Читать книгу Armida & Amadis & Roland - Philippe Quinault - Страница 7

PROLOGUE

The stage represents a palace.

GLORY:

Everybody in the universe

Must yield to the splendid hero I love.

The endeavors of enemies, the ices of winter,

The rocks, the streams, the seas,

Nothing can stop the ardor of his intense valor.

WISDOM:

Everybody in the universe must yield

To the splendid hero that I love.

He knows the art of keeping all monsters in chains.

He is the absolute master of a hundred diverse nations,

And even more master of himself.

GLORY AND WISDOM:

Everybody in the universe must yield

To the splendid hero that I love.

WISDOM AND HER SUITE:

Let’s sing of the sweetness of his rule.

GLORY AND HER SUITE:

Let’s sing of his glorious exploits.

GLORY AND WISDOM:

With equal tenderness,

We love the same conqueror.

WISDOM:

Proud Glory, it’s you.

GLORY:

Sweet Wisdom, it’s you.

GLORY AND WISDOM:

It’s you who share with me, his great heart.

GLORY:

I’ll take him away from you so long as the war lasts,

But in peace you will take him from me.

You rule in secret with this wise king,

The destiny of the whole earth.

WISDOM:

Victory has followed this hero everywhere.

But to demonstrate his love to Glory,

He uses peace even better

Than victory.

In the midst of the rest that he assures to humans

Under his powerful hands, he brings down

A monster that was long thought to be invincible.

One sees how sensitive he is in his works

To your immortal beauty.

He foresees your desires, he exceeds your hopes.

The passion with which he loves you unceasingly increases

And has never been so dazzling.

Only a vain desire for preference,

Unspoiled by intelligence,

Would make this hero want to choose between us.

Let us only dispute which of us knows how to love him better.

(Glory repeats the last verse with Wisdom.)

GLORY AND WISDOM:

As soon as one sees him appear,

Of what heart is he not the master?

How sweet it is to follow in his steps.

Can one know him

And not love him?

(The Chorus repeats the last five verses, and the suites of Glory and Wisdom express by their dances the joy they have in seeing these two divinities in perfect harmony.)

WISDOM:

Let’s love our hero; let nothing separate us.

He is inviting us to games they’ve prepared for us.

There we will see Renaud despite sensuality.

Follow an honest and wise suggestion,

We will see him leave an enchanted palace

Where, from love of Armida he was held,

And fly to where Glory calls for his courage

The great king, who shares between us his desires,

Loves to see us even in his pleasures.

GLORY:

May the dazzle of his fame extend to the ends of the world.

Let’s join our voices.

Let each answer to us.

GLORY, WISDOM AND THE CHORUSES:

Sing of the softness of his laws,

Sing of his glorious exploits.

(The suites of Glory and Wisdom continue their rejoicing.)

CHORUS:

In the Temple of Memory,

May his name be forever engraved.

It was reserved to him

To unite Wisdom and Glory.

CURTAIN