The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006–…): Season 7, Episode 11 - Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini - full transcript
Hello, I'm Sondra Radvanovsky.
I'm pleased to be your host
for today's performance of
Ricardo Zandonai's
"Francesca da Rimini,"
a classic Met production
that hasn't been seen on the Met
stage in 27 years.
"Francesca" is a sweeping
melodrama set in medieval Italy,
with a rich, overflowing score
that matches
the intense dramatic action of
its protagonists...
Francesca, our heroine,
drawn from Dante's "Inferno,"
hopelessly and tragically
in love with
the brother of
her husband, Paolo,
her lover trapped by
circumstance and fate...
And her husband Gianciotto,
who will have
his bloody revenge.
Yes, it's just another day
here at the opera.
Ready to tackle the formidable
vocal challenges for their roles
are soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek,
tenor Marcello Giordani,
and baritone Mark Delavan.
Maestro Marco Armiliato
is ready to transport us
to 13th Century Ravenna.
Here is
"Francesca da Rimini."
Maestro to the pit, please.
Maestro to the pit.
Adonella, the minstrel is in the courtyard!
The minstrel! He's come!
Let's make him sing!
Are you that Gianni...?
Sweet ladies....
Are you that Gianni from Bologna?
Or Gordello from Ferrara?
Lovely ladies, do you have a strip of–?
What? A strip of bacon?
Do you have a strip of scarlet?
Are you mocking us?
But are you that Gianni...?
Look how motley his clothes are!
What is in his hand?
A tattered cloak!
So you are Gordello, not Gianni.
–No, he is a Jew.
–Do you peddle silks or songs?
Did you bring us rags or ballads?
Let's see if he can sing.
Come then minstrel, sing us a pretty song.
Lady Francesca knows one that begins:
"So strongly does love hold me captive...."
Do you know it?
I'll sing it if you have some scarlet.
But why do you need scarlet?
We are waiting!
I want you to patch up this doublet.
Oh, this is a fine thing!
You want to mend the doublet with scarlet?
If you have some, please.
One hole here,
and another in the elbow.
Here it is. Do you have two scraps?
We will help you, if you would sing for us.
I know the stories of all the knights
in the time of King Arthur.
I know the story of Tristan
and of Lancelot of the Lake...
of Parsifal of the Holy Grail,
which held our Savior's blood.
And of Galahad and Gawain and the rest.
I know all the romances.
Oh, good for you!
We will tell Francesca about you.
She takes such delight in them.
She will reward you, good minstrel.
How about an advance?
An advance?
An advance of two bits of scarlet cloth.
Our generous lady will give you much more.
Rejoice that she is marrying.
Master Guido has promised
her to a Malatesta.
Meanwhile, tell us a story.
We are all ears.
How Morgan Le Fey sent to Arthur's court...
the shield that foretells the great
love of Tristan and lovely Isolde.
How Isolde and Tristan drank the potion...
which her mother had intended
for her and King Mark...
a potion so perfect it joined
two lovers in one death.
"When the dawn of that day was nigh..."
"King Mark and noble Tristan rose–"
Tell that thief from Puglia
I will wash my hands in his blood!
Ostasio!
My cloak!
Mend my cloak! The scarlet!
Come back tonight.
It will be ready.
Why are you here, you scoundrel?
Were you speaking with the women?
Do you serve Paolo Malatesta?
Answer!
My lord, you are hurting me!
Did you come here with Paolo?
–No, my lord.
–You lie!
What did you say to the women?
Did you speak of the handsome Paolo?
No, my lord, only of Tristan.
You never served the Malatesta family?
No, never, my lord.
Then you don't know Paolo the Fair?
Unfortunately, I do not know him.
These minstrels and courtiers are
the plague of Romagna...
worse than the emperor's rabble.
They have the tongues of gossiping women.
They go about spreading rumors and news.
If he served the Malatestas,
he might have told the ladies about Paolo.
The plan you devised
would have been in vain, Master Toldo...
wise man that you are.
He is too ragged ever to have served
so lordly a knight as Paolo.
Paolo is generous to his retainers,
but you did well to shut him up.
Surely there is no peace for us
until this wedding is over with.
I fear, Master Toldo,
there may be a scandal.
You know your sister and
how proud and noble she is.
If she sees Giovanni,
so monstrous and lame...
with his eyes like a fiery devil's...
if she sees him before
the marriage contract is signed...
neither you nor your father
could make her agree to marry him.
If you still want this match...
you have no other path to take
but the one I have shown you.
Since Paolo Malatesta is here
to represent his brother Giovanni...
with full authority to arrange
his brother's marriage to Francesca...
I suggest you proceed
to the wedding with no delay...
if you want any peace of mind.
You are right, Master Toldo.
Time to put an end to this.
This very night my father is
returning from Valdoppio.
We must see to it that everything is ready.
Very well, my lord Ostasio.
Come with me, Master Toldo.
Paolo Malatesta is waiting.
Alas! Alas!
Alas, the trials of a
heart that loves too well!
Alas, my life has more
sorrow than I can tell!
It is love that makes them sing.
Alas, the bitter suffering
that grips this heart!
Like water flowing along
until the eye loses sight of it...
so it is with my soul.
Alas, the stabbing sorrow of my life!
Ah, me!
Francesca, where are you going?
Who is stealing you from me?
Ah, I was daydreaming.
Oh, sister, sister.
Listen to me.
Stay with me!
Stay here where we were born!
Don't leave.
Don't abandon me!
Let me keep my little bed beside yours!
Let me feel you near me at night.
He is here!
Who? Who is taking you away from me?
He is here, sister.
He has no name, no face.
We have never seen him.
It may be that I have seen him.
You? When?
I have never been apart from you.
We are as one.
I have never seen but with your eyes.
Where could you have seen him without me?
Peace, dear soul, my little dove!
Why are you so troubled?
Peace. Be calm.
Soon enough your day will come.
You will leave our nest.
Never again in my dreams
will I hear you run to the window.
No, never again will I see you,
barefoot and running...
running toward the
window, my little dove!
Never again will I hear you say to me...
"Francesca, the morning star
has chased away the Pleiades."
And so will we die,
and so will we live, alas.
And time will fly away,
fly away forever!
Oh, Francesca, you so hurt my heart.
And look, you're making me
tremble with fright.
My lady Francesca!
Who wants me?
Come up here. Hurry, my lady!
Come see! Your groom is passing by!
–He is walking through the courtyard.
–My lady Francesca, come!
Hurry!
There he is! There he is!
Oh, most fortunate lady!
He is the handsomest knight in the world.
So tall and graceful!
He walks like a prince!
His smile is dazzling!
Haven't you seen him?
How happy is she who will kiss his mouth!
Be silent!
He's gone.
He's passing under the portico.
The bowl of dates, so leafy and sweet...
and sweet is my love. Ah, what will you do?
My lady weeps.
She is weeping!
Why weeping?
Because her heart is sick with joy.
He has struck a blow to her heart.
She is beautiful, as is he, the Malatesta!
Oh, Francesca, dear soul!
Whom have you seen? Who is it?
Whom have I seen?
Take me, dear sister,
take me with you now!
Lead me to my room
and close the shutters.
Give me a little shade,
a little water.
Lay me down on your little bed.
Pull a cover over me.
Make a silence of all this shouting.
Bring a silence to calm me...
to calm all the tumult in my soul!
He is coming, Lady Francesca!
He is coming through the garden.
No! Do not let him near me!
Run, go out to meet him.
Tell him I greet him.
He is here! He is at the gate!
Over the land of May...
the archer goes forth to seek his prey.
At a feast of fears...
in a distant land,
a heart is finding its way.
In a distant land....
At the end of the first act,
Francesca and Paolo
fell instantly in love
without even exchanging a word.
As the next act begins,
the tragedy of the story
is revealed.
Francesca is trapped in
a loveless marriage
to Paolo's brother, Gianciotto.
Here is Act II.
Are the fields around
the castle still empty?
As bare as my shield.
Still no one in sight.
Berlingerio!
Who is that?
Oh, my lady Francesca!
Has my lord Giovanni
come up to the tower yet?
Not yet, my lady.
We expect him soon.
And no one else?
No one else, my lady.
Who is coming up the stairs?
Perhaps Master Giovanni.
Who is it? Who are you?
Paolo!
Francesca!
Give the signal, Paolo.
Don't be afraid for me.
Let me stay and hear the crossbows firing.
You must give me a fine helmet,
my lord and brother-in-law.
I will.
Have you just returned from Cesena?
I returned today.
You are a little paler, it seems to me.
No medicine for me,
and no herbs to heal me, sister.
I had a healing herb in that garden
where you came one day...
clothed in what the
world would call "Fraud."
I did not see the herb,
nor did I know where I was...
nor who had led me that way.
I saw only a rose...
that offered me my very life.
And I heard a youthful song in the air.
I looked at the dawn and what I saw...
was shame and horror.
The shame and horror are mine!
Dawn's light did not find me sleeping.
Peace had fled...
fled the soul of Paolo Malatesta...
and it will never return.
Never.
How would you have me die?
Like a galley-slave rowing a ship
named "Despair"....
That is how you must die.
Ah, what is happening?
The signal! The bell of Santa Columba!
Fire! Fire! Long live Malatesta!
Long live our lord
Malatesta and the Guelfs!
Death to the Lord Parcitade
and the Ghibellines!
Death!
Here is the helmet you wanted.
Paolo!
Give me a crossbow!
Paolo!
A crossbow! An arrow!
Ah, Francesca, go back!
This is madness!
No, you are a madman! You!
I was meant to die!
Not now! This is not the hour!
Yes, it is, if you will but watch me die...
and lift my head
from the dust with your hands.
Raise the portcullis!
This ordeal is the sentence of God–
His thunderbolt!
Brother in God, you have
the stain of fraud on your soul...
let it be forgiven by a great love.
Ah, Ugolino, I have you now!
Ugolino Cignatta has fallen from his horse!
He is dead!
Victory is ours!
Oh, God!
Paolo, how can this be?
There is no blood.
Not a drop of blood on your head!
You are still alive!
I am not dying, Francesca!
The arrow did not touch me.
Saved! You must kneel!
But your hands have touched me...
and my broken heart
no longer has the strength to live.
I have only lived because of you.
Kneel! Give thanks to God!
All my courage
rushes into my pounding heart...
but I am restrained
by my forbidden love.
Lost! You are lost!
Say you are mad!
Your poor soul does not understand
what you are saying.
Long live Giovanni Malatesta!
My God, you pathetic mob!
You craven thieves!
I have a mind to dump you all
in the river like dead cattle.
How dare you carry on so!
We have a giant cauldron to deal with.
Berlingerio, where is my brother Paolo?
Here. I am here, Giovanni.
It was I who shot from the tower.
So sure a shot could only
have come from a Malatesta.
Paolo, I bring you good news!
Francesca!
Greetings, my lord.
You bring news of victory.
Dear lady, why are you here
in such a place?
You must be thirsty.
Yes, very thirsty.
Smaragdi, bring some wine.
Why, my lady,
did you think of my thirst?
My dear lady!
Here, drink.
It is wine from Chios.
My thanks, but you take the first sip.
It is so sweet to see your face
again after the battle.
And to receive from you
a cup of strong wine...
and to drink it down.
Like that! It warms my heart.
And Paolo?
Paolo, come!
Are you not thirsty?
Leave the crossbow for a cup of wine.
My lady, pour a cup for
him and drink from it...
to do him honor and
hail the great archer.
I have already greeted him.
–When?
–When he was shooting.
Drink, my kinsman...
from the cup your brother drank from.
God grant good fortune...
to both of you, and to me!
Oh, horror!
See there? It is Malatestino.
You can see by the torches. They are
carrying Malatestino in their arms.
They are bringing his corpse to his father.
Horror!
Francesca, he is not dead!
He is breathing.
His heart still beats!
Look! He is coming to.
The blow has only stunned him.
He is coming around.
The stone was thrown by
hand and not by a sling.
Come, it is nothing.
Malatestino!
Here, drink, little brother!
He will escape!
The prison is not secure!
He will find a way to escape!
Father, give me leave to cut his throat.
I captured him for you!
Malatestino, do you not recognize me?
Montagna is under guard.
He will not run away from you.
Giovanni, where am I?
Oh, my sister-in-law...
and you as well!
Something is wrong with my eye.
A stone struck you there.
Are you in great pain?
Stone the Ghibellines!
Let them know what pain feels like!
Give me a bandage and something to drink.
Mount your horses!
–Can you see?
–One eye is enough.
Long live Malatestino Malatesta!
To your horses!
The boiling cauldron!
Is everything ready?
Ready! Prepare to let it go!
Victory to Malatesta!
Long live the Guelfs!
Fire! Fire!
Death to Parcitade!
Death to the Ghibellines!
Death! Death!
Victory to the Malatestas!
At the end of the previous act,
Francesca was torn
between duty and love.
When the curtain goes up
she yearns for Paolo,
but their next encounter will be
the beginning of their end.
Here is Act III.
And Galahad says,
"Lady, have pity on him."
"I will," she says,
"As much pity as you wish..."
"but he has asked nothing more of me."
My lady, how could Sir Lancelot
have been so shy?
And the poor queen, longing to give
what he will not ask for!
She should have said: "O valiant knight,
your sadness will not help you at all."
Adonella, hush!
I am tired of listening to your chatter.
Smaragdi, has the falcon returned?
He must have lost his way, my lady.
It was not wise to untie his leash.
Adonella, run to the falconer
and tell him what has happened.
Tell him to search everywhere.
"Fresh in the first days of spring..."
"come the swallows from beyond the sea."
Oh, yes, Biancofiore, music!
Find Simonetto the minstrel.
Yes, my lady.
And I want a garland of violets.
Today is the first day of spring.
You shall have one,
my lady, a lovely one.
Go with God.
Smaragdi, he has not returned.
He is not coming back, my lady.
Do not grieve.
Ah, Smaragdi...
what wine did you bring me
that night in the tower...
when the city was under siege?
Was it bewitched?
My lady, what do you mean?
It is as if you brought me
wine that was drugged.
The poison took hold of those who drank it.
Fate has turned cruelly against me.
Trample me! Stone me!
Rise!
It is not your fault, my poor Smaragdi.
Not your fault.
Ah, my poor reason, be steady.
Do not fail me!
I feel possessed.
Some demon has a hold on me.
Ah! I cannot pray.
I do not even remember how to pray.
Shall I call him?
Who?
Did you see Master Giovanni
mount his horse?
Yes, my lady, with an old man
and with Master Malatestino.
I am afraid of him!
Protect me from him!
Afraid of whom, my lady?
I fear Malatestino.
Is it his blind eye that frightens you?
No, the other one.
The one that sees.
It is terrible.
Oh, my lady, do not despair.
Listen.
I can cast a curse on him whom you fear.
And I know a potion that banishes
these thoughts and cures the memory.
I will teach you the spell.
We have the singers for the ball...
and the players–
lute, dulcet pipes, and flute!
And here is the garland of violets.
May it chase away your melancholy.
Today is the first day of spring!
To sing is to dance,
to dance is to sing!
Play, Simonetto!
March comes and February
goes with the wind.
Take off the drab and don your finery.
Let us step across the flooded streams...
under the branching
trees that lean above...
dancing and singing
in the company of fleet-footed lovers.
Let us gather violets in the fields...
where the grass smells sweeter...
because her feet have touched it,
the naked feet of Spring.
O creature of delight...
lead the dance in garments
black and white...
as is your custom.
Make your dwelling
here in this exquisite chamber...
where in daylight or dusky night...
the story of Isolde,
the flower of Ireland, is told.
This will be your garland,
your nest, with no regret.
The fair lady who lies here
is not Francesca...
but Spring herself!
Go gaily to the courtyard
until evening falls.
Lead the way, Adonella.
Happy the spring!
No, Smaragdi, no!
Run and tell him not to come!
Smaragdi!
Welcome, my lord and kinsman.
I have come,
having heard the music...
to bring my greetings...
greetings on my return.
You have returned speedily,
with the first swallow.
My women have just sung a ballad
to greet the spring.
Of you, Francesca,
I have had no news.
I have heard nothing of you
since that perilous night...
when you offered me a cup of wine...
and said to me,
"Farewell! Good fortune be yours!"
I have no memory of that, sir.
I have prayed much.
You do not remember?
I have prayed much.
And I have suffered much.
Paolo, give me peace!
It is so sweet a thing
to live forgetting...
if only for an hour...
away from the tempest
that nearly destroyed us.
Do not bring back
the shadow of that time...
now that this clear light
has calmed my spirit.
I have found peace in this sea
that was so savage yesterday...
and today is like a pearl.
Give me peace!
Garlanded in violets,
you appeared to me yesterday in a dream.
In a meadow where I found myself alone...
pausing in my journey,
away from my escort.
You appeared with violets...
and on your lips were
the words you had once spoken.
"I pardon you, and with great love."
I did say that, and upon those words
awaits perfect joy.
Now sit here by the window.
Sit here. Tell me about yourself.
How have you lived?
Why ask me to recall the misery of my life?
All that was joy to
others was sorrow to me.
Daylight was an enemy...
and night a friend.
There, in the silence of my being...
from the depths of eternal suffering...
like a spring that quenches thirst...
like a rekindled flame...
I found freshness and flame,
relief and wound, now a blazing torch...
now a silver lamp...
in the vision that hovered over me...
as if to feed upon my constant vigil.
When it vanished with the waning stars...
it was no longer fire or water.
It was your face.
Your face that gazed upon my sorrow.
Paolo, if you were forgiven...
why does guilt still gleam in your eyes?
Ah, I feel it is fading
beneath the burning shame...
our beloved spring!
Why are you taking
the garland from your head?
It has lost its freshness.
Ah, the first words that meet my eye!
Galahad says:
"Lady, take pity on Lancelot."
"I will," she says,
"As much pity as you wish..."
"but he has asked nothing more of me."
Will you continue?
Look how the sea
is growing white with light!
Will you read a few pages
with me, Francesca?
"Certainly, my lady,"
Galahad then says.
"He is not so ardent that he dares ask
for anything to do with love..."
"because he is fearful."
And she says....
Will you now read what she says?
Will you be Guinevere?
"Certainly...."
"Certainly," she says,
"I promise it."
"But let him be my own and I all his."
"Let everything that
was evil be made right."
Enough, Paolo!
No! Read on! Continue!
"And the queen sees that the knight..."
"has not the courage
to do anything more."
"She takes him in her arms..."
"and slowly kisses his mouth."
Francesca!
No, Paolo!
At the end of the previous act,
Francesca and Paolo have
sealed their love with a kiss.
But in this tragic tale,
their rapture
will be short-lived.
Here is the fateful conclusion
of "Francesca da Rimini."
Why are you acting so strangely?
You are greedy for blood,
always wary, everyone's enemy.
In your voice there is a dark menace.
Where were you born?
Did your mother not nurse you?
And how young you are!
You infuriate me.
The very thought of you provokes me.
My blood boils.
I will hold you at last!
Do not touch me, you madman.
I will call for your brother.
Leave me! I pity you.
You are a perverse creature.
Whom would you call for?
Your brother.
Which one?
Who is screaming?
Did you hear that?
One who has to die.
Ah, I can no longer bear it!
Even at night, he howls like a wolf.
The howling even haunts my chambers.
Listen to me.
Giovanni leaves this evening
for the town hall in Pesaro.
You have prepared
provisions for his journey.
Listen.
I can give him food for another journey.
What do you mean?
Are you threatening me?
Are you plotting to betray your brother?
Betrayal!
I would think, dear sister-in-law,
such a word would scorch your lips.
I see your lips are unscathed,
but a little paler.
I must have been wrong.
How he cries! What new torture
have you found for him?
Stop tormenting him!
I cannot bear
to hear him scream any longer.
Very well then, I will go.
I will see to it that
you have a quiet night...
a deep sleep.
An untroubled sleep...
because tonight you will sleep alone.
What are you doing, Malatestino?
I am doing justice to your wish,
dear sister-in-law.
You are going to kill him?
Too long, you have lived too long...
you wild beast!
Francesca, listen!
Let your hand just touch mine...
let your hair fall over
me, over my fever.
O horror! Horror!
Let what happens now be your bidding!
Sister-in-law, sleep well!
An untroubled sleep....
My dear lady, you are waiting up for me?
Why are you trembling, and so pale?
You are cold, as if with fear.
Why?
Malatestino barely entered the room
before I heard the prisoner's screams.
Seeing my distress, he became enraged
and suddenly fled through there...
armed with an axe,
resolved to kill him.
He is ferocious, that brother of yours.
He hates me.
Why do you say that?
I do not know. It seems so.
Has he shown you ill will?
He is a boy,
and like a young mastiff...
he needs to bite.
Come, my lord...
some food and drink before you leave.
Perhaps Malatestino....
Come, why brood on what was lightly said?
Come, refresh yourself.
Will you be traveling along the coast?
You will ride in the evening coolness...
just before midnight, as the moon rises.
And when will you arrive in Pesaro?
Tomorrow, at three.
Will you stay there long
before returning home?
It is done.
Do not be frightened, my lady.
You will have your silence now.
May God so take the heads
of all our enemies.
Malatestino is back.
I do not want to see him.
Who has shut the grating?
Kinswoman, are you there?
Have you locked me out?
Wait, I will open it for you.
Giovanni! Open it and I will give you
a ripe fruit for your journey.
A sweet September fig.
How heavy it is!
Hurry!
I am coming!
Take this, brother. Put it back.
Was your wife with you?
She was.
What do you want with her?
Then you know what fruit
I bring to the table.
Did you not fear to disobey our father?
Feel how much it weighs! Feel it!
How hot it is!
Give me something to drink.
Are you angry with me?
Don't be angry at me, Giovanni.
I am loyal to you.
You are called the Lame One,
and I am the One-Eyed...
but it is Paolo the Fair.
You are babbling on.
Stop drinking. Answer me.
What have you done to Francesca?
Me? What has she told you?
You have turned pale.
What did she say?
Answer me!
I... I cannot answer you.
Beware, Malatestino!
Woe to anyone who touches my wife!
And if one brother sees that another
is touching his brother's wife...
and is incensed and
tries to wipe out the shame...
tell me...
has he sinned?
And if, for this, he is accused
of harboring ill thoughts...
ill thoughts against the woman...
then tell me...
is that a just accusation?
Malatestino, scourge of hell...
if you do not wish to have me
gouge out your other eye...
through which your filthy soul
offends the world, speak now.
Speak!
Were you not surprised when
someone who left here in December...
suddenly abandoned
his posting in Florence...
and returned here by February?
Paolo? No, no! Not so.
Malatestino, come here!
–Are you certain? Have you seen it?
–Yes.
–How? When?
–I have seen him enter...
–Enter where?
–Enter her room.
That is not enough.
He is her brother-in-law. He may visit her.
At night?
Don't hurt me, for God's sake!
Not so hard! Let me go!
Have I heard you right?
You said... say it again.
Yes, at night.
I have seen him at night.
I will crush you if you are lying.
He enters at night and leaves at dawn.
Would you like to see it yourself?
I must, if you want to escape my iron fist.
Then, tonight?
Tonight.
Dreams caress her.
She is sleeping.
Yes, sleeping.
How beautiful she is!
For this night, my lady
has asked for no singing.
She is tired.
The prisoner is no longer crying out.
Master Malatestino has cut off his head.
Is that true?
Yes, today, before vespers.
How do you know?
Smaragdi told me.
Now they are riding
along the coast, under the stars...
with the severed head.
One can breathe in this house again...
now that they are not here,
the lame one and the blind one.
No, no, it is not I!
They are biting me! Help!
They are tearing my heart!
Help me, Paolo!
My lady! We are here.
See, my lady, we are here.
Do not be afraid.
It is no one. We are here.
No one is harming you, my lady.
What have I said?
Did I call out?
God, what have I done?
You have had a bad dream, my lady.
It is over now.
We are here.
Everything is calm now.
Is it late?
Perhaps four in the morning.
My lady, do you want your hair
readied for the night?
No, I am not sleepy.
I will wait.
Loosen your shoes?
The perfumes?
No, I will stay as I am.
I am no longer sleepy.
Go, go. I will read.
Bring me a candle, Garsenda.
Go now. You are all so pale!
O Biancofiore, dear one!
You cannot reach
the flame to light your lamp.
You are the gentlest
of them all, little dove!
Come!
How sweet you are!
So like my sister, Samaritana.
Do you remember Samaritana?
Yes, my lady.
Such sweetness cannot be forgotten.
I have kept her in my heart,
with the angels.
She was sweet, my sister.
Is that not true, Biancofiore?
If only she were here tonight...
pushing her little bed beside mine!
You are weeping, my lady.
She, too, was easily frightened.
I heard her heart pound as she said:
"O sister, listen to me!"
"Stay here with me."
"Stay here where we were born."
"Do not leave me!
Do not abandon me!"
"Do not forsake me!"
My lady, you pierce my heart.
You are seized by such melancholy.
Go, do not weep.
You are so gentle.
Light your lamp, and go with God.
Go. No tears now.
Let all sad thoughts vanish.
Sing for me tomorrow.
Go now!
God keep you, my lady!
Whatever happens now, it was destined!
Smaragdi!
Francesca!
Paolo!
Life of my life!
Never was my desire for you
more overwhelming!
In my heart I felt the bright spirit
in your eyes fading.
My strength ebbed away into the night.
In my breast a terrible
rush of blood overcame me...
and fear took hold of my heart!
Forgive me!
A deep sleep came over me
and broke my soul like a stem.
I seemed to lie lost on the stones.
Forgive me, my tender friend.
You have awakened me,
and freed me from all anguish.
It is not yet dawn.
The stars have not drowned in the sea.
Summer is not over...
and you are still mine.
I am all yours.
This is the perfect joy,
the passion of our life!
You are shivering.
The door is open and
the breath of night blows in.
Do you not feel it?
Come, Francesca!
Long hours of happiness lie before us.
I will take you where all is oblivion.
–Kiss my eyes, my brow...
–Night and day will mingle...
–...my cheek, throat, wrists, fingers.
–...on earth as on a pillow.
–Take me, take me!
–Time will lose its power.
–Take my soul and pour it out!
–Time will be our slave!
Give me your mouth!
Again! Again!
Open this door, Francesca!
Courage!
I will escape through the trapdoor
while you let him in.
Open up, Francesca! Upon your life!
Let him go!
Take me!
Take me!
I'm pleased to be your host
for today's performance of
Ricardo Zandonai's
"Francesca da Rimini,"
a classic Met production
that hasn't been seen on the Met
stage in 27 years.
"Francesca" is a sweeping
melodrama set in medieval Italy,
with a rich, overflowing score
that matches
the intense dramatic action of
its protagonists...
Francesca, our heroine,
drawn from Dante's "Inferno,"
hopelessly and tragically
in love with
the brother of
her husband, Paolo,
her lover trapped by
circumstance and fate...
And her husband Gianciotto,
who will have
his bloody revenge.
Yes, it's just another day
here at the opera.
Ready to tackle the formidable
vocal challenges for their roles
are soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek,
tenor Marcello Giordani,
and baritone Mark Delavan.
Maestro Marco Armiliato
is ready to transport us
to 13th Century Ravenna.
Here is
"Francesca da Rimini."
Maestro to the pit, please.
Maestro to the pit.
Adonella, the minstrel is in the courtyard!
The minstrel! He's come!
Let's make him sing!
Are you that Gianni...?
Sweet ladies....
Are you that Gianni from Bologna?
Or Gordello from Ferrara?
Lovely ladies, do you have a strip of–?
What? A strip of bacon?
Do you have a strip of scarlet?
Are you mocking us?
But are you that Gianni...?
Look how motley his clothes are!
What is in his hand?
A tattered cloak!
So you are Gordello, not Gianni.
–No, he is a Jew.
–Do you peddle silks or songs?
Did you bring us rags or ballads?
Let's see if he can sing.
Come then minstrel, sing us a pretty song.
Lady Francesca knows one that begins:
"So strongly does love hold me captive...."
Do you know it?
I'll sing it if you have some scarlet.
But why do you need scarlet?
We are waiting!
I want you to patch up this doublet.
Oh, this is a fine thing!
You want to mend the doublet with scarlet?
If you have some, please.
One hole here,
and another in the elbow.
Here it is. Do you have two scraps?
We will help you, if you would sing for us.
I know the stories of all the knights
in the time of King Arthur.
I know the story of Tristan
and of Lancelot of the Lake...
of Parsifal of the Holy Grail,
which held our Savior's blood.
And of Galahad and Gawain and the rest.
I know all the romances.
Oh, good for you!
We will tell Francesca about you.
She takes such delight in them.
She will reward you, good minstrel.
How about an advance?
An advance?
An advance of two bits of scarlet cloth.
Our generous lady will give you much more.
Rejoice that she is marrying.
Master Guido has promised
her to a Malatesta.
Meanwhile, tell us a story.
We are all ears.
How Morgan Le Fey sent to Arthur's court...
the shield that foretells the great
love of Tristan and lovely Isolde.
How Isolde and Tristan drank the potion...
which her mother had intended
for her and King Mark...
a potion so perfect it joined
two lovers in one death.
"When the dawn of that day was nigh..."
"King Mark and noble Tristan rose–"
Tell that thief from Puglia
I will wash my hands in his blood!
Ostasio!
My cloak!
Mend my cloak! The scarlet!
Come back tonight.
It will be ready.
Why are you here, you scoundrel?
Were you speaking with the women?
Do you serve Paolo Malatesta?
Answer!
My lord, you are hurting me!
Did you come here with Paolo?
–No, my lord.
–You lie!
What did you say to the women?
Did you speak of the handsome Paolo?
No, my lord, only of Tristan.
You never served the Malatesta family?
No, never, my lord.
Then you don't know Paolo the Fair?
Unfortunately, I do not know him.
These minstrels and courtiers are
the plague of Romagna...
worse than the emperor's rabble.
They have the tongues of gossiping women.
They go about spreading rumors and news.
If he served the Malatestas,
he might have told the ladies about Paolo.
The plan you devised
would have been in vain, Master Toldo...
wise man that you are.
He is too ragged ever to have served
so lordly a knight as Paolo.
Paolo is generous to his retainers,
but you did well to shut him up.
Surely there is no peace for us
until this wedding is over with.
I fear, Master Toldo,
there may be a scandal.
You know your sister and
how proud and noble she is.
If she sees Giovanni,
so monstrous and lame...
with his eyes like a fiery devil's...
if she sees him before
the marriage contract is signed...
neither you nor your father
could make her agree to marry him.
If you still want this match...
you have no other path to take
but the one I have shown you.
Since Paolo Malatesta is here
to represent his brother Giovanni...
with full authority to arrange
his brother's marriage to Francesca...
I suggest you proceed
to the wedding with no delay...
if you want any peace of mind.
You are right, Master Toldo.
Time to put an end to this.
This very night my father is
returning from Valdoppio.
We must see to it that everything is ready.
Very well, my lord Ostasio.
Come with me, Master Toldo.
Paolo Malatesta is waiting.
Alas! Alas!
Alas, the trials of a
heart that loves too well!
Alas, my life has more
sorrow than I can tell!
It is love that makes them sing.
Alas, the bitter suffering
that grips this heart!
Like water flowing along
until the eye loses sight of it...
so it is with my soul.
Alas, the stabbing sorrow of my life!
Ah, me!
Francesca, where are you going?
Who is stealing you from me?
Ah, I was daydreaming.
Oh, sister, sister.
Listen to me.
Stay with me!
Stay here where we were born!
Don't leave.
Don't abandon me!
Let me keep my little bed beside yours!
Let me feel you near me at night.
He is here!
Who? Who is taking you away from me?
He is here, sister.
He has no name, no face.
We have never seen him.
It may be that I have seen him.
You? When?
I have never been apart from you.
We are as one.
I have never seen but with your eyes.
Where could you have seen him without me?
Peace, dear soul, my little dove!
Why are you so troubled?
Peace. Be calm.
Soon enough your day will come.
You will leave our nest.
Never again in my dreams
will I hear you run to the window.
No, never again will I see you,
barefoot and running...
running toward the
window, my little dove!
Never again will I hear you say to me...
"Francesca, the morning star
has chased away the Pleiades."
And so will we die,
and so will we live, alas.
And time will fly away,
fly away forever!
Oh, Francesca, you so hurt my heart.
And look, you're making me
tremble with fright.
My lady Francesca!
Who wants me?
Come up here. Hurry, my lady!
Come see! Your groom is passing by!
–He is walking through the courtyard.
–My lady Francesca, come!
Hurry!
There he is! There he is!
Oh, most fortunate lady!
He is the handsomest knight in the world.
So tall and graceful!
He walks like a prince!
His smile is dazzling!
Haven't you seen him?
How happy is she who will kiss his mouth!
Be silent!
He's gone.
He's passing under the portico.
The bowl of dates, so leafy and sweet...
and sweet is my love. Ah, what will you do?
My lady weeps.
She is weeping!
Why weeping?
Because her heart is sick with joy.
He has struck a blow to her heart.
She is beautiful, as is he, the Malatesta!
Oh, Francesca, dear soul!
Whom have you seen? Who is it?
Whom have I seen?
Take me, dear sister,
take me with you now!
Lead me to my room
and close the shutters.
Give me a little shade,
a little water.
Lay me down on your little bed.
Pull a cover over me.
Make a silence of all this shouting.
Bring a silence to calm me...
to calm all the tumult in my soul!
He is coming, Lady Francesca!
He is coming through the garden.
No! Do not let him near me!
Run, go out to meet him.
Tell him I greet him.
He is here! He is at the gate!
Over the land of May...
the archer goes forth to seek his prey.
At a feast of fears...
in a distant land,
a heart is finding its way.
In a distant land....
At the end of the first act,
Francesca and Paolo
fell instantly in love
without even exchanging a word.
As the next act begins,
the tragedy of the story
is revealed.
Francesca is trapped in
a loveless marriage
to Paolo's brother, Gianciotto.
Here is Act II.
Are the fields around
the castle still empty?
As bare as my shield.
Still no one in sight.
Berlingerio!
Who is that?
Oh, my lady Francesca!
Has my lord Giovanni
come up to the tower yet?
Not yet, my lady.
We expect him soon.
And no one else?
No one else, my lady.
Who is coming up the stairs?
Perhaps Master Giovanni.
Who is it? Who are you?
Paolo!
Francesca!
Give the signal, Paolo.
Don't be afraid for me.
Let me stay and hear the crossbows firing.
You must give me a fine helmet,
my lord and brother-in-law.
I will.
Have you just returned from Cesena?
I returned today.
You are a little paler, it seems to me.
No medicine for me,
and no herbs to heal me, sister.
I had a healing herb in that garden
where you came one day...
clothed in what the
world would call "Fraud."
I did not see the herb,
nor did I know where I was...
nor who had led me that way.
I saw only a rose...
that offered me my very life.
And I heard a youthful song in the air.
I looked at the dawn and what I saw...
was shame and horror.
The shame and horror are mine!
Dawn's light did not find me sleeping.
Peace had fled...
fled the soul of Paolo Malatesta...
and it will never return.
Never.
How would you have me die?
Like a galley-slave rowing a ship
named "Despair"....
That is how you must die.
Ah, what is happening?
The signal! The bell of Santa Columba!
Fire! Fire! Long live Malatesta!
Long live our lord
Malatesta and the Guelfs!
Death to the Lord Parcitade
and the Ghibellines!
Death!
Here is the helmet you wanted.
Paolo!
Give me a crossbow!
Paolo!
A crossbow! An arrow!
Ah, Francesca, go back!
This is madness!
No, you are a madman! You!
I was meant to die!
Not now! This is not the hour!
Yes, it is, if you will but watch me die...
and lift my head
from the dust with your hands.
Raise the portcullis!
This ordeal is the sentence of God–
His thunderbolt!
Brother in God, you have
the stain of fraud on your soul...
let it be forgiven by a great love.
Ah, Ugolino, I have you now!
Ugolino Cignatta has fallen from his horse!
He is dead!
Victory is ours!
Oh, God!
Paolo, how can this be?
There is no blood.
Not a drop of blood on your head!
You are still alive!
I am not dying, Francesca!
The arrow did not touch me.
Saved! You must kneel!
But your hands have touched me...
and my broken heart
no longer has the strength to live.
I have only lived because of you.
Kneel! Give thanks to God!
All my courage
rushes into my pounding heart...
but I am restrained
by my forbidden love.
Lost! You are lost!
Say you are mad!
Your poor soul does not understand
what you are saying.
Long live Giovanni Malatesta!
My God, you pathetic mob!
You craven thieves!
I have a mind to dump you all
in the river like dead cattle.
How dare you carry on so!
We have a giant cauldron to deal with.
Berlingerio, where is my brother Paolo?
Here. I am here, Giovanni.
It was I who shot from the tower.
So sure a shot could only
have come from a Malatesta.
Paolo, I bring you good news!
Francesca!
Greetings, my lord.
You bring news of victory.
Dear lady, why are you here
in such a place?
You must be thirsty.
Yes, very thirsty.
Smaragdi, bring some wine.
Why, my lady,
did you think of my thirst?
My dear lady!
Here, drink.
It is wine from Chios.
My thanks, but you take the first sip.
It is so sweet to see your face
again after the battle.
And to receive from you
a cup of strong wine...
and to drink it down.
Like that! It warms my heart.
And Paolo?
Paolo, come!
Are you not thirsty?
Leave the crossbow for a cup of wine.
My lady, pour a cup for
him and drink from it...
to do him honor and
hail the great archer.
I have already greeted him.
–When?
–When he was shooting.
Drink, my kinsman...
from the cup your brother drank from.
God grant good fortune...
to both of you, and to me!
Oh, horror!
See there? It is Malatestino.
You can see by the torches. They are
carrying Malatestino in their arms.
They are bringing his corpse to his father.
Horror!
Francesca, he is not dead!
He is breathing.
His heart still beats!
Look! He is coming to.
The blow has only stunned him.
He is coming around.
The stone was thrown by
hand and not by a sling.
Come, it is nothing.
Malatestino!
Here, drink, little brother!
He will escape!
The prison is not secure!
He will find a way to escape!
Father, give me leave to cut his throat.
I captured him for you!
Malatestino, do you not recognize me?
Montagna is under guard.
He will not run away from you.
Giovanni, where am I?
Oh, my sister-in-law...
and you as well!
Something is wrong with my eye.
A stone struck you there.
Are you in great pain?
Stone the Ghibellines!
Let them know what pain feels like!
Give me a bandage and something to drink.
Mount your horses!
–Can you see?
–One eye is enough.
Long live Malatestino Malatesta!
To your horses!
The boiling cauldron!
Is everything ready?
Ready! Prepare to let it go!
Victory to Malatesta!
Long live the Guelfs!
Fire! Fire!
Death to Parcitade!
Death to the Ghibellines!
Death! Death!
Victory to the Malatestas!
At the end of the previous act,
Francesca was torn
between duty and love.
When the curtain goes up
she yearns for Paolo,
but their next encounter will be
the beginning of their end.
Here is Act III.
And Galahad says,
"Lady, have pity on him."
"I will," she says,
"As much pity as you wish..."
"but he has asked nothing more of me."
My lady, how could Sir Lancelot
have been so shy?
And the poor queen, longing to give
what he will not ask for!
She should have said: "O valiant knight,
your sadness will not help you at all."
Adonella, hush!
I am tired of listening to your chatter.
Smaragdi, has the falcon returned?
He must have lost his way, my lady.
It was not wise to untie his leash.
Adonella, run to the falconer
and tell him what has happened.
Tell him to search everywhere.
"Fresh in the first days of spring..."
"come the swallows from beyond the sea."
Oh, yes, Biancofiore, music!
Find Simonetto the minstrel.
Yes, my lady.
And I want a garland of violets.
Today is the first day of spring.
You shall have one,
my lady, a lovely one.
Go with God.
Smaragdi, he has not returned.
He is not coming back, my lady.
Do not grieve.
Ah, Smaragdi...
what wine did you bring me
that night in the tower...
when the city was under siege?
Was it bewitched?
My lady, what do you mean?
It is as if you brought me
wine that was drugged.
The poison took hold of those who drank it.
Fate has turned cruelly against me.
Trample me! Stone me!
Rise!
It is not your fault, my poor Smaragdi.
Not your fault.
Ah, my poor reason, be steady.
Do not fail me!
I feel possessed.
Some demon has a hold on me.
Ah! I cannot pray.
I do not even remember how to pray.
Shall I call him?
Who?
Did you see Master Giovanni
mount his horse?
Yes, my lady, with an old man
and with Master Malatestino.
I am afraid of him!
Protect me from him!
Afraid of whom, my lady?
I fear Malatestino.
Is it his blind eye that frightens you?
No, the other one.
The one that sees.
It is terrible.
Oh, my lady, do not despair.
Listen.
I can cast a curse on him whom you fear.
And I know a potion that banishes
these thoughts and cures the memory.
I will teach you the spell.
We have the singers for the ball...
and the players–
lute, dulcet pipes, and flute!
And here is the garland of violets.
May it chase away your melancholy.
Today is the first day of spring!
To sing is to dance,
to dance is to sing!
Play, Simonetto!
March comes and February
goes with the wind.
Take off the drab and don your finery.
Let us step across the flooded streams...
under the branching
trees that lean above...
dancing and singing
in the company of fleet-footed lovers.
Let us gather violets in the fields...
where the grass smells sweeter...
because her feet have touched it,
the naked feet of Spring.
O creature of delight...
lead the dance in garments
black and white...
as is your custom.
Make your dwelling
here in this exquisite chamber...
where in daylight or dusky night...
the story of Isolde,
the flower of Ireland, is told.
This will be your garland,
your nest, with no regret.
The fair lady who lies here
is not Francesca...
but Spring herself!
Go gaily to the courtyard
until evening falls.
Lead the way, Adonella.
Happy the spring!
No, Smaragdi, no!
Run and tell him not to come!
Smaragdi!
Welcome, my lord and kinsman.
I have come,
having heard the music...
to bring my greetings...
greetings on my return.
You have returned speedily,
with the first swallow.
My women have just sung a ballad
to greet the spring.
Of you, Francesca,
I have had no news.
I have heard nothing of you
since that perilous night...
when you offered me a cup of wine...
and said to me,
"Farewell! Good fortune be yours!"
I have no memory of that, sir.
I have prayed much.
You do not remember?
I have prayed much.
And I have suffered much.
Paolo, give me peace!
It is so sweet a thing
to live forgetting...
if only for an hour...
away from the tempest
that nearly destroyed us.
Do not bring back
the shadow of that time...
now that this clear light
has calmed my spirit.
I have found peace in this sea
that was so savage yesterday...
and today is like a pearl.
Give me peace!
Garlanded in violets,
you appeared to me yesterday in a dream.
In a meadow where I found myself alone...
pausing in my journey,
away from my escort.
You appeared with violets...
and on your lips were
the words you had once spoken.
"I pardon you, and with great love."
I did say that, and upon those words
awaits perfect joy.
Now sit here by the window.
Sit here. Tell me about yourself.
How have you lived?
Why ask me to recall the misery of my life?
All that was joy to
others was sorrow to me.
Daylight was an enemy...
and night a friend.
There, in the silence of my being...
from the depths of eternal suffering...
like a spring that quenches thirst...
like a rekindled flame...
I found freshness and flame,
relief and wound, now a blazing torch...
now a silver lamp...
in the vision that hovered over me...
as if to feed upon my constant vigil.
When it vanished with the waning stars...
it was no longer fire or water.
It was your face.
Your face that gazed upon my sorrow.
Paolo, if you were forgiven...
why does guilt still gleam in your eyes?
Ah, I feel it is fading
beneath the burning shame...
our beloved spring!
Why are you taking
the garland from your head?
It has lost its freshness.
Ah, the first words that meet my eye!
Galahad says:
"Lady, take pity on Lancelot."
"I will," she says,
"As much pity as you wish..."
"but he has asked nothing more of me."
Will you continue?
Look how the sea
is growing white with light!
Will you read a few pages
with me, Francesca?
"Certainly, my lady,"
Galahad then says.
"He is not so ardent that he dares ask
for anything to do with love..."
"because he is fearful."
And she says....
Will you now read what she says?
Will you be Guinevere?
"Certainly...."
"Certainly," she says,
"I promise it."
"But let him be my own and I all his."
"Let everything that
was evil be made right."
Enough, Paolo!
No! Read on! Continue!
"And the queen sees that the knight..."
"has not the courage
to do anything more."
"She takes him in her arms..."
"and slowly kisses his mouth."
Francesca!
No, Paolo!
At the end of the previous act,
Francesca and Paolo have
sealed their love with a kiss.
But in this tragic tale,
their rapture
will be short-lived.
Here is the fateful conclusion
of "Francesca da Rimini."
Why are you acting so strangely?
You are greedy for blood,
always wary, everyone's enemy.
In your voice there is a dark menace.
Where were you born?
Did your mother not nurse you?
And how young you are!
You infuriate me.
The very thought of you provokes me.
My blood boils.
I will hold you at last!
Do not touch me, you madman.
I will call for your brother.
Leave me! I pity you.
You are a perverse creature.
Whom would you call for?
Your brother.
Which one?
Who is screaming?
Did you hear that?
One who has to die.
Ah, I can no longer bear it!
Even at night, he howls like a wolf.
The howling even haunts my chambers.
Listen to me.
Giovanni leaves this evening
for the town hall in Pesaro.
You have prepared
provisions for his journey.
Listen.
I can give him food for another journey.
What do you mean?
Are you threatening me?
Are you plotting to betray your brother?
Betrayal!
I would think, dear sister-in-law,
such a word would scorch your lips.
I see your lips are unscathed,
but a little paler.
I must have been wrong.
How he cries! What new torture
have you found for him?
Stop tormenting him!
I cannot bear
to hear him scream any longer.
Very well then, I will go.
I will see to it that
you have a quiet night...
a deep sleep.
An untroubled sleep...
because tonight you will sleep alone.
What are you doing, Malatestino?
I am doing justice to your wish,
dear sister-in-law.
You are going to kill him?
Too long, you have lived too long...
you wild beast!
Francesca, listen!
Let your hand just touch mine...
let your hair fall over
me, over my fever.
O horror! Horror!
Let what happens now be your bidding!
Sister-in-law, sleep well!
An untroubled sleep....
My dear lady, you are waiting up for me?
Why are you trembling, and so pale?
You are cold, as if with fear.
Why?
Malatestino barely entered the room
before I heard the prisoner's screams.
Seeing my distress, he became enraged
and suddenly fled through there...
armed with an axe,
resolved to kill him.
He is ferocious, that brother of yours.
He hates me.
Why do you say that?
I do not know. It seems so.
Has he shown you ill will?
He is a boy,
and like a young mastiff...
he needs to bite.
Come, my lord...
some food and drink before you leave.
Perhaps Malatestino....
Come, why brood on what was lightly said?
Come, refresh yourself.
Will you be traveling along the coast?
You will ride in the evening coolness...
just before midnight, as the moon rises.
And when will you arrive in Pesaro?
Tomorrow, at three.
Will you stay there long
before returning home?
It is done.
Do not be frightened, my lady.
You will have your silence now.
May God so take the heads
of all our enemies.
Malatestino is back.
I do not want to see him.
Who has shut the grating?
Kinswoman, are you there?
Have you locked me out?
Wait, I will open it for you.
Giovanni! Open it and I will give you
a ripe fruit for your journey.
A sweet September fig.
How heavy it is!
Hurry!
I am coming!
Take this, brother. Put it back.
Was your wife with you?
She was.
What do you want with her?
Then you know what fruit
I bring to the table.
Did you not fear to disobey our father?
Feel how much it weighs! Feel it!
How hot it is!
Give me something to drink.
Are you angry with me?
Don't be angry at me, Giovanni.
I am loyal to you.
You are called the Lame One,
and I am the One-Eyed...
but it is Paolo the Fair.
You are babbling on.
Stop drinking. Answer me.
What have you done to Francesca?
Me? What has she told you?
You have turned pale.
What did she say?
Answer me!
I... I cannot answer you.
Beware, Malatestino!
Woe to anyone who touches my wife!
And if one brother sees that another
is touching his brother's wife...
and is incensed and
tries to wipe out the shame...
tell me...
has he sinned?
And if, for this, he is accused
of harboring ill thoughts...
ill thoughts against the woman...
then tell me...
is that a just accusation?
Malatestino, scourge of hell...
if you do not wish to have me
gouge out your other eye...
through which your filthy soul
offends the world, speak now.
Speak!
Were you not surprised when
someone who left here in December...
suddenly abandoned
his posting in Florence...
and returned here by February?
Paolo? No, no! Not so.
Malatestino, come here!
–Are you certain? Have you seen it?
–Yes.
–How? When?
–I have seen him enter...
–Enter where?
–Enter her room.
That is not enough.
He is her brother-in-law. He may visit her.
At night?
Don't hurt me, for God's sake!
Not so hard! Let me go!
Have I heard you right?
You said... say it again.
Yes, at night.
I have seen him at night.
I will crush you if you are lying.
He enters at night and leaves at dawn.
Would you like to see it yourself?
I must, if you want to escape my iron fist.
Then, tonight?
Tonight.
Dreams caress her.
She is sleeping.
Yes, sleeping.
How beautiful she is!
For this night, my lady
has asked for no singing.
She is tired.
The prisoner is no longer crying out.
Master Malatestino has cut off his head.
Is that true?
Yes, today, before vespers.
How do you know?
Smaragdi told me.
Now they are riding
along the coast, under the stars...
with the severed head.
One can breathe in this house again...
now that they are not here,
the lame one and the blind one.
No, no, it is not I!
They are biting me! Help!
They are tearing my heart!
Help me, Paolo!
My lady! We are here.
See, my lady, we are here.
Do not be afraid.
It is no one. We are here.
No one is harming you, my lady.
What have I said?
Did I call out?
God, what have I done?
You have had a bad dream, my lady.
It is over now.
We are here.
Everything is calm now.
Is it late?
Perhaps four in the morning.
My lady, do you want your hair
readied for the night?
No, I am not sleepy.
I will wait.
Loosen your shoes?
The perfumes?
No, I will stay as I am.
I am no longer sleepy.
Go, go. I will read.
Bring me a candle, Garsenda.
Go now. You are all so pale!
O Biancofiore, dear one!
You cannot reach
the flame to light your lamp.
You are the gentlest
of them all, little dove!
Come!
How sweet you are!
So like my sister, Samaritana.
Do you remember Samaritana?
Yes, my lady.
Such sweetness cannot be forgotten.
I have kept her in my heart,
with the angels.
She was sweet, my sister.
Is that not true, Biancofiore?
If only she were here tonight...
pushing her little bed beside mine!
You are weeping, my lady.
She, too, was easily frightened.
I heard her heart pound as she said:
"O sister, listen to me!"
"Stay here with me."
"Stay here where we were born."
"Do not leave me!
Do not abandon me!"
"Do not forsake me!"
My lady, you pierce my heart.
You are seized by such melancholy.
Go, do not weep.
You are so gentle.
Light your lamp, and go with God.
Go. No tears now.
Let all sad thoughts vanish.
Sing for me tomorrow.
Go now!
God keep you, my lady!
Whatever happens now, it was destined!
Smaragdi!
Francesca!
Paolo!
Life of my life!
Never was my desire for you
more overwhelming!
In my heart I felt the bright spirit
in your eyes fading.
My strength ebbed away into the night.
In my breast a terrible
rush of blood overcame me...
and fear took hold of my heart!
Forgive me!
A deep sleep came over me
and broke my soul like a stem.
I seemed to lie lost on the stones.
Forgive me, my tender friend.
You have awakened me,
and freed me from all anguish.
It is not yet dawn.
The stars have not drowned in the sea.
Summer is not over...
and you are still mine.
I am all yours.
This is the perfect joy,
the passion of our life!
You are shivering.
The door is open and
the breath of night blows in.
Do you not feel it?
Come, Francesca!
Long hours of happiness lie before us.
I will take you where all is oblivion.
–Kiss my eyes, my brow...
–Night and day will mingle...
–...my cheek, throat, wrists, fingers.
–...on earth as on a pillow.
–Take me, take me!
–Time will lose its power.
–Take my soul and pour it out!
–Time will be our slave!
Give me your mouth!
Again! Again!
Open this door, Francesca!
Courage!
I will escape through the trapdoor
while you let him in.
Open up, Francesca! Upon your life!
Let him go!
Take me!
Take me!