| Lyrics: | (from Cilea's "L'Arlesiana")
[Federico loves a girl of ill repute, so his family arranges a
marriage with a childhood sweetheart. The heart-broken lad compares his sad adventure to the well
known tale of a shepherd boy. He knows he will never foreget his one true love.]
E la
solita storia del pastore...
Il povero ragazzo voleva raccontarla
e s'addormi.
C'e nel
sonno l'oblio.
Come l'invidio!
Anch'io vorrei dormir cosi,
nel sonno almen l'oblio
trovar!
La pace sol cercando io vo'.
Vorrei poter tutto scordar!
Ma ogni sforzo e
vano.
Davanti ho sempre
di lei il dolce sembiante.
La pace tolta E solo a me.
Perche
degg'io tanto penar?
Lei! sempre lei mi parla ancor!
Fatale vision, mi lascia!
Mi fai
tanto male,
Ahime!
[Translation:]
It's That Familiar Tale
It's
that familiar tale you've heard of the shepherd...
That penniless young man, attempting to
retell it,
fell sound asleep.
In such slumber there's oblivion.
How I've envied
him!
Like him, I would sleep all of my days-
at least if I slept, I might forget!
I seek
only peace, it's all I need!
Forget it all, never recall!
Yet all is futile
effort,
before me will always be
that sweet face of hers, alas!
My peace and my quiet,
forever gone!
Why must I suffer so, oh why?
She, always she, speaks again to me!
Vision
so fatal, please vanish!
How you have harmed me!
Alas! |
