SCENE III |
On the road to Salerno. Prince Henry, Elsie and their attendants.
Elsie | |
Onward and onward the highway runs to the distant city, impatiently bearing Tidings of human joy and disaster, of love and hate, of doing and daring! |
Prince Henry | |
This life of ours is a wild Æolian harp of many a joyous strain, But under them all there runs a loud perpetual wail, as of souls in pain. |
Elsie | |
All the hedges are are white with dust, while onward the horses toil and strain. |
Prince Henry | |
Now they stop at the wayside inn, and the waggoner laughs with the landlord's daughter. |
Elsie | |
All through life there are wayside inns, where man may refresh his soul with love; Even the lowest may quench his thirst at rivulets fed by springs from above. |
They turn down a green lane.
Elsie & Prince Henry | |
Sweet is the air with budding haws, |
Tenors ( Pilgrims in the distance) | |
Cujus clavis lingua Petri, Cujus cives semper læti. |
Prince Henry | |
Hark, what sweet sounds are those, whose accents holy Fill the warm noon with music sad and sweet? |
Basses | |
Cujus faber auctor lucis. |
Elsie | |
It is a band of pilgrims moving slowly On their long journey, with uncovered feet. |
Pilgrims (Chanting the Hymn of St. Hildebert.) | |
Me receptet Sion illa, Sion David, urbs tranquilla, Cujus faber auctor lucis, Cujus portæ lignum crucis, Cujus clavis lingua Petri, Cujus cives semper læti, Cujus muri lapis vivus, Cujus custos Rex festivus! |
Lucifer (as a Friar in the procession) | Tenors | ||
Here am I, too in the pious band, | |||
The soles of my feet are hard and | |||
tanned. |
In hâc urbe lux solennis, | ||
There is my German Prince | |||
again, |
Ver æternum, | ||
Thus far on his journey to | pax perennis; |
||
Salern, And the love-sick girl |
In hâc odor implens | ||
whose heated brain | cœlos, |
||
Is sowing the cloud to reap the rain, | In hâc semper | ||
Is sowing the cloud to reap the rain, | festum melos! |
Lucifer | |
But it's a long road that has no turn! Let them quietly hold their way, I have also a part in the play. But first I must act to my heart's content This mummery and this merriment, And drive this motley flock of sheep Into the fold where drink and sleep The jolly old friars of Benevent. Of a truth, it often provokes me to laugh, To see these beggars hobble along, Lamed and maimed and fed upon chaff, Chanting their wonderful piff and paff, Their wonderful piff and paff, And, to make up for not understanding the song, Singing it fiercely, and wild, and strong, Wild and strong! |
Lucifer | Tenors | ||
First I must act to my heart's content | Cujus faber auctor | ||
This mummery and this merriment, | lucis, |
||
And drive this motley flock of sheep | Cujus portæ | ||
Into the fold where drink and sleep | lignum crucis, |
||
The jolly old friars of Benevent. |
Cujus | ||
Of a truth, it often provokes me to laugh, | clavis lingua Petri, |
||
To see these beggars hobble along, | Cujus | ||
Lamed and maimed and fed upon chaff, | cives semper læti. |
||
Chanting their wonderful piff and paff, Their wonderful piff and paff, |
|||
Singing it fiercely, and wild, and strong, | Tenors & Basses | ||
Urbs cœlestis, urbs beata, | Urbs cœlestis, urbs beata, | ||
Supra petram collocata, | Supra petram collocata, | ||
Urbs in portu satis tuto, | |||
De longinquo saluto, | |||
Te saluto, tesuspiro, | |||
Elsie | Te affecto, terequiro. |
Hark! those sounds whose accents holy | |||
Fill the warm noon with music, | Te saluto, | ||
With music sad and sweet, | te requiro, te saluto! |
Prince Henry, Elsie and attendants journey on.
They reach a height overlooking the sea, and encamp. Evening.
Prince Henry | |
It is the sea, it is the sea, In all its vague immensity, Fading and darkening in the distance, Fading and darkening in the distance! Silent, majestical and slow The white ships haunt it to and fro, With all their ghostly sails unfurled, As phantoms from another world Haunt the dim confines of existence, It is the sea, it is the sea, In all its vague immensity, Silent, majestical and slow, Silent, majestical and slow, Magestical, and slow. |
Elsie | |
The night is calm and cloudless, And still as still can be, The stars come forth to listen, Come forth to listen To the music of the sea; In snow white robes uprising The ghostly choirs respond, And sadly and unceasing The mournful voice sings on, And the snow white choirs still answer, Still answer Christe eleison, Christe eleison, Christe eleison. |
Chorus | |
The night is calm and cloudless, And still as still can be, The stars come forth to listen, Come forth to listen To the music of the sea; In snow white robes uprising The ghostly choirs respond, And sadly and unceasing The mournful voice sings on, |
Elsie | Chorus | ||
The mournful voice sings on, | |||
The snow white choirs still answer, | |||
The snow white choirs still answer, | |||
Christe eleison, | |||
Christe eleison, | |||
Christe eleison, eleison, | Christe eleison, eleison, | ||
Christe eleison! | Christe eleison! |
Page modified 29 May 2010