Читать книгу Armida & Amadis & Roland - Philippe Quinault - Страница 10
ОглавлениеACT III
The stage represents a desert.
ARMIDA:
(alone) Ah! if liberty must be ravished from me,
Is it you who must be my conqueror?
Most funereal enemy to the happiness of my life,
Despite me, must you then reign in my heart?
The desire for your death was my dearest wish;
How have you been able to change my wrath into languishing?
Vainly do I see a thousand lovers following me.
None has softened my severity.
Can it be that Renaud holds Armida enslaved?
Ah! if liberty must be ravished from me
Is it you who must be my conqueror?
Most funereal enemy of the happiness of my life,
Despite me, must you then reign in my heart?
PHENICIA:
(entering) What can’t your art do? Its power is intense.
What a prodigy! What a change!
Renaud who was so proud loves you.
No one has ever loved so tenderly.
SIDONIA:
Show yourself to his eyes; witness yourself
The marvelous effect of your enchantment.
ARMIDA:
Hell hasn’t yet completed my hope.
A new charm is needed to assure my vengeance.
SIDONIA:
On shores separated from human dwellings.
Who can snatch from your hands
An enemy who adores you?
You enchant Renaud:
what remains for you to fear?
ARMIDA:
Alas! It’s my heart that I fear for.
Your friendship interests itself in my fate.
I’ve taken you with me into these parts.
From the rest of mortals I am hiding my weakness;
I only intend to blush before your eyes.
From my softest looks Renaud was able to defend himself.
I was unable to entangle this proud heart to surrender.
He escaped me despite my efforts.
Under the name of spite love came to surprise me,
As I was protecting myself the least.
The more Renaud loves me the less at peace I will be.
I fear that to force my heart to obey me
All my art will be useless.
PHENICIA:
How fine your art is! It will be admired.
If it knows how to guarantee against the upsets of life!
Happy those who can be assured
Of disposing of their heart at their will!
It’s a secret worthy of being envied.
But of all secrets, it’s the least known.
SIDONIA:
Hate is frightful and barbarous.
Love constrains hearts that it seizes.
To suffer rigorous ills,
If your fate is in your power,
Choose indifference
It assures a happy repose.
ARMIDA:
No, no:
it’s no longer possible for me
To spend my trouble in a peaceable state.
My heart can no longer calm itself.
Renaud greatly offends me; only he’s too lovable.
Henceforth, for me the choice is indispensable,
Either to hate him or love him.
PHENICIA:
You’ve been unable to hate this invincible hero
When he was the most terrible
Of all your enemies.
He loves you; love enfetters him.
Will you be able to better keep your hate
Against a lover so tender and submissive?
ARMIDA:
He loves me? What love! My shame increases from it.
Must I be loved this way? Can I be satisfied with it?
It’s a vain triumph, a false blessing.
Alas! How different his love is from mine!
I had recourse to Hell to ignite his flame.
It’s the power of my art which can do anything to his soul.
My weak beauty can do nothing.
With his own worthiness he suspends my vengeance.
Without help, without effort, even without thinking of it,
He enfetters my heart with a very charming bond.
Alas, how different my love is from his!
What vengeance have I to pretend to
If I want to love him forever?
What! to give up without doing anything!
No, hate must be called to my aid.
The horror of these solitary regions
Is going to increase multifold through my art.
Turn your sight from my frightful mysteries
And especially prevent Renaud from troubling me.
(Exit Phenicia and Sidonia.)
ARMIDA:
(alone) Come, come, implacable hate!
Leave the appalling abyss
Where you cause eternal horror to rule.
Save me from love: nothing is so formidable
Against an enemy too lovable.
Give me back my wrath, re-ignite my furor.
Come, come, implacable hate,
Leave the appalling abyss,
Where you cause eternal horror to rule.
(Hate leaves Hell accompanied by the Furies, Cruelty, Vengeance, Rage, and the passions which depend on hate.)
HATE:
I answer your wishes: your voice made itself heard
Into the depth of Hell.
For you, I am going to undertake everything against love.
And when one really wants to be protected from it,
One can be guaranteed proof against its unworthy fetters.
HATE AND HER FOLLOWING:
The more one knows love
The more one detests it:
Let’s destroy its funereal power.
Let’s break its bonds, let’s tear its chain,
Let’s burn its fetters, let’s extinguish its torch.
(The chorus repeats the last four verses)
(Hate’s suite rushes to break and burn the arms employed by love.)
HATE AND HER FOLLOWING:
Love, leave forever, leave a heart that chases you out.
May Hate reign in your place.
You cause too much suffering under your rule!
No, all Hell has nothing so cruel as you.
(Hate’s followers demonstrate pleasure as she prepares to triumph over love.)
HATE:
(coming close to Armida)
Get out, get out of Armida’s breast:
Love, break your chain.
ARMIDA:
Stop, stop, horrid Hate.
Leave me under the rule of such a charming conqueror.
Leave me alone:
I renounce your horrifying assistance.
No, no, don’t finish, no it is not possible
To separate me from my love without tearing out my heart.
HATE:
Did you implore my assistance
So as to scorn my power?
Follow Love, since you wish to.
Unlucky Armida;
Follow love who is guiding you
Into a horrifying abyss.
On these remote shores, it’s in vain that you are hiding
This hero that your heart is too weak to touch.
Glory which you tore him from
Will soon tear him from you.
Despite your efforts, scorning your tears,
You will see him escape from your charms.
You will, perhaps, recall me that day,
And your attempt will be vain.
I am going to leave you without return
And I am able to punish you with the harshest pain:
That of abandoning you forever to love.
CURTAIN
