Booklet - Chandos Records

Transcript

Martin Pearlman
Claudio Monteverdi
Il Ritorno d’Ulisse
in patria
Fernando Guimarães as Ulisse
Jennifer Rivera as Penelope
New performing version by Martin Pearlman
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
Opera in a prologue and three acts · Libretto by Giacomo Badoaro (1602–1654)
A new performing version by Martin Pearlman
qPrologue: L’Humana Fragilità, Il Tempo, La Fortuna, Amore. ........................................ 8:41
Act I
wScene 1: Penelope, Ericlea. Di misera Regina ............................................................ 10:03
eScene 2: Melanto, Eurimaco. Duri e penosi ............................................................... 10:09
Scene 3: Missing in score
rScene 4: Sinfonia (the sleeping Ulisse carried on shore) ............................................... 0:14
tScene 5: Nettuno, Giove. Superbo è l’huom ................................................................ 6:08
yScene 6: Coro di Feaci, Nettuno. In questo basso mondo .......................................... 2:02
uScene 7: Ulisse. Dormo ancora .................................................................................... 4:38
iScene 8: Minerva, Ulisse. Cara e lieta gioventù .......................................................... 11:48
oScene 9: Minerva, Ulisse. Tu, d’Aretusa al fonte .......................................................... 2:09
aScene 10: Penelope, Melanto. Donata un giorno ......................................................... 8:33
sScene 11: Eumete. Oh come mal si salva ...................................................................... 1:40
dScene 12: Iro, Eumete. Pastor d’armenti può ................................................................ 1:44
fScene 13: Eumete, Ulisse. Ulisse generoso! ................................................................. 3:18
2
Act II
gScene 1: Telemaco, Minerva. Lieto cammino ............................................................... 2:34
hScene 2: Eumete, Ulisse. O gran figlio d’Ulisse ............................................................ 5:06
jScene 3: Telemaco, Ulisse. Che veggio, ohimè, che miro? ........................................... 7:33
kScene 4: Melanto, Eurimaco. Eurimaco, la donna insomma ........................................ 3:02
lScene 5: Antinoo, Anfinomo, Pisandro, Penelope. Sono l’altre Regine ......................... 7:50
Scene 6: No music in score
;Scene 7: Eumete, Penelope. Apportator d’alte novelle ................................................ 1:06
2)Scene 8: Antinoo, Anfinomo, Pisandro, Eurimaco. Compagni, udiste .......................... 6:34
2!Scene 9: Ulisse, Minerva. Perir non può ...................................................................... 3:36
2@Scene 10: Eumete, Ulisse. Io vidi, o pellegrin ................................................................ 1:56
2#Scene 11: Telemaco, Penelope. Del mio lungo viaggio ................................................. 5:16
2$Scene 12: Antinoo, Eumete, Iro, Ulisse, Telemaco. Sempre villano Eumete ................. 4:55
2%Scene 12 cont.:
Antinoo, Penelope, Pisandro, Anfinomo, Telemaco. Tu vincitor .................................... 7:12
2^Scene 12 cont.:
Penelope, Pisandro, Anfinomo, Antinoo, Ulisse. Ecco l’arco d’Ulisse ......................... 10:11
3
Act III
2&Scene 1: Iro. O dolor, o martir ....................................................................................... 6:14
Scene 2: Missing in score
2*Scene 3: Melanto, Penelope. E quai nuovi rumori ......................................................... 2:11
2(Scene 4: Eumete, Penelope. Forza d’occulto affetto ................................................... 2:29
3)Scene 5: Telemaco, Penelope, Eumete. È saggio Eumete ............................................ 2:41
3!Scene 6: Minerva, Giunone. Fiamma è l’ira, o gran Dea .............................................. 3:32
3@Scene 7:
Giunone, Giove, Nettuno, Minerva, Coro in cielo, Coro marittimo. Gran Giove ............ 6:40
3#Scene 8: Ericlea. Ericlea, che vuoi far .......................................................................... 3:30
3$Scene 9: Penelope, Telemaco, Eumete. Ogni nostra ragion ......................................... 0:47
3%Scene 10: Ulisse, Penelope, Ericlea. O delle mie fatiche ........................................... 10:08
Total Running Time: 176 minutes
This recording is part of the Norma Jean Calderwood recording series.
Hear musical director Martin Pearlman discuss this new performing version
at http://lin.mn/BBUlisse
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Recorded at
Mechanics Hall, Worcester,
Massachusetts, USA
27–30 April 2014
Assistant engineering by
Ian Dobie
Post-production by
Five/Four Productions, Ltd
Produced and edited by
Thomas C. Moore
SACD mastering by
Bastiaan Kuijt, BK Audio
Recorded and mixed by
Robert Friedrich
Cover image by
Daniel M. Nagy
Surround mix engineering by
Robert Friedrich and Michael Bishop
Performance photography by
Clive Grainger
Design by
gmtoucari.com
Mastered by
Michael Bishop using
Five/Four Reveal SDM technology
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Prologue
L’Humana Fragilità (Human Frailty) .........................
Il Tempo (Time) .........................................................
La Fortuna (Fortune) ................................................
Amore (Cupid) ...........................................................
Drama
Ulisse (Ulysses) ........................................................
Penelope, wife of Ulysses ........................................
Telemaco (Telemachus), son of Ulysses ................
Minerva ......................................................................
Nettuno (Neptune) ....................................................
Giove (Jupiter) ...........................................................
Giunone (Juno) .........................................................
Ericlea (Eurycleia), Penelope’s old nurse ...............
Melanto (Melantho), Penelope’s young maid ........
Eurimaco (Eurymachus), Melantho’s lover ............
Eumete (Eumaeus), a loyal swineherd ....................
Iro (Irus), a parasite ..................................................
Anfinomo (Amphinomus) .........................................
Penelope’s
Pisandro (Peisander) ................................................
suitors
Antinoo (Antinous) ....................................................
Phaeacian sailors .....................................................
Christopher Lowrey
João Fernandes
Sonja DuToit Tengblad
Sara Heaton
Fernando Guimarães
Jennifer Rivera
Aaron Sheehan
Leah Wool
João Fernandes
Owen McIntosh
Sonja DuToit Tengblad
Krista River
Abigail Nims
Daniel Shirley
Daniel Auchincloss
Marc Molomot
Jonas Budris
Owen McIntosh
Ulysses Thomas
Jonas Budris, Christopher Lowrey,
Ulysses Thomas
Coro in Cielo (Choir in Heaven) ............................... Sara Heaton, Sonja DuToit Tengblad,
Marc Molomot, Daniel Shirley
Coro Marittimo (Choir of the Sea) ........................... Christopher Lowrey, Jonas Budris,
Daniel Auchincloss, Ulysses Thomas
}
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Boston Baroque
playing on period instruments
Martin Pearlman music director
CONTINUO
ENSEMBLE
Theorbo
Michael Leopold
David Walker
1st Violin
Christina Day Martinson
Jesse Irons
Lena Wong
Guitar
Michael Leopold
Cello
Jennifer Morsches
2nd Violin
Julia McKenzie
Guiomar Turgeon
Laura Gulley
Harpsichord
Martin Pearlman
Peter Sykes
Viola
Laura Jeppesen
Barbara Wright
Organ
Peter Sykes
Violoncello
Sarah Freiberg
Jennifer Morsches
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Violone
Douglas Balliett
Viola da gamba
Laura Jeppesen
Adrienne Hartzell
Recorder
Aldo Abreu
Roy Sansom
Cornetto
Michael Collver
Paul Perfetti
Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
Only three operas by Claudio Monteverdi
have come down to us. L’Orfeo (1607),
his very first, is generally acknowledged to
be the earliest great opera. Then, after a
gap of 33 years, during which Monteverdi
wrote operas that are tragically now lost,
we have two masterpieces from near the
end of his life: Il Ritorno d’Ulisse (1640)
and L’Incoronazione di Poppea (1642).
Il Ritorno d’Ulisse is based on the story
told in books 13–23 of Homer’s Odyssey,
in which Ulysses returns home from the
Trojan War after an absence of 20 years
and slays his wife’s suitors, who have
taken over his palace. The 73-year-old
Monteverdi’s setting of Giacomo Badoaro’s
libretto was premiered in 1640 during the
carnival season in Venice, to such acclaim
that it was revived the following season, an
unusual distinction for an opera of the time.
The first performances took place at one of
the city’s new public opera houses, where,
not only were production budgets severely
limited, but where writing for a broader public
affected the kinds of stories that were set to
music. The story of Ulysses was familiar to
the audience, and its abundance of blood
and gore was a far cry from the nymphs and
shepherds in the earlier Orfeo, which had
been written for the Mantuan court. Not long
after the premiere, Ulisse dropped from view
until late in the nineteenth century, when
a manuscript was rediscovered in Vienna,
which appears to be a copy made for a later
revival in that city. Initially there were doubts
as to whether the newly discovered work
was a genuine lost opera of Monteverdi.
But by the mid-twentieth century, further
documents were found which removed
any doubts about the work’s authenticity.
Il Ritorno d’Ulisse is certainly the least
well known and least performed of the
three surviving operas, and that may
have something to do with its relatively
recent discovery and even more recent
authentication. But another reason perhaps
lies in the libretto itself, which some have
suggested makes the work more difficult to
8
put across than Monteverdi’s other late opera.
Whereas Poppea is filled with brilliant dialogue
between fascinating and deeply flawed
historical characters, Ulisse is of necessity
somewhat more formal in its portrayal of gods
and heroes. The final act, which is largely
devoted to the convincing of a reluctant
Penelope that her husband has truly returned
home, has been called anticlimactic by some
critics; and some scenes digress, such as the
one in Act II (often cut) where Telemachus tells
his mother about the beauty of Helen, whom
he has seen in his travels. But Monteverdi’s
music transcends these difficulties, and
of course later composers would conjure
great works from less than perfect librettos.
Il Ritorno d’Ulisse is unquestionably one
of the three pillars that place Monteverdi
among the greatest of opera composers.
sometimes carelessly written, probably after
the composer’s death. It lacks many details
(some of which may have been explained to
the performers in rehearsal), it is incomplete in
places and it has numerous small errors. This
was clearly a rough working copy made for
a particular production. Several scenes from
the libretto are missing: either lost, cut from
the production in question, or perhaps never
set to music in the first place. A performance
therefore requires many decisions to fill in
the gaps in what the manuscript tells us.
For Boston Baroque’s production, I have
checked every note and word of the surviving
manuscript, a process that led to countless
small adjustments – plus a few major ones
– to what we find in modern editions. In
many places, the manuscript is incomplete
or unclear and a variety of interpretative
decisions must be made. In Scene 4 of Act I,
for example, there is a written instruction
that the orchestra play a brief sinfonia while
the sleeping Ulysses is carried in. We are
instructed that ‘So as not to wake him’, the
sinfonia should be played quietly and be
limited to only one chord (i.e. one unchanging
harmony). However, no music is provided,
only a bass C to tell us what the unchanging
harmony should be. We must therefore create
Our performing version
But perhaps the greatest reason that Ulisse
is not heard more often has to do with the
difficulties presented by the surviving material.
The music survives in only one manuscript,
although a number of manuscript copies
of the libretto have been found. There is
nothing in Monteverdi’s own hand, and the
copyist’s score that does survive is hastily and
9
a brief introduction, or sinfonia, on a C major
chord to lead into the scene with Neptune
that follows. In its static harmony, this number
is reminiscent of the opening sinfonia of
Orfeo, which is a fanfare on one chord.
In other places, only a bass line is given
for an instrumental piece, and one must
devise upper parts. An unusual example of
this occurs at the end of Act II Scene 5. The
scene concludes with a celebratory trio for
the three suitors (‘All’allegrezze’), after which
the score has just seven quick bass notes
and the word ‘ritornello’. We have taken these
notes as a phrase for repetition: we play them
four times and add instrumental upper parts
to round out the suitors’ trio and the scene.
One important revelation in the manuscript
occurs at the point where Ulysses slays
the suitors (end of Act II Scene 12). Just
where the instrumental ensemble begins to
build momentum for that climactic moment,
most editions and performances have
Ulysses interrupt with a prayer to Minerva
in recitative before the rhythmic music
resumes. The effect is always to weaken the
drama, but a look at the manuscript reveals
that this extra line of music is a footnote
at the bottom of the page; it appears to
have been added later and is probably not
original. Our performance therefore omits the
insertion, so that the rhythmic momentum
continues to build to the end of the scene.
Instrumentation
The score does not specify the instruments
that should be used. The five-part ritornelli,
or musical interludes, are almost certainly
intended for strings, although a few other
instruments may be added at times for
colour. For most of the opera, however, the
music is on just two staves: a vocal line plus
instrumental bass. It is left to the performers
to decide how to harmonize the bass line
and to decide which instruments should
play it. The use of a variety of continuo
instruments, allows the palette to be varied
according to the dramatic situation.
Probably the greatest difference among
performing versions of Ulisse is in the matter
of orchestral accompaniments. In the original
score, the orchestra plays very little, mostly
just extremely short instrumental interludes
(some as brief as ten seconds). Beyond that,
it accompanies singers in just three places:
in the brief fight between Irus and Ulysses
(middle of Act II Scene 12), at the moment
when Ulysses slays the suitors (end of Act II
Scene 12) and in Penelope’s song of joy in
10
the final scene of the opera. All of this comes
to less than 15 minutes out of a full-length
opera, the rest of the score has the singers
accompanied only by a continuo bass line.
The question then is whether the
manuscript score is complete, or whether
instruments were meant to accompany
singers in passages where there is no
music specified for them. Every production
must address this issue. Some composers
– notably Dallapiccola and Henze – have
orchestrated the work throughout, giving it
something closer to a nineteenth-century
operatic sound. In skilled hands, this can be
attractive, to some tastes; but it changes
the basic character of Monteverdi’s work,
making it impossible for the singers to be
rhythmically free in declaiming their text. It
also restricts the ability of the continuo players
to improvise and to interact with the singers
as they are meant to do in this music. At the
other extreme are performances that limit
themselves strictly to the written notes, so
that the orchestra plays very little and almost
never accompanies singers. To me, this
last choice seems unnecessarily austere, of
questionable authenticity and perhaps even
somewhat timid: to have the ensemble sit
silent for over 90% of the opera would have
been as artistically and financially wasteful
in the seventeenth century as it is in the
twenty-first. Other performances, of course,
fall somewhere between these two extremes.
My version for Boston Baroque occupies
that middle ground, my approach being
somewhat conservative as to how much
instrumental music was to be added. I have
composed orchestral parts to accompany
the singers at certain moments of heightened
drama, where a character breaks out of
recitative into song. For the most part, these
are simple accompaniments, designed not to
interfere with the singers, although sometimes
the instruments interact contrapuntally with
the voice. Certainly there are plenty of hints to
support this approach. Some other operas of
the time offer models in the form of writtenout parts for instruments to accompany
singers. There are even some operas that
give instructions for an aria to be played
‘with violins’ or ‘with all the instruments’, even
though no instrumental parts are shown in
the score. In the manuscript of Ulisse, we
find a few interpolated notes that appear
to be cues for instruments to play, even
though there is no music written for them.
In Melantho’s little song in Act I Scene 10,
‘Ama dunque’, there are melodic notes
11
written between her phrases, which implies
instrumental accompaniment throughout
the song. I have supplied music for four
solo string instruments here, their parts
incorporating the inserted notes in those
bars where they appear in the score.
Overall, the sound of this opera is striking
for its concentration of voices in the middle
range: Monteverdi uses a remarkable
assortment of various types of tenor and
mezzo. The sonority of the accompanying
parts I have supplied varies according to the
dramatic context. Only low strings are heard
in Penelope’s lament in the opening scene of
Act I and in some of the music for the suitors.
Bright solo violins accompany Fortune’s
aria in the Prologue, and solo violins lend a
transparent accompaniment to the beautiful
‘Dolce speme’ duet of Eumaeus and Ulysses
in Act II Scene 2, as well as to Ulysses’
‘Vanne alle madre’ at the end of Act II Scene
3. In a number of places, the full five-part
string ensemble is used. Perhaps the densest
instance of this is the accompaniment I have
given to the great aria with which Eumaeus
opens Scene 2 of Act II (‘O gran figlio’).
Occasionally I have also added recorders or
cornetti to brighten the sonority, while cornetti
alone accompany the gods in Act III Scene 7.
Orchestral accompaniments like these
can heighten moments of true song. But the
core of this music resides in the freer speech
patterns of continuo-accompanied recitative.
For the human characters, these speech
patterns tend to be relatively simple and
straightforward. But the speech of the gods is
often full of florid ornamentation, an unnatural
speech that lends an aura of the superhuman.
The libretto vs. the musical score
There are many places in the opera where
the libretto differs from the surviving musical
score. Most notably, the book divides the
drama into five acts while the score has three;
and they have entirely different Prologues.
Sometimes the words differ between libretto
and score, sometimes an entire scene in the
libretto is missing in the musical manuscript.
One must decide whether to follow the
libretto as a guide to what the score was
meant to be, or whether to follow the score
as we have it. For the ‘missing’ scenes,
have we lost music, or did Monteverdi
never set them to music in the first place?
I have chosen to follow the musical score
wherever possible. Librettos of the time did
not always reflect the finished opera: authors
often considered their work to be independent
12
poems and sometimes retained their original
material, even after a composer had altered or
omitted some of it in his opera. A libretto can
sometimes help clarify details, but following
the score means that we are using the one
source that was actually designed to be used
in performance. Monteverdi may well never
have set to music the ‘missing’ choruses
of nereids, sirens, underworld shades, etc.
His main interest, as he wrote in his letters,
was to portray the gamut of emotions, and
he may well have felt that scenes such as
these would have been a distraction from
his purpose. There was, too, a possible
practical consideration, since choruses were
not a common feature in the cash-strapped
public opera houses of Venice at the time.
© Martin Pearlman, 2015
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Synopsis
y Neptune satisfies himself by turning the
Prologue
q In an allegorical prologue, Human Frailty
is subject to the heartless taunts of Time,
Fortune and Cupid.
Phaeacians and their ship to stone, and
leaves Ulysses in peace. u Ulysses awakes
abandoned and confused; i the goddess
Minerva, disguised as a shepherd boy, tells
him that he has landed in Ithaca. She then
reveals herself as the goddess and offers
him guidance. He is to be disguised as an
old beggar and go to his palace, where
he will find Penelope beleaguered by her
suitors. o But first he is to wait for Minerva
in the company of his faithful swineherd
Eumaeus. a At the palace, Melantho tries
unsuccessfully to convince Penelope to
give up her mourning and marry one of the
suitors. s In the countryside, the swineherd
Eumaeus is enjoying the pastoral life when
d he is pestered by the boorish glutton Irus,
a toady of the suitors. As he chases Irus off,
f he encounters Ulysses disguised as an old
beggar. The ‘beggar’ informs Eumaeus that
his master will soon return from the war.
Act I
The setting is Ithaca, an island in the Ionian Sea.
w Penelope, the wife of Ulysses, laments
the absence of her husband, who left for the
Trojan War twenty years earlier and has not
returned. Her nurse Eurycleia tries to console
her. e Meanwhile, Penelope’s young maid
Melantho and Eurymachus sing of their love.
They are in league with the suitors and hope
to convince Penelope to take a lover.
r In another part of the island, Phaeacian
sailors bring the sleeping Ulysses to the shore
of Ithaca, his homeland. t Neptune, angry
that Ulysses blinded his son, the Cyclops
Polyphemus, had kept the hero from his
homeland for ten years, but now Jupiter
convinces him to allow Ulysses’ return.
14
and they are fearful. They plan to murder
Telemachus and to offer gifts to Penelope
to hurry her decision, but an eagle flies
overhead, a sign that the gods disapprove.
2! In the forest, Minerva promises Ulysses
her protection: she will influence Penelope
to propose a contest that will give Ulysses
the opportunity to destroy the suitors.
2@ Eumaeus reports to Ulysses that the suitors
are terrified at the prospect of his return.
2# Telemachus tells his mother about the
divinely beautiful Helen, whom he visited
on his travels, and of Helen’s prophecy that
Ulysses would return home and slay the
suitors. 2$ The suitors rebuke Eumaeus for
bringing the beggar into the palace. The
obnoxious Irus provokes the beggar to a
wrestling match but loses to the old man.
2% Penelope, taking pity on the beggar, offers
him her hospitality. Each of the suitors in turn
courts Penelope, offering her his treasures.
Finally, Penelope appears to soften and,
under the invisible influence of Minerva,
proposes a contest in which whoever can
most easily string Ulysses’ bow will win both
her hand and the kingdom. 2^ Each of the
brash suitors attempts to string the bow but
cannot bend it. Then the old beggar comes
forward, asking not for the prize but for a
Act II
g Guided by Minerva, Ulysses’ son
Telemachus returns from a voyage in search
of his father. h Eumaeus rejoices at his
safe homecoming and relates the beggar’s
prophecy that his father will soon return.
Eumaeus then departs to tell the news
to Penelope. Left alone with the beggar,
Telemachus sees the earth suddenly swallow
him up; he views it as an omen that his
father has died. j However, Ulysses soon
reappears in his true form, and father and
son are joyfully reunited. Ulysses sends
Telemachus to Penelope and will resume
his disguise. k In the palace, Melantho
complains to Eurymachus that Penelope is
inflexible and refuses to accept any suitor.
They then sing of their love for each other.
l The three suitors, Amphinomus, Peisander
and Antinous, court Penelope but cannot
break down her resistance. To cheer her
up, they decide to entertain her with song
and dance. ; Eumaeus tells Penelope that
her son has returned and that her husband
is alive and will also soon return, but she is
sceptical. 2) The suitors hear of the return of
Telemachus and of Ulysses’ imminent return,
15
chance to try the bow. To the amazement of
everyone, he easily strings it; he then shoots
the suitors dead.
3$ Eumaeus and Telemachus are still unable
to convince Penelope that Ulysses has
returned. 3% Ulysses enters in his true form,
but others have also claimed to be the hero,
and she is worried that sorcery could make
him look like Ulysses. Even when Eurycleia
reveals that she has seen his old scar,
Penelope still doubts. But when Ulysses
describes the silken cover that used to be on
their bed, something which no one else has
seen, those doubts are laid to rest. She sings
an aria of rejoicing, and husband and wife are
at last reunited.
Act III
2& Irus is in despair. The suitors have been
slain, and there is no one to feed him and
provide for his needs. He wants to kill himself.
2* As Melantho bemoans the loss of the
suitors, a dispirited Penelope feels that
every love for her is fatal. 2( 3) Eumaeus
and Telemachus try to convince her that the
old man who slew the suitors was in reality
Ulysses, but she does not believe it and
considers them merely gullible. 3! At the sea,
Minerva asks Juno to intercede with Jupiter
to allow Ulysses to live in peace. 3@ Jupiter
persuades his brother Neptune to end his
persecution, and, as Neptune agrees, we
hear a choir from heaven and a choir from the
sea extolling the mercy of the gods. Jupiter
then asks Minerva to quell the uprising of the
Achaeans, who are angered at the death of
the suitors, their rulers. 3# The nurse Eurycleia
has recognized Ulysses, but he has bidden
her keep the secret. She does not know
whether to tell or be silent.
16
libretto
q PROLOGUE
L’Humana Fragilità
Human Frailty
Mortal cosa son io, fattura humana:
I am mortal, created in human form:
tutto mi turba, un soffio sol m’abbatte; everything distresses me, a puff of wind alone
can destroy me;
il tempo che mi crea, quel mi combatte. time who created me also fights against me.
Il TempoTime
Salvo è niente Nothing is safe
dal mio dente. from my tooth.
Ei rode, It gnaws
ei gode. and enjoys.
Non fuggite o mortali, Flee not, mortals!
che se ben zoppo ho l’ali. I limp, but I have wings.
Human Frailty
Mortal cosa son io, fattura humana: I am mortal, created in human form:
senza periglio invan ricerco loco, in vain do I seek a place safe from dangers,
che frale vita è di fortuna un gioco. for frail life is a plaything of fortune.
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La Fortuna
Fortune
Mia vita son voglie, Wishes are my life,
le gioie, le doglie. the joys, the sorrows.
Son cieca, son sorda, I’m blind, I’m deaf,
non vedo, non odo; I see not, I hear not;
ricchezze, grandezze riches and greatness
dispenso a mio modo. I distribute according to my fancy.
Human Frailty
Mortal cosa son io, fattura humana: I am mortal, created in human form:
al tiranno d’amor serva sen piace to the tyrant love are sacrificed
la mia fiorita età verde e fugace. my green and fleeting years of flowering.
Amore Cupid
Dio, de’ Dei feritor God, thou wounder of gods,
mi dice il mondo Amor. the world calls me, Cupid.
Cieco saettator alato ignudo, A blind, winged, nude marksman,
contro il mio stral non val difesa o scudo. no defence or shield is of any avail against my arrow.
Human Frailty
Misera son ben io, fattura humana: Wretched I am indeed, created in human form:
credere a ciechi e zoppi è cosa vana.
to believe the blind and the lame is a vain thing.
Il Tempo, La Fortuna, AmoreTime, Fortune, Cupid
Per me fragile quest’huom sarà. Through me, this man will be frail.
Per me misero quest’huom sarà.Through me, this man will be wretched.
Per me torbido quest’huom sarà. Through me, this man will be distressed.
Il Tempo ch’affretta pietate non ha. Time, who hurries away, has no pity.
Fortuna ch’alletta pietate non ha. Fortune, who entices, has no pity.
18
Amor che saette pietate non ha. Cupid, who shoots his arrows, has no pity.
Fragile, misero, torbido quest’huom sarà. Frail, wretched, distressed will this man be.
ACT I
w Scene 1
Reggia
The palace
Penelope Penelope
Di misera Regina non terminati mai dolenti affanni!Sorrow and trouble never end for me, miserable queen!
L’aspettato non giunge e pur fuggono gli anni; The awaited one does not return, and the years pass by;
la serie del penar è lunga ahi troppo, the time of torment is, alas, too long;
a chi vive in angoscie il tempo è zoppo. time is lame for whoever lives in anguish.
Fallacissima speme, speranze non più verdi Most false hope, hope no longer green but hoary,
ma canute,
all’invecchiato male non promettete più pace you no longer promise peace nor healing to the old pain.
o salute.
Scorsero quattro lustri dal memorabil giorno Two decades have passed since the day
in cui con sue rapine
when, through the abduction,
il superbo Trojano chiamò l’alta sua patria the proud Trojan plunged his illustrious
alle rovine. homeland into ruin.
A ragion arse Troja,Troy burned justly,
poichè l’Amor impuro, ch’è un delitto di foco, for impure love, which is a crime of fire,
si purga con le fiamme; is purged by fire;
ma ben contro ragione but most unjustly,
per l’altrui fallo condannata innocente while innocent, I am condemned
dall’altrui colpe io sono l’afflita penitente. to suffer the punishment of others.
Ulisse accorto e saggio, Shrewd, wise Ulysses,
tu che punir gli adulteri ti vanti, who boasts of punishing adultery,
19
aguzzi l’armi e susciti le fiamme you sharpen your weapons and fan the flames
per vendicar gli errori d’una profuga greca, to avenge the misdeeds of a faithless Greek woman,
e ’n tanto lasci la tua casta consorte; and at the same time leave your chaste wife
fra nemici rivali among hostile rivals,
in dubbio De l’honor, in forse a morte. her honour, perhaps her life, at stake.
Ogni partenza attende desiato ritorno, Every departure longingly awaits a return,
tu sol del tuo tornar perdesti il giorno. you alone have lost your day of returning.
Ericlea Eurycleia
Infelice Ericlea, nutrice sconsolata, Unhappy Eurycleia, inconsolable nurse,
compiangi il duol della Regina amata. you share the grief of your beloved queen.
Penelope Penelope
Non è dunque per me varia la sorte? Is there then no alteration in my fate?
Cangiò forse Fortuna la volubile ruota Did Fortune perhaps change the ever turning wheel
in stabil seggio? E la sua pronta vela
for a stationary one? And her quick sail
ch’ogni human caso porta that bears every human cause
fra l’incostanza a volo, through continual changes,
sol per me non raccoglie un fiato solo? gathers no breath of wind for me?
Cangian per altri pur aspetto in cielo Yet for others the pattern in the sky
le stelle erranti e fisse. of the wandering and fixed stars changes.
Torna, deh torna, Ulisse! Return, oh return, Ulysses!
Deh torna Ulisse, Penelope t’aspetta, Oh, return, Ulysses, Penelope awaits you
l’innocenta sospira, the innocent one sighs,
piange l’offesa e contro il tenace offensor the offended one weeps, and yet harbours no
nè pur s’adira:
anger against the stubborn offender:
all’anima affannata the distressed soul
porto le tue discolpe I pardon
20
acciò non resti di crudeltà macchiato, and do not call cruel,
ma falso de’ miei danni incolpo il fato. but cruel I call fate.
Così per tua difesa col destino, col cielo Thus in your defence
fomento guerre e stabilisco risse; I take issue with destiny, with heaven;
torna, deh torna, Ulisse!
return, oh return, Ulysses!
Ericlea Eurycleia
Partir senza ritorno non può stella influir,Parting without returning cannot be the will of the stars;
non è partir, ahi, che non è partir.
alas, this is not parting.
Penelope Penelope
Torna il tranquillo al mare, Calm returns over the sea,
torna il zeffiro al prato, the zephyr returns over the meadow,
l’aurora mentre al sol fa dolce invito the dawn meanwhile sweetly invites the sun
è un ritorno del dì ch’è pria partito. to a return of the day which had departed.
Tornan le brine in terra, The waters return to the earth,
tornano al centro i sassi, the stones return to the centre,
e con lubrici passi and with gliding steps
torna all’oceano il rivo. the river returns to the ocean.
L’huomo qua giù ch’è vivo Man, who lives down here
lunge da’ suoi principi far away from his origins,
porta un’alma celeste e un corpo frale; bears a celestial soul and a frail body;
tosto more il mortale soon the mortal dies
e torna l’alma in cielo and the soul returns to heaven
e torna il corpo in polve and the body returns to dust
dopo breve soggiorno; after a brief sojourn;
tu sol del tuo tornar perdesti il giorno. you alone have missed the day of our return.
Torna, che mentre porti empie dimore Return, for while you
21
al mio fiero dolore,
cause me cruel grief,
veggio del morir mio l’hore prefisse. I see the preordained hour of my death.
Torna, deh torna, Ulisse! Return, oh return, Ulysses!
e Scene 2
MelantoMelantho
Duri e penosi
Bitter are the torments
son gli amorosi that the lover suffers
fieri desir; in his desire;
ma alfin son cari,
but at last, the harsh sufferings,
se prima amari,
though bitter at first,
gli aspri martir; are cherished;
che s’arde un core
if a heart is burning
d’allegrezza è il foco, it is a fire of joy,
nè mai perde in amor and he never loses
chi compie il gioco. who plays the game of love.
Chi pria s’accende Whoever is first inflamed
procelle attende by a white bosom
da un bianco sen, can expect storms,
ma corseggiando
but riding them out
trova in amando he finds in loving
porto seren. a serene harbour.
Si piange pria, First, there is weeping,
ma alfin la gioia ha loco, but at last joy takes its place,
nè mai perde in amor he never loses
chi compie il gioco. who plays the game of love.
22
Eurimaco Eurymachus
Bella Melanto mia, graziosa Melanto,
My beautiful Melantho, delightful Melantho,
il tuo canto è un incanto
your song is enchantment,
il tuo volto è magia.
your face is magic.
Bella Melanto mia!
My beautiful Melantho!
È tutto laccio in te ciò ch’altri ammaga, Everything in you is captivating
ciò che laccio non è fa tutto piaga.
and holds him slave whom you inflame.
Melanto Melantho
Vezzoso garruletto, Loquacious flatterer,
o come ben tu sai oh how well you know
ingemmar le bellezze, how to sing of beauty,
illustrar a tuo pro to describe to your own advantage
d’un volto i rai. the radiance of a face.
Lieto vezzeggia pur Yet your gentle lies
con glorie mie
sweetly flatter me
le tue dolci bugie.
with my glories.
Eurimaco Eurymachus
Bugia sarebbe It would be lies
s’io lodando non t’amassi, if I, praising, did not love you,
che il negar d’adorar for refusing to adore
confessata deità
an acknowledged deity
è bugia d’empietà.
is an impious lie.
Melanto, Eurimaco Melantho, Eurymachus
De’ nostri amor concordi May the flame of our mutual love
sia pur la fiamma accesa, rise upward;
che amato il non amando arreca offesa
for lovers not to love is an offense,
23
ch’amato il non amar arreca offesa, love not returned is an offense,
né con ragion s’offende but it is not fitting
colui che per offese amor ti rende. to reward love with offences.
MelantoMelantho
S’io non t’amo, cor mio, che sia di gelo l’alma If I do not love you, my heart, my soul
ch’ho in sen a’ tuoi begli occhi avante.
shall turn to ice before your eyes.
EurimacoEurymachus
Se in adorarti cor non ho costante, If my heart is not constant in its devotion,
non mi sia stanza il mondo o tetto il cielo. the world shall no longer be a place or the sky a roof for me.
Dolce mia vita sei,You are the sweetness of my life,
lieto mio ben sarai, happy shall you be, my love,
nodo sí bel non si disciolga mai. may such a beautiful knot never be dissolved.
Melanto Melantho
Come, oh, come il desio m’invoglia, Oh, how the wish inspires me,
Eurimaco, mia vita, Eurymachus, my life,
senza fren, senza morso to fulfil without any regret or restraint
dar nel tuo sen alle mie gioie il corso! my dream of love with you!
Eurimaco Eurymachus
Come, oh, come volentieri Oh how gladly I would exchange
cangerei questa in un deserto this place for a desert,
ove occhio curioso a veder
where curious eyes
non giungesse i nostri errori. could not pursue us.
24
Che ad un focoso petto For a fiery bosom
il rispetto è dispetto. despises every obstacle.
Eurimaco Eurymachus
Tu dunque t’affatica, So try again now
suscita in lei la fiamma! to kindle her fire of love!
Melanto Melantho
Ritenterò quell’alma pertinace ostinata, I will tempt again that obstinate soul,
ritoccherò quel core touch again that heart
ch’indiamanta l’honore. which is a temple of chastity.
Dolce mia vita sei, You are my sweet life,
lieto mio ben sarai, you will be my greatest happiness,
nodo sí bel non si disciolga mai. may such a beautiful knot never be loosened.
[Scene 3 Maritime scene with nereids and sirens, missing in score.]
r Scene 4
Qui esce la barca de’ Feaci che conduce Ulisse
Here the boat of the Phaeacians appears bearing
che dorme e perchè non si desti si fa la
the sleeping Ulysses, and, so as not to wake him,
seguente sinfonia toccata souvemente sempre
the following sinfonia is played always softly and
su una corda.
on one chord.
25
t Scene 5
Nettuno sorge dal mare
Neptune rises from the sea
Nettuno Neptune
Superbo è l’huom ed è del suo peccato Man is proud, and is the cause of his own guilt
cagion, benchè lontana: il ciel cortese though remotely; kind heaven
facile è ahi troppo in perdonar l’offese.
is only too willing to pardon the offence.
Fa guerra col destin, pugna col fato, Human freedom wages war against Destiny,
tutt’osa, tutto ardisce l’humana libertate, fights with fate, dares all, risks all,
indomita si rende, makes itself indomitable,
e l’arbitrio de l’huom col ciel contende. and the will of man struggles against heaven.
Ma se Giove benigno But if benign Jupiter
i trascorsi de l’huom troppo perdona, pardons too readily the transgressions of man,
tenga egli a voglia sua nella gran destra he holds at his will the idle lightning
il fulmine ozioso. Tengalo invendicato, in his mighty right hand. Unavenged he holds it,
ma non soffra Nettuno but Neptune does not suffer
col proprio dishonor l’human peccato! his honour to be stained by human guilt.
Giove Jupiter
Gran Dio de’ salsi flutti,
Great god of the salty billows,
che mormori e vaneggi what murmurings and vanities
contro l’alta bontà del Dio sovrano? against the sublime bounty of the sovereign god?
Mi stabilì per Giove As Jupiter I show
la mente mia pietosa my merciful spirit
più ch’armata la mano. rather than arm my hand.
Questo fulmine atterra, This thunderbolt terrifies,
la pietà persuade, pity persuades,
fa adorar la pietade; and lets mercy be worshipped;
ma non adora più che cade a terra. but it no longer worships what falls to the ground.
26
Ma qual giusto desio d’aspra vendetta
But what just desire for harsh vengeance
furioso ti move furiously moves you
ad accusar l’alta bontà di Giove? to accuse the sublime bounty of Jupiter?
Nettuno Neptune
Hanno i Feaci arditi The daring Phaeacians have,
contro l’alto voler del mio decreto against the high will of my decree,
han Ulisse condotto in Itaca sua patria, led Ulysses to his homeland Ithaca,
onde rimane da l’human ardimento whereby human boldness
de l’offesa Deitade ingannato l’intento. intended to offend the gods by deceit.
Vergogna e non pietade, Shame, not pride,
comanda il perdonar fatti sì rei. commands the pardoning of such guilty deeds.
Così di nome soloThus in name alone
son divini gli Dei.
are the gods divine.
Giove Jupiter
Non fien discare al ciel le tue vendette, Your vengeance will not be rejected by heaven,
che comune ragion ci tiene uniti. for common reasoning will keep us united.
Puoi da te stesso castigar gli arditi. You can punish the bold ones yourself.
Nettuno Neptune
Hor già che non dissente il tuo divin volere,Now that your divine will does not dissent,
darò castigo al temerario orgoglio:
I shall castigate their shameless pride:
la nave loro andante farò immobile scoglio.
their moving ship I shall turn into an immobile rock.
Giove Jupiter
Facciasi il tuo comando,Your command be executed,
veggansi l’alte prove,
may your power be felt,
abbian l’onde il suo Giove;
the waves have their Jupiter;
27
e chi andando peccò
and he who sinned in moving
pera restando.
be punished in immobility.
y Scene 6
Coro di Feaci
Chorus of Phaeacians
In questo basso mondo
In this base world
l’huomo puol quanto vuol.
man can do as much as he wants.
Tutto fa, tutto fa,
He does everything, he does everything,
che ’l ciel del nostro oprar
for heaven has no thought
pensier non ha.
for our activity.
NettunoNeptune
Ricche d’un nuovo scoglio
Richer by a new rock
sien quest’onde fugaci.
be these fleeting waters.
(Doppo mutata la nave.)
(After transforming the ship into a rock.)
Imperino i Faeci in questo giorno
May the Phaeacians learn on this day
che l’humano viaggio
that the human journey,
quand’ha contrario il ciel non ha ritorno.
when made against the will of heaven, has no return.
u Scene 7
UlisseUlysses
Dormo ancora o son desto?Am I still asleep, or am I awake?
Che contrade rimiro?
What countryside surrounds me?
Qual aria vi respiro?
What air do I breathe?
E che terren calpesto?On what soil do I tread?
28
Dormo ancora o son desto?Am I still asleep, or am I awake?
Chi fece in me
Who has changed
il sempre dolce e lusinghevol sonno
ever sweet and enticing sleep
ministro de’ tormenti,
into a tormentor in me,
chi cangiò il mio riposo in ria sventura?
who has changed my repose into misadventure?
Qual deità de’ dormienti ha cura?
What deity of sleepers was responsible?
O sonno, o mortal sonno!Oh sleep, oh mortal sleep!
Fratello della morte altri ti chiama.Others call you the brother of death.
Solingo trasportato, deluso et ingannato,Lonely, deserted, deluded and deceived,
ti conosco ben io, padre d’errori,
I know you well, father of errors,
pur degli errori miei son io la colpa!
though for my errors I am guilty!
Che se l’ombra è del sonno
For the shadow is
sorella o pur campagna;
the sister or the partner of sleep;
chi si confida all’ombra
he who confides in the shadow
perduto alfin contro ragion si lagna.
complains without reason if he is ultimately lost.
O Dei sempre sdegnati, Oh, ever angry gods,
Numi non mai placati,
never placated gods,
contro Ulisse che dorme anco severi,
severe even to the sleeping Ulysses,
vostri divini imperi
let your divine decrees
contro l’human voler sien fermi e forti,
be firm and strong against human will,
ma non tolgano ohimè la pace ai morti.
but alas, let the dead have their peace.
Feaci ingannatori!Deceitful Phaeacians!
Voi pur mi promettesteYou promised me
di ricondurmi salvo in Itaca mia patria
you would take me safely back to my country Ithaca
con le ricchezze miei, co’ miei tesori.
with my spoils, with my treasures.
Feaci mancatori!Phaeacians, you breakers of promises!
Hor non so com’ingrati mi lasciaste
Why have you now left me
in questa riva asperta,
on this exposed shore,
su spiaggia erma e deserta,
on this wild, empty coast,
29
misero, abbandonato;
disconsolate and abandoned?
e vi porta fastosi e l’aure e per l’ondeAnd you travel carefree through the breezes and waves
così enorme peccato!
burdened with such cruel guilt!
Se puniti non son sì gravi errori,
If such grave crimes go unpunished,
lascia, Giove, deh lascia de’ fulmini la cura,
leave, Jupiter, your charge of the lightning,
che la legge del caso è più sicura.
for the law of chance is surer.
Sia delle vostre vele,To your sails,
falsissimi Feaci,
you most base Phaeacians,
sempre Borea inimico;
may the wind be hostile;
e sian qual piuma al vento o scoglio in mare
and like a feather in the wind or a rock in the sea
le vostre infide navi:
be your faithless ships:
leggiere agli Aquiloni, all’aure gravid!
light in the storm, and heavy on the breeze!
i Scene 8
Minerva (in abito da pastorello)Minerva (in the guise of a shepherd boy)
Cara e lieta gioventùDear and joyful time of youth
che disprezza empio desir,
that despises impious desire,
non dà a lei noia o martir
what is to come and what has been
ciò che viene e ciò che fu.
cannot be vexing or tormenting.
Cara e lieta gioventù.Dear and joyful time of youth.
Ulisse (fra sè parla e dice)Ulysses (aside)
Sempre l’human bisogno il ciel soccorre. Heaven always succours human need.
Quel giovinetto tenero negli anni, That youth of tender years,
mal pratico d’inganni, inexperienced in deceit,
forse che’l mio pensier farà contento: can perhaps put my mind at rest:
che non ha frode in seno for he can have no dishonesty in his heart
chi non ha pelo al mento. who has no hair on his chin.
30
Minerva Minerva
Giovanezza è un bel tesor Youth is a lovely treasure
che fa ricco in gioia un sen. that makes a breast rich in joy.
Per lei zoppo il tempo vien, Time only limps in youth,
per lei vola alato Amor. winged Cupid flies around it.
Giovanezza è un bel tesor. Youth is a lovely treasure.
UlisseUlysses
Vezzoso pastorello, Gentle shepherd boy,
deh sovvieni un perduto oh help one who is lost
di consiglio e d’aiuto, with counsel and with aid,
e dimmi, dimmi pria and tell me, tell me first of all
di questa spiaggia e questo porto il nome. the name of this coast and this harbour.
MinervaMinerva
Itaca è questa in sen di questo mare, This is Ithaca, in the bosom of this sea,
porto famoso e spiaggia felice avventurata. famous harbour and shore of happy fortunes.
Faccia gioconda e grata You make a smiling and grateful face
a sí bel nome fai. at such a fair name.
Ma tu come venisti e dove vai? But how did you come here and whither go you?
UlisseUlysses
Io greco sono et hor di Creta io vengo I am a Greek and have come from Crete
per fuggir il castigo d’homicidio eseguito; to flee the punishment of a murder I committed;
m’alccosero i Feaci e m’han promesso the Phaeacians received me and promised
in Elide condurmi, to take me to Elis,
ma dal cruccioso mar dal vento infido but we were dashed with force by the angry sea
fummo a forza cacciati in questo lido.
and the faithless wind on to this shore.
Sin qui, pastor, hebbi nemico il caso.
Fate, shepherd, has been hostile to me.
31
Ma sbarcato al riposo, When I disembarked to rest,
per veder quieto il mar secondi i venti,
to see the sea calming itself after the wind,
colà m’addormentai sí dolcemente, I fell asleep so sweetly
ch’io non udii nè vidi that I neither saw nor heard
de’ Feaci crudeli la furtiva partenza, the furtive departure of the cruel Phaeacians,
ond’io rimasi con le mie spoglie and I remained with my spoils
in su l’arena ignuda isconosciuto e solo,
upon the bare sand, unknown and alone,
e’l sonno che partì lasciommi il duolo. and the sleep that has departed has left me with grief.
MinervaMinerva
Ben lungamente addormentato fostiYou have indeed slept long
ch’ancor ombre racconti e sogni narri.
that you still speak of shadows and narrate dreams.
È ben accorto Ulisse, ma più saggia è Minerva. Shrewd indeed is Ulysses, but wiser is Minerva.
Tu dunque, Ulisse, i miei precetti osserva! So you, Ulysses, follow my commandments!
UlisseUlysses
Chi crederebbe mai! Whoever would have believed it!
Le deità vestite in human velo! The deity clothed in human garb!
Chi crederebbe mai! Whoever would have believed it!
Si fanno queste mascherate in cielo? Are there such masquerades in heaven?
Grazie ti rendo, o protettrice Dea: I give you thanks, O protecting goddess:
ben so che per tuo amore I well know that through your love
furon senza periglio i miei pensieri. my thoughts have been free from danger.
Hor consolato seguo i tuoi saggi consigli. Now, being comforted, I follow your wise counsels.
MinervaMinerva
Incognito sarai, non conosciuto andrai You will be unrecognized, will pass unknown,
sinchè tu vegga dei Proci tuoi rivali until you see the shameless pride
la sfacciata baldanza.
of your rivals.
32
UlisseUlysses
O fortunato Ulisse! Oh fortunate Ulysses!
MinervaMinerva
Di Penelope casta l’immutabil costanza. The unchanging constancy of chaste Penelope.
UlisseUlysses
O fortunato Ulisse! Oh fortunate Ulysses!
MinervaMinerva
Hor t’adacqua la fronte Now wet your brow
nella vicina fonte, at the nearby spring,
ch’anderai sconosciuto so that you will be unknown to others
in sembiante canuto. in the hoary guise of an old man.
UlisseUlysses
Ad obbedirti vado, indi ritorno. I shall obey you, and then return.
MinervaMinerva
Io vidi per vendetta
I saw Troy
incenerisi Troja;
burning as vengeance;
hora mi resta
it now remains for me
Ulisse ricondur in patria in regno:
to lead Ulysses back to his homeland, to his kingdom;
d’un’oltraggiata Dea questo è lo sdegno.
this is the anger of an offended goddess.
Quinci imparate voi stolti mortaliLearn here, you foolish mortals,
al litigio divin non poner bocca:
not to interfere in divine disputes:
il giudicio del ciel a voi non tocca,
it is not fitting for you to judge heaven,
che son di terra i vostri tribunali.
for your courts are of the earth.
33
UlisseUlysses
Eccomi, saggia Dea.
Here I am, wise goddess.
Questi peli che guardiThese hairs that you see
sono di mia vecchiaia
are lying testimony
testimoni bugiardi.
to my old age.
MinervaMinerva
Hor poniamo in sicuroNow we shall bring to safety
queste tue spoglie amate
these beloved spoils of yours
entro quell’antro oscuro
within that dark cave
delle Najadi, Ninfe al ciel sacrate.
of the nereids, nymphs consecrated to heaven.
Minerva, Ulisse
Minerva, Ulysses
Ninfe serbate le gemme e gl’ ori,Nymphs, guard the gems and the gold,
spoglie e tesori, tutto serbate,
spoils and treasure, guard all,
Ninfe secrate.
consecrated nymphs.
o Scene 9
MinervaMinerva
Tu d’Aretusa al fonte intanto vanne
Go you meanwhile to the spring of Arethusa
ove il pastor Eumete, tuo fido antico servo,
where the shepherd Eumaeus, your faithful old servant,
custodisce la gregge. Ivi m’attendi
watches over the herds. Wait for me there
in sin che pria di Sparta
until I first bring to you from Sparta
io ti conduca Telemaco tuo figlio;
your son, Telemachus;
poi d’eseguir t’appresta il mio consiglio.
then, carry out my advice.
34
UlisseUlysses
O fortunato Ulisse!Oh fortunate Ulysses!
Fuggi del tuo dolor l’antico error.The grief from your old misdeeds flies away.
Lascia il pianto, dolce canto
Weep no more; let the sweet song
del tuo cor lieto disserra.
of your heart make you happy.
Non si disperi più mortale in terra!No more shall mortals despair on earth!
O fortunato Ulisse!Oh fortunate Ulysses!
Cara vicenda si può soffrir
Happy fate, inconstant sufferings,
hor diletto hor martir,
now delight, now torment,
hor pace hor guerra.
now peace, now war.
Non si disperi più mortale in terra!No more shall mortals despair on earth!
a Scene 10
Reggia
The palace
PenelopePenelope
Donata un giorno, o Dei,
Give one day, O gods,
contento a’ desir miei.
satisfaction to my desire.
MelantoMelantho
Cara amata Regina,Dear beloved queen,
avveduta e prudente
wisdom and prudence
per tuo sol danno sei:
are only hurting you:
men saggia io ti vorrei.
I would see you less wise.
A che sprezzi gli ardori
Why do you disdain the fire
de’ viventi amatori
of living lovers
per attender conforti
in order to expect comfort
dal cenere de’ morti?
from the ashes of the dead?
Non fa torto chi gode a chi è sepolto.
Whoever enjoys herself does no wrong to him who is buried.
35
L’ossa del tuo maritoThe bones of your husband
estinto, incenerito,
who is dead, turned to ashes,
del tuo dolor non san poco né molto;
know neither little nor much of your grief;
e chi attende pietà da’ morti è stolto.
and whoever expects pity from a dead man is foolish.
La fede e la costanza
Faith and constancy
son preclare virtù;
are sublime virtues;
le stima amante vivo
a living lover esteems them
e non l’apprezza, perchè de’ sensi privo,
and, deprived of his senses,
un huom che fu.
a man who is dead does not appreciate them.
D’una memoria grataThe dead are honoured
s’appagano i defunti,
by a grateful memory,
stanno i vivi coi vivi
but the living remain
in un congiunti.
united with the living.
Un bel viso fa guerra,A face marked by inner struggle
il guerriero costume al morto spiace,
displeases the dead,
che con cercan gli estinti altro che pace.
for those who have expired seek only peace.
Langue sotto i rigori
Under the rigours
de’ tuoi sciapiti amori
of your renunciation
la più fiorita età,
the time of your greatest bloom languishes;
ma vedova beltà
your beauty
de te si duole,
suffers in widowhood,
che dentro ai lunghi pianti
for through continual weeping,
mostri sempre in acquario un sí bel sole.
you show a lovely sun behind a veil of water.
Ama dunque, che d’Amore So love; for Cupid’s
dolce amica è la beltà. sweet companion is beauty.
Dal piacer il tuo dolore In pleasure will your grief
saettato caderà. fall before his arrows.
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PenelopePenelope
Amor è un idol vano, Cupid is a vain idol,
Amor è un vagabondo Nume, Cupid is a vagabond god,
Amor all’incostanze sue non mancan piume, Cupid, whose inconstancy is known,
del suo dolce sereno whose times of sweetness
è misura il baleno. last only as long as the lightning.
Un giorno solo cangia One single day can
il piacer in duolo. turn joy into grief.
Sono i casi amorosi Love stories are often
di Tesei e di Giasoni ohimè son pieni. like those of Theseus and Jason:
Incostanza e rigore, inconstancy and punishment,
pene e morte e dolore. torment and death and grief.
Dell’amoroso ciel splendori fissi The splendours of an amorous heaven
san cangiar in Giason anche gli Ulissi. could even transform a Ulysses into a Jason.
MelantoMelantho
Perchè Aquilone infido Just because the winds treacherously
turbi una volta il mar disturb the sea at times,
distaccarsi dal lido should the bold seaman
animoso nocchier non dee lasciar? never again leave harbour?
Sempre non guarda in ciel torva una stella, Not always will he see a menacing star in the sky;
ha calma ogni procella. every storm is calmed.
Ama dunque, che d’Amore So love; for Cupid’s
dolce amica è la beltà. sweet companion is beauty;
Dal piacer il tuo dolore in pleasure will your grief
saettato caderà. fall before his arrows.
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PenelopePenelope
Non dee di nuovo amar Never again can anyone love
chi misera penò: who has suffered so bitterly:
torna stolta a penar a fool returns to suffering
chi prima errò. after having once erred.
s Scene 11
Boschereccia
A woody grove
EumeteEumaeus
Oh come mal si salva un Regio amanteOh how badly can a loving king save himself
da sventure e da mali!
from misadventure and evil!
Meglio i scettri regaliTears sooner bedew royal sceptres
che i dardi de’ pastor imperla il pianto.
than the staffs of the shepherds.
Seta vestano ed oriSilk and gold
i travagli maggiori.
clothe the greatest troubles.
È vita più sicuraAnd more secure
della ricca et illustre than the rich and illustrious life
la povera et oscura.
is the poor and obscure one.
Colli, campagne e bosci,
Hills, fields and woods,
se stato human felicità contiene,
if the human state contains happiness,
in voi s’annida il sospirato bene.
it is in you that it makes its nest.
Herbosi prati, in voi nasce il fior del diletto,
Grassy meadows, in you the flower of delight is born,
frutto di libertade in voi si coglie, the fruit of liberty is gathered in you,
son delizie dell’huom le vostre foglie. your leaves are the delight of man.
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d Scene 12
IroIrus
Pastor d’armenti può prati e boschi lodar, A keeper of cattle can well praise meadows and woods,
avvezzo mandre a conversar.
for he is used to talking to the herds.
Quest’herbe che tu nomini These grasses you have mentioned
sono cibo di bestie, pastor, e non degli huomini. are fodder for the cattle, and not for man.
Colà tra Regi io sto, I live there among kings,
tu fra gli armenti qui. you here among the cattle.
Tu godi e tu conversi tutto il diYou cultivate and converse in woodland
amicizie selvatiche, friendships the whole day,
io mangio i tuoi compagni, pastor, e le tue pratiche! I eat your companions, herdsman, and your work!
EumeteEumaeus
Iro, gran mangiatore, Irus, you big eater,
Iro, divoratore Irus, you glutton,
Iro, loquace! Irus, you windbag!
Mio pace non perturbar.Do not disturb my peace.
Corri a mangiar! a crepar!
Run away to eat! To die!
f Scene 13
EumeteEumaeus
Ulisse generoso! Fu nobile intrapresa Generous Ulysses! You undertook noble deeds
lo spopolar, l’incenerir cittadi; depopulating and burning down cities;
ma forse il ciel irato nella caduta de but perhaps heaven, enraged at the fall of the
Trojano regno, Trojan kingdom
volle la vita tua per vittima al suo sdegno. demands your life as a sacrifice for its anger.
39
Ulisse (in sembianza di vecchio)Ulysses (in the guise of an old man)
Se del nomato Ulisse tu vegga in questo giorno If today you wish
desiato il ritorno, the return of the said Ulysses,
accogli questo vecchio povero receive this poor old man
ch’ha perduto ogni mortal aiuto who has lost all mortal aid
nella cadente età, nell’aspra sorte;
in the age of decline, in bitter fortune;
le sia la tua pietà scorta alla morte.
may your pity escort him to his death.
EumeteEumaeus
Hospite mio sarai, You will be my guest,
cortese albergo avrai. you will have a courteous lodging.
Sono i mendici The beggars are
favoriti del ciel, di Giove amici. favourites of heaven, friends of Jupiter.
UlisseUlysses
Ulisse è vivo! La patria lo vedrà, Ulysses is alive! His fatherland will see him,
Penelope l’havrà;Penelope will embrace him;
che il fato non fu mai d’affetto privo,
for fate was never without feeling,
maturano il destin le sue dimore; and time can change much;
credilo a me pastore! believe me this, shepherd!
EumeteEumaeus
Come lieto t’accoglio, mendica deità! How happily I welcome you, mendicant deity!
Il mio lungo cordoglio da te vinto cadrà. My long sorrow falls vanquished by you.
Seguimi amico pur,Now follow me, friend;
riposo havrai sicur.
you will rest in safety.
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ACT II
g Scene 1
In Minerva’s chariot
TelemacoTelemachus
Lieto cammino, Delightful passage,
dolce viaggio, sweet journey,
passa il carro divino the divine chariot passes
come che fosse un raggio.
as if it were a ray of light.
Minerva, Telemaco
Minerva, Telemachus
Gli Dei possenti The mighty gods
navigan l’aure, solcano i venti. sail on the breezes, plow the winds.
MinervaMinerva
Eccoti giunto alle paterne ville, Here you are, united with your father’s domains,
Telemaco prudente.
wise Telemachus.
Non ti scordar già mai de’ miei consigli, Never forget my counsels,
che se dal buon sentier travia la mente when your mind errs from the right path
incontrerai perigli. you will meet with dangers.
TelemacoTelemachus
Periglio invan mi sgrida Danger will try in vain to oppress me
se tua bontà m’affida. if you grant me your bounty.
41
h Scene 2
Boschereccia
A woody grove
EumeteEumaeus
O gran figlio d’Ulisse, O great son of Ulysses,
è pur ver che tu torni you have indeed returned
a serenar della tua madre i giorni. to render happy your mother’s days.
O gran figlio d’Ulisse, O great son of Ulysses,
è pur sei giunto alfine you are indeed united at last
di tua casa cadente with your fallen house,
a riparar l’altissime ruine. to repair the noble ruins.
Fugga il cordoglio e cessi il pianto. Sorrow flees and lament comes to an end.
Facciamo, o peregrino,Let us, O wanderer,
all’allagrezze nostre honor col canto. do honour to our happiness in song.
Eumete, UlisseEumaeus, Ulysses
Verdi spiagge al lieto giorno,
Green coasts on the happy day,
rabbellite herbette e fiori!
readorned grasses and flowers!
Scherzin l’aure con gli amori,The breezes play with the cupids,
ride il ciel al bel ritorno. heaven smiles at the joyful return.
TelemacoTelemachus
Vostri cortesi auspici a me son grati.Your auspicious friendliness makes me grateful.
Manchevole piacer però m’alletta, But it is an incomplete pleasure that charms me,
ch’esser paga non puote alma ch’aspetta.
for a soul that is waiting cannot be satisfied.
EumeteEumaeus
Questo che tu qui miri This man whom you see here,
sovra gli homeri stanchi portar gran peso d’anni bearing a great weight of years on his weary shoulders,
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e mal involto da ben laceri panni, and poorly clad in torn garments,
egli m’accerta che d’Ulisse il ritorno
he has assured me that the return of Ulysses
fia di poco lontan da questo giorno. is not distant on this day.
UlisseUlysses
Pastor, se nol fia ver, ch’al tardo passo Shepherd, should this not be true, let the first
si trasformi in sepolcro il primo sasso, stone be turned into a tomb for my slow steps,
e la morte che meco amoreggia d’intorno
and death, who is courting me within,
hora porti ai miei dì l’ultimo giorno. now bring my life its last day.
Eumete, UlisseEumaeus, Ulysses
Dolce speme i cor lusinga, Sweet hope flatters the heart,
lieto annuzio ogni alma alletta,
happy news charms every soul,
s’esser paga non pote yet contentment is impossible
alma ch’aspetta. for a soul that is waiting.
TelemacoTelemachus
Vanne pur tu veloce,Then go you quickly,
vanne, Eumete, alla reggia go, Eumaeus, to the palace,
e del mio arrivo fa ch’avvisata sia and see that my arrival is made known
la genitrice mia. to my mother.
j Scene 3
Scende dal cielo un raggio de fuoco, A ray of fire comes down from the sky,
sopra il capo d’Ulisse, s’apre la terra
over the head of Ulysses; the earth opens,
e Ulisse si profonda.
and Ulysses disappears into it.
TelemacoTelemachus
Che veggio, ohimè, che miro? What do I see, alas, what do I behold?
43
Questa terra vorace i vivi inghiotte, This voracious earth devours the living,
apre bocche e caverne d’humano sangue ingorde, it opens mouths and caverns, greedy for human blood,
e più non soffre del viator il passo, and no longer suffers the step of the wayfarer,
ma la carne dell’huom tranghiotte il sasso. but the stone swallows the flesh of man.
Che prodigi son questi? What wonders are these?
Dunque, Patria, apprendesti Did you then learn, O fatherland,
a divorar le genti? to devour people?
Cosí dunque Minerva alla patria mi doni,Do you then deliver me, Minerva, to my fatherland,
questa è patria comune se di questo ragioni? this common fatherland, for reasons like this?
Ma se presta ho la lingua ho la memoria pigra. But if I have a quick tongue, my memory is dull.
Quel pelegrin ch’or hora This wanderer who just now,
per dar fede a menzogne to give credibility to lies,
chiamò sepolcri et invitò la morte invoked tombs and invited death,
dal giusto ciel punito
is now punished by a just heaven
restò qui seppellito.
and lies buried here.
Ah caro padre! Dunque in modo sì stranoAh, beloved father! Thus, in such a strange manner,
m’avvisa il tuo morire il ciel di propria mano? does heaven itself advise me of your death?
Ahi che per farmi guerraAh, in order to fight against me
fa stupori e miracoli la terra! earth performs wonders and miracles!
(Qui risorge Ulisse in sua propria forma.)
(Here Ulysses rises again in his true form.)
Ma che nuovi portenti oihmé rimiro? But what new portents, alas, do I behold again?
Fa cambio, fa permuta con la morte la vita! Death is exchanged with, transformed into life!
Non sia più che chiami questa caduta amara,No more shall this fall be called bitter,
se col morir ringiovanir s’impara.
if in dying one can be rejuvenated.
44
UlisseUlysses
Telemaco,Telemachus,
convienti congiar le meraviglie in allegrezze,
it is fitting that your wonder changes to joy,
che se perdi il mendico il padre acquisti. for he who has lost a beggar has found a father.
TelemacoTelemachus
Benchè Ulisse si vanti Although Ulysses boasted
di prosapia celeste of heavenly prescience,
trasformarsi non puote huomo mortale;
mortal man is unable to transform himself;
tanto Ulisse non vale.
Ulysses is not so powerful.
O scherzano gli Dei, Either the gods are playing tricks,
o pur mago tu sei! or you are a magician!
UlisseUlysses
Ulisse sono! Testimonio è Minerva, I am Ulysses! The witness is Minerva,
quella che te portò per l’aria a volo. she who carried you, flying, through the air.
La forma cangiò a me come le aggrada She changed my form as she pleased
perchè sicuro e sconosciuto vada. that I might go safe and unrecognized.
Telemaco, UlisseTelemachus, Ulysses
O padre sospirato! O father whom I have sighed for!
O figlio desiato! O son whom I have longed for!
Genitore glorioso! Glorious parent!
Pegno dolce amoroso! Sweet pledge of love!
T’inchino. Ti stringo. I bow before you. I press you to me.
O mio diletto! Oh my joy!
Figliale dolcezza a lagrimar mi sforza.
Filial tenderness brings me to tears.
Paterna tenerezza il pianto in me rinforza.Paternal tenderness makes me weep.
Mortal tutto confida e tutto spera,A mortal trusts all and hopes all,
45
che quando il ciel protegge
for when heaven protects you,
natura non ha legge;
nature has no jurisdiction;
l’impossibile ancor spesso s’avverra.
the impossible can still often come true.
UlisseUlysses
Vanne alle madre, va!
Go to your mother, go!
Porta alla reggia il piè!
Make haste to the royal palace!
Sarò tosto con te,
I will soon be with you,
ma pria canuto il piè ritornerà.
but first I must become an old man again.
k Scene 4
Reggia
The palace
MelantoMelantho
Eurimaco, la donna insomma ha un cor di sasso.Eurymachus, the lady has a heart of stone.
Parola non la muove;
Words do not move her;
priego invan la combatte;
imploring with her is in vain;
dentro del mal d’amore
within her lovesickness
sempre tenace ha l’alma;
she has an ever tenacious soul;
o di fede o d’orgoglio
whether through faithfulness or through pride
in ogni modo è scoglio.
she is like a rock in every way.
Nemica o pur amanteAs an enemy or as a lover
non ha di cera il cor
she has a heart not of wax
ma di diamante.
but of diamond.
EurimacoEurymachus
E pur udii sovente la poetica schieraAnd yet countless poets are often heard
cantar donna volubile e leggiera.
singing of changeable and flighty woman.
46
MelantoMelantho
Ho speso invan parole, indarno prieghi
In vain I have spent words, uttered prayers
per condur la Regina a nuovi amori.
to guide the queen to new loves.
L’impresa è disperata:The case is hopeless:
odia non che l’amor l’esser amata.
she now hates love and being loved.
EurimacoEurymachus
Peni chi brama, stenti chi vuol,Pains that are longed for, troubles wished for,
goda fra l’ombre chi ha in odio il sol.
those who hate the sun enjoy the shadows.
MelantoMelantho
Penelope trionfa nella doglia e nel pianto,Penelope triumphs in grief and weeping,
fra martiri è contenta.
is contented with her martyrdom.
Vive lieta Melanto.
Melantho lives happily.
Ella in pene si nutre,She nourishes herself with pain,
io fra diletti amando mi giocondo;
I amuse myself in the delights of love
fra si vari pensier più bello è il mondo.
among such thoughts the world is more beautiful.
Melanto, Eurimaco
Melantho, Eurymachus
Godendo, ridendo si lacera il duol.Enjoying, laughing, sorrow is destroyed.
Amiamo, godiamo e dica chi vuol.Let us love, let us enjoy, whatever others say.
l Scene 5
AntinooAntinous
Sono l’altre RegineOther queens are
coronate di servi e tu d’amanti.
surrounded by servants and you by lovers.
Tributan questi RegiThese kings pay tribute
al mar di tua bellezza un mar di pianti.
to the sea of your beauty with a sea of tears.
47
Antinoo, Pisandro, Anfinomo
Antinous, Peisander, Amphinomus
Ama dunque, sì, sì, dunque riama un dì.Love then, yes, yes, love again one day.
PenelopePenelope
Non voglio amar, no,
I do not want to love, no,
ch’amando penerò.
for love is torment.
Ama dunque, sì, sì, dunque riama un dì.Love then, yes, yes, love again one day.
PenelopePenelope
Cari tanto mi sieteYou are as dear to me
quanto più ardenti ardete;
as you ardently burn;
ma non m’appresso all’amoroso gioco,
but do not approach me in the game of love,
che lunge è bel più che vicino il foco.
for the fire is more beautiful when distant than when near.
Non voglio amar, no,
I do not want to love, no,
ch’amando penerò.
for love is torment.
PisandroPeisander
La pampinosa vite, se non s’abbraccia al faggio,The leafy vine, if it does not embrace the tree,
l’autun non frutta e non fiorisce il maggio,
will not bear fruit in autumn or flower in May,
e se fiorir non resta
and if it no longer flowers
ogni mano la coglie,
every hand will gather it,
ogni piè la calpesta.
every foot will trample it.
AnfinomoAmphinomus
Il bel cedro odoroso The beautiful, fragrant cedar
vive, se non s’incalma, is, if not grafted,
senza frutto, spinoso; barren and thorny;
48
ma se s’innesta poi but when grafted
figliano frutti e fior gli spini suoi. its thorns bring forth fruit and flowers.
AntinooAntinous
L’edera che verdeggia ad onta anco del verno The ivy that is green even in winter
d’un bel smeraldo eterno with a beautiful, eternal emerald green,
se non s’appoggia perde if not supported, will lose
fra l’herbose rovine il suo bel verde. its beautiful green amidst the grassy ruins.
Ama dunque, sì, sì, dunque riama un dì! Love then, yes, yes, love again one day!
PenelopePenelope
Non voglio amar, non voglio! I will not love any more, no!
Come sta in dubbio un ferro Like a piece of iron
se fra due calamite which, between two magnets,
da due parti diverse egli è chiamato, inclines itself and is attracted,
cosí sta in forse il core my heart cannot decide
nel tripartito amore. among three lovers.
Ma non può amar But nobody can love
chi non sa, chi non può who knows nothing
che pianger e penar. but anxiety and sorrow.
Mestizia e dolor Affliction and grief
son crudeli nemici d’amor. are the worst enemies of love.
All’allegrezze dunque, al ballo, al canto! Then to enjoyment, to the dance, to song!
Rallegriam la Regina. Let us make the queen happy again.
Lieto cor ad amar tosto s’inchina. A gay heart falls in love easily.
49
[Scene 6 Ballet of Moors, missing in score.]
; Scene 7
EumeteEumaeus
Apportator d’alte novelle vengo:
I come as bearer of important tidings:
È gionto, o gran Regina, Telemaco tuo figlio Telemachus your son, great queen, has just
returned home,
e forse non fia vana la speme ch’io t’arreco: and perhaps it is no empty hope that I announce:
Ulisse, il nostro Rege, il tuo consorte, è vivo, Ulysses our king, your husband, is alive,
e speriam non lontano il suo bramato arrivo! and his longed-for return is not far off!
PenelopePenelope
Per sí dubbie novelle Such uncertain tidings
o si addoppia il mio male will either make my grief stronger
o si cangia il tenor delle mie stelle. or change the course of my stars.
2) Scene 8
AntinooAntinous
Compagni, udiste: il vostro vicin rischio mortale
Friends, listen: your impending mortal danger
vi chiama a grandi e risolute imprese. must spur you to great and decisive deeds!
Telemaco ritorna, e forse Ulisse.
Telemachus is coming home and perhaps Ulysses himself.
Questa reggia da voi violata e offesa This palace, violated and mistreated by you,
dal suo signor aspetta
expects from its lord
tarda bensì, ma prossima vendetta. a vengeance, delayed but imminent.
Chi d’oltraggiar fu ardito
He who was eager to offend
neghittoso non resti
will now not hesitate
in compir il delitto.
to complete the crime.
51
In sin ad hora fu il peccato dolcezza; Up to now the sin was sweet;
hora il vostro peccar fia sicurezza,
now your sinning must save you,
che lo sperar favori è gran pazzia for it is great foolishness to hope for favour
da chi s’offese pria. from one who has been offended.
Anfinomo, PisandroAmphinomus, Peisander
Han fatto l’opre nostre Our deeds have made us
inimici d’Ulisse. enemies of Ulysses.
L’oltraggiar l’inimicoOffence to the enemy
unqua disdisse.
cannot be undone.
AntinooAntinous
Dunque l’ardir s’accresca, Then let our daring increase,
e pria ch’ Ulisse arrivi and before Ulysses arrives
Telemaco vicin togliam dai vivi! let us kill the approaching Telemachus!
Anfinomo, Pisandro, AntinooAmphinomus, Peisander, Antinous
Sì, sì, de’ grandi amori Yes, yes, great loves
sono figli i gran sdegni, engender great anger,
quel fere i cori the former wound the heart,
e quest’abbatte i regni. the latter destroys kingdoms.
(Qui vola sopra il capo dei proci un’aquila.)
(Here an eagle flies over the suitors’ heads.)
EurimacoEurymachus
Chi dall’alto n’ascolta He who hears it from on high
hor ne risponde, amici! now gives answer, friends!
Mute lingue del ciel son gli auspici. The omens are mute messages of heaven.
Mirate, ohimè mirate Behold, alas, behold
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del gran Giove l’augello, the eagle of great Jupiter,
ne predice rovine, ne promette flagello! it predicts ruin, it promises punishment!
Muova al delitto il piede Turn your steps towards crime
chi giusto il ciel non crede. only if you do not believe that heaven is just.
Crediam al minacciar del ciel irato, We believe the threats of irate heaven,
che chi non teme il cielo for whoever does not fear heaven
raddoppia il suo peccato. doubles his sin.
AntinooAntinous
Dunque prima che gionga il filial soccorso, Therefore, before her son arrives to help her,
per abbatter quel core let us, in order to win this heart,
facciam ai doni almen grato ricorso, at least appeal to her with gifts,
perchè ha la punta d’or lo stral d’Amore. for the arrow of Cupid has a tip of gold.
EurimacoEurymachus
L’oro sol sia Let gold alone be
l’amorosa magia. the magic of love.
Ogni cor feminil se fosse pietàEvery woman’s heart, even of stone,
tocco dall’or si spetra. melts when touched by gold.
Amor è un’armonia, Love is a harmony,
sono canti i sospiri, sighs are the melody,
ma non si canta ben se l’or non suona: but one does not sing well if gold does not resound:
non ama chi non dona. he does not love who does not give presents.
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2! Scene 9
Boschereccia
A woody grove
UlisseUlysses
Perir non può chi tien per scorta il cielo, He cannot perish who is guided by heaven,
chi ha per compagno un Dio. who has a god as his companion.
A grand’imprese, è ver, volto son io. I am indeed chosen for great things.
Ma fa peccato grave But he commits a grave sin who,
chi difeso dal ciel il mondo pave. when defended by heaven, fears the world.
MinervaMinerva
O coraggioso Ulisse, O brave Ulysses,
Io farò che proponga I shall arrange that
la tua casta consorte giuoco your chaste consort proposes the game
che a te fia gloria which will bring you glory
e sicurezza vittoria and sure victory
e a’ Proci morte. and the death of the suitors.
Allor che l’arco tuo ti giunge in mano When you take your bow in hand
e strepitoso tuon fiero t’invita, and a loud, fierce thunder invites you,
saetta pur, che la tua destra ardita then shoot, so that your bold right hand
tutti conficcherà gli estinti al piano. pins all the dead to the ground.
Io starò teco e con celeste lampo I will remain with you and, with celestial lightning,
atterrerò l’humanità soggetto: will vanquish subject humanity:
cadran vittime tutti alla vendetta, they will all fall victim to your vengeance
che i flagelli del ciel non hanno scampo!
for they have not escaped the wrath of heaven!
UlisseUlysses
Sempre è cieco il mortale, The mortal is always blind,
ma all’or si dee più cieco but now he is obliged to be more blind
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chi’l precetto divin devoto osserva. that he may devoutly observe divine precepts.
Io ti seguo, Minerva! I follow you, Minerva!
2@ Scene 10
EumeteEumaeus
Io vidi, o pellegrin, de’ Proci amanti I saw, O wanderer, the amorous suitors
l’ardir infermarsi, losing their boldness,
l’ardore gelar negli occhi tremanti, the ardour freezing in their trembling eyes,
il cor palpitar: their hearts palpitating:
il nome sol d’Ulisse alone the name of Ulysses
quest’alme ree trafisse. transfixed these guilty souls.
Ulisse Ulysses
Godo anch’io, nè so, I too rejoice to know it;
come rido, nè so perchè. how I laugh, not knowing why.
Tutto gioisco, I am quite overjoyed,
ringiovanisco rejuvenated
ben lieto affè. by such happiness.
EumeteEumaeus
Tosto ch’avrem con povera sostanza As soon as we have fortified
i corpi invigoriti, andrem veloci. our bodies with a frugal meal, we shall make haste.
Vedrai di quei feroci You will see the impudent, corrupt
fieri i costumi, i gesti morals and behaviour
impudente, inonesti. of those fierce, ferocious suitors.
UlisseUlysses
Non vive eterna l’arroganza in terra, Arrogance will not live forever on earth;
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la superbia mortal tosto s’abbatte, mortal pride is soon struck down
che il fulmine del ciel gli Olimpi atterra. by the thunderbolts of the Olympians in heaven.
2# Scene 11
Reggia
The palace
TelemacoTelemachus
Del mio lungo viaggio i torti errori The tortuous wanderings of my long journey
già vi narrai, Regina. I have already told you, O queen.
Hora tacer non posso della veduta Greca Now I can no longer be silent
la bellezza divina. about the divine beauty of the Greek woman I saw.
M’accolse Helena bella; Beautiful Helen received me;
io mirando stupii, dentro a quei raggi immerso I gazed at her wondering, as I was immersed in those eyes,
che di Paridi pieno non fosse l’universo; that the whole universe was not full of Parises;
alla figlia di Leda one Paris alone, I said,
un sol Paride, dissi, è poca preda. is but little prey for Leda’s daughter.
Povere fur le stragi, Poor was the havoc,
furon lievi gli incendi a tanto foco, mild was the burning with so much fire;
che se non arde un mondo il resto è poco. unless the whole world burns for her, the rest is too little.
Io vidi in que’ begl’occhi I saw in those beautiful eyes
dell’incendio Trojano le nascenti scintille, the nascent sparks of burning Troy,
le bambine favile; the kindling flames;
e ben pria potea astrologo amoroso and long ago, an astrologer, enamoured
da quei giri di foco of those orbs of fire,
profetar fiamme e indovinar ardori prophesied flames and foresaw heat
da incenerir città non men che cori.
that would burn cities, as well as hearts.
Paride, è ver, morì, Paris died, it is true,
Paride ancor gioì. yet Paris knew joy.
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Con la vita pagar convenne l’onta, With his life he fittingly paid for the shame,
ma così gran piacere una morte non sconta. but such great pleasure is not paid for by one death alone.
Si perdoni a quell’alma il grave fallo: Let that soul be pardoned its grave offence:
la bella Greca porta nel suo volto beato the beautiful Greek woman carries in her blissful face
tutte le scuse del Trojan peccato.
all the excuses for the Trojan crime.
PenelopePenelope
Beltà troppo funesta, ardor iniquo Too fatal beauty, iniquitous passion
di rimembranze indegno, unworthy of remembrance,
ti seminò lo sdegno anger sowed you
non tra i fiori d’un volto, not among the flowers of a face,
ma fra i strisci d’un angue;
but among the coils of a serpent;
che mostro è quel’amor che nuota in sangue. what a monster is that love which swims in blood.
Memoria cosí trista disperda pur l’oblio, Let such a tragic memory be dispelled by oblivion,
vaneggia la tua mente, folleggia il tuo desio! your mind speaks vanities, your emotions are folly!
TelemacoTelemachus
Non per vana follia Helena ti nomai, Not for vain folly did I mention Helen to you,
ma perchè essendo nella famosa Sparta but because, while in famous Sparta,
circondato improvviso there flew circling above
dal volo d’un augel destro e felice, a propitious bird;
Helena ch’è maestra Helen, who is well versed
dell’indovine scienze e degli auguri in occult science and in omens,
tutt’allegra mi disse told me rejoicing
ch’era vicino Ulisse that Ulysses was near
e che dovea dar morte ai Proci and that he would bring death to the suitors
e stabilirsi il regno. and restore his kingdom.
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2$ Scene 12
AntinooAntinous
Sempre villano Eumete, sempre t’ingegni Ever villainous Eumaeus, you always seek
di perturbar la pace, d’intorbidir la gioia, to disturb our peace, to spoil our pleasure,
oggetto di dolore, ritrovator di noia, miserable object, troublemaker,
hai qui condotto un infesto mendico, you have brought here an infested beggar,
un noioso importuno an annoying importuner
che con sue voglie ingorde
who, with his greedy desires,
non farà che guastar le mente liete. will do nothing but ruin our happy mood.
EumeteEumaeus
L’ha condotto Fortuna Fortune has led him
alle case d’Ulisse ove pietà s’aduna. to the house of Ulysses, where he can receive compassion.
AntinooAntinous
Rimanga ei teco a custodir la gregge Let him remain with you to guard the herds
e qui non venga
and not come here,
dove civile nobilità comanda e regge. where civilized nobility rules.
EumeteEumaeus
Civile nobilità non è crudele, Civilized nobility is not cruel;
nè puote anima grande sdegnar pietà
a great soul cannot scorn compassion,
che nasce de’ Regi tra le fasce. with which kings are born.
AntinooAntinous
Arrogante plebeo! Insegnar opre eccelse Arrogant plebeian! To teach of noble deeds
a te vil huom non tocca, is not for a base man like you;
nè dee parlar di re villana bocca. a peasant’s mouth should not talk of kings.
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E tu, povero indegno, And you, unworthy pauper,
fuggi da questo regno! depart from this kingdom!
IroIrus
Partiti, partiti, movi il piè! Leave, leave, move your feet!
Se sei qui per mangiar If you are here in order to eat,
son pria di te. I was here before you.
Ulisse Ulysses
Huomo di grosso taglio, O man of the big waist,
di larga prospettiva, of large bulk,
benchè canuto et invecchiato sia although hoary and aged
non è vile però l’anima mia. my soul is yet not base.
Se tanto mi concede l’alta bontà regale If high royal goodness allows me,
trarrò il corpaccio tuo sotto il mio piede, I shall trample your gross body under my feet,
mostruoso animale!
you monstrous animal!
IroIrus
E che sì, rimbambito guerriero, And you, warrior in your dotage,
vecchio importuno, e che sì,
old troublemaker, what if
che ti strappo i peli della barba ad uno ad uno! I pluck out the hairs of your beard one by one!
Ulisse Ulysses
Voglio perder la vita I shall give up my life
se di forza e di vaglia if in strength and valour
io non ti vinco or sacco di paglia! I do not defeat you now, you sack of straw!
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AntinooAntinous
Vediam, Regina, in questa bella coppia We shall see, O queen, in this handsome couple
d’una lotta di braccia stravagante duello. a grotesque wrestling match.
TelemacoTelemachus
Il campo io t’assicuro, The field I shall leave open to you,
pelegrin sconosciuto. unknown wanderer.
IroIrus
Anch’io ti dò franchigia, And I give you leave,
combattitor barbuto. bearded fighter.
UlisseUlysses
La gran disfida accetto, cavaliero panciuto! I accept the great challenge, knight of the paunch!
IroIrus
(Che fa alla lotta.)
(Preparing to wrestle.)
Su dunque! Su, su! Now then!
Alla ciuffa, alla lotta! To the fight, let’s wrestle!
(Segue la lotta.)
(The fight ensues.)
Son vinto, ohimè! I am beaten, alas!
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2% Scene 12, continued
AntinooAntinous
Tu vincitor perdona Victor, be kind
a chi si chiama vinto.
to the vanquished.
Iro puoi ben mangiar, Irus, you are a mighty eater,
ma non lottar. but not a fighter.
PenelopePenelope
Valoroso mendico, Oh, brave beggar,
in corte resta remain at the court
honorato e sicuro. in honour and safety.
Che non è sempre vile A man is not always a coward
chi veste manto povero et oscuro. who is clad in tattered clothes and humble.
PisandroPeisander
Generosa Regina, Sublime queen,
Pisandro a te s’inchina, Peisander bows before you,
e ciò che diede larga e prodiga sorte and what generous, lavish fate has given me
dona a te, per te aduna sua novella fortuna.
I give to you to join a new fortune to yours.
Questa regal corona che di comando è segno This royal crown, symbol of sovereignty,
ti lascia in testimon di ciò che dona. I give you as a token of all my gifts.
Dopo il dono del core After the gift of my heart
non ha dono maggiore. I have no greater possession!
PenelopePenelope
Anima generosa, prodigo cavaliere, Generous soul, liberal nobleman,
ben sei d’impero degno, you indeed deserve a kingdom,
che non merita men chi dona un regno. for he who gives a kingdom deserves no less.
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AnfinomoAmphinomus
Se t’invoglia il desio If at last you are inclined
d’accettar regni in dono to accept a kingdom as a gift,
ben so donar anch’io
then I too can give
et anch’io Rege sono. for I also am a king.
Queste pompose spoglie, These splendid robes,
questi regali ammanti this regal jewelry,
confessano superbi bear witness to you
i miei ossequi i tuoi canti. of my adoration.
PenelopePenelope
Nobil contesa e generosa gara A noble contest, an honest competition arises
ove amator discreto from which prudent admirers
l’arte del ben amar donando impara. can learn the art of love in giving gifts.
AntinooAntinous
Il mio cor che t’adora My heart, that adores you,
non ti vuol sua Regina; does not want you as its queen;
l’anima che s’inchina ad adorarti the soul which bows to worship you
deità vuol chiamarti, would call you a deity
e come Dea t’incensa coi sospiri, and, as to a goddess, offers incense with sighs
fa vittime i desiri
and desires as a sacrifice,
e con quest’ori and with this gold
t’offre voti ed honori. offers you vows and honours.
PenelopePenelope
Non andran senza premio They will not be unrewarded,
opre cotanto eccelse, such excellent offerings,
che donna quando dona for when a woman is given presents
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se non è prima accesa allor s’accende, if not at first in love, she comes to love;
e donna quando toglie and when a woman accepts a gift,
se non è prima resa al cor s’arrende. her heart yields, even if she resists at first.
Hor t’affretta Melanto e qui m’arreca Now hurry, Melantho and bring here
l’arco del forte Ulisse e la faretra: the bow and quiver of the mighty Ulysses.
e chi sarà di voi And whoever of you
con l’arco poderoso can most proudly shoot an arrow
saettator più fiero with the powerful bow
havrà d’Ulisse e la moglie e l’impero. will win Ulysses’ wife and kingdom.
TelemacoTelemachus
Ulisse, e dove sei? Ulysses, where are you?
Che fai che non ripari le tue perdite What are you doing, that you do not repair your losses,
e in un gli affanni miei? and at the same time my distress?
PenelopePenelope
Ma che promise bocca facile But why does the mouth lightly promise
ahi troppo discordante dal core? that which is, alas, so at odds with the heart?
Numi, numi del cielo! S’io ’l dissi Gods, gods of heaven! If I said it,
snodaste voi la lingua, apriste i detti, it was you released my tongue, formed the words,
saran tutti del cielo e delle stelle they are all wondrous effects
prodigiosi effetti. of heaven and the stars.
Lieta, soave gloria, Happy, sweet glory,
grata e dolce vittoria! gracious and pleasant victory!
Cari pianti degli amanti,The dear tears of lovers,
cor fedele, costante sen a faithful heart, a constant breast
cangia il torbido in seren. change trouble to peace.
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2^ Scene 12, continued
PenelopePenelope
Ecco l’arco d’Ulisse, This is Ulysses’ bow,
anzi l’arco d’Amor or rather the bow of Cupid
che dee passarmi il cor. that must pierce my heart.
Pisandro, a te lo porgo: Peisander, I hand it to you:
chi fu il primo a donar he who was the first to give
sia il primo a saettar. shall be the first to shoot.
PisandroPeisander
Amor, se fosti arciero in saettarmi Cupid, if you were the archer who pierced me,
hor dà forza a quest’armi, now give strength to this arm
che vincendo dirò: that I may say in conquering:
s’un arco mi ferì if one bow has wounded me,
un arco mi sanò. another will heal me.
(Pisandro s’appareccha di caricar l’arco
(Peisander braces himself to bend the bow
e non può.)
but cannot do it.)
Il braccio non vi giunge, My arm cannot do it,
il polso non v’arriva. my wrist cannot handle it.
Ceda la vinta forza, My strength fails me;
col non poter anche il desio s’ammorza. with my weakness, even my desire fades.
AnfinomoAmphinomus
Amor, picciolo nume Cupid, the little god,
non sa di saettar: knows not how to shoot:
se trafigge i mortali when he pierces mortals,
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son le saette sue what he shoots
sguardi, non strali, are only glances, not arrows.
ch’a nume pargoletto The weapons of Mars refuse
negano d’obbedir l’arme di Marte.
to obey a little child.
Tu, fiero Dio, le mie vittorie affretta, You, fierce god, hasten my victory;
il trionfo di Marte a te s’aspetta! the triumph of Mars will be yours!
(Qui finge di caricar l’arco, e non può.)
(He attempts to bend the bow but cannot.)
Com’intrattabile, com’indomabile How unyielding, how hard to tame
l’arco si fa! is this bow!
Quel petto frigido That cold heart
protervo e rigido will remain defiant
per me sará. and unyielding to me.
AntinooAntinous
Ceda Marte et Amore Mars and Cupid yield
ove impera beltà. where beauty reigns.
Chi non vince in honor non vincerá. He who fails to win in honour does not win at all.
Penelope, m’accingo Penelope, I gird myself for the supreme test
in virtù del tuo bello all’alta prova, with the virtue of your beauty;
virtù, valor non giova. virtue and bravery alone will be of no avail.
(S’affatica caricare l’arco e non può.)
(He tries to bend the bow but cannot.)
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Forse forza d’incanto Perhaps the power of a spell
contende il dolce vanto. fights against the gentle boast.
Ah ch’egli è vero ch’ogni cosa Ah, it may be true that everything
fedele ad Ulisse si rende, proves faithful to Ulysses,
e sin l’arco d’Ulisse
and even Ulysses’ bow
Ulisse attende! waits for Ulysses!
PenelopePenelope
Son vani, oscuri pregi Vain and empty
i titoli de’ Regi; are the titles of kings;
senza valor il sangue ornamento regale without valour, lineage and trappings of royalty
illustri scettri a sostener non vale. are of no avail in supporting illustrious sceptres.
Chi simile ad Ulisse He who does not possess
virtute non possiede virtues like Ulysses
de’ tesori d’Ulisse is an unworthy heir
è indegno erede. to Ulysses’ treasures.
UlisseUlysses
Gioventute superba Proud youthfulness
sempre valor non serba, does not always store bravery,
come vecchiezza humile just as humble old age
ad ogn’or non è vile. is not always base.
Regina! In queste membra O queen! In these limbs
tengo un’alma sì ardita I keep a soul so bold
ch’alla prova m’invita. that it invites me to the contest.
Il giusto non eccedo: I will not exceed what is legitimate:
rinunzio il premio e la fatica io chiedo. I renounce the prize and I invoke the effort.
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PenelopePenelope
Concedasi al mendico Let the beggar be allowed
la prova faticosa! the strenuous trial!
Contesa gloriosa contro petti virili A glorious contest of an aged frame
un fianco antico che tra rossori involti against virile hearts would
darà ’l foco d’amor vergogna ai volti. turn the fire of love into blushes of shame.
UlisseUlysses
Questa mia destra humile This, my humble right hand,
s’arma a tuo conto, o cielo! arms itself on your behalf, O heaven!
Le vittorie apprestate, o sommi dei, Prepare my victory, O mighty gods,
s’a voi son cari i sacrifizi miei! if my sacrifices are dear to you!
(Carica l’arco.)
(Bends the bow.)
Meraviglie, stupori, Wonder, astonishment,
prodigi estremi! miraculous in the extreme!
UlisseUlysses
Giove nel suo tuonar grida vendetta! Jupiter in his thunder cries for vengeance!
Cosí l’arco saetta. This is how the bow shoots.
Alle morti, alle stragi, alle ruine!To death, to havoc, to ruin!
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ACT III
2& Scene 1
IroIrus
O dolor, o martir che l’alma attrista! Oh grief, oh torment that depresses the soul!
O mesta rimembranza di dolorosa vista! Oh woeful remembrance of a dismal sight!
Io vidi i proci estinti: I saw the suitors dead:
i proci, i proci furo uccisi. the suitors were slain.
Ah, ch’io perdei le delizie del ventre e della gola!
Alas, I have lost the delights of the stomach and of the gullet!
Chi succorre il digiun, chi lo consola? Who will help the hungry one, who will console him?
O flebile parola!Oh for a gentle word!
I proci, Iro, perdesti The suitors you have lost, Irus,
i proci, i padri tuoi. the suitors, your fathers.
Sgorga pur quanto vuoi Pour forth as much as you will,
lagrime amare e meste,
bitter and woeful tears,
che padre è chi ti ciba e chi ti veste. for your father is he who feeds and clothes you.
Chi più della tua fame Who will ever again
satollerà le brame? satisfy your hunger?
Non troverai chi goda You will not find anyone who enjoys
empir del vasto ventre filling the hungry caverns
l’affamate caverne;
of a vast belly;
non troverai chi rida you will not find anyone who laughs
del ghiotto trionfar della tua gola. at the glorious gluttony of your gullet.
Chi succorre il digiun, chi lo consola? Who will aid the hungry one, who console him?
Infausto giorno a mie ruine armato: Unhappy day, bent on my ruin:
poco dianzi mi vinse un vecchio ardito
just now, a bold old man vanquished me,
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hor m’abbatte la fame, dal cibo abbandonato.
and now, deprived of food, hunger lays me low.
L’hebbi già per nemica,
It was already an enemy,
l’ho distrutta, l’ho vinta;
I destroyed it, I overcame it;
hor troppo fora vederla vincitrice. now it is too much to see it victorious.
Voglio uccider me stesso e non vo’ mai I want to kill myself, and never allow it
ch’ella porti di me trionfo e gloria! to triumph over me!
Che si toglie al nemico è gran vittoria. For to escape from the enemy is a great victory.
Coraggioso mio core, Have courage, my heart;
vinci il dolore! overcome the pain!
E pria ch’alla fame nemica egli soccomba And before it succumbs to hunger, the enemy,
vada il mio corpo a disfamar la tomba! may my body be swallowed by the tomb!
[Scene 2 A desert. Mercury informs the ghosts of the suitors that they deserved their fate, and they go
down into hell; this scene was apparently not set.]
2* Scene 3
Reggia
The palace
MelantoMelantho
E quai nuovi rumori, What new uproar,
e che insolite stragi, what inconceivable carnage,
e che tragici amori! and what tragic loves!
Chi fu l’ardito che osò con nuova guerra Who was the bold man who dared
la pace intorbidar ch’hai tu negli occhi,
to disturb the tranquillity of your eyes with a new war,
e trar disfatti a terra and to demolish
quei tempii che ad amor furon eretti the temples erected to love
in quei focosi petti? in those ardent hearts?
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PenelopePenelope
Vedova amata, vedova Regina, Loved widow, widowed queen,
nuove lagrime appresto: new tears are coming:
insomma all’infelice
to the unfortunate,
ogni amore è funesto. every love is fatal.
MelantoMelantho
Cosí all’ombra de’ scettri anco pur sono Thus even in the shadow of the sceptre
malsicure le vite; vicine alle corone lives are insecure; near to the crown
son le destre esecrande accursed hands
anco più ardite.
are even bolder.
PenelopePenelope
Moriro i proci, e queste da lor chiamate stelle The suitors died, and the stars they invoked
furon di quelle morti assistenti facelle. were indifferent witnesses to their deaths.
MelantoMelantho
Penelope! Penelope!
Il castigo dell’importante fatto The punishment for serious crimes
non consigliar che con lo sdegno e l’ira, must be made only with scorn and anger,
che maestate offesa for offended majesty
esser giusta non può se non s’adira. cannot be just if it is not enraged.
PenelopePenelope
Dell’occhio la pietate The compassion of my eyes
si risente all’eccesso, is all too strong,
ma concitar il core but to excite the heart
a sdegno et a dolore
to anger and grief,
non m’è concesso.
I have not the strength.
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2( Scene 4
EumeteEumaeus
Forza d’occulto affetto May the power of deep feelings
raddolcisce il tuo petto. calm your breast.
Chi con un arco solo He who with a single bow,
isconosciuto diede a cento morti il duolo, unrecognized, brought grief to a hundred,
quel forte e quel robusto this strong, robust man
che domò l’arco e fe’ volar gli strali, who bent the bow and let fly the arrows,
colui che i proci insidiosi e felli who bravely struck down
valoroso trafisse – the treacherous and ruthless suitors –
rallegrati, Regina – rejoice, O queen –
egli era Ulisse! he was Ulysses!
PenelopePenelope
Sei buon pastor Eumete You make a good shepherd, Eumaeus,
se persuaso credi if you believe
contro quello che vedi. against that which you see.
EumeteEumaeus
Il canuto, l’antico, The hoary man, the old man,
il povero, il mendico, the pauper, the beggar,
che coi proci superbi
who courageously attacked
coraggioso attaccò mortali risse –
the proud suitors in mortal combat –
rallegrati, Regina –
rejoice, O queen –
egli era Ulisse! he was Ulysses!
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PenelopePenelope
Credulo il volgo e sciocco, The common man is credulous and gullible,
e la tromba mendace and deceitful the trumpet
della fama fallace. of false renown.
EumeteEumaeus
Ulisse io vidi, sì! I saw Ulysses, yes!
Ulisse è vivo, è qui!
Ulysses is alive, he is here!
PenelopePenelope
Relator importuno! Importunate messenger!
Consolator nocivo! Pernicious comforter!
EumeteEumaeus
Dico che Ulisse è qui! I tell you Ulysses is here!
Io stesso il vidi e’l so. I myself saw it and know it.
Non contenda il tuo ‘no’ con il mio ‘sì’: Your ‘no’ cannot argue with my ‘yes’:
Ulisse è vivo, è qui! Ulysses is alive, and here!
PenelopePenelope
Io non contendo teco I do not argue with you,
perchè sei stolto e cieco. because you are foolish and blind.
3) Scene 5
TelemacoTelemachus
È saggio Eumete, è saggio! Eumaeus is wise, he is wise!
È ver quel ch’ei racconta: What he tells is true:
Ulisse, a te consorte et a me padre,
Ulysses, your husband and my father,
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ha tutte uccise le nemiche squadre. has killed all the forces of the enemy.
Il comparir sotto mentito aspetto, His appearance in disguise,
sotto vecchia sembianza, in the semblance of an old man,
arte fu di Minerva e fu suo dono.
was the art of Minerva and was her gift.
PenelopePenelope
Troppo, egli è ver, che gli uomini qui in terra Too often, indeed, must men here on earth
servon di gioco agli immortali Dei. serve as playthings of the immortal gods.
Se ciò credi ancor tu lor gioco sei. If you believe that, you also are their toy.
TelemacoTelemachus
Vuole così Minerva Minerva willed this,
per ingannar con le sembianze finte to deceive Ulysses’ enemies
gli inimici d’Ulisse. with a disguise.
PenelopePenelope
Se d’ingannar gli Dei prendon diletto If the gods take pleasure in deceiving,
chi far fede mi puote who can make me believe
che non sia mio l’inganno that I am not the one deceived,
se fu mio tutto il danno? since my portion has been only suffering?
TelemacoTelemachus
Protettrice de’ Greci The protectress of the Greeks
è come sai Minerva is, as you know, Minerva,
e più che gli altri Ulisse and more than anyone else it is Ulysses
a lei fu caro. who enjoys her affection.
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PenelopePenelope
Non han tanto pensiero The gods have not much thought
gli Dei lassù nel cielo, for mortal things
delle cose mortali;
up there in heaven;
lasciano ch’arda il foco they let the fire burn
e agghiaccia il gelo. and the ice freeze.
Figlian le cause lor piaceri e mali. They cause pleasures and misery.
TelemacoTelemachus
Togliti in pace il nero. Cast off your black veil in peace.
EumeteEumaeus
Io lo dirò, ti seguirò.
I shall tell him; I will follow you.
3! Scene 6
Marittima
The sea
MinervaMinerva
Fiamma è l’ira, o gran Dea, The flame is anger, O great goddess,
foco è lo sdegno. fire is scorn.
Noi sdegnose et irate incenerito habbiam We scornful and angry ones have burned down
di Troja il regno,
the kingdom of Troy,
offese da un Trojan, ma vendicate. offended by a Trojan, but avenged.
Il più forte fra’ Greci ancor contende The mightiest of the Greeks still struggles
col destin, con il fato: with destiny, with fate:
Ulisse addolorato. the grief-stricken Ulysses.
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GiunoneJuno
Per vendetta che piace For a satisfying vengeance
ogni prezzo è leggiero. no price is too high.
Vada il Trojano impero May the Trojan empire
anco in peggio di polvere fugace! disappear as dust!
MinervaMinerva
Dalle nostre vendette His transgressions were
nacquero in lui gli errori, born of our vengeance;
delle stragi dilette his sufferings are the children
son figli i suoi dolori. of the glorious massacres.
Convien al nostro nume It befits our sovereign god
il vindice salvar, placar gli sdegni to save the avenger, to placate the anger
del dio dei salsi regni. of the god of the salty realms.
GiunoneJuno
Procurerò la pace, ricercherò il riposo I will procure peace, restore repose
d’Ulisse glorioso. for glorious Ulysses.
MinervaMinerva
Per te del sommo Giove For you,
e sorella e consorte sister and consort of exalted Jupiter,
s’aprono nove in ciel divine porte.
the divine gates in heaven will open anew.
3@ Scene 7
GiunoneJuno
Gran Giove, alma de’ Dei, Dio delle menti, Great Jupiter, soul of the gods, god of spirits,
mente dell’ universo, spirit of the universe,
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tu che’l tutto governi e tutto sei, you who govern everything and know everything,
inchina le tue grazie a’ prieghi miei. graciously hear my prayers.
Ulisse troppo errò, Ulysses has wandered too long,
troppo, ahi, troppo soffrì: too long, ah, too long has he suffered:
tornalo in pace un dì. let peace return to him one day.
Fu divin il voler che lo destò, It was a divine will that roused him,
Ulisse troppo errò. Ulysses has wandered too much.
GioveJupiter
Per me non avrà mai To me you will never
vota preghiera Giuno, pray in vain, Juno,
ma placar pria conviensi but first the irate Neptune
lo sdegnato Nettuno. must be placated.
Odimi, Dio del mar! Hear me, god of the sea!
Fu scritto qui, dove il destin s’accoglie, Here, where fate is decreed,
dell’eccidio Trojano il fatal punto. the day of the Trojan massacre was written.
Hor ch’al suo fine il destinato è giunto Now that the destined one has reached his goal,
sdegno otioso un gentil petto invoglie. let anger subside and kindness enter your breast.
E fu ministro del fato Ulisse: Ulysses was a servant of fate:
il forte soffrì, vinse, pugnò the hero suffered, conquered, fought
campion celeste. as a champion of heaven.
Per lui mentre di cenere si veste Because of him, death
cittadina di Troja errò la morte. walked the streets of Troy clothed in ashes.
Nettun, pace o Nettun! Neptune, peace O Neptune!
Perdona il suo duolo al mortal ch’afflitto il rese. Pardon this mortal the grief that afflicts him.
Ecco scrive il destin le sue difese; Here destiny writes his defence;
non è colpa dell’huom se il cielo tuona. it is not the fault of man if heaven thunders.
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NettunoNeptune
Son ben quest’onde frigide, Well may these waves be frigid,
son ben quest’onde gelide, well may these waters be icy,
ma sentono l’ardor di tua pietà. but they feel the warmth of your mercy.
Nei fondi algosi et infimi, In the infinite abysses of seaweed,
nei cupi acquosi termini, in the dark watery depths,
il decreto di Giove anco si sa. the decree of Jupiter is known.
Contro i Feaci arditi e temerarii,Against the daring, rash Phaeacians,
mio sdegno si sfogò; I gave vent to my wrath;
pagò il delitto pessimo the worst crime was paid for
la nave che restò. by their petrified ship.
Viva felice pur, May he live happily,
viva Ulisse sicur! may Ulysses live in safety!
Coro in Cielo
Choir in Heaven
Giove amorosoThe loving Jupiter
fa il ciel pietoso makes heaven merciful
nel perdonar. and forgiving.
Coro Marittimo
Choir of the Sea
Benchè abbia il gelo In spite of its coldness,
non men del cielo no less merciful
pietoso è il mar. than heaven is the sea.
Cielo e Marittimo
Both choirs
Prega, mortal, deh prega, Pray, mortal, oh pray,
che sdegnato e pregato for an offended god
un Dio si piega.
can be placated through prayer.
78
GioveJupiter
Minerva! Hor fia tua cura Minerva, now be it your task
d’acquetar i tumulti de’ sollevati Achiri, to quell the uprising of the Achaeans,
che per vendetta degli estinti Proci who, in vengeance for the death of the suitors,
pensano portar guerra
intend waging war
all’itacense terra. against the land of the Ithacans.
MinervaMinerva
Rintuzzerò quei spiriti, I shall calm these spirits,
smorzerò quegli ardori, I shall smother those flames,
comanderò la pace, I shall command peace,
Giove, come a te piace. Jupiter, as it pleases you.
3# Scene 8
Reggia
The palace
Ericlea
Eurycleia
Ericlea, che vuoi far, Eurycleia, what should you do,
vuoi tacer o parlar? will you be silent or speak?
Se parli tu consoli, If you speak, you bring comfort,
obbedisci se taci. but silence is your duty.
Sei tenuta a servir You are bound in service,
obbligata ad amar.
yet pledged to love.
Vuoi tacer o parlar? Will you be silent or speak?
Ma ceda all’obbedienza la pietà: But let pity yield to obedience:
non si de’ sempre dir ciò che si sa. one must not tell all one knows.
Medicar chi languisce, o che diletto! To heal one who suffers, oh what pleasure!
Ma che ingiurie e dispetto
But what injury and outrage
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scoprir l’altrui pensier; to disclose the thoughts of others;
bella cosa talvolta è un bel tacer. the best thing is sometimes silence.
È ferita crudele It is cruel
il poter con parole to be able, with words,
consolar chi si duole to console one who is suffering
e non lo far; and not do it;
ma del pentirsi alfin but regret lasts much longer
assai lunge è il tacer for silence
più che’l parlar. than it does for speech.
Bel segreto taciuto A beautiful secret
tosto scoprir si può, can soon be revealed,
una sol volta detto but once it is told,
celarlo non potrò.
it can no longer be concealed.
Ericlea, che farai, tacerai tu? Eurycleia, what will you do, will you keep silent?
Insomma un bel tacer mai scritto fu. After all, complete silence was never ordered.
3$ Scene 9
PenelopePenelope
Ogni nostra ragion All our reason
sen porta il vento. is blown away by the wind.
Non ponno i nostri sogni Our dreams cannot
consolar le vigilie comfort the sleepless nights
dell’anima smarrita. of a lost soul.
Le favole fan riso Fables make us laugh,
e non dan vita. but they do not give us life.
80
TelemacoTelemachus
Troppo incredula! Too incredulous!
Eumete
Eumaeus
Incredula troppo! Too sceptical!
TelemacoTelemachus
Troppo ostinata! Too obstinate!
Eumete
Eumaeus
Ostinata troppo! Stubborn beyond measure!
TelemacoTelemachus
È più che vero.
It is indeed true.
Eumete
Eumaeus
Di vero è più It is indeed the truth
che il vecchio arciero Ulisse fu. that the aged archer was Ulysses.
TelemacoTelemachus
Eccolo che sen viene Here he is, coming
e la sua forma tiene. in his true form.
Eumete
Eumaeus
Ulisse egli è. It is Ulysses.
TelemacoTelemachus
Eccolo affè! He is here indeed!
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3% Scene 10
(Sopraggiunge Ulisse in sua forma.)
(Ulysses enters unexpectedly in his true form.)
UlisseUlysses
O delle mie faticheOh sweet and gentle goal
meta dolce e soave, of all my hardships,
porto caro amoroso dear harbour of love
dove corro al riposo! to which I hasten for my repose!
PenelopePenelope
Fermati, cavaliero, Hold your steps, knight,
incantator o mago! enchanter or magician!
Di tue finte mutanze I shall not be misled
io non m’appago. by your false disguises.
UlisseUlysses
Così del tuo consorte, Will you thus
così dunque t’appressi receive the embraces
a lungamente sospirati amplessi?
of your husband, which he has long sighed for?
PenelopePenelope
Consorte io sono, ma del perduto Ulisse, I am a wife, but of the lost Ulysses,
nè incantesimi o magie neither spells nor magic
perturberan la fe’, le voglie mie. will shake my faith, my wishes.
82
Ulisse Ulysses
In honor de’ tuoi rai For the sake of your eyes
l’eternità sprezzai, I relinquished immortality,
volontario cangiando e stato e sorte. willingly changing my state and my destiny.
Per serbarmi fedel son giunto a morte. To remain faithful I have made myself mortal.
PenelopePenelope
Quel valor che ti rese That valour which makes you
ad Ulisse simile like Ulysses
care mi fa le stragi makes me thankful for the slaughter
degli amanti malvagi. of the wicked suitors.
Questo di tua bugia This shall be the sweet fruit
il dolce frutto sia. of your lie.
UlisseUlysses
Quell’Ulisse son io I am that Ulysses,
delle ceneri avanzo, residuo delle morti, risen out of the ashes, survivor of the dead,
degli adulteri e ladri fierce castigator of adulterers and thieves
fiero castigator e non seguace.
and not their companion.
PenelopePenelope
Non sei tu ’l primo ingegno You are not the first clever person
che con nome mentito who, with a false name,
tentasse di trovar comando o regno. has attempted to gain power or a kingdom.
Ericlea
Eurycleia
Hor di parlar è tempo. Now it is time to speak.
È questo Ulisse, casta e gran donna. This is Ulysses, chaste and great lady.
Io lo conobbi all’ora I recognized him
83
Che nudo al bagno venne, when he came naked to the bath,
ove scopersi del feroce cinghiale where the scar was uncovered
l’honorato segnale. that was caused by the ferocious wild boar.
Ben ti chieggio perdon se troppo tacqui: I beg you fervently for pardon if I kept silent too long:
loquace feminil garrula lingua my talkative, female, gossiping tongue
per comando d’Ulisse
kept silent through great effort
con fatica lo tacque e non lo disse. at the command of Ulysses and did not tell you.
PenelopePenelope
Creder ciò ch’è desio Love tells me to believe
m’insegna Amore; what I wish for,
serbar costante il sen but honour commands
comanda honore. my breast to remain constant.
Dubbio pensier, che fai? Doubting thoughts, what will you do?
La fe’ negata ai prieghi My faith rejected the pleas
del buon custode Eumete, of the good shepherd Eumaeus,
di Telemaco il figlio,
of Telemachus, my son,
alla vecchia nutrice anco si nieghi, also of my old nurse,
che il mio pudico letto
for my chaste bed
sol d’Ulisse è ricetto. is shared only by Ulysses.
UlisseUlysses
Del tuo casto pensiero io so ’l costume. I know the ways of your chaste thoughts.
So che’I letto pudico, I know that the chaste bed
che tranne Ulisse solo which, apart from Ulysses himself,
altro non vide, nobody else has seen,
ogni notte da te s’adorna e copre is adorned and covered by you every night
con un serico drappo with a silken cloth
di tua mano contesto, woven by your hand,
84
in cui si vede col virginal suo coro in which is seen, with her virgin companions,
Diana effigiata. the figure of Diana.
M’accompagnò mai sempre I was always accompanied
memoria così grata. by that memory so dear.
PenelopePenelope
Hor sì ti riconosco,Now, yes, I recognize you again,
hor sì ti credo, now, yes, I believe you,
antico possessore old possessor
del combattuto core. of my contested heart.
Honestà mi perdoni!Pardon me my scruples!
Dono tutto ad Amor le sue ragioni.Place all the blame on Cupid.
UlisseUlysses
Sciogli la lingua, deh sciogli Unloose the tongue, oh unloose
per allegrezza i nodi! the bonds for joy!
Sciogli un sospir, un ohimè la voce snodi. Let loose a sigh; the voice release an alas.
PenelopePenelope
Illustratevi o cieli, Shine, oh skies,
rinfioratevi o prati! flower again, oh meadows!
Aure gioite! Rejoice, you breezes!
Gli augelletti cantando, The singing birds,
i rivi mormorando the murmuring brooks
hor si rallegrino! now are gay again!
Quell’herbe verdeggianti, What green grasses,
quell’onde sussurranti what rippling waves
hor si consolino. now bring cheer.
Già che sorta felice Now my phoenix arises
dal cenere Trojan la mia fenice. happy from the Trojan ashes.
85
Penelope, Ulisse
Penelope, Ulysses
Sospirato mio sole! My sun that I have sighed for!
Rinnovata mia luce! My light renewed!
Porto quieto e riposo! Calm, restful harbour!
Bramato sì, ma caro. Desired, yes, but loved.
PenelopePenelope
Per te gli andati affanni For you I learn to bless
a benedir imparo. the torments I have suffered.
Penelope, Ulisse
Penelope, Ulysses
Non si rammenti Do not recall
più de’ tormenti. the torments any more.
Sì, vita, sì! Yes, my life, yes!
Tutto è piacere.All is pleasure.
Sì, vita, sì!Yes, my life, yes!
Fuggan dai petti Let sad feelings
dogliosi affetti! fly from our hearts!
Sì, core, sì! Yes, my heart, yes!
Tutto è godere! Everything is joy!
Del piacer, del goder The day of delight,
venuto è il dì.
of rejoicing has come.
Sì, sì, vita!Yes, yes, my life!
Sì, sì, core!Yes, yes, my heart!
Sì, sì!Yes, yes!
86
Photograph by Patrick O’Connor
Martin Pearlman
Martin Pearlman is one of America’s leading interpreters of Baroque and Classical music
on period and modern instruments. Hailed for his ‘fresh, buoyant interpretations’ and his
‘vivid realizations teeming with life’, Pearlman has been acclaimed for 40 years in the
orchestral, choral and operatic repertoire from Monteverdi to Beethoven.
Pearlman founded Boston Baroque, North America’s first period-instrument orchestra,
in 1973 and has been the music director and conductor of both the orchestra and its chorus
to the present day. Three-time Grammy®-nominated Boston Baroque is now widely regarded
as being ‘the standard setters for period practice in America’, and ‘some of the finest
American interpreters of music of this era’, according to Fanfare magazine.
Over its 40-year history, Pearlman has led Boston Baroque in an annual subscription
concert series in Greater Boston and in tours of the United States and Europe; he has
also produced 22 major recordings for Telarc Records. In 2012, the orchestra became
the first American orchestra to record with the UK audiophile label Linn. Its initial release
of Haydn’s Creation on Linn has been called ‘the finest ever’, and the follow-up release
of the ‘Lord Nelson’ Mass was hailed as ‘another superb achievement’ by Fanfare.
Highlights of Pearlman’s work features the complete Monteverdi opera cycle including
his own new performing editions of L’Incoronazione di Poppea and Il Ritorno d’Ulisse,
the American premiere of Rameau’s Zoroastre, the Boston premiere of Rameau’s Pigmalion,
the New England premieres of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride and Alceste and an exploration
of all nine Beethoven symphonies on period instruments that was called ‘revelatory’ by the
Boston Globe.
Pearlman is also known for his internationally acclaimed series of Handel operas including
Agrippina, Alcina, Giulio Cesare and Semele, and for a series of Mozart operas including
The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte,
89
The Impresario and Don Giovanni, the last of which was broadcast nationally on public radio.
Pearlman’s completion and orchestration of music from Mozart’s Lo Sposo Deluso, his
performing version of Purcell’s Comical History of Don Quixote and his new orchestration
of Cimarosa’s Il Maestro di cappella were all premiered by Boston Baroque.
Pearlman is also a composer. His recent works have included his three-act
Finnegans Wake: an Operoar based on James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, as well as
chamber music, piano works and The Creation According to Orpheus for solo piano,
harp and percussion with string orchestra. His music for three Samuel Beckett plays
(Words and Music, Cascando and ...but the clouds...) was commissioned by and premiered
at the 92nd Street Y in New York City for the Beckett Centennial in 2006 and was produced
again at Harvard University in Cambridge in 2007.
Boston Baroque
Boston Baroque is the first permanent Baroque orchestra to be established in North America
and is widely regarded as ‘one of the world’s premier period-instrument bands’ (Fanfare).
The group’s many milestones include the American premiere of Rameau’s Zoroastre, a
Mozart opera series including The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte, and the American
period-instrument premieres of Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. The orchestra presented
a series of all the Beethoven symphonies on period instruments that was called ‘revelatory’
by the Boston Globe, and in 1999 it gave the modern premiere of Der Stein der Weisen
(‘The Philosopher’s Stone’), a Singspiel discovered to include music by Mozart which shed
fresh light on his canon.
90
Boston Baroque has performed at major music centres across the United States, including
Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Cathedral of St John
the Divine, at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival and the Tanglewood Festival. Boston Baroque was
the first period-instrument orchestra to be invited to participate at the Casals Festival in Puerto
Rico, and the ensemble made its European debut in 2003, performing Handel’s Messiah at the
Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival in Poland.
Boston Baroque’s 25 acclaimed recordings – of which Fanfare wrote, ‘each one is an
incomparable gem’ – are heard by millions on classical radio stations in North America and
Europe. The orchestra’s recordings have received three Grammy® nominations: for Handel’s
Messiah (1992), Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 (1998) and Bach’s Mass in B minor (2000). This
is the ensemble’s third recording with Linn.
Boston Baroque gratefully acknowledges the following contributors, whose generous support
helped to make this recording possible:
The Calderwood Charitable Foundation:
Norma Jean Calderwood Recording Series
and
Mortimer Charitable Trust
Special thanks to
Peter Libby and Beryl Benacerraf, Paul Nickelsberg, Robert and Veronica Petersen,
Ronald G. Sampson, Tee Taggart and Jack Turner, David Ferris, Robert Kleinberg,
and David and Suzanne Larsen.
91
Boston Baroque
Haydn:
Lord Nelson Mass
Dunedin Consort
Mozart:
Requiem
Boston Baroque
Haydn:
The Creation
Magnificat
The Tudors
At Prayer
CKD 451
ALSO AVAILABLE ON LINN
Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander
& Philharmonic
& Boston
Orchestra & Chorus Philharmonic Youth
Mahler:
Orchestra
Symphony No. 2
Shostakovich:
Symphony No. 5
Phantasm
Profeti della Quinta
Ward: Fantasies
& Verse Anthems
For even more great music visit linnrecords.com
Glasgow Road, Waterfoot, Eaglesham, Glasgow, G76 0EQ
T: +44 (0)141 303 5027 | E: [email protected]
Salomone Rossi:
Il Mantovano Hebreo

Booklet - Chandos Records

Transcript

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