“La clemenza di Tito” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart libretto (English)

Contents: Cast; First Act; Second Act

Libretto: Caterino Tommaso Mazzolà (after Pietro Metastasio).
Premiere: 6 September 1791, Prague (Gräflich Nostitzches Nationaltheater).

SECOND ACT

A pleasant apartment in the imperial palace on the Palatine

FIRST SCENE
Annius, Sextus

Recitative

ANNIUS
Sextus, the Emperor did not perish,
as you thought. Calm your sorrow;
at this moment he is returning,
unharmed, from the turmoil.

SEXTUS
O merciful gods!
O dear prince! O sweet friend! Ah, let me clasp you ...
But you are not deceiving me?

ANNIUS
Do I deserve so little faith?
Then you yourself hasten to him,
and you will see him.

SEXTUS
I present myself to Titus
after having betrayed him?

ANNIUS
You betrayed him?

SEXTUS
I was the instigator
of the tumult.

ANNIUS
Sextus disloyal!

SEXTUS
My friend,
a moment undid me. Farewell! I fly
my country for ever.
Remember me. Defend Titus
from new plots. I will wander the woods
in sorrow, to lament my crime.

ANNIUS
Stay! O heavens! Let us think ...
Many blame accident for this fire;so far conspiracy is not certain ...

SEXTUS
Well, what would you?

ANNIUS
Do not go yet.

No. 13 - Aria

ANNIUS
Return to Titus's side;
return, and make amends
for past error
with repeated proofs of loyalty.

Your bitter grief
is an obvious sign
that the image of virtue
remains in your heart.

Return to Titus's side, etc.

Exit

SECOND SCENE
Sextus, then Vitellia

Recitative

SEXTUS
Should I go or stay? I am in no state
to take a decision.

VITELLIA
Sextus, fly:
save your life and my honour. You are lost
if anyone finds you, and if you are found
my secret will become public.

SEXTUS
It will remain buried
in my heart. No one knew it.
I shall die concealing it.

THIRD SCENE
Publius with guards, and the same

Recitative

PUBLIUS
Sextus!

SEXTUS
What do you want?

PUBLIUS
Your sword.

SEXTUS
And why?

PUBLIUS
The one who, clad in regal attire,
fell wounded to the ground before your eyes,
and whom, misled by his appearance,
you took for Titus,
was Lentulus; the blow
did not deprive him of life. The rest you know.
Come.

VITELLIA
(O fatal blow!)

SEXTUS
surrendering his sword
So at last, tyrant ...

PUBLIUS
Sextus, we must go. The Senate
is already assembled to hear you,
and I cannot delay conducting you there.

SEXTUS
Farewell, ungrateful woman

FOURTH SCENE

No. 14 - Trio

SEXTUS
If ever you feel a light breeze
playing on your face,
that breath will be
my dying sighs.

VITELLIA
(Through me he is being taken to his death;
ah, wherever can I hide?‑
Very soon my crime
will be known to the world.)

PUBLIUS
Come ...

SEXTUS
to Publius
I follow you ...
to Vitellia
Farewell.

VITELLIA
to Sextus
Listen ... I am lost ... O god!
to Publius
How cruel!

SEXTUS
to Vitellia, as he is going
Remember the one who loves you still,
even in this plight.
Let your pity at least
be solace for my pain.

VITELLIA
Remorse, horror and fear
rend my heart!
What I feel in my soul
will make me die of grief.)

PUBLIUS
(The stinging, bitter tears
that pour from her eyes
move my soul,
but pity is useless!)

Exeunt Publius and Sextus with the guards; exit Vitellia on the opposite side.

FIFTH SCENE
A great hall designed for public hearings. A throne, chair and small table
Titus, Publius, patricians, Praetorian Guard and populace

No. 15 - Chorus

CHORUS
Ah, let us render thanks
to the supreme Creator
who in Titus preserved
the glory of the throne.

TITUS
Ah no, I am not
so unfortunate
if my lot finds
sympathy in Rome,
if prayers are still
offered up for Titus.

CHORUS
Ali, let us render thanks, etc.

Recitative

PUBLIUS
The people
are all assembled there
at the festive arena,
and nothing is lacking
but your presence.

TITUS
We will go soon, Publius.
I could not rest
if I did not first know Sextus's fate.
The Senate will now
have heard his defence; it will have found,
you will see, that he is innocent;
and the verdict should not be long delayed.
Go, ask
What is happening, what they are waiting for.
I wish to know all before leaving.

PUBLIUS
I go, but fear
I shall not return the bearer of happy tidings.
TITUS
Can you believe Sextus disloyal?
I measure his feelings by my own;
and it seems an impossibility to me
that he could have betrayed me.

PUBLIUS
But my lard, not all have hearts like Titus.

No. 16 - Aria

PUBLIUS
He is late
to notice betrayal
who has never known
what it is to be disloyal.

It is no wonder
if a true heart,
full of honour,
believes all other
hearts incapable
of disloyalty.

He is late, etc.

Exit

SIXTH SCENE
Titus, then Annius

Recitative

TITUS
No, I do not believe
my Sextus so wicked.
A heart could not change
so greatly. Annius, what do you bring?
Sextus 's innocence?
Reassure me.

ANNIUS
My lord, I come
to beg mercy for him.

SEVENTH SCENE
The same, Publius carrying a piece of paper

Recitative

PUBLIUS
Caesar, did I not say so? Sextus was the author
of the cruel plot.

TITUS
And is this true, Publius?

PUBLIUS
Only too true: he admitted everything
with his own lips. The Senate has condemned him,
with his accomplices, to be thrown to the wild beasts.
Here is the terrible, but just, decree;
giving the paper to Titus
only the Emperor's name, my lord, is lacking.

TITUS
throwing himself into a chair
Almighty gods!

PUBLIUS
kneeling
Ah, merciful sovereign...

TITUS
Annius, for the moment
leave me in peace.

PUBLIUS
You know that the people
are now assembled for the great show...

TITUS
I know. Leave me!

ANNIUS
Oh, forgive me if I speak
on behalf of a madman.
He is the brother of my dear bride.

No. 17- Aria

ANNIUS
You were betrayed:
he deserves to die,but yet Titus's heart
allows room for hope.

Ah, take counsel,
my lord, of your heart:
deign to look
upon our grief.

Exeunt Publius and Annius.

EIGHTH SCENE
Titus alone, seated

Accompanied Recitative

TITUS
O horror! What treachery!
What black disloyalty! To pretend friendship
and be always at my side; at every moment
exacting from me
some token of love, and meanwhile
plotting my death! And I still delay
the punishment and do not sign
the sentence?

He takes the pen to sign, then pauses.

Ah yes, let the miscreant die!
He shall die ... but am I sending Sextus to his death
without hearing him? Yes; the Senate
has already heard enough. Yet suppose he had
some secret to reveal to me?
Ho there!
He puts down his pen; a guard enters
(Let him be heard, and then
he can go to execution.) Bring Sextus to me.

Exit guard

How unhappy is the fate
of those who reign! To us is denied
what is given to the lowliest. That needy peasant
in the depths of the woods, whose rough sides
are clad in coarse wool, whose shapeless hovel
is an unreliable shelter from the inclement elements,
sleeps peacefully,
passes his days in tranquillity. He asks little:
he knows who hates him, who loves him:
in company or alone
he goes safely to the forest and to the mountain,
and sees everyone's hearts mirrored in their faces.

NINTH SCENE
Titus, Publius, Sextus and guards
Sextus has barely entered when he halts.

No. 18 - Trio

SEXTUS
(Is that the face of Titus?
Ah, ye stars, where has
his usual mildness gone?
Now he makes me tremble!)

TITUS
(Eternal gods! Are these then
the features of Sextus?
O how a crime
can transform a face!)

PUBLIUS
(A thousand conflicting emotions
are at war within Titus.
If he feels such torment,
he still loves him.)

TITUS
Draw near!

SEXTUS
(O voice
that weighs so heavy on my heart!)

TITUS
Do you not hear?

SEXTUS
(O heaven, I feel
myself bathed in sweat!
O god! A dying man
could not suffer more.)

TITUS and PUBLIUS
(The traitor trembles
and dares not raise his eyes.)

Exeunt Publius and the guards

Recitative

TITUS
Hear me, Sextus; we are alone;
your sovereign is not present.
Open your heart to Titus;
confide in your friend.
I ask this at least
in return for friendship,

SEXTUS
(Here is a new kind of torment!
Either displease Titus
or accuse Vitellia.)

TITUS
beginning to grow uneasy
Do you still doubt?

SEXTUS
My lord ...
know then ...

TITUS
Speak,then:
what did you wish to tell me?

SEXTUS
That I am the object
of the gods' wrath; that I no longer
have the strength to face my fate;
that I confess myself a traitor, call myself a villain;
that I deserve death and desire it.

TITUS
Ungrateful wretch! And you shall have it!
to the guards, who have entered
Guards, take the culprit
out of my sight!

SEXTUS
One last kiss
on that invincible hand.

TITUS
without looking at him
Go; it is too late;
now I am your judge.

SEXTUS
Ah my lord, let this be your last favour.

No. 19 - Rondo

SEXTUS
Ah, for this single moment
remember our former love,
for your anger, your severity,
make me die of grief.

Unworthy of pity, it is true,
I ought only to inspire horror.
Yet you would be less harsh
if you could read my heart.

In despair I go to death,
but dying does not affright me.
The thought that I was
a traitor to you tortures me!

(A heart can suffer such anguish
and yet not die of sorrow!)

Exit

TENTH SCENE
Titus alone

Recitative

TITUS
Where was more insolent disloyalty ever heard?
I must avenge his disregard
and scorn for my clemency.
Avenge! ... Can the heart of Titus
nurture such feelings? ... Well, let him live ...
Then do the laws mean nothing?
He sits down
Sextus is guilty: Sextus shall die.
He signs
But then I do
violence to my feelings. Shall I at least be sure
that others will approve? Ah, let me not forsake
my usual path ...
tearing up the sheet
Let my friend live, though he is faithless.
And if the world wants to accuse me
of some failing,
let it accuse me of mercy,
throwing away the torn sheet
not of harshness.

ELEVENTH SCENE
Titus, Publius

Recitative

TITUS
Publius!

PUBLIUS
My Emperor?

TITUS
Let us go to the people, who are waiting.

PUBLIUS
And Sextus?

TITUS
And let Sextus,
too, come to the arena.

PUBLIUS
Then his fate ...?

TITUS
Yes, Publius, it is already decided.

PUBLIUS
(O wretched man!)

No. 20 - Aria

TITUS
If a hard heart is necessary to a ruler,
ye benevolent gods,
either take the empire from me
or give me another heart.

If I cannot assure the loyalty
of my realms by love,
I care not for a loyalty
that is born of fear.

If a hard heart is necessary, etc.

Exit, followed by Publius

TWELFTH SCENE
Vitellia, and then Servilia and Annius from opposite sides

Recitative

SERVILIA
Ah, Vitellia!

ANNIUS
Ah, princess!

SERVILIA
My poor brother ...

ANNIUS
My dear friend ...

SERVILIA
... is being taken to his death.

VITELLIA
But what can I do for him?

SERVILIA
Everything: at your pleas
Titus will pardon him.

ANNIUS
He cannot refuse it
to his new Empress.

VITELLIA
Annius, I am not
the Empress yet.

ANNIUS
Before the sun sets,
Titus will be your husband. just now, in my presence,
he gave orders for the festivities.

VITELLIA
(Then Sextus kept silent! What love! What faith!)
Annius, Servilia, let us go. (But where can I go
like this without thought?) leave me, friends,
I will come.

No. 21 - Aria

SERVILIAIf you do nothing for him
but shed tears,
all your weeping
will be of no avail.

Oh, how like
to cruelty
is this useless
pity that you feel.

If you do nothing for him, etc.

Exit

THIRTEENTH SCENE
Vitellia alone

No. 22 - Accompanied Recitative

VITELLIA
Now is the moment, O Vitellia,
to test your firmess: will you have
sufficient courage to look upon
your faithful Sextus lifeless? Sextus, who loves you
more than his own life, who for your sake
committed a crime, who obeyed you, cruel one,
and adored you, unjust as you are;
who in the face of death remains so true to you,
while you, aware of this, calmly go
to Caesar's bridal bed? Ah, I should always see
Sextus near me and fear the breezes and the stones
might speak
and betray me to Titus.
Let me go and confess all at his feet.
Let Sextus's crime,
If it cannot be forgiven, be lessened through my guilt.
Ah farewell, hopes of dominion and marriage!

No. 23 - Rondo

VITELLIA
No more
shall Hymen descend
to weave
fair garlands of flowers.

Bound in harsh,
cruel chains,
I see death
advance towards me.

O wretched me! How horrible!
Ah, what will be said of me?
Yet he who could see my distress
would have pity on me.

Exit

FOURTEENTH SCENE
A splendid scene showing a vast amphitheatre. Already in the arena can be seen the accomplices in the plot, who have been condemned to be thrown to the wild beasts.

During the following chorus Titus enters, preceded by lictors, surrounded by the Praetorian Guard. After him, Annius and Servilia.

No. 24 - Chorus

CHORUS
That you are the care, the darling
of heaven and of the gods,
great hero, has been shown
in the brief course of this day.

But there is no cause for wonder,
fortunate Augustus,
that the gods thus watch over
one so like them.

FIFTEENTH SCENE
Titus, Publius and Sextus between lictors, Annius and Servilia, and then Vitellia

Recitative

TITUS
Sextus,
you know the range of your crimes
and what punishment is due to you. Rome in turmoil,
majesty offended, laws affronted,
friendship betrayed ‑ the world and heaven
call for your death. Yet you know that
I am the sole object of your treachery: now listen.

VITELLIA
entering hastily
Here, mighty Emperor,
kneeling
here at your feet is the most troubled ...

TITUS
Ah, rise!
What are you doing? What do you desire?

VITELLIA
I bring before you
the author of the wicked plot.

TITUS
Where is he? Who ever planned
such threats to my life?

VITELLIA
You will not believe it.

TITUS
Why not?

VITELLIA
Because it is I.

TITUS
You too?

SEXTUS and SERVILIA
Ye stars!

ANNIUS and PUBLIUS
Ye gods!

TITUS
And how many are there,
however many to betray me?

VITELLIA
I am the most guilty of all!
I conceived the plot.
I seduced from you your most
faithful friend: I took advantage
of his blind love for me.

TITUS
But what was the cause
of your anger?

VITELLIA
Your goodness. I thought that
this was love. I hoped for your hand and the throne
as a gift from you, and then
I was repeatedly passed over, and sought revenge.

No. 25 - Accompanied Recitative

TITUS
But what a day this is! At the very moment
that I absolve one wrongdoer, I discover another?
When, just gods, shall I find
a loyal soul? I believe the stars conspire
to oblige me, despite myself,
to turn cruel. No: they shall not have
this satisfaction. My strength is already pledged
to continue the contest.
Let us see whether others' perfidy
or my clemency will be the more enduring.
Ho there! Release Sextus: Lentulus and his followers
shall again enjoy life and liberty.Be it known in Rome
that I am the same, that I know all,
forgive everyone and forget it all.

No. 26 - Sextet with Chorus

SEXTUS
You forgive me, Caesar, it is true;
but my heart, that will lament
its error as long as memory lasts,
does not forgive me.

TITUS
The true repentance
of which you are capable
is worth more than a truly
constant fidelity.

VITELLIA, SERVILIA, ANNIUS
O generous and noble soul!
Who ever attained such heights?
His supreme goodness
draws tears from my eyes.

TUTTI and CHORUS (except TITUS)
Eternal gods, watch
over his sacred days:
preserve in him
Rome's happiness.

TITUS
Cut short, eternal gods,
cut short my days
on that day when the good of Rome
ceases to be my care.

Contents: Cast; First Act; Second Act