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No. 23: Duet (Teresa and Alfredo)

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ALFREDO.
    In days gone by,
      But soon to come again,
        With ardour pure
          I used to pine,
        And strove to lure
          That heart of thine
      With all my might and main.
    I know not why,
      But now, for thee, I find,
        I do not care:
          To be exact,
        Thy beauty rare
          Does not attract —
      To all thy charms I'm blind!
  But take good heart - an hour will pass amain,
And all my love will then come back again!
  But take good heart - an hour will pass amain,
And all my love will then come back again!

 
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TERESA.
    In days gone by
      I played an idle part:
        With scornful smile
          And heartless jest,
        And worldly guile,
          Made manifest,
      I grieved thy faithful heart.
    How changed am I!
      The love I dared decline,
        Is now the breath
          Of life to me.
        And till kind death
          Shall set me free
      My love shall live for thine!
  Be brave, poor heart — an hour will pass amain,
And all his love will then come back again!
  Be brave, poor heart — an hour will pass amain,
And all his love will then come back again!

Enter ULTRICE.

ULTRICE. So, I have found you!
ALFREDO (leaving TERESA, and rushing to ULTRICE,
  as though under the influence of a spell).
    Passionately loved one!
  Thy dainty hand I kiss — I mean the gloved one!
Oh, thou adored with passion most romantic!
Worshipped with all the fire of frenzy frantic.
For one short hour my love consent to share it —
It won't last longer than an hour — I swear it!

ENSEMBLE.

TERESA. ULTRICE (aside). ALFREDO (aside).
  An hour will soon have   The days of scorn are   The scorn I felt is
    passed —     past —     past —
  With passion I'm   With passion he's   With passion I'm
    demented!     demented!     demented!
  It won't much longer last,   Triumphant I, at last!   But still, it will not last,
  With that I'll be contented.   My heart is now contented.   With that I'll be contented.
  Though he is at her feet,   A suppliant at my feet,   A suppliant at her feet,
  Thanks to the wizard's   Thanks to the wizard's   Thanks to the wizard's
    potion —     potion —     potion —
  An hour — and obsolete   With insolence I'll treat   An hour — and obsolete
  His newly-born devotion!   His newly-born devotion!   My newly-born devotion!
  An hour will soon have   The days of scorn are   The scorn I felt is
    passed —     past —     past —
  With passion I'm   With passion he's   With passion I'm
    demented!     demented!     With passion I'm
  It won't much longer last,   Triumphant I, at last!   But still, it will not last,
  With that I'll be contented.   My heart is now contented.   With that I'll be contented.
  Though he is at her feet,   A suppliant at my feet,   A suppliant at her feet,
  Thanks to the wizard's   Thanks to the wizard's   Thanks to the wizard's
    potion —     potion —     potion —
  An hour — and obsolete   With insolence I'll treat   An hour — and obsolete
  His newly-born devotion!   His newly-born devotion!   My newly-born devotion!
  An hour — and obsolete   With insolence I'll treat   An hour — and obsolete
  His newly-born devotion!   His newly-born devotion!   My newly-born devotion!

Exit ALFREDO into monastery. TERESA attempts to follow him; she is stopped by ULTRICE, who sends her off in the opposite direction. ULTRICE remains.

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Page modified 24 March 2009