The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
xx
Tekst: Thomas Betterton of Elkanah Settle
Act I
Oberon en Titania
Come, come, come, let us leave the Town
And in some lonely place,
Where Crouds and Noise were never known,
Resolve to spend our days.
In pleasant Shades upon the Grass
At Night our selves we'll lay;
Our Days in harmless Sport shall pass,
Thus Time shall slide away.
Drunken Poet:
Fill up the Bowl, then, &c.
1st Fairy, Chorus:
Trip it, trip it in a Ring;
Around this Mortal Dance, and Sing.
Poet:
Enough, enough,
We must play at Blind Man's Buff.
Turn me round, and stand away,
I'll catch whom I may.
1st Fairy, Chorus:
About him go, so, so, so,
Pinch the Wretch, from Top to Toe;
Pinch him forty, forty times,
Pinch till he confess his Crimes.
Poet:
Hold you damn'd tormenting Punk,
I do confess ?
Both Fairies:
What, what, etc.
Poet:
I'm Drunk, as I live Boys, Drunk.
Both Fairies:
What art thou, speak?
Poet:
If you will know it,
I am a scurvy Poet.
Chorus:
Pinch him, pinch him for his Crimes,
His Nonsense, and his Dogrel Rhymes.
Poet:
Hold! Oh! Oh! Oh!
Both Fairies:
Confess more, more.
Poet:
I confess, I'm verypoor.
Nay prithee do not pinch me so,
Good dear Devil, let me go;
And as I hope to wear the Bays,
I'll write a Sonnet in thy Praise.
Chorus:
Drive 'em hence, away, away
Let 'em sleep till break of Day.
Act II
Come all ye Songsters of the Sky,
Wake, and Assemble in this Wood;
But no ill-boding Bird be nigh,
None but the Harmless and the Good.
Trio:
May the God of Wit inspire,
The Sacred Nine to bear a part;
And the Blessed Heavenly Quire,
Shew the utmost of their Art.
While Echo shall in sounds remote,
Repeat each Note,
Each Note, each Note.
Chorus:
Now joyn your Warbling Voices all.
Song and Chorus:
Sing while we trip it on the Green;
But no ill Vapours rise or fall,
Nothing offend our Fairy Queen.
Night:
See, even Night her self is here,
To favour your Design;
And all her Peaceful Train is near,
That Men to Sleep incline.
Let Noise and Care,
Doubt and Despair,
Envy and Spight,
(The Fiends delight)
Be ever Banish'd hence,
Let soft Repose,
Her Eye-lids close;
And murmuring Streams,
Bring pleasing Dreams;
Let nothing stay to give offence.
Mystery:
I am come to lock all fast,
Love without me cannot last.
Love, like Counsels of the Wise,
Must be hid from Vulgar Eyes.
'Tis holy, and we must conceal it,
They profane it, who reveal it.
Secresie:
One charming Night
Gives more delight,
Than a hundred lucky Days.
Night and I improve the tast,
Make the pleasure longer last,
A thousand, thousand several ways.
Sleep (and Chorus):
Hush, no more, be silent all,
Sweet Repose has clos'd her Eyes.
Soft as feather'd Snow does fall!
Softly, softly, steal from hence.
No noise disturb her sleeping sence.
Act III
If Love's a Sweet Passion, why does it torment?
If a Bitter, oh tell me whence comes my content?
Since I suffer with pleasure, why should I complain,
Or grieve at my Fate, when I know 'tis in vain?
Yet so pleasing the Pain, so soft is the Dart,
That at once it both wounds me, and tickles my Heart.
I press her Hand gently, look Languishing down,
And by Passionate Silence I make my Love known.
But oh! I'm Blest when so kind she does prove,
By some willing mistake to discover her Love.
When in striving to hide, she reveals all her Flame,
And our Eyes tell each other, what neither dares Name.
Ye Gentle Spirits of the Air, appear;
Prepare, and joyn your tender Voices here.
Catch, and repeat the Trembling Sounds anew,
Soft as her Sighs and sweet as pearly dew,
Run new Division, and such Measures keep,
As when you lull the God of Love asleep.
Coridon:
Now the Maids and the Men are making of Hay,
We h've left the dull Fools, and are stolen away.
Then Mopsa no more
Be Coy as before,
But let us merrily Play,
And kiss the sweet time away.
Mopsa:
Why, how now, Sir Clown, what makes you so bold?
I'd have ye to know I'm not made of that mold.
I tell you again,
Maids must never Kiss no Men.
No, no: no Kissing at all;
I'll not Kiss, till I Kiss you for good and all.
Coridon:
Not Kiss you at all?
Mopsa:
No, no, no Kissing at all!
Coridon:
Why no Kissing at all?
Mopsa:
I'll not Kiss, till I Kiss you for good and all.
Coridon:
Should you give me a score,
'Twould not lessen your store,
The bid me chearfully, chearfully Kiss,
And take, and take, my fill of your Bliss.
Mopsa:
I'll not trust you so far, I know you too well;
Should I give you aninch, you'd soon take an Ell.
The Lordlike you Rule,
And laugh as the Fool,
No, no, &c.
Coridon:
So small a Request,
You must not, you cannot, you shall not deny,
Not will I admit of another Reply.
Mopsa:
Nay, what do you mean?
O fie, fie, fie!
A Nymph:
When I have often heard young Maids complaining,
That when Men promise most they most deceive,
The I thought none of them worthy of my gaining;
And what they Swore, resolv'd ne're to believe.
But when so humbly he made his Addresses,
With Looks so soft, and with Language so kind,
I thought it Sin to refuse his Caresses;
Nature o'ercame, and I soon chang'd my Mind.
Should he employ all his wit in deceiving,
Stretch his Invention, and artfully feign;
I find such Charms, such true Joy in believing,
I'll have the Pleasure, let him have the Pain.
If he proves Prejur'd, I shall not be Cheated,
He may deceive himself, but never me;
'T is what I look for, and shan't be defeated,
For I'll be as false and inconstant as he.
A Thousand Thousand ways we'll find
To Entertain the Hours;
No Two shall e're be known so kind,
No Life so Blest as ours.
Act IV
One of the Attendants:
Now the Night is chac'd away,
All salute the rising Sun;
'Tis that happy, happy Day,
The Birth-Day of King Oberon.
Two Others:
Let the Fifes, and the Clarions, and shrill Trumpets sound,
And the Arch of high Heav'n the Clangor resound.
Phoebus:
When a Cruel long Winter has frozen the Earth,
And Nature Imprison'd seeks in vain to be free;
I dart forth my Beams, to give all things a Birth,
Making Spring for the Plants, every Flower, and each Tree.
'Tis I who give Life, Warmth, and Vigour to all,
Even Love who rules all things in Earth, Air, and Sea;
Would languish, and fade, and to nothing would fall,
The World to its Chaos would return, but for me.
Hail! Great Parent of us all,
Light and Comfort of the Earth;
Before your Shrine the Seasons fall,
Thou who givest all Nature Birth.
Spring:
Thus the ever Grateful Spring,
Does her yearly Tribute bring;
All your Sweets before him lay,
The round his Altar, Sing and Play.
Summer:
Here's the Summer, Sprightly, Gay,
Smiling, Wanton, Fresh and Fair;
Adorn'd with all the Flowers of May,
Whose various Sweets perfume the Air.
Autumn:
See my many Colour'd Fields
And loaded Trees my Will obey;
All the Fruit that Autumn yields,
I offer to the God of Day.
Winter:
Now Winter comes Slowly, Pale, Meager, and Old,
First trembling with Age, and then quiv'ring with Cold;
Benumb'd with hard Forsts, and with Snow covere'd o'ver,
Prays the Sun to Restore him, and Sings as before.
Act V
Juno:
Thrice happy Lovers, may you be
For ever, ever free,
From that tormenting Devil, Jealousie.
From all that anxious Care and Strife,
That attends a married Life;
Be to one another true,
Kind to her as she to you,
And since the errors of this Night are past,
May he be ever Constant, she for ever Chast.
The Plaint
O let me weep, for ever weep,
My Eyes no more shall welcome Sleep;
I'll hide me from the sight of Day,
And sigh, and sigh my Soul away.
He's gone, he's gone, his loss deplore;
And I shall never see him more.
A Chinese Man:
Thus the gloomy World
At first began to shine,
And from the Power Divine
A Glory round about it hurl'd;
Which made it bright,
And gave it Birth in light.
Then were all Minds as pure,
As those Ethereal Streams;
In Innocence secure,
Not Subject to Extreams.
There was no Room then for empty Fame,
No cause for Pride, Ambition wanted aim.
Chinese Woman:
Thus Happy and Free,
Thus treated are we
With nature's chiefest Delights.
We never cloy,
But renew our Joy,
And one Bliss another Invites.
Chorus:
Thus wildly we live,
Thus freely we give,
What Heaven as freely bestows.
We were not made
For Labour and Trade,
Which Fools on each other impose.
Chinese Man:
Yes, Daphne, in your Looks I find
The Charms by which my Heart's betray'd;
Then let not your Disdain unbind
The Prisoner that your Eyes have made.
She that in Love makes least Defence,
Wounds ever with the surest Dart;
Beauty may captivate the Sense,
But Kindness only gains the Heart.
1st Woman:
Hark how all things with one Sound rejoyce,
And the World seems to have one voice.
2nd Woman:
Hark now the Echoing Air a Triumph Sings,
And all around pleas'd Cupids clap their Wings.
Chorus:
Hark! Hark!
2nd Woman:
Sure the dull God of Marriage does not hear;
Both:
We'll rouse him with a Charm, Hymen appear!
Chorus:
Hymen appear!
Both:
Our Queen of Night commands thee not to stay,
Appear!
Hymen:
See, see, I obey.
My torch has long been out, I hate
On loose dissembled Vows to wait,
Where hardly Love out-lives the Wedding-Night,
False Flames, Love's Meteors, yield my Torch no Light.
Both Women:
Turn then thine Eyes upon those Glories there,
And catching Flames will on thy Torch appear.
Hymen:
My Torch, indeed, will from such Brightness shine:
Love ne'er had yet such Altars, so divine.
They shall be as happy as they're fair;
Love shall fill all the Places of Care:
And every time the Sun shall display
His Rising Light,
It shall be to them a new Wedding-Day;
And when he sets, a new Nuptial-Night.
De Feeënkoningin
xx
xx
Akte I
Oberon en Titania
Kom, kom, kom, laat ons uit de stad weggaan
en in verlaten contreien,
waar Massa’s en Herrie nooit hebben bestaan,
ongestoord gedijen.
Laat ons in aangename schaduwen rusten,
’s nachts op sappige weiden;
onze dagen passeren in onschuldige lusten,
zo zal de tijd verglijden.
Dronken dichter:
Vul de beker, dan, enz.
1st Elf, Koor:
Dans met z’n allen in een kring
rond deze sterveling en zing.
Dichter:
Dat gaat vervelen,
laten we blindemannetje spelen.
Draai me rond en smeer ‘m dan,
’s kijken wie ik pakken kan.
1st Fairy, Chorus:
Zo ja, val over hem heen
knijp hem van top tot teen;
knijp hem veertig keer, de smiecht,
knijp tot hij zijn wandaden opbiecht.
Dichter:
Ik heb het met jullie getreiter helemaal gehad,
wat moet ik biechten?
Beide elfjes:
Wat, wat, etc.
Dichter:
Ik ben zat, echt waar jongens, zat.
Beide elfjes:
Wat ben jij, zeg op!
Dichter:
Het is maar dat je het weet,
ik ben een schurftige poeet.
Koor:
Knijp hem, knijp hem voor zijn zotternij,
zijn wandaden, en zijn rijmelarij.
Dichter:
Hou op! Au! Au! Au!
Beide elfjes:
Biecht meer, meer.
Dichter:
Ik beken, ik ben een arme peer.
Knijp me alsjeblieft niet bont en blauw,
welverduveld, laat me nou;
Ik word graag in het zonnetje gezet,
dus schrijf ik ter jullie ere een sonnet.
Koor:
Jaag ze weg tot de zon opgaat,
laat ze slapen tot de dageraad.
Akte II
Komt allen, zangertjes van de lucht,
ontwaak en verzamel je in de bomen;
maar geenvogel van kwaad gerucht,
alleen die lief zijn mogen komen.
Trio:
Hopelijk verlenen de muzen gehoor,
aan de roep van de god der inspiratie
en maken het gezegende koor
tot een hemelse tractatie;
terwijl Echo door de dalen
elke noot zal herhalen,
herhalen, herhalen.
Koor:
Hef nu allen je tsjirpende stemmetjes aan.
Gezang en Koor:
Zing terwijl we trippelen over het terrein;
maar laat geen schadelijke dampen ontstaan,
niets mag onze Elvenkoningin tot gruwel zijn.
Nacht:
Kijk, zowaar Nacht zelve is hier bezig,
om je plan ten uitvoer te krijgen;
en heel haar vredige gevolg is aanwezig,
die mannen tot slapen doet neigen.
Laat zorg en weifel,
wanhoop en twijfel,
jaloezie en grief,
(des vijands lief)
voor altijd zijn verdreven.
Zoete vrede
sluite haar oogleden;
en murmelende stromen
brenge aangename dromen;
laat niets hier aanstoot te geven.
Mysterie:
Ik ben gekomen om alles bij te staan,
liefde zonder mij zal ten onder gaan.
Liefde moet, zoals adviezen van wijzen,
veilig zijn voor hen die het misprijzen.
Het is heilig, en we moeten het verhullen,
zij ontheiligen het, die het onthullen.
Geheimhouding:
Eén betoverende nacht
kent meer vreugde die je toelacht,
dan honderd gelukkige dagen.
Nacht en ik vergroten de gading,
verlengen plezier en zin
van duizendvoudig welbehagen.
Slaap (en koor):
Stil, niet meer, zwijg nu allen,
zoete rust heeft haar ogen gesloten.
Zacht als gevederde sneeuw, vers gevallen!
Ga er heel stilletjes vandoor en
laat geen kik haar slapende zinnen storen.
Akte III
Als liefde een zoete passie is, waarom doet het dan pijn?
Als het bitter is, o zeg me, hoe kan ik dan zo gelukkig zijn?
Nu ik lijd in genoegen, waarom zou ik dan klagen,
of bedroefd zijn om mijn lot, als ik het toch moet dragen?
Zoals de pijl treft, zo aangenaam is de smart,
die tegelijkertijd pijnigt en streelt in mijn hart.
Ik druk haar zacht de hand, kijk smachtend naar haar,
en door gepassioneerde stilte maak ik mijn liefde openbaar.
En o, met hoeveel geluk raak ik vervuld,
als zij zich opzettelijk verspreekt en zo haar liefde onthult.
Als zij poogt die te verbergen verraadt ze de hartstocht van haar,
en wat wij niet durven noemen, vertellen onze ogen elkaar.
Gij beminnelijke geesten van de lucht, daal neer!
Hef aan en doe mee met jullie zacht gekwinkeleer.
Stem in met trillers die zich keer op keer herhalen,
zoet als parelmoeren dauw en zacht als haar ademhalen.
Splits je op in nieuwe koren en laat elke maat beginnen
alsof je de God van de liefde in slaap zou zingen.
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