“Anna Bolena” by Gaetano Donizetti libretto (English)

Contents: Characters; Act 1; Act 2; Act 3

Act 3

Scene 1

Enrico then Giovanna Seymour.

HENRY:
She was the wife of Percy
before she was that of Henry!
The wife of Percy!
No, never: this is a lie
with which to save themselves
from the terrible law
which condemns my guilty wife.
And if it was true,
a not less terrible law
will take hold of her…
and her daughter too
would be involved in her ruin.

JANE:
Sire...

HENRY:
Come, Seymour…you are queen.

JANE:
Ah! Sire…my remorse
guides me to your feet.

(to worship:
Henry lifts)

HENRY:
Remorse…

JANE:
Bitter, extreme, horrible.
I saw Anna. I heard her;
I have her tears in my heart,
have pity on her
and thus on me; I do not want to be
the cause of her death, nor can I be…
My king must have
my final farewell.

HENRY:
More than your King, I am your lover,
I am your lover
who had your oaths,
and who soon, before the altar
will have others more sacred.

JANE:
Ah! If only I had never
offered you those deadly oaths
which doomed me;
to expiate them, O Sire
I will go into a remote exile
where no living glance may reach
where no one may hear
the sound of my sighs but Heaven

HENRY:
Are you mad?
And from where in you comes such a strange
proposal, O lady?
And do you hope by leaving
that Anna will be saved?
I hate her all the more henceforth.
I hate her now more that she thus afflicts you, and troubles you.
That she went so far as to extinguish your love for me.

JANE:
Ah! it is not extinguished…
It consumes my heart!
By the indomitable flame
to deep-rooted virtue.
by these bitter pangs,
by the tears which it cost me…
hear my prayer…
don't let Anna die for me…
Before Heaven and before men
don't make me any more guilty.

HENRY:
Silly girl! You are not…

(the doors to the rooms open)

But refrain yourself:
The Counsel have finished.

JANE:
Ah! Listen to me…

HENRY:
Restrain yourself.

(severely; Jane remains, greatly afflicted)

Scene 2

Hervey with the sheriffs who are carrying the sentence of the Counsel,
courtiers and ladies run up from every side.

HERVEY:
Parliament has unanimously
unbound the royal knot…
Anna, an unfaithful wife,
is condemned to death,
and with her,
everyone who was an accomplice
and instigator.

CHORUS:
To you, Supreme Judge, the sentence is committed.
The only hope to the unfortunate ones, is the royal clemency:
merciful kings are the images of Heaven above.

HENRY:
I will reflect on it: justice
is the primary virtue of kings.

(Takes the sentence from the hands of the sheriffs.
Jane approaches Henry with dignity. The Chorus stop at a distance.)

JANE:
Ah! Think that heaven and earth
have their eyes turned on you;
since every heart has its faults
it has a duty to have mercy on others.
Let Henry listen to pity
though the King is pushed to severity.

HENRY:
Enough: go out and let Parliament
be gathered before me again.

CHORUS:
Let Henry listen to pity
though the King is pushed to severity.

(They leave. Henry enters into the Counsel chamber.)

Scene 3

Enrico enters into the Counsel chamber.
A hall in the prison in the Tower of London.
The back and the doors and occupied by soldiers.
Percy escorted by the guards, then Rochefort.

PERCY:
Are you condemned to death too,
you who are guilty of no fault?

ROCHEFORT:
My fault is serious,
that of being Anna's brother.

PERCY:
Oh! what a terrible abyss
you are drawn into.

ROCHEFORT:
I deserve to fall.
I, who was goaded by blind ambition,
seduced Anna to aspire to the throne.

PERCY:
Oh! friend…to my sorrow
yours is added. Ah! if I could still hope
for you to be saved, this hope would make death
less painful and less bitter to me.

ROCHEFORT:
Let us share our strength…someone is coming.

Scene 4

Hervey and above.

HERVEY:
I am the messenger of glad tidings to you.
The King has mercifully granted
life to you both.

PERCY:
Life to us! And Anna?…

HERVEY:
She must submit
to her just condemnation.

PERCY:
And does he hold me to be so cowardly,
so false, that I would want to live when she dies,
she who is innocent! Return to him and tell him
that I refuse such a deadly gift.
Tell him that in this heart
the flame is as sacred as my love is pure
which is born of virtue, tell him that in my heart
amidst my woes, honour speaks.
Come, unhappy friend, this is the only comfort
which remains to me,
to embrace you and die.
Alas, restrain your tears.
Preserve yourself so that you can remember the dreadful fate
of us both, and then let the knowledge console you
that Percy, after the last innocent embrace
of tender friendship
thinking of her, of her…at least died, with her name
on his lips and moreover, in his heart.
Live, I entreat you,
seek a land less sad
less painful, in which an innocent man
might have safe asylum;
seek a shore in which it might not be forbidden to you
to pray for us.
Ah! let someone remain on earth
to bewail our fate.

ROCHEFORT:
Oh Percy! I am no less strong,
No less constant than you.

HERVEY:
Have you decided?

ROCHEFORT:
You heard…

ROCHEFORT and HERVEY:
Death.

HERVEY:
Let them be separated.

PERCY and ROCHEFORT:
Friend!…farewell.

PERCY:
Seeing your constancy
reassures my heart,
I feared only your pain
I suffered only for your suffering
Both of us can face
the final hour which advances,
since we leave no-one here below,
nor fear, nor desire.

(They bid each other farewell and leave between the soldiers.)

Scene 5

The servants of Anna come out of the prison where is enclosed.

CHORUS (ALL):
Who can see her dry eyed
in such anguish, in such mourning
and not feel their heart break?

CHORUS (PART):
Now mute and motionless like cold stone;
now at length and suddenly studying the passage;
now sad now pale with a shadow over her face;
now composing her face into a smile:
her appearance changes as often
as thoughts and sentiments are aroused in her
in her frenzy, in her grief.

Scene 6

Anna comes from her prison. She appears in disordered dress,
her head uncovered and moves forward slowly, sunk in deep thought.
A universal silence. Servants surround her, strongly moved.
She observes them attentively and seems to calm herself.

ANNA:
Are you weeping? whence such tears?
This is a wedding day. The King awaits me…the altar is lit up
and bedecked with flowers. Quickly, give me
my white cloak; decorate my hair
with my crown of roses…
Don't let Percy know of it…
The King demands it.

CHORUS:
Oh! What sad memories!

ANNA:
Oh! Who is mourning?

CHORUS:
Oh! What sad memories!

ANNA:
Oh! who is mourning?
Who spoke of Percy?…Don't let me see him.
Let me hide from his gaze. It is no use. He is coming…
He accuses me…he decries me. Oh! forgive me…
I am unhappy. Take me from this extreme misery.
Are you smiling? Oh joy! Don't let me die,
don't let me die alone.
Guide me to the sweet mansion of my birth,
to the green plane-trees
to the quiet river,
that still murmers
with our sighs.
There, I forget
the streams of anguish,
give me back one day
of my early years,
just one day
of our love.

CHORUS:
Who can see her dry eyed
in such anguish, in such mourning
and not feel their heart break?

Scene 7

The sound of drums can be heard.
The guards present themselves. Hervey and the courtiers.

ANNA:
(shaking herself)

What is that gloomy sound?... what do I see?...
Hervey, the guards?

(observes them attentively. Awakes from her trance)

HERVEY:
(to the guards)

Go, let the prisoners
be brought from their cells.

ANNA:
Oh! You shake me from my trance
at such a moment, O Heaven!
To what are you awakening me…

(From various prisons come Rochefort, Percy and then finally Smeton.)

ROCHEFORT and PERCY:
Anna!

ANNA:
Brother!
And you, Percy! for me, for me you are dying!

SMEATON:
I alone ruined you, curse me…

(coming forward and kneeling at Anna's feet)

ANNA:
Smeton!

(he draws back as if terrified and covers his face with his cloak)

PERCY:
Wretch!

SMEATON:
Ah yes…I am…let me go down
into the shadows with that name, I let myself
be seduced by the King. I accused you believing
I would save your life, and I was pushed to lie
by an insane desire, a hope, which I have held
repressed in my heart for a whole year.
Curse me.

ANNA:
Smeton! Come here.
Get up, what are you doing? Why don't you tune your harp?
Who cut its cords?

(Smeton is still on his knees; she raises him.)

ROCHEFORT:
Anna.

PERCY:
What is she saying?
LADIES:
She returns to her delirium.

ANNA:
They convey a low sound
like the groan cut short
of a heart that dies…it is my broken heart
which sighs its last prayer to Heaven.
Hear it, all of you.

ROCHEFORT, PERCY and SMEATON:
Oh! cruel torment!

CHORUS:
She's dreaming.

ANNA:
Heaven: grant repose at last
to my long pangs
and at least let these last heartbeats
be ones of hope.

ALL:
Let her final delirium
be prolonged, merciful Heaven;
let her beautiful spirit
rise up to your bosom.

(Cannon shots are heard in the distance and the ringing of bells.
Anna comes to, little by little.)

ANNA:
Who awoke me? Where am I? What do I hear?
A festive sound? what could it be? tell me..

CHORUS:
The Queen is acclaimed
by a happy people…

ANNA:
Be silent…cease.
There lacks, alas, there lacks only the blood of Anna
to complete the crime, and it will be spilt.

(she falls into the arms of her ladies)

ALL:
Heaven! Spare her wounded heart this blow
which she cannot bear.

ANNA:
False couple, I do not call down
the final vengeance in this terrible hour;
I go down into the open grave which awaits me
with pardon on my lips,
May they obtain mercy and favour for me
in the presence of a God of pity.

(swoons)

ALL:
Unfortunate woman…she faints…She is dying!

(The sheriffs appear to take the prisoners.
Rochefort, Smeton and Percy go to meet them and indicating Ann exclaim:)

ALL:
The victim is already sacrificed.

Contents: Characters; Act 1; Act 2; Act 3