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“Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner libretto (English)
| Contents: Characters; Act One; Act Two; Act Three |
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SCENE ONE (The introductory music depicts the sumptuous splendour of the wedding feast. the bridal chamber, in the middle background the richly adorned nuptial bed; a low chuch under the open bay window. Music off-stage; the singing is first distant, then it draws closer) |
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BRIDAL SONG (of the men and women) Faithfully guided, draw near to where the blessing of love shall preserve you! Triumphant courage, the reward of love, joins you in faith as the happiest of couples! Champion of youth, proceed! Jewel of youth, proceed! Flee now the splendour of the wedding feast, may the delights of the heart be yours! (Doors are opened) This sweet-smelling room, decked for love, now takes you in, away from the splendour. Faithfully guided, draw now near to where the blessing of love shall preserve you! Triumphant courage, love so pure, joins you in faith as the happiest of couples! (The two processions meet in the middle of the stage and Elsa is led to Lohengrin by the women; they embrace and remain standing in the middle. Pages take off Lohengrin's sumptuous outer garments before removing his sword, which they place on the couch; women likewise divest Elsa of her magnificent outer garments) (Meanwhile, eight women slowly surround Lohengrin and Elsa) |
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EIGHT WOMEN (after walking round them) As God blessed you in happiness, so do we bless you in joy. (They walk round them a second time) Watched over by love's happiness, may you long remember this hour! (The king embraces and blesses Lohengrin and Elsa) (The pages give the signal to leave. The processions form once again and, as the following is sung, pass by the newly-weds, the men filing out of the room to the right, the women to the left) BRIDAL SONG Faithfully guarded, remain behind where the blessing of love shall preserve you! Triumphant courage, love and happiness join you in faith as the happiest of couples. Champion of youth, remain here! Jewel of youth, remain here! Flee now the splendows of the wedding feast, may the delights of the heart be yours! This sweet-smelling room, decked for love, has now taken you, away from the splendour. (Both processions leave the stage; the doors are closed by the last pages as they go out. The singing recedes ever further into the distance) Faithfully guarded, remain behind, where the blessing of love shall preserve you! Triumphant courage, love and happiness join you in faith as the happiest of couples. (Once the processions have left, Elsa falls upon Lohengrin's breast, overcome with happiness. As the singing fades away, Lohengrin sits down on the couch near the window and gently draws Elsa to him) |
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SCENE TWO LOHENGRIN The sweet song fades; we are alone, alone for the first time since we met. Now we are cut off from the world, no eavesdropper shall hear the salutations of the heart. Elsa, my wife! Sweet, pure bride! Tell me now whether you are happy! ELSA How unfeeling it would be of me to say I was merely happy, when I am filled with heavenly joy! As I feel my heart go out to you, I breathe delights that God alone bestows. LOHENGRIN If, O fair one, you are able to say you are happy, then you fill me too with heavenly joy! As I feel my heart go out to you, I breathe delights that God alone bestrows; How noble is the nature of our love! Though we never met, we sensed each other; I was chosen to be your champion, love paved my way to you: your eyes told me that you were free of guilt - your countenance compelled me to serve your grace. ELSA But I had already seen you, for you had come to me in a wondrous dream; when in waking hours I saw you standing before me, I knew that you had come following God's counsel. I wanted to dissolve before your gaze, like a stream I wanted to wind around your feet, like a sweet-smelling flower in the meadow to incline entraptured towards the fall of your feet. Is this merely love? What shall I call this word, inexpressibly divine as your name - that I, alas, may never know, that I may never use to address my most revered! LOHENGRIN Elsa! ELSA How sweet the sound of my name from your lips! |
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Will you not grant me the fair sound of yours? Only when we are led to the stillness of love shall you allow my lips to pronunce it. LOHENGRIN My dear wife! ELSA All alone, when everyone is asleep; never shall it be brought to the ears of the world! LOHENGRIN (embracing her lovingly and pointing through the open window to the flower-filled garden) Can you not smell these sweet fragrances? How wondrously they delight the senses! Misteriously they approach through the air, and unquestioningly I give myself over to theis magic. Thus was the magic that joined me to you, when I first saw you, O fair one; I did not need to ask where you came from, my eyes saw you - and my heart understood at once. Just as these fragrances wondrously beguile my sense, though thay approach me from the enigmatic night, so did your innocence enchant me, even if I did find you suspected of a great crime. (Elsa hides her embarrassment as she humbly presses herself to him) |
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ELSA Oh, could I but prove myself worthy of you, would that I could do more than simply melt away in you; could but a service join me to you, could I but see myself suffer for you! As you found me accused of a great crime, oh would that I knew you to be in need; that I might courageously carry a burden, would that I knew of a trouble that threatens you! Is this the nature of the secret that your tongue keeps from the world? Perhaps misfortune awaits you if it is revealed to the whole world? If this were so and if I knew it, if I had it within my power, no threats would ever wrest it from me, for you I would go to my death! LOENGRIN My beloved! ELSA Oh make me proud through your confidence, lest I appear utterly unworthy! Let me know your secret, that I may clearly see who you are! LOHENGRIN Ah, hish, Elsa! ELSA To my devotion reveal your noble worth! Tell me without remorse whence you came - may the power of silence be proved through me! LOHENGRIN (sternly and gravely, moving back a few steps) You have already to thank me for the highest confidence, since I gladly belived the oath you made; if you never falter before my command, I shall consider you to be above all other women! (turning back to Elsa, he addresses her tenderly) |
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Come to me, O sweet, pure one! Be near my ardent heart, that the eyes in which I saw all my happiness may shine upon me softly! Oh grant me that in sweet raptures I may breathe in your breath: oh, let me clasp you to me firmly, that I may be happy in you! Your love must be the highest recompense for that which I left behind for your sake; no destiny in all God's world could have been nobler than mine. If the king offered me his crown, I should rightfully reject it. The only reward for my sacrifice is your steadfast love! Thus do I ask you to put doubt from your mind, may your love be my proud recompense! For I come not from darkness and suffering, I come from splendour and delight! ELSA Dear God, what is this that I hear? What testimony have you spoken? You meant to enchant me, but now misery is my lot! The destiny that you left behind was your greatest happiness; you came to me from a place of delights and you long to return there! How am I, poor wretch, to belive that my devotion will ever satisfy you? The day will come when I am robbed of you because you regret your love for me! LOHENGRIN Do not torture yourself so! ELSA It is you who are torturing me! Am I to count the number of days that you will remain with me still? My worrying about how long you will stay will drain the colour from my cheek then you will hurry from me, and I will remain here in misery! |
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LOHENGRIN Never shall your charm diminish if you remain untainted by doubt! ELSA Ah, what power have I to bind you to me? Full of magic is your being, a miracle brought you here; how can I ever hope to be happy, how can I ever be sure of you? (She starts in agitation and pauses, as if listening) Did you hear nothing? Did you not hear anyone approaching? LOHENGRIN Elsa! ELSA Ah, no! (staring ahead of her) Yes, there - the swan - the swan! There he comes, swimming across the water - you call him - he brings the boat! LOHENGRIN Elsa! Stop! Calm your madness! ELSA Nothing can bring me peace, nothing can tear me from my madness, save - even if it should cost me my life - knowing who you are! |
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LOHENGRIN Elsa, what do you venture to say? ELSA Ill-fatedly noble man! Hear the question I must ask you! Tell me your name! LOHENGRIN Stop! ELSA Whence did you come? LOHENGRIN Woe unto you! ELSA What is your origin? LOHENGRIN Woe unto us, what have you done? (Elsa is standing in front of Lohengrin, who has his back turned to the room, and sees Friedrich and his four men appear through a back door with swords drawn) ELSA Save yourself! Your sword, your sword! (She quickly passes Lohengrin the sword which is lying on the couch; she is holding the scabbard, so he is able to draw quickly. Friedrich approaches with his sword raised, and Lohengrin kills him with one mighty blow. The horrified nobles drop their swords, run to Lohengrin and fall to their knees before him. Elsa, who has thrown herself at Lohengrin's breast, sinks slowly to the floor in a faint) LOHENGRIN (He alone is left standing) Woe, now all our happiness is gone! (He bends down to Elsa, gently lifts her up and lays her on the couch) ELSA (opening her eyes) Eternal God, have mercy on me! (Dawn is beginning to break; the candles have burnt lower and are about to go out. Lohengrin signals to the four nobles, and they stand up) |
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LOHENGRIN Take the slain man before the king, that he may be judged! (The nobles pick up Friedrich's body and leave through a door in the background. Lohengrin pulls a bell-cord and four women enter from the left) LOHENGRIN (to the women) Adorn Elsa, my dear wife, prepare her to be led before the king! There will I answer her, that she may know her husband's origin! (With an expression od sad solemnity, he disappears through the door on the right. The women lead Elsa, who is incapable of moving, off to the left. The dawn sky is slowly brightening; the candles have gone out. Down in the courtyard heralds sound a trumpet call) |
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SCENE THREE (The plain by the Scheldt, as in Act One. Dawn gradually gives way to full daylight. A count with his retinue of troops appears right foreground, dismounts from his horse and hands it to a serf. Two pages bring him his shield and spear. He plants his standard in the ground and his troops assemble round it. - As a second count appears in the field, trumpets are heard announcing the arrival of a third. A third count appears with his troops. They too assemble round their standard; the counts and nobles greet one another before examining and praising their arms etc. A fourth count appears with his retinue from the right and positions himself middle background. When the king's trumpets are heard from the left, everyone hurries to assemble round the standards. The king with his Saxon levy enters from the left) |
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ALL THE MEN (as the king arrives under the oak) Hail King Heinrich! King Heinrich hail! THE KING I thank you, good men of Brabant! How my heart shall swell with pride if on every acre of German soil I find such mighteous throngs of troops! Let the Empire's enemy now approach, we will meet him with courage: from the barren wastes of the East he shall never dare attack again! For German soil the German sword! Thus shall the Empire's might be proved! |
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ALL THE MEN For German soil the German sword! Thus shall the Empire's might be proved! THE KING Where now is he whom God sent to make Brabant great and glorious? (There is a disturbance in the crowd; the four Brabantian nobles bring in Friedrich's covered body on a bier and lay it down in the middle of the stage. People stare at one another questioningly) ALL What do they bring? What does this mean? They are Telramund's men! THE KING Whom do you bring here? What am I about to see? The sight of you fills me with horror! THE FOUR NOBLES This is the wish of the Protector of Brabant; he will tell you who this is! (Elsa appears, followed by a large retinue of women. She is unsure of her step as she slowly crosses to the foreground) MEN Behold, Elsa the virtuous approaches! How pale and melancholy she looks! THE KING (moving over to Elsa and leading her to a high seat opposite him) How sad you look! Does the departure affect you so deeply? (Elsa tries to look up, but she cannot) (There is a disturbance in the background. Voices are heared) VOICES Make way for the hero of Brabant! |
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ALL THE MEN Hail to the hero of Brabant! (The King has resumed his place beneath the oak tree. - Lohengrin, carrying exactly the same weapons as in Act One, appears alone and proceeds gravely and solemnly to the foreground) THE KING Hail to your coming, worthy knight! Those whom you so faithfully called to war await you, eager to do battle, confident of victory under you. BRABANTIAN We await you, eager to do battle, confident of victory under you. LOHENGRIN My Lord and King, hear my words: those brave knights whom I have called, I cannot lead them into battle! (Everyone expresses great consternation) ALL THE MEN God help us! What cruel words he speaks! LOHENGRIN I have not come here as a brother-in-arms; hear me now as a plaintiff before you! (He uncovers Friedrich's body; everybody turns away in horror) (Solemnly, before the dead body) Firstly I bring a complaint before you, and ask you to pass rightful judgement: since this man attacked me in the night, say whether I was right to slay him? THE KING AND ALL THE MEN (solemnly stretching out their hands towards the body) As your hand struck him down on earth, so shall God punish him in Heaven! |
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LOHENGRIN Secondly, you shall hear another charge: before all here present I now complain that the woman whom God made my wife has let herself be tricked into betraying me! THE KING Elsa! How could you do such a wrong? MEN Elsa! How could that happen? How could you do such a wrong? WOMEN (looking at Elsa, reproachfully) Woe unto you, Elsa! LOHENGRIN You all heard her promise me that she would never ask who I am! But now she has broken her solemn vow, her heart has succumbed to perfidious counsel! (Everyone expresses deep shock) That the wild questionings of her doubt might now be stilled, I shall no longer withhold the answer: I rightly refused to yield to the enemy's entreaties, but now I must reveal my name and origin. (His countenance grows ever more transfigured) Judge now whether I must shy away from the day: before all here present, before King and Empire, I now faithfully reveal my secret. (standing up straight) Hear now whether or not I am equal to you in nobility! THE KING AND ALL THE MEN What incredible thing must I now learn? Oh could he but spare himself this enforced proclamation! |
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LOHENGRIN (looking ahead, solemnly transfigured) In a far-off land, inaccessible to your steps, there is a castle by the name of Montsalvat; a light-filled temple stands within it, more beautiful than anything on earth; therein is a vessel of wonderous blessing that is watched over as a sacred relic: that the purest of men might guard it, it was brought down by a host of angels; every year a dove descends from Heaven to fortify its wonderous power: it is called the Grail, and the purest, most blessed faith is imparted through it to the Brotherhood of Knights. Whosoever is chosen to serve the Grail is armed by it with heavenly power; the darts of evil prove powerless against him, once he has seen it, the shadow of death flees him. Even he who is sent by it to a distant land, appointed as a champion of virtue, will not be robbed of its holy power, provided that he, as its knight, remains unrecognised there. For so wondrous is the blessing of the Grail that when it is revealed it shuns the eye of the uninitiated; thus no man should doubt the knight, for if he is recognised, he must leave you. Hear how I reward the forbidden question! I was sent to you by the Grail: my father Parzival wears its crown, I its knight - am called Lohengrin. ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN To hear him thus attest his sacred origin causes my eyes to brim with tears of blessed joy! ELSA (devastated) I swoon! What dreadful darkness! I gasp! I gasp for air, wretch that I am! (She is about to collapse when Lohengrin catches her in his arms) |
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LOHENGRIN O Elsa! What have you done to me? When I first set eyes upon you I felt myself overwhelmed with love for you and I quickly recognised a new happiness: the noble might, the wonder of my origin, the strength granted me by my secret, all these I wanted to dedicate to serving the purest of hearts: why did you force me to reveal my secret? Now, alas, I must be parted from you! THE KING AND ALL THE MEN Woe! O woe! Must you leave us, you noble, God-sent man? If Heaven's blessing flee us, where shall we find comfort when you are gone? ELSA My husband! No! I will not let you leave this place! Remain here, that you might witness my repentance! You must not escape my bitter repentance, I lie before you, that you may punish me! WOMEN Woe, now he must leave you! LOHENGRIN I must, I must! My sweet wife! The Grail is already angry that I have not returned! ELSA If you are truly as divine as I belived, banish not God's mercy from your heart! If this most wretched of women expiates her great sin in misery, let not your gracious presence flee her! Do not repudiate me, however great my crime, Do not leave me, oh do not leave me, most wretched of women! LOHENGRIN There is but one punishment for your crime! Alas! I, as you, feel its cruel pain! We must be parted, separated: this must be the punishment, this the atonement! (Elsa falls back with a cry) THE KING AND THE NOBLES (crowding around Lohengrin) |
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Stay, do not leave this place! Your men await you, O leader! LOHENGRIN Hear me, O King! I cannot lead you! If, now that he has been recognised, the knight of the Grail should prove disobedient by going into battle with you, he would be divested of all human strength! But, mighty King, this do I foretell: a great victory awaits you, O pure one! Never, not even in the most distant future, shall the hordes from the East rise up in victory against Germany! (General excitement. From the background is heared the cry:) The swan! The swan! (The swan is seen on the river, pulling behind it the barque, just as it had done when Lohengrin first appeared) MEN AND WOMEN The swan! The swan! Behold, it approaches once again! The swan! Woe, it approaches! ELSA (Waking up from her dazed state, she sits up in the seat and looks over towards the river bank) O horror! Ah, the swan! (She remains sitting up in the same position as if frozen) LOHENGRIN (touched) The Grail sends for the one who is late in returning! (Everybody looks on in tense expectation as he goes over to the bank; he bends down to the swan and looks at it wistfully) My dear swan! Ah, how gladly I would have spared you this last, sad journey! At the end of a year your time of service would have come to an end - |
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then, freed by the power of the Grail, you would have appeared to me in a different form! (Wracked with grief, he turns back to Elsa, who is standing in the foreground) O Elsa! I had longed to witness just one year of happiness by your side! Then your brother, whom you thought dead, would have returned, accompanied by the blessed retinue of the Grail! (All express their astonishment) LOHENGRIN (hands Elsa his horn, his sword and his ring) When he comes home, I shall be far away; give him this horn, this sword and this ring. The horn shall bring him soccour in danger, the sword shall bring him victory in wild battle; but the ring shall remind him of me, who once freed you too from shame and need! (He repeatedly kisses Elsa, who is incapable of speech) Farewell! Farewell! Farewell, my sweet wife! Farewell! The Grail will be angry with me if I stay longer! (Elsa has been clinging desperately to Lohengrin; finally she loses her strength and sinks into the arms of the women; Lohengrin leaves her with them and hurries over to the river bank) THE KING, MEN AND WOMEN Woe! Woe! You noble, distinguished man! What terrible distress you cause us! ORTRUD (she comes to the foreground gesturing jubilantly) Go home! Go home, you proud knight, that I may jubilantly tell the foolish girl who it was that brought you in the boat! By the chain that I wrapped around him I clearly recognised this swan: he is the heir of Brabant! ALL Ah! |
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ORTRUD (to Elsa) Thank you for driving away the knight! Now the swan will lead him home: if the hero had stayed any longer, he would have freed the brother too! ALL Loathsome woman! Ha, what a crime you have confessed to in in your brazen scorn! ORTRUD Learn how the gods take vengeance on you who no longer worship them! (She remains standing, widly ecstatic. Lohengrin, who has arrived at the river bank, has heard Ortrud's every word; he solemnly sinks to his knees in silent prayer. Everybody looks at him in tense expectation. The withe dove of the Grail descends and hovers over the barque. Lohengrin sees it; with a look of gratitude he jumps up and frees the swan of the chain, whereupon it sinks beneath the waves. In its place Lohengrin brings ashore a handsome youth in shining silver armour - it is Gottfried) LOHENGRIN Behold the Duke of Brabant! He shall be your leader! (When Ortrud sees Gottfried, she falls to the ground. Lohengrin quickly jumps into the boat and is immediately drawn away by the dove, who has taken hold of the chain. Elsa, transfigured in a last moment of joy, looks at Gottfried, who moves forwards and bows before the king. Everyone looks at him in joyous amazement, the Brabantians sink to their knees in homage before him. Gottfried then rushes into Elsa's arms. Elsa, after a brief moment of rapture, quickly turns her gaze to the river bank, but she can no longer see Lohengrin.) ELSA My husband! My husband! (Lohengrin is visible again in distance; he is standing in the barque, his head sunk in sorrow on his shield. Elsa, whom Gottfried is holding in his arms, slowly sinks lifeless to the ground. Lohengrin is seen receding into the distance) |
| Contents: Characters; Act One; Act Two; Act Three |