Monteverdi - Il ritorno d'ulisse in patria - Acte 3 - St it - Eng - Fr - De - Esp

O grief! O torment that saddens the soul! O woeful remembrance of a dolorous sight! l saw the dead suitors, the suitors were killed like swine. Alas, l have lost the delights of the stomach and of the gullet! Who will help the hungry one, who will console him with a gentle word? The suitors, lrus, you have lost, the suitors, your fathers! Pour forth as much as you will bitter and woeful tears for your father is he... who feeds and clothes you. Who will ever again satisfy the desires of your hunger? You will not find, no, never find anyone who enjoys filling the hungry cavern of the vast belly! You will not find, no, no, anyone who laughs at the triumphant gluttony of your gullet! Who will help the hungry one, who, who will console him? Unhappy day, armed for my ruin! Just before, a bold old man defeated me; now l am struck down by hunger, abandoned by nourishment! lt has always been my enemy: l destroyed it, l overcame it. Now l cannot bear its being victorious over me. l want to kill myself and never allow it, never, to gain triumph and glory over me! For to *** oneself from the enemy is a great victory! My courageous heart, my courageous heart, overcome the pain! And before it succumbs to enemy hunger my body will be swallowed by the tomb. Cherished widow, widowed queen, new tears are approaching. ln short, for me, unhappy one, every love is fatal! Thus even in the shadow of the sceptre lives are insecure! Near to the crown, desecrating hands are bolder than ever. The suitors died and the stars they invoked were indifferent witnesses to their deaths. Through the power of a hidden emotion may your breast be calmed. He who with one bow alone, unrecognized, brought death to a hundred, this strong, robust man who arched the bow, and let the arrows fly, he who bravely struck the insidious and ruthless suitors, be happy again, O queen, he, he was Ulysses! You are a good shepherd, Eumaeus, and you believe with conviction against what you see. The hoary one, the old one, the poor one, the beggar who courageously attacked the proud suitors in mortal combat, be happy again, O queen, he was Ulysses! The common man is credulous and gullible and deceitful the trumpet of false renown. Eumaeus is wise, he is wise! What he tells is true. Ulysses, husband to you and father to me, has killed all the enemy. His appearance in disguised form, in the semblance of an old man, was the art of Minerva and her gift. Too often, indeed, must men here on earth serve as a game for the immortal gods. lf you believe that, you also are their toy. Anger is a flame, O great goddess, scorn is a fire! We scornful and angry ones have burned down the kingdom of Troy. Offended by a Trojan but avenged are we! The mightiest of the Greeks still struggles with destiny, with fate: the distressful Ulysses. l will procure peace, seek to restore repose for glorious Ulysses. Great Jupiter, soul of the gods, god of the minds, spirit of the universe, you who govern everything and know everything, incline your grace unto my prayers. Ulysses has wandered too long! Too long, ah, too long has he suffered! Let peace return to him one day: it was a divine will that roused him. Ulysses has wandered too much. To me you will never pray in vain, Juno, but first it is fitting to assuage irate Neptune. Hear me, hear me, O god of the sea! Here, where fate is written, the fall of Troy was predestined. Now that he who is plagued by fate has reached his goal show your magnanimity. Ulysses was a servant of fate: the mighty one suffered, conquered, fought as a champion of heaven. Neptune, peace, O Neptune! Neptune, pardon this mortal his guilt, the guilt that lies upon him. Destiny itself writes his defence here. lt is not the fault of man if heaven thunders. Well may these waves be frigid, well may these waters be icy but they feel the ardour of your mercy. ln the infinite abysses of seaweed, in the dark watery depths the decree of Jupiter is already known. My anger has descended on the bold and reckless Phaeacians; the worst crime was paid for by the ship that remained still. So may Ulysses live in happiness and safety! Jupiter, the loving one, in pardoning makes heaven have pity. Despite its coldness, no less merciful than heaven is the sea. Pray, mortal, oh, pray, for an offended god can be placated through prayer. Eurycleia, what will you do? Will you be silent or speak? lf you speak you bring comfort but silence is your duty: you are tied in service yet pledged to love. Will you be silent or speak? But let pity yield to obedience: one must not tell all one knows. To heal one who languishes, oh, what pleasure! But what injury and outrage to disclose the thoughts of others! The best thing sometimes is the best silence. Beautiful secret l have kept, soon it can be revealed. Told just once, it can no longer be concealed. Eurycleia, what will you do? Will you keep silent? A well-kept silence was never yet reproached. A well-kept silence was never yet reproached. All our thoughts are carried away by the wind. Our slumbers cannot console the vigils of the soul led astray. Fables give us laughter but do not bring life. - Too incredulous! - lncredulous beyond measure! - Too obstinate! - Obstinate beyond measure! lt is indeed the truth. lt is also true that the aged archer was Ulysses. Here he is coming in his proper form. lt is Ulysses! He is here indeed! O sweet, gentle goal of my troubles, dear harbour of love, to which l hasten for repose! Hold your steps, knight, enchanter or magician, l will not be misled by your false disguises! Will you so receive the embraces of your husband, which have long been sighed for? l am a wife but of the lost Ulysses. Neither spells nor magic will shake my faith, my wishes. l am that Ulysses, the remainder of the ashes, the residue of the dead, the fierce castigator of the adulterers and thieves and not their follower. Now it is time to speak! This is Ulysses, chaste and great lady. l recognized him when he came naked to the bath, where the scar was uncovered that was caused by the ferocious wild boar. Doubting thoughts, what will you do? Faith rejects the prayers of the good shepherd Eumaeus, of Telemachus my son, also of my old nurse, for my chaste bed is shared only by Ulysses! l know the customs of your chaste thoughts. l know the chaste bed which, apart from Ulysses himself, nobody else has seen. lt is adorned and covered by you every night with a silken cloth woven by your hand, in which can be seen, with her virginal throng, the figure of Diana. l was always accompanied by that memory so dear. Now, yes, l recognize you again, now, yes, l believe you, old possessor of the vanquished heart! Pardon me my sternness! Cupid alone was the cause of my doubt! Loosen the tongue, oh, loosen the knots for joy! Let a sigh, an ''alas'' release the voice! Shine, O skies! Flower again, O meadows! Rejoice, breezes! The birds sing, the murmuring brooks now are gay again! What green grasses, what rippling waves now console one another! What a happy destiny, my Phoenix arises from the Trojan ashes! My sun long sighed for! My light renewed! Calm, restful harbour! Desired, yes, but loved! Desired, yes, but loved! For you l learn to bless the torments l have suffered! Do not remember the torments any more! Yes, my life, yes! Everything is joy! Feelings of sorrow fly from our hearts! Yes, my heart, yes! Everything is joy! The day of delight, of rejoicing has come! Yes, yes, my life! Yes, yes, my heart!