Un ballo in maschera (1991) - full transcript
Let your noble heart rest, Riccardo,
return to your fond dreams
you are shielded in this dwelling
by the love of a virgin world.
Let you noble heart rest
There is hate, too, which readies its revenge,
ever mindful of those who died for you.
Your hopes cannot make forgetfulness
blanket their sad graves
His Lordship!
Friends ? soldiers ?
And you who are equally dear to me!
Give them to me;
You may count on me.
I must protect my children, satisfying
every just desire.
Power has no beauty unless it dry
its subjects? tears
...and strive
for uncorrupted glory.
Please read the list
of invitations to the ball.
- You have not forgotten any beauty?
These are the names.
Amelia ? ah, she again!
My soul forgets all pomp for love of her!
When I see here, pale and radiant,
my soul will be in ecstasy ?
and as I listen to her voice,
it will seem to speak of love.
The sweet night comes down,
fair with its starry gems;
Ah, but she is my only star
...a star the heavens cannot boast!
With generous love, lost in his thoughts,
..he will take our needs
as the object of his ponderings.
...and as I listen to her voice,
it will seem to speak of love.
Go with the others; I shall call you.
The way is open to you at last.
How sad he seems!
Amelia!
- My lord
Oh heaven! Her husband!
My lord, you are unhappy, while everywhere your
name is bright with glory.
For one?s ambition, that is much;
for the heart, nothing.
A secret, bitter care oppresses me.
- And this is ?
Ah, no ? more ?
I shall tell you the reason.
Great God!
That is?
I know all. Even this mansion
is no sure refuge for you.
Go on
An evil plot is being contrived against you;
your life is threatened.
Ah! You are speaking of that?
You know of nothing else?
If you wish to know the names ?
What does it matter? I despise them.
Say nothing; else I must
soil my hands with blood.
It shall not be,
I do not wish it.
My people?s love
watches over me, and God protects me.
Your life, so rich in joy,so full of hope,
...is joined by Fate to thousands
of other lives!
If you are lost, what of our country,
what of its splendid future?
Can you be
forever safe from wounds,
...because your people?s love
is shielding you?
Hate is quicker than love
...in striking its victims,
if you are lost what of our country,
...what of its splendid future?
The Judge.
Let him enter.
My lord!
What is this!!
A woman banished?
Why?
What is her name? What is her offence?
Her name is Ulrica ? the queen of the gypsies.
But all the races follow her.
She can foretell the future.
To her filthy cave, she summons the worst;
she is suspected of every evil counsel.
She deserves exile;
pray do not veto my decision.
What have you to say of her?
What have you to say of her?
I wish to defend her.
When she turns
her dusky brow to the stars
...how her eyes
flash, like lightning,
...as she foretells the course
of their loves
...to the belles of the town,
be it happy or sad!
With Lucifer himself
she has a pact!
..With Lucifer himself
she has a pact!
A charming couple ?
what a protector!
Whoever touches
her prophetic gown,
...whether he plans to cross the sea
or go off to war,
...his future, his fortunes,
be they bitter or sweet,
...his doubting heart
will learn from her,
it is with Lucifer himself
she has a pact!
Let her be condemned.
- Deign to absolve her.
Well, summon everyone:
I have something to tell you.
Gentlemen, I invite you today
to Ulrica?s house;
but come disguised
I shall be there.
Really?
Yes, I must se this sight.
It?s not wise.
I think, rather, it?s a splendid plan,
and promises great sport.
Someone there might recognise you.
What fright!
Come, come, this counsellor of his
trembles at everything.
Prepare for me
a fisherman?s costume.
Who knows, perhaps the way to vengeance
will be opened to us there?
Make sure that our sport is successful,
let all come to the magic house;
let us abandon ourselves to this game,
together with the credulous folk.
Yes, hasten, but never forget
the dangers which threaten there,
and protect our magnanimous ruler,
so fearless for himself.
The seeress tells remarkable things,
I must question her myself, to hear
whether the stars smile upon me,
what good fortune may be in store for me.
Well, then gentlemen, I shall expect you
in disguise, at three o?clock,
...in the oracle?s cavern,
at the great seeress? feet.
We shall be there promptly,
in disguise, at three o?clock,
...in the oracle?s cavern,
at the great seeress? feet.
Make sure that our sport is successful,
let all come to the magic house;
For one day we shall laugh and joke,
for such is life at its best.
Ever watchful, we must be alert,
and not miss when the moment strikes.
At last a bit of folly brightens
this life which heaven gave us.
Perhaps the star which rules his fate
must plunge into the abyss.
...for such is life at its best.
At three, at three,
well, then, gentlemen, I shall expect you
in disguise, at three o?clock,
...in the oracle?s cavern,
at the great seeress? feet.
...yes, yes, in the oracle?s cavern,
at the great seeress? feet.
Silence ? the charm must not be broken.
the devil will speak to her soon
King of the depths, make haste,
hurtle down through the ether,
...and, sparing thy thunderbolts,
enter into my house,
three times the owl
has sighed from on high.
Three times the fire-eating
Salamander has hissed,
and three times the moaning
of the grave has spoken to me.
I am the first to arrive!
Ruffian, stay back!
Oh, what is this sombre glow about us?
It is he! It is he!
Passionately,I feel again
the tremendous thrill of his embrace!
The torch of the future
he bears in his left hand.
He has answered my conjury,
and all shines clear before me;
Nothing, no, nothing is hidden now
from my gaze!
Nothing is hidden now
from my gaze!
Hurrah for the sorceress!
Silence, silence!
Make way, make way; I want my fortune told.
A sailor in his Lordship?s service,
I have defied death for him many a time.
Fifteen years I?ve had of this bitter life,
..fifteen years that nothing?s been done for me.
And you ask?
What?s in store for me, after the blood
I?ve shed.
He speaks like a true soldier.
- Your hand.
Take it.
Be of good cheer;
Soon you will have gold and rank.
You are joking?
Be assured.
She must not speak false.
So fair a prophecy merits a reward.
''Riccardo to his beloved Silvano, officer.?
Ye gods! I am not dreaming!
Gold and a commission!
Hurrah for our Immortal Sibyl,
...who brings riches and pleasures to all!
Someone?s knocking!
What?s this!
At the secret door ?
one of Amelia?s servants!
Listen:
my mistress,
who is waiting outside,
...wishes to
ask your advice in secret.
Amelia!
Let her come; I?ll send the others away.
But not me.
Before I can answer you,
...I first must join with Satan;
Go, let me gaze into the face of Truth.
Let us go, that she may gaze into the face of Truth.
Go away, go away.
What stirs you so?
A bitter, secret care,
which love has awakened
What is this!
And what do you seek?
Peace ? to uproot from my breast,
so fatally ruled be the power I love,
that man ? whom heaven made the ruler of all.
What do I hear! My beloved!
Forgetfulness is granted you.
I know a secret potion, brewed from a magic herb,
which renews the heart.
But whoever needs it,
must prick the herb himselfat midnight.
The place is ghostly
- Where is it?
Do you dare?
Yes, wherever it may be.
Then listen to me:
To the west of town,
...there where the pale moon shines on the darker side
of that hideous field,
go pick the herb which grows
at the foot of the stones of infamy
...where crime is expiated
in the last sigh!
O God! What a place!
You are stupefied, trembling, already!
Poor love!
- Your heart fails you?
I am frozen with terror.
If such be my duty,
even I shall find strength
Tonight?
Yes.
But not alone:
For I will follow you.
Grant me, O Lord,
strength to purify my heart,
I burn with love, I am resolved
- to follow her even to hell,
- ...to quiet the fiery tumult within my breast.
- Amelia
Go, without fear, for the charm
will dry your tears.
if only, beloved Amelia,
I can breathe your sighs.
Only dare ? and you shall drink
forgetfulness of sorrow.
Daughter of hell, open the door,
delay no longer in coming to us.
Quick ? go now.
- Tonight.
- But not alone: For I will follow you!
- Farewell.
Come, seeress, mount your tripod,
chant your prophecy,
mount your tripod
Where is his lordship.
Be silent, do not let them know I am here.
Now, Sibyl, you who know all
...shall speak to me of my stars.
Tell him the future, tell him the future!
Tell me whether the sea
awaits me, faithful,
...whether my beloved,
her face wet with tears,
...betrayed my love
...after she said goodbye,
with tattered sails,
my soul tempest-tossed,
..I still cut my way
through the furious sea,
...defying the rage
of heaven and hell,
seeress, explore with care
what the future will bring,
neither thunder
nor the rage of the winds,
...not death nor love
can keep me from the sea
Ah, no!
not death nor love
can keep me from the sea
Neither thunder
nor the rage of winds,
...not death nor love
can keep him from the sea.
On the swift ship
within whose womb I am tossed,
...when I awaken
in the howling storm,
...between the thunder crashes
..I sing sweet songs,
I sing sweet songs
of my native land
...which speak of the kisses
of our last farewell,
...and my songs rekindle
the fire in my heart.
Come, then, chant again
your mystic prophecy
...tell us what destiny brings,
no matter what it be,
Terror cannot
enter our hearts.
Ah, no!
Terror cannot
enter our hearts.
Terror cannot
enter our hearts.
Whoever you are, your mad words
can change to sobs one day,
..for he who violates the hidden realm
must wash away his crime with tears,
...and he who insolently challenges his fate
must pay for his sin in his fate itself.
Come, my friends.
Who will go first?
I shall.
Please yield me this honour.
So be it.
It is the hand of a great man,
living under the sign of Mars.
She has hit the truth.
Silence!
Wretched man ?
Go ? leave me ? ask no more!
Come, now, go on.
No ? leave me.
Speak.
I beg you.
Finish it now!
I insist.
Very well, then; soon you will die.
If on the field of honour, then I am glad
No ? by the hand of a friend.
- Great God!
What horror!
So it is written above.
A joke or madness
is such a prophecy.
How their credulity
amuses me!
Ah, gentlemen, hearing
these sad words of mine,
...you dare not laugh:
What things are in your hearts?
Her words are like arrows,
her glances like lightning;
through the devil, her confidant,
this woman knows all.
What, then, is his fate?
Shall he die by an assassin?s hand?
The mere thought
makes one?s heart shudder.
Complete the prophecy.
Tell me, who will the killer be?
The first to touch your hand today.
Splendid.
Which one of you will prove the oracle false?
No one!
Here he is.
It is he!
- I breathe again; fortune has saved us
The oracle has lied.
Yes, because the hand in mine
is that of my most trusted friend.
Riccardo!
The Count!
Your genie
did not tell you who I am ?
...nor that today
you were to be banished.
I?
Silence; take this.
You are magnanimous, but among them
there is a traitor.
...Perhaps more than one.
- Great God!
Long live Riccardo!
What voices are these?
Viva!
Move quickly, if it is he,
our friend and father.
All of you, bow down with me,
and sing the hymn of our faith.
O son of England,
beloved of this land,
rule in happiness, for health
and glory smile upon you!
Can I nurse suspicion within my breast,
...when a thousand hearts
exult in dying for me?
The proudest laurel,
more precious than treasure,
shall be entwined upon your
brow by gratitude and faith.
Evil fortune forever hovers
even over the greatest triumph,
...in which a hypercritical Fate
conceals an evil end.
He does not believe his fate,
yet he shall die of his wounds;
he laughed at my prophecy.
But he has a foot in the grave.
Here is the horrid field where crime
and death are joined together!
There, the columns,
there the plants, green their base.
I shall go on.
Ah, my heart is chilled!
Everything, even the sound of my own step,
...fills me with terror!
And if I should die?
To die!
If such should be my fate,
my duty, then let it some..
...So be it.
When I have plucked the herb,
...with my own hand, from its arid stem,
when from my troubled mind
...that dear image will have been effaced,
...what is left, once love is dead?
Oh! Who is weeping, what power,
what power holds me back,
barring my way on this fearful road?
Courage now
Oh poor heart, be of stone,
do not betray me, nor yield to tears,
...of cease to beat,
...and die,
crumble to nothingness!
Midnight!
Ah, what do I see?
A head rises up from beneath the earth ? and sigh!
In its eyes, anger flashes,
and it stares at me ?
silent, terrible.
Ah, help me, give me strength,
o Lord, mercy on a suffering heart!
I am with you.
Great God!
- Be calm!
- Ah! What do you fear?
Ah, leave me ?I am a victim, sobbing before you.
..Save at least my name ?
Or shame and suffering will kill me.
I leave you? No never;
I cannot, because within my breast
an eternal love burns for you.
My lord, take pity on me.
You speak so to one who adores you?
You ask pity? You are still trembling?
Your name shall never be sullied,
nor honour.
But Riccardo, I am another?s ?
I belong to your dearest friend
Do not say it, Amelia.
I belong to him
who would give his life for you.
Ah, cruel woman, and you remind me,
you repeat it to me now!
Do you not see that if remorse
corrodes and cuts my soul,
...I cannot hear, nor heed its cry,
so long as my soul is full of love?
You do not know what would be left of you
...if your heart should cease to beat!
How many sleepless nights, I have longed for you?
How long I have struggled in my anguish!
how many times have I prayed to heaven
...for that pity which now you ask from me!
But in spite of all this, have I ever known
a moment?s peace without you?
Ah, heaven, comfort the anguish
of one who lies between disgrace and death:
Merciful God, shine Thy light on the gate
of salvation, guide my erring step.
Go, now ? let me not hear you, leave me.
I belong to him who gave his blood for you.
My life, the world,
for one word ?
Merciful heaven!
Tell me you love me ?
Riccardo, go!
One word ?
Yes, I love you.
You love me, Amelia!
But you, in your nobility,
You love me, Amelia!
- ...protect me from my heart!
You love me!
Oh, let remorse, friendship, be destroyed
within my breast:
let all be dead,
all except my love!
Oh, how sweet the thrill
which fills my heart!
ah, let me hear you speak those words again!
star of this darkness,
to whom, I dedicate my heart
...shine your lovelight on me,
then day need never come again!
Ah, on this melancholy bed,
where I yearned to quench it,
...this love returns, more overpowering,
this love which wounded me!
Why is it not granted me
to pour out my soul to him?
Or, if not, at least to sleep
forever here, in death.
Amelia! You love me, Amelia?
You love me?
Yes,
I love you.
But you, in your nobility..
You love me, Amelia?
...protect me from my heart.
- Shine your lovelight on me.
Alas! Someone is coming.
Who comes to this
Place of death?...
Ah, I am not mistaken!
- Renato!
- My husband!
You, here?
To save you from those who,
in hiding above, would ambush you
- Who are they?
Conspirators.
Oh heaven!
I ran past, wrapped in my cloak;
they took me for one of themselves.
I heard someone call out, ?I?ve seen him;
It?s Riccardo,
'with an unknown beauty.?
Then another said, ?A brief conquest!
since he dies, if my swift hand
''...succeeds in ending his tender embrace.?
I am dying!
Take heart.
Here, take this.
Take care, the way to safety is over there.
I must save you.
Wretched me! Go ?
But you would only expose him, madame,
to their pitiless daggers!
Please, escape alone!
And leave you here?
The road is still open to you ? flee
And leave you alone,
here, with him?
No, never! I would sooner die.
Either you escape or I will remove my veil.
What are you saying?
Decide.
Desist.
You must.
If it be granted me to save him,
..I shall never fear my cruel fate again
My friend, I entrust you with a delicate mission:
Let the love you bear me be your warrant.
Affidati, imponi
Promise me, swear
that you will take her veiled, to the town,
without speaking to her, or looking at her.
I swear.
And that once at the gates, you will go
alone in the opposite direction.
I swear it
Do you hear the sombre tones
of death sounding in the night?
From up there, among the black rocks,
the enemy?s signal has been given.
Wrath is burning in their breasts,
they are coming down, encircling you,
their fury is directed full upon you ?
for mercy?s sake, go, fly from here.
Flee, flee; down over the horrid trail,
I hear their pitiless step advancing.
And each of the impious ruffians
brandishes a dagger in his hand.
Go, save yourself, or the pass
will soon be closed;
go save yourself: the life you would throw away
is the life of the people.
Go, flee, go!
Traitors, conspirators, these men
who threaten my life?
Ah, I too am a traitor to my friend ?
it is I who have wounded his heart.
Were I innocent, I should challenge them.
Now, guilty of love, I must flee.
May the mercy of the Lord be upon her,
protecting her life!
Follow me.
O God!
Why do you tremble?
You can trust in me.
Let a friend?s voice
encourage you!
Here they come.
- Quick! Lean against me.
I am dying.
...Let us fall upon him,
the hour at last has struck.
The rising sun
...will find his corpse.
Do you see his goddess
there all veiled in white?
Let us plunge him from heaven
into hell.
Who goes there?
That?s no he.
Oh, fury!
It is not his lordship
No, it is I
who stand before you.
His trusted friend!
We have been
less fortunate than you;
...we waited in vain
for a beautiful woman?s smile.
I at least should like to see
this goddess? face.
Not one step more: if you dare,
I?ll draw my sword ?
You threaten us?
I do not fear you.
Oh, heaven help us!
Put down sword
Traitors!
Enough of this ?
Then your life
will pay for this insult.
No ? stop!
What! Amelia!
She! His wife!
Oh, heaven! Mercy!
Amelia!
See how, at night, the enamoured hero
comes here to rest with his bride,
...and how in the honeyed moonlight
he lies on a bed of dew!
Ah, ah, ah!
What gossiping there?ll be about this,
what comments we?ll hear in the town!
- This is my reward for saving him!-
To whom, in this ever crueller world,
- He has defiled my wife!-
...can you turn, O wretched Amelia?
- Because of him, I dare not lift my head,
he has destroyed my heart forever!
- Where will you find a compassionate hand
to dry your miserable tears?
Ah, ah, ah!
What gossiping there?ll be about this,
what comments we?ll hear in the town!
Will you meet with me
at my home tomorrow morning?
Are you asking for satisfaction?
No. Something quite different is in my mind.
-What is it?
If you come, you shall know.
We shall not fail.
Let us go, then: each separate
from the others, each by a different way!
Tomorrow morning
will see great things.
Let us go, let us go.
See how the tragedy changed to farce.
Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha!
What gossiping there?ll be
I have sworn to escort you
to the gates of the town.
How like the knell of death
his voice strikes on my heart!
-Let us go! Let us go!
Oh no! Have pity!
For such an offence, tears are useless,
being powerless to efface it or excuse it.
Now all prayers are in vain;
Blood must flow, and you shall die.
But if the guilt, my guilt,
lies only in the fact which accuses me?
-Silence, adulterous woman.
Great God!
Ask Him rather for mercy.
-Does a single suspicion suffice for you?
-And you want to kill me?
You insult me, no longer feeling
justice nor pity?
Blood must flow, and you shall die.
For a moment, it is true, I loved him,
-but I did not disgrace your name.
God knows this, that in my breast
no unworthy passion ever burned.
You have finished;
it is now too late ?
blood must flow, and you shall die.
Ah! You would kill me!
So be it, then.
-One grace I pray ?
Not from me.
Address your prayers to Heaven.
Only one word more to you.
Hear me out,
it will be the last time.
...the last time
I shall die, but first, in kindness,
ah, let me at least
...clasp to my breast
my only child.
And if to your wife
you deny this last favour,
...do not refuse the prayer
of a mother?s heart.
I shall die, but let his kisses
console this body,
...now that the end
has come to my brief life.
Once she is dead by his father?s hand
...let him touch with his hand
...these eyes of a mother
whom he will never see again
Arise; there is your son,
I permit you to see him.
In the darkness and the silence, there,
hide your blushes and my shame.
It is not she, nor her breast that I must strike.
Another?s blood must wash away the sin!
Your blood!
and my dagger,
...avenger of my tears,
You it was who stained that soul;
which was the joy of my own,
...who inspired my trust,
...then loathsomely
poisoned all life for me.
Traitor, who in such a way regarded
the faith of your dearest friend!
Oh sweetness, lost; O memory
of a heavenly embrace,
when Amelia, in her pure beauty,
lay on my breast, in the warmth of love!
All is finished ?
now only hate and death live in my widowed heart!
Oh, sweetness lost,
oh, hope of love!
We are alone.
Listen to me,
I know your plans in full.
You are determined to kill Riccardo.
- You are dreaming.
Here is the proof!
And now you will reveal the plot to his lordship?
No, I want
a part of it.
You are joking.
And not just words;
now, with facts, I shall quiet your suspicions,
I am yours,
in me you will have a tireless comrade
in this bloody work;
my son shall be my warrant.
Kill him if I fail you.
Such a change
is scarcely credible.
You must not try to know the cause,
I am yours,
...by the life of my only son!
He is not lying.
No, he is not lying.
You hesitate.
No more.
The shame of each, then, the shame of it all,
...single that vengeance in our hearts
which shall fall on that damnable head,
tremendous, unappeasable in its fury.
The shame of each, then, the shame of it all,
single that vengeance in our hearts
...which shall fall on that damnable head,
tremendous, unappeasable in its fury.
- I ask only one thing of you.
And that is?
That I may be the one to kill him.
No, Renato:
he took the home
of my forefathers from me; that right is mine.
And to me, whose brother he killed,
...who have been devoured by the anguish
of revenge, ceaselessly, for ten years,
...what part would you give?
Silence.
Only by lot can we decide.
Who is coming?
You?
Oscar has come,
bringing an invitation from his lordship
From him!
Let him wait.
Stay here. You must,
since it seems Heaven has sent you.
What sadness comes over me, what sorrow!
What a flash of terror!
She knows nothing ? have no fear,
on the contrary, she will bring us luck,
There are three names in this vase.
Your hand must choose one.
But why?
Obbedisci: non chieder di pi?
There is no doubt ? a fierce destiny
will have me partner in a murder.
Who, then, is the chosen one?
Renato
My name!
O just fate,
vengeance is granted to me!
Ah! You seek his lordship?s death!
The cruel words did not speak false.
Their daggers, already bared,
flash above his head.
The grief of America shall be paid for
by the traitor whose glory it was.
Let him who has struck fall stricken,
such is his just reward!
Let the messenger enter.
My lord requests
your presence,
...with your husband,
at a masked ball this evening.
I cannot come.
Will his lordship be there too?
Of course
Oh fate!
Such an invitation
is precious, I know.
It will be a magnificent
masked ball.
Splendid!
- She will come with me.
Great God!
We too shall go, if such a masquerade
will hasten the moment of our revenge.
Ah! what brilliance, what music
will fill the mansion
...where the flower of our youth will gather together,
...the blossoms so fair of our beautiful city
And it was I, wretched one,
who drew the pitiless sheet from the
evil urn for my husband in his fury:
My mind depicts him there,
lifeless among the dancers,
staining the floor with his blood
the doer of evil will die,
he shall have no pity from us.
A revenge in masquerade ?
it couldn?t be better,
in the press of the ball,
It will be a funeral dance, attended by pale beauties
If only I could warn him ?
without betraying my husband!
If only I could warn him ?
without betraying my husband!
- You will be Queen of the ball.
What costume shall I wear?
Blue the domino, with a red sash tied in a knot at the
left.
And what will our password be?
Death!
If only I could warn him ?
Death!
Perhaps she has reached home
and is safe at last.
Honour and duty have destroyed the abyss
between us.
Ah yes, Renato will return to England ?
and his wife with him.
Let the great ocean divide us,
with no farewell ?
and let the heart keep silent.
I still hesitate?
But O heaven, must I not?
...Ah, I have signed my sacrifice!
But if I must lose you
forever, light of my life,
...my love will reach you
wherever you may be,
once the memory of you
...is locked inside my heart,
And now what dark misgivings assail my heart,
...with the fatal desire to see you once again ?
as if this were the last hour of our love?
Ah! She is there ?
I could see her once more ?
could speak to her again ?
but no: for now everything has torn me from her.
An unknown lady gave me this letter.
?It is for his lordship,? she said, ?take it to him
secretly.?
It says that during the ball
someone will attempt to kill me.
But if I don?t go then
they will think me a coward.
This, no: no one must even suspect it.
Go ? get ready,
immediately, to attend the ball with me.
Yes, to see you again, Amelia.
...As I look upon your beauty,
once again my heart
...will burn with love.
Love and the dance go on in these joyous halls,
while life is only a fleeting dream.
O night of precious moments,
of romance and of song,
...why dost thou not halt thy flight,
to repose on the wave of pleasure?
There is another of our men.
- ''Death!''
- Yes, death!
It?s useless to wait.
- Useless? Why?
He is elsewhere.
- Oh deceiving fate!
He will escape us forever!
Speak softly; someone is watching us.
-Who is it?
The man to the left, in the short domino.
I shall not leave you,
you disguise yourself badly.
Away with you!
You are Renato.
And you are Oscar.
How rude!
Good enough ? but is it right for you to steal down
to the ball
...while is lordship is asleep?
- He is here
What! Where is he?
- I won?t tell!
A fine thing!
- Find him yourself.
Come, now!
You want to play the same trick on him?
Calm yourself;
can?t you tell me at least how he?s dressed?
...You want to know how he is dressed,
while that is a thing he doesn?t want known
Oscar knows,
but he will not tell,
Tra la la la
la la la la
My heart is aflame,
in a tumult of love,
but I still know how secrets are kept.
Neither rank nor beauty
can make me tell ?
Oscar knows,
but will not tell,
Love and the dance go on
in these joyous halls,
while life is only
a fleeting dream
I know that you know who his friends are.
You want to ask him something,
or joke with him?
Precisely.
And then to betray the person who told you?
You offend me.
Believe me, I know all I need to know.
It?s quite important to you??
There are urgent matters
which I must discuss with him.
It will be
your fault if I don?t succeed.
Well, then!
If you tell me, it?s a favour to him.
He is wearing a black cape,
with a pink ribbon on his chest
One word more.
I have said more than enough.
Love and the dance go on
in these joyous halls,
while life is only
a fleeting dream.
O night of precious moments,
of romance and of song,
...why dost thou not halt thy flight,
to repose on the wave of pleasure?
Ah! Why are you here? Go away
- It was you who sent the letter?
Here you are surrounded by death.
I am not frightened.
Go, go, or you will fall here,
stabbed to death!
- Tell me your name.
Great God! I cannot
Then why do you weep ? plead, so frightened?
Why do you feel such concern for my life?
For your life, I would sacrifice my own!
You cannot hide yourself:
you are that angel, Amelia!
I love you, yes, I love you, and in tears
I fall at your feet,
...here where an unknown dagger
of vengeance is thirsting for your blood.
If you stay here,
tomorrow you will be dead.
Save yourself ? go ? leave me,
fly from those that hate you
As long as you love me, Amelia,
I care nothing for my fate!
I have nothing to save you in my soul,
and the rest of the world is forgotten
Nor am I afraid of death
Because even stronger than death
..Is the breath of your love
which intoxicates me.
Then you insist on seeing me
die of anguish and shame?
I want to save you.
Tomorrow, with Renato, you will go
Where?
To your native land.
To England!
My heart is breaking
but you will leave ? farewell!
Riccardo!
My heart is breaking
- I leave you, Amelia!
Riccardo!
- Once more, farewell!
Once more, farewell!
Farewell!
And this is my farewell to you!
Help!
Oh heaven! He is murdered!
Who did it?
Where is the villain?
There he is!
Renato!
Renato! Ah! Death, infamy
our swords upon him,
our avenging swords!
Death to the traitor!
Death, death to the traitor!
Death, infamy to the traitor!
No, no ? leave him
leave him!
You hate me
She is pure: in the arms of death,
while God hears my words, I swear it.
I, who loved your wife,
respected her purity.
Advanced to a new post,
you were to leave with her ?
I loved her, but would not have
either her heart or your name offended!
Oh, what remorse of love
devours my heart
..between the guilty, bloodied one
and his victim, who lies dying!
What thirst for vengeance and for blood
was inspired by my tragic error!
My thanks to all; I still am ruler here,
any my pardon absolves everyone.
Spare us, merciful God,
so great and generous a heart!
To us wretched ones on earth,
He is a ray of Thy heavenly love!
Addio per sempre, miei figli
He is dying
Farewell, forever, my children ?
farewell ? beloved country
Farewell, forever, my children ? ah ?
Ah! I am dying!
Ah! Ahim?! lo moro!
My children, forever ...
farewell!
Night of horror, night of horror!
return to your fond dreams
you are shielded in this dwelling
by the love of a virgin world.
Let you noble heart rest
There is hate, too, which readies its revenge,
ever mindful of those who died for you.
Your hopes cannot make forgetfulness
blanket their sad graves
His Lordship!
Friends ? soldiers ?
And you who are equally dear to me!
Give them to me;
You may count on me.
I must protect my children, satisfying
every just desire.
Power has no beauty unless it dry
its subjects? tears
...and strive
for uncorrupted glory.
Please read the list
of invitations to the ball.
- You have not forgotten any beauty?
These are the names.
Amelia ? ah, she again!
My soul forgets all pomp for love of her!
When I see here, pale and radiant,
my soul will be in ecstasy ?
and as I listen to her voice,
it will seem to speak of love.
The sweet night comes down,
fair with its starry gems;
Ah, but she is my only star
...a star the heavens cannot boast!
With generous love, lost in his thoughts,
..he will take our needs
as the object of his ponderings.
...and as I listen to her voice,
it will seem to speak of love.
Go with the others; I shall call you.
The way is open to you at last.
How sad he seems!
Amelia!
- My lord
Oh heaven! Her husband!
My lord, you are unhappy, while everywhere your
name is bright with glory.
For one?s ambition, that is much;
for the heart, nothing.
A secret, bitter care oppresses me.
- And this is ?
Ah, no ? more ?
I shall tell you the reason.
Great God!
That is?
I know all. Even this mansion
is no sure refuge for you.
Go on
An evil plot is being contrived against you;
your life is threatened.
Ah! You are speaking of that?
You know of nothing else?
If you wish to know the names ?
What does it matter? I despise them.
Say nothing; else I must
soil my hands with blood.
It shall not be,
I do not wish it.
My people?s love
watches over me, and God protects me.
Your life, so rich in joy,so full of hope,
...is joined by Fate to thousands
of other lives!
If you are lost, what of our country,
what of its splendid future?
Can you be
forever safe from wounds,
...because your people?s love
is shielding you?
Hate is quicker than love
...in striking its victims,
if you are lost what of our country,
...what of its splendid future?
The Judge.
Let him enter.
My lord!
What is this!!
A woman banished?
Why?
What is her name? What is her offence?
Her name is Ulrica ? the queen of the gypsies.
But all the races follow her.
She can foretell the future.
To her filthy cave, she summons the worst;
she is suspected of every evil counsel.
She deserves exile;
pray do not veto my decision.
What have you to say of her?
What have you to say of her?
I wish to defend her.
When she turns
her dusky brow to the stars
...how her eyes
flash, like lightning,
...as she foretells the course
of their loves
...to the belles of the town,
be it happy or sad!
With Lucifer himself
she has a pact!
..With Lucifer himself
she has a pact!
A charming couple ?
what a protector!
Whoever touches
her prophetic gown,
...whether he plans to cross the sea
or go off to war,
...his future, his fortunes,
be they bitter or sweet,
...his doubting heart
will learn from her,
it is with Lucifer himself
she has a pact!
Let her be condemned.
- Deign to absolve her.
Well, summon everyone:
I have something to tell you.
Gentlemen, I invite you today
to Ulrica?s house;
but come disguised
I shall be there.
Really?
Yes, I must se this sight.
It?s not wise.
I think, rather, it?s a splendid plan,
and promises great sport.
Someone there might recognise you.
What fright!
Come, come, this counsellor of his
trembles at everything.
Prepare for me
a fisherman?s costume.
Who knows, perhaps the way to vengeance
will be opened to us there?
Make sure that our sport is successful,
let all come to the magic house;
let us abandon ourselves to this game,
together with the credulous folk.
Yes, hasten, but never forget
the dangers which threaten there,
and protect our magnanimous ruler,
so fearless for himself.
The seeress tells remarkable things,
I must question her myself, to hear
whether the stars smile upon me,
what good fortune may be in store for me.
Well, then gentlemen, I shall expect you
in disguise, at three o?clock,
...in the oracle?s cavern,
at the great seeress? feet.
We shall be there promptly,
in disguise, at three o?clock,
...in the oracle?s cavern,
at the great seeress? feet.
Make sure that our sport is successful,
let all come to the magic house;
For one day we shall laugh and joke,
for such is life at its best.
Ever watchful, we must be alert,
and not miss when the moment strikes.
At last a bit of folly brightens
this life which heaven gave us.
Perhaps the star which rules his fate
must plunge into the abyss.
...for such is life at its best.
At three, at three,
well, then, gentlemen, I shall expect you
in disguise, at three o?clock,
...in the oracle?s cavern,
at the great seeress? feet.
...yes, yes, in the oracle?s cavern,
at the great seeress? feet.
Silence ? the charm must not be broken.
the devil will speak to her soon
King of the depths, make haste,
hurtle down through the ether,
...and, sparing thy thunderbolts,
enter into my house,
three times the owl
has sighed from on high.
Three times the fire-eating
Salamander has hissed,
and three times the moaning
of the grave has spoken to me.
I am the first to arrive!
Ruffian, stay back!
Oh, what is this sombre glow about us?
It is he! It is he!
Passionately,I feel again
the tremendous thrill of his embrace!
The torch of the future
he bears in his left hand.
He has answered my conjury,
and all shines clear before me;
Nothing, no, nothing is hidden now
from my gaze!
Nothing is hidden now
from my gaze!
Hurrah for the sorceress!
Silence, silence!
Make way, make way; I want my fortune told.
A sailor in his Lordship?s service,
I have defied death for him many a time.
Fifteen years I?ve had of this bitter life,
..fifteen years that nothing?s been done for me.
And you ask?
What?s in store for me, after the blood
I?ve shed.
He speaks like a true soldier.
- Your hand.
Take it.
Be of good cheer;
Soon you will have gold and rank.
You are joking?
Be assured.
She must not speak false.
So fair a prophecy merits a reward.
''Riccardo to his beloved Silvano, officer.?
Ye gods! I am not dreaming!
Gold and a commission!
Hurrah for our Immortal Sibyl,
...who brings riches and pleasures to all!
Someone?s knocking!
What?s this!
At the secret door ?
one of Amelia?s servants!
Listen:
my mistress,
who is waiting outside,
...wishes to
ask your advice in secret.
Amelia!
Let her come; I?ll send the others away.
But not me.
Before I can answer you,
...I first must join with Satan;
Go, let me gaze into the face of Truth.
Let us go, that she may gaze into the face of Truth.
Go away, go away.
What stirs you so?
A bitter, secret care,
which love has awakened
What is this!
And what do you seek?
Peace ? to uproot from my breast,
so fatally ruled be the power I love,
that man ? whom heaven made the ruler of all.
What do I hear! My beloved!
Forgetfulness is granted you.
I know a secret potion, brewed from a magic herb,
which renews the heart.
But whoever needs it,
must prick the herb himselfat midnight.
The place is ghostly
- Where is it?
Do you dare?
Yes, wherever it may be.
Then listen to me:
To the west of town,
...there where the pale moon shines on the darker side
of that hideous field,
go pick the herb which grows
at the foot of the stones of infamy
...where crime is expiated
in the last sigh!
O God! What a place!
You are stupefied, trembling, already!
Poor love!
- Your heart fails you?
I am frozen with terror.
If such be my duty,
even I shall find strength
Tonight?
Yes.
But not alone:
For I will follow you.
Grant me, O Lord,
strength to purify my heart,
I burn with love, I am resolved
- to follow her even to hell,
- ...to quiet the fiery tumult within my breast.
- Amelia
Go, without fear, for the charm
will dry your tears.
if only, beloved Amelia,
I can breathe your sighs.
Only dare ? and you shall drink
forgetfulness of sorrow.
Daughter of hell, open the door,
delay no longer in coming to us.
Quick ? go now.
- Tonight.
- But not alone: For I will follow you!
- Farewell.
Come, seeress, mount your tripod,
chant your prophecy,
mount your tripod
Where is his lordship.
Be silent, do not let them know I am here.
Now, Sibyl, you who know all
...shall speak to me of my stars.
Tell him the future, tell him the future!
Tell me whether the sea
awaits me, faithful,
...whether my beloved,
her face wet with tears,
...betrayed my love
...after she said goodbye,
with tattered sails,
my soul tempest-tossed,
..I still cut my way
through the furious sea,
...defying the rage
of heaven and hell,
seeress, explore with care
what the future will bring,
neither thunder
nor the rage of the winds,
...not death nor love
can keep me from the sea
Ah, no!
not death nor love
can keep me from the sea
Neither thunder
nor the rage of winds,
...not death nor love
can keep him from the sea.
On the swift ship
within whose womb I am tossed,
...when I awaken
in the howling storm,
...between the thunder crashes
..I sing sweet songs,
I sing sweet songs
of my native land
...which speak of the kisses
of our last farewell,
...and my songs rekindle
the fire in my heart.
Come, then, chant again
your mystic prophecy
...tell us what destiny brings,
no matter what it be,
Terror cannot
enter our hearts.
Ah, no!
Terror cannot
enter our hearts.
Terror cannot
enter our hearts.
Whoever you are, your mad words
can change to sobs one day,
..for he who violates the hidden realm
must wash away his crime with tears,
...and he who insolently challenges his fate
must pay for his sin in his fate itself.
Come, my friends.
Who will go first?
I shall.
Please yield me this honour.
So be it.
It is the hand of a great man,
living under the sign of Mars.
She has hit the truth.
Silence!
Wretched man ?
Go ? leave me ? ask no more!
Come, now, go on.
No ? leave me.
Speak.
I beg you.
Finish it now!
I insist.
Very well, then; soon you will die.
If on the field of honour, then I am glad
No ? by the hand of a friend.
- Great God!
What horror!
So it is written above.
A joke or madness
is such a prophecy.
How their credulity
amuses me!
Ah, gentlemen, hearing
these sad words of mine,
...you dare not laugh:
What things are in your hearts?
Her words are like arrows,
her glances like lightning;
through the devil, her confidant,
this woman knows all.
What, then, is his fate?
Shall he die by an assassin?s hand?
The mere thought
makes one?s heart shudder.
Complete the prophecy.
Tell me, who will the killer be?
The first to touch your hand today.
Splendid.
Which one of you will prove the oracle false?
No one!
Here he is.
It is he!
- I breathe again; fortune has saved us
The oracle has lied.
Yes, because the hand in mine
is that of my most trusted friend.
Riccardo!
The Count!
Your genie
did not tell you who I am ?
...nor that today
you were to be banished.
I?
Silence; take this.
You are magnanimous, but among them
there is a traitor.
...Perhaps more than one.
- Great God!
Long live Riccardo!
What voices are these?
Viva!
Move quickly, if it is he,
our friend and father.
All of you, bow down with me,
and sing the hymn of our faith.
O son of England,
beloved of this land,
rule in happiness, for health
and glory smile upon you!
Can I nurse suspicion within my breast,
...when a thousand hearts
exult in dying for me?
The proudest laurel,
more precious than treasure,
shall be entwined upon your
brow by gratitude and faith.
Evil fortune forever hovers
even over the greatest triumph,
...in which a hypercritical Fate
conceals an evil end.
He does not believe his fate,
yet he shall die of his wounds;
he laughed at my prophecy.
But he has a foot in the grave.
Here is the horrid field where crime
and death are joined together!
There, the columns,
there the plants, green their base.
I shall go on.
Ah, my heart is chilled!
Everything, even the sound of my own step,
...fills me with terror!
And if I should die?
To die!
If such should be my fate,
my duty, then let it some..
...So be it.
When I have plucked the herb,
...with my own hand, from its arid stem,
when from my troubled mind
...that dear image will have been effaced,
...what is left, once love is dead?
Oh! Who is weeping, what power,
what power holds me back,
barring my way on this fearful road?
Courage now
Oh poor heart, be of stone,
do not betray me, nor yield to tears,
...of cease to beat,
...and die,
crumble to nothingness!
Midnight!
Ah, what do I see?
A head rises up from beneath the earth ? and sigh!
In its eyes, anger flashes,
and it stares at me ?
silent, terrible.
Ah, help me, give me strength,
o Lord, mercy on a suffering heart!
I am with you.
Great God!
- Be calm!
- Ah! What do you fear?
Ah, leave me ?I am a victim, sobbing before you.
..Save at least my name ?
Or shame and suffering will kill me.
I leave you? No never;
I cannot, because within my breast
an eternal love burns for you.
My lord, take pity on me.
You speak so to one who adores you?
You ask pity? You are still trembling?
Your name shall never be sullied,
nor honour.
But Riccardo, I am another?s ?
I belong to your dearest friend
Do not say it, Amelia.
I belong to him
who would give his life for you.
Ah, cruel woman, and you remind me,
you repeat it to me now!
Do you not see that if remorse
corrodes and cuts my soul,
...I cannot hear, nor heed its cry,
so long as my soul is full of love?
You do not know what would be left of you
...if your heart should cease to beat!
How many sleepless nights, I have longed for you?
How long I have struggled in my anguish!
how many times have I prayed to heaven
...for that pity which now you ask from me!
But in spite of all this, have I ever known
a moment?s peace without you?
Ah, heaven, comfort the anguish
of one who lies between disgrace and death:
Merciful God, shine Thy light on the gate
of salvation, guide my erring step.
Go, now ? let me not hear you, leave me.
I belong to him who gave his blood for you.
My life, the world,
for one word ?
Merciful heaven!
Tell me you love me ?
Riccardo, go!
One word ?
Yes, I love you.
You love me, Amelia!
But you, in your nobility,
You love me, Amelia!
- ...protect me from my heart!
You love me!
Oh, let remorse, friendship, be destroyed
within my breast:
let all be dead,
all except my love!
Oh, how sweet the thrill
which fills my heart!
ah, let me hear you speak those words again!
star of this darkness,
to whom, I dedicate my heart
...shine your lovelight on me,
then day need never come again!
Ah, on this melancholy bed,
where I yearned to quench it,
...this love returns, more overpowering,
this love which wounded me!
Why is it not granted me
to pour out my soul to him?
Or, if not, at least to sleep
forever here, in death.
Amelia! You love me, Amelia?
You love me?
Yes,
I love you.
But you, in your nobility..
You love me, Amelia?
...protect me from my heart.
- Shine your lovelight on me.
Alas! Someone is coming.
Who comes to this
Place of death?...
Ah, I am not mistaken!
- Renato!
- My husband!
You, here?
To save you from those who,
in hiding above, would ambush you
- Who are they?
Conspirators.
Oh heaven!
I ran past, wrapped in my cloak;
they took me for one of themselves.
I heard someone call out, ?I?ve seen him;
It?s Riccardo,
'with an unknown beauty.?
Then another said, ?A brief conquest!
since he dies, if my swift hand
''...succeeds in ending his tender embrace.?
I am dying!
Take heart.
Here, take this.
Take care, the way to safety is over there.
I must save you.
Wretched me! Go ?
But you would only expose him, madame,
to their pitiless daggers!
Please, escape alone!
And leave you here?
The road is still open to you ? flee
And leave you alone,
here, with him?
No, never! I would sooner die.
Either you escape or I will remove my veil.
What are you saying?
Decide.
Desist.
You must.
If it be granted me to save him,
..I shall never fear my cruel fate again
My friend, I entrust you with a delicate mission:
Let the love you bear me be your warrant.
Affidati, imponi
Promise me, swear
that you will take her veiled, to the town,
without speaking to her, or looking at her.
I swear.
And that once at the gates, you will go
alone in the opposite direction.
I swear it
Do you hear the sombre tones
of death sounding in the night?
From up there, among the black rocks,
the enemy?s signal has been given.
Wrath is burning in their breasts,
they are coming down, encircling you,
their fury is directed full upon you ?
for mercy?s sake, go, fly from here.
Flee, flee; down over the horrid trail,
I hear their pitiless step advancing.
And each of the impious ruffians
brandishes a dagger in his hand.
Go, save yourself, or the pass
will soon be closed;
go save yourself: the life you would throw away
is the life of the people.
Go, flee, go!
Traitors, conspirators, these men
who threaten my life?
Ah, I too am a traitor to my friend ?
it is I who have wounded his heart.
Were I innocent, I should challenge them.
Now, guilty of love, I must flee.
May the mercy of the Lord be upon her,
protecting her life!
Follow me.
O God!
Why do you tremble?
You can trust in me.
Let a friend?s voice
encourage you!
Here they come.
- Quick! Lean against me.
I am dying.
...Let us fall upon him,
the hour at last has struck.
The rising sun
...will find his corpse.
Do you see his goddess
there all veiled in white?
Let us plunge him from heaven
into hell.
Who goes there?
That?s no he.
Oh, fury!
It is not his lordship
No, it is I
who stand before you.
His trusted friend!
We have been
less fortunate than you;
...we waited in vain
for a beautiful woman?s smile.
I at least should like to see
this goddess? face.
Not one step more: if you dare,
I?ll draw my sword ?
You threaten us?
I do not fear you.
Oh, heaven help us!
Put down sword
Traitors!
Enough of this ?
Then your life
will pay for this insult.
No ? stop!
What! Amelia!
She! His wife!
Oh, heaven! Mercy!
Amelia!
See how, at night, the enamoured hero
comes here to rest with his bride,
...and how in the honeyed moonlight
he lies on a bed of dew!
Ah, ah, ah!
What gossiping there?ll be about this,
what comments we?ll hear in the town!
- This is my reward for saving him!-
To whom, in this ever crueller world,
- He has defiled my wife!-
...can you turn, O wretched Amelia?
- Because of him, I dare not lift my head,
he has destroyed my heart forever!
- Where will you find a compassionate hand
to dry your miserable tears?
Ah, ah, ah!
What gossiping there?ll be about this,
what comments we?ll hear in the town!
Will you meet with me
at my home tomorrow morning?
Are you asking for satisfaction?
No. Something quite different is in my mind.
-What is it?
If you come, you shall know.
We shall not fail.
Let us go, then: each separate
from the others, each by a different way!
Tomorrow morning
will see great things.
Let us go, let us go.
See how the tragedy changed to farce.
Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha!
What gossiping there?ll be
I have sworn to escort you
to the gates of the town.
How like the knell of death
his voice strikes on my heart!
-Let us go! Let us go!
Oh no! Have pity!
For such an offence, tears are useless,
being powerless to efface it or excuse it.
Now all prayers are in vain;
Blood must flow, and you shall die.
But if the guilt, my guilt,
lies only in the fact which accuses me?
-Silence, adulterous woman.
Great God!
Ask Him rather for mercy.
-Does a single suspicion suffice for you?
-And you want to kill me?
You insult me, no longer feeling
justice nor pity?
Blood must flow, and you shall die.
For a moment, it is true, I loved him,
-but I did not disgrace your name.
God knows this, that in my breast
no unworthy passion ever burned.
You have finished;
it is now too late ?
blood must flow, and you shall die.
Ah! You would kill me!
So be it, then.
-One grace I pray ?
Not from me.
Address your prayers to Heaven.
Only one word more to you.
Hear me out,
it will be the last time.
...the last time
I shall die, but first, in kindness,
ah, let me at least
...clasp to my breast
my only child.
And if to your wife
you deny this last favour,
...do not refuse the prayer
of a mother?s heart.
I shall die, but let his kisses
console this body,
...now that the end
has come to my brief life.
Once she is dead by his father?s hand
...let him touch with his hand
...these eyes of a mother
whom he will never see again
Arise; there is your son,
I permit you to see him.
In the darkness and the silence, there,
hide your blushes and my shame.
It is not she, nor her breast that I must strike.
Another?s blood must wash away the sin!
Your blood!
and my dagger,
...avenger of my tears,
You it was who stained that soul;
which was the joy of my own,
...who inspired my trust,
...then loathsomely
poisoned all life for me.
Traitor, who in such a way regarded
the faith of your dearest friend!
Oh sweetness, lost; O memory
of a heavenly embrace,
when Amelia, in her pure beauty,
lay on my breast, in the warmth of love!
All is finished ?
now only hate and death live in my widowed heart!
Oh, sweetness lost,
oh, hope of love!
We are alone.
Listen to me,
I know your plans in full.
You are determined to kill Riccardo.
- You are dreaming.
Here is the proof!
And now you will reveal the plot to his lordship?
No, I want
a part of it.
You are joking.
And not just words;
now, with facts, I shall quiet your suspicions,
I am yours,
in me you will have a tireless comrade
in this bloody work;
my son shall be my warrant.
Kill him if I fail you.
Such a change
is scarcely credible.
You must not try to know the cause,
I am yours,
...by the life of my only son!
He is not lying.
No, he is not lying.
You hesitate.
No more.
The shame of each, then, the shame of it all,
...single that vengeance in our hearts
which shall fall on that damnable head,
tremendous, unappeasable in its fury.
The shame of each, then, the shame of it all,
single that vengeance in our hearts
...which shall fall on that damnable head,
tremendous, unappeasable in its fury.
- I ask only one thing of you.
And that is?
That I may be the one to kill him.
No, Renato:
he took the home
of my forefathers from me; that right is mine.
And to me, whose brother he killed,
...who have been devoured by the anguish
of revenge, ceaselessly, for ten years,
...what part would you give?
Silence.
Only by lot can we decide.
Who is coming?
You?
Oscar has come,
bringing an invitation from his lordship
From him!
Let him wait.
Stay here. You must,
since it seems Heaven has sent you.
What sadness comes over me, what sorrow!
What a flash of terror!
She knows nothing ? have no fear,
on the contrary, she will bring us luck,
There are three names in this vase.
Your hand must choose one.
But why?
Obbedisci: non chieder di pi?
There is no doubt ? a fierce destiny
will have me partner in a murder.
Who, then, is the chosen one?
Renato
My name!
O just fate,
vengeance is granted to me!
Ah! You seek his lordship?s death!
The cruel words did not speak false.
Their daggers, already bared,
flash above his head.
The grief of America shall be paid for
by the traitor whose glory it was.
Let him who has struck fall stricken,
such is his just reward!
Let the messenger enter.
My lord requests
your presence,
...with your husband,
at a masked ball this evening.
I cannot come.
Will his lordship be there too?
Of course
Oh fate!
Such an invitation
is precious, I know.
It will be a magnificent
masked ball.
Splendid!
- She will come with me.
Great God!
We too shall go, if such a masquerade
will hasten the moment of our revenge.
Ah! what brilliance, what music
will fill the mansion
...where the flower of our youth will gather together,
...the blossoms so fair of our beautiful city
And it was I, wretched one,
who drew the pitiless sheet from the
evil urn for my husband in his fury:
My mind depicts him there,
lifeless among the dancers,
staining the floor with his blood
the doer of evil will die,
he shall have no pity from us.
A revenge in masquerade ?
it couldn?t be better,
in the press of the ball,
It will be a funeral dance, attended by pale beauties
If only I could warn him ?
without betraying my husband!
If only I could warn him ?
without betraying my husband!
- You will be Queen of the ball.
What costume shall I wear?
Blue the domino, with a red sash tied in a knot at the
left.
And what will our password be?
Death!
If only I could warn him ?
Death!
Perhaps she has reached home
and is safe at last.
Honour and duty have destroyed the abyss
between us.
Ah yes, Renato will return to England ?
and his wife with him.
Let the great ocean divide us,
with no farewell ?
and let the heart keep silent.
I still hesitate?
But O heaven, must I not?
...Ah, I have signed my sacrifice!
But if I must lose you
forever, light of my life,
...my love will reach you
wherever you may be,
once the memory of you
...is locked inside my heart,
And now what dark misgivings assail my heart,
...with the fatal desire to see you once again ?
as if this were the last hour of our love?
Ah! She is there ?
I could see her once more ?
could speak to her again ?
but no: for now everything has torn me from her.
An unknown lady gave me this letter.
?It is for his lordship,? she said, ?take it to him
secretly.?
It says that during the ball
someone will attempt to kill me.
But if I don?t go then
they will think me a coward.
This, no: no one must even suspect it.
Go ? get ready,
immediately, to attend the ball with me.
Yes, to see you again, Amelia.
...As I look upon your beauty,
once again my heart
...will burn with love.
Love and the dance go on in these joyous halls,
while life is only a fleeting dream.
O night of precious moments,
of romance and of song,
...why dost thou not halt thy flight,
to repose on the wave of pleasure?
There is another of our men.
- ''Death!''
- Yes, death!
It?s useless to wait.
- Useless? Why?
He is elsewhere.
- Oh deceiving fate!
He will escape us forever!
Speak softly; someone is watching us.
-Who is it?
The man to the left, in the short domino.
I shall not leave you,
you disguise yourself badly.
Away with you!
You are Renato.
And you are Oscar.
How rude!
Good enough ? but is it right for you to steal down
to the ball
...while is lordship is asleep?
- He is here
What! Where is he?
- I won?t tell!
A fine thing!
- Find him yourself.
Come, now!
You want to play the same trick on him?
Calm yourself;
can?t you tell me at least how he?s dressed?
...You want to know how he is dressed,
while that is a thing he doesn?t want known
Oscar knows,
but he will not tell,
Tra la la la
la la la la
My heart is aflame,
in a tumult of love,
but I still know how secrets are kept.
Neither rank nor beauty
can make me tell ?
Oscar knows,
but will not tell,
Love and the dance go on
in these joyous halls,
while life is only
a fleeting dream
I know that you know who his friends are.
You want to ask him something,
or joke with him?
Precisely.
And then to betray the person who told you?
You offend me.
Believe me, I know all I need to know.
It?s quite important to you??
There are urgent matters
which I must discuss with him.
It will be
your fault if I don?t succeed.
Well, then!
If you tell me, it?s a favour to him.
He is wearing a black cape,
with a pink ribbon on his chest
One word more.
I have said more than enough.
Love and the dance go on
in these joyous halls,
while life is only
a fleeting dream.
O night of precious moments,
of romance and of song,
...why dost thou not halt thy flight,
to repose on the wave of pleasure?
Ah! Why are you here? Go away
- It was you who sent the letter?
Here you are surrounded by death.
I am not frightened.
Go, go, or you will fall here,
stabbed to death!
- Tell me your name.
Great God! I cannot
Then why do you weep ? plead, so frightened?
Why do you feel such concern for my life?
For your life, I would sacrifice my own!
You cannot hide yourself:
you are that angel, Amelia!
I love you, yes, I love you, and in tears
I fall at your feet,
...here where an unknown dagger
of vengeance is thirsting for your blood.
If you stay here,
tomorrow you will be dead.
Save yourself ? go ? leave me,
fly from those that hate you
As long as you love me, Amelia,
I care nothing for my fate!
I have nothing to save you in my soul,
and the rest of the world is forgotten
Nor am I afraid of death
Because even stronger than death
..Is the breath of your love
which intoxicates me.
Then you insist on seeing me
die of anguish and shame?
I want to save you.
Tomorrow, with Renato, you will go
Where?
To your native land.
To England!
My heart is breaking
but you will leave ? farewell!
Riccardo!
My heart is breaking
- I leave you, Amelia!
Riccardo!
- Once more, farewell!
Once more, farewell!
Farewell!
And this is my farewell to you!
Help!
Oh heaven! He is murdered!
Who did it?
Where is the villain?
There he is!
Renato!
Renato! Ah! Death, infamy
our swords upon him,
our avenging swords!
Death to the traitor!
Death, death to the traitor!
Death, infamy to the traitor!
No, no ? leave him
leave him!
You hate me
She is pure: in the arms of death,
while God hears my words, I swear it.
I, who loved your wife,
respected her purity.
Advanced to a new post,
you were to leave with her ?
I loved her, but would not have
either her heart or your name offended!
Oh, what remorse of love
devours my heart
..between the guilty, bloodied one
and his victim, who lies dying!
What thirst for vengeance and for blood
was inspired by my tragic error!
My thanks to all; I still am ruler here,
any my pardon absolves everyone.
Spare us, merciful God,
so great and generous a heart!
To us wretched ones on earth,
He is a ray of Thy heavenly love!
Addio per sempre, miei figli
He is dying
Farewell, forever, my children ?
farewell ? beloved country
Farewell, forever, my children ? ah ?
Ah! I am dying!
Ah! Ahim?! lo moro!
My children, forever ...
farewell!
Night of horror, night of horror!