostegno tu. Al centro del mio cuore ci sei solo tu.	I need to encounter you in my heart, to find You, to stand with You: the only reference of my travels, You my only reason, You my only sustenance. Only you are at the center of my heart.
Chorus: Tutto ruota attorno a te, in funzione di te e poi non importa il come, il dove, il se.	Everything should revolve around you, as a function of you; then the how, the where and the whether won't matter.
2. Anche il cielo gira intorna e non ha pace, ma c'è un punto fermo, è quella stella là. La stella polare è fissa ed è la sola, la stella polare Tu, la stella sicura Tu. Al centro del mio cuore ci sei solo Tu.	Even the heavens revolve ceaselessly, but they have a fixed point: that star there. The Polar star alone is fixed. You are the polar star; You are the sure guide. Only You are at the center of my heart.
3. Che Tu splenda sempre al centro del mio cuore, il significato allora sarai Tu, quella che farò sarà soltanto amore. Unico sostegno Tu, la stella polare Tu. Al centro del mio cuore ci sei solo Tu.	If you shine forever at the center of my heart then You will be my meaning, and my every action will be love alone. You are my only sustenance; You, my Polar star. Only You are at the center of my heart.