Z. 626

Dido and Aeneas

Tekst: Nahum Tate

(ACT the First)

Belinda
Shake the Cloud from off your Brow,
Fate your wishes does Allow.
Empire Growing,
Pleasures Flowing,
Fortune Smiles and so should you,
Shake the Cloud from off your Brow.

Chorus
Banish Sorrow, Banish Care,
Grief should ne’re approach the Fair.

Dido
Ah! Belinda I am prest,
With Torment not to be confest.
Peace and I are Strangers grown,
I languish till my Grief is known,
Yet would not have it Guess’d.

Belinda
Grief Encreasing, by Concealing.

Dido
Mine admits of no Revealing.

Belinda
Then let me Speak. The Trojan guest
Into your tender Thoughts has prest.
The greatest blessing Fate can give,
Our Carthage to secure, and Troy revive.

Chorus
When Monarchs unite how happy their State,
They Triumph at once o’er their Foes and their Fate.

 

Dido
Whence could so much Virtue spring,
What Storms, What Battles did he sing?
Anchises Valour mixt with Venus’ Charms,
How soft in Peace, and yet how fierce in Arms.

Belinda
A Tale so strong and full of woe
Might melt the Rocks as well as you.

Second Woman
What stubborn Heart unmov’d could see,
Such Distress, such Piety?

Dido
Mine with Storms of Care opprest
Is taught to pity the Distrest,
Mean wretches Grief can Touch,
So soft, so sensible my Breast,
But Ah! I fear, I pity his too much.

Belinda, Second Woman & Chorus
Fear no danger to ensue,
The Hero Loves as well as you.
Ever Gentle, ever Smiling,
And the Cares of Life beguiling.
Cupids Strew your path with Flowers,
Gather’d from Elysian Bowers.

 

Belinda
See your Royal Guest appears,
How Godlike is the Form he bears.

Aeneas
When, Royal Fair, shall I be blest,
With cares of Love and State distrest?

Dido
Fate forbids what you pursue,

Aeneas
Aeneas has no Fate but you.
Let Dido smile, and I’ll defie,
The feeble stroke of Destiny.

Chorus
Cupid only throws the Dart,
That’s dreadful to a Warrior’s Heart.
And she that wounds can only cure the Smart.

Aeneas
If not for mine, for Empire’s sake,
Some Pity on your Lover take.
Ah! make not in a hopeless Fire,
A Hero fall, and Troy once more Expire.

Belinda
Pursue thy Conquest, Love: her Eyes
Confess the Flame, her Tongue Denyes.

Chorus
To the Hills and the Vales, to the Rocks and the Mountains
To the Musical Groves and the cool Shady Fountains,
Let the Triumphs of Love and of Beauty be shown.
Go Revel, ye Cupids, the day is your own.

(ACT the Second)

Sorceress
Wayward Sisters, you that Fright
The Lonely Traveller by Night.
Who like dismal Ravens crying,
Beat the Windows of the Dying,
Appear at my call, and share in the Fame,
Of a Mischief shall make all Carthage to flame.

First Witch
Say, Beldam, what’s thy will.

Chorus
Harm’s our Delight and Mischief all our Skill.

Sorceress
The Queen of Carthage whom we hate,
As we do all in prosperous State,
E’re Sun set shall most wretched prove,
Deprived of Fame, of Life and Love.

Chorus
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, &c.

First Witch & Second Witch
Ruin’d e’re the Set of Sun,
Tell us how shall this be done.

Sorceress
The Trojan Prince you know is bound
By Fate to seek Italian ground.
The Queen and He are now in Chase.

First Witch
Hark, hark, the cry comes on apace.

 

Sorceress
But when they’ve done, my trusty elf
In form of Mercury himself,
As sent from Jove shall chide his stay,
And charge him Sail tonight with all his Fleet away.

Chorus
Ho, ho, ho, ho!

First Witch & Second Witch
But e’re we this perform,
We’ll conjure for a Storm.
To mar their hunting Sport,
And drive ’em back to Court.

Chorus
In our deep vaulted Cell the Charm we’ll prepare,
Too dreadful a Practice for this open Air.

Belinda & Chorus
Thanks to these Lonesome Vales,
These desert Hills and Dales.
So fair the Game, so rich the Sport,
Diana’s self might to these Woods resort.

Second Woman
Oft she Visits this lone Mountain,
Oft she bathes her in this Fountain.
Here Acteon met his Fate,
Pursued by his own Hounds,
And after Mortal Wounds,
Discover’d, discover’d too late.

Aeneas
Behold upon my bending Spear
A Monster’s Head stands bleeding.
With Tushes far exceeding
These did Venus’ Huntsmen Tear.

Dido
The Skies are Clouded. Hark how Thunder
Rends the Mountain Oaks asunder.

Belinda & Chorus
Haste, haste to Town this open Field,
No shelter from the Storm can yield.

Spirit
Stay Prince and hear great Jove’s Command,
He summons thee this Night away.

Aeneas
Tonight?

Spirit
Tonight thou must forsake this Land,
The angry God will brook no longer stay,
Jove commands thee waste no more,
In Love’s delights those precious Hours,
Allow’d by th’Almighty Pow’rs.
To gain th’ Hesperian Shore,
And Ruin’d Troy restore.

  

Aeneas
Jove’s Commands shall be obey’d,
Tonight our Anchors shall be weigh’d.
But ah! what Language can I try,
My Injur’d Queen to pacify?
No sooner she resigns her Heart,
But from her arms I’m forc’d to part.
How can so hard a Fate be took,
One Night enjoy’d, the next forsook.
Yours be the blame, ye Gods, for I
Obey your will, but with more Ease could dye.

First Sailor & Chorus
Come away, fellow Sailors your Anchors be weighing,
Time and Tide will admit no delaying.
Take a Boozy short leave of your Nymphs on the Shore,
And silence their Mourning,
With Vows of returning,
But never intending to Visit them more.

(The Sailors Dance)

 

Sorceress
See the Flags and Streamers curling,
Anchors weighing, Sails unfurling.

First Witch
Phoebe’s pale deluding Beams
Gilding o’er deceitful Streams.

First Witch & Second Witch
Our Plot has took,
The Queen’s forsook,
Eliza’s ruin’d, ho, ho, ho!

Sorceress
Our next Motion,
Must be to storm her Lover on the Ocean.
From the Ruin of others our Pleasure we borrow,
Eliza bleeds tonight, and Carthage flames tomorrow.

Chorus
Destruction’s our delight, delight our greatest Sorrow,
Eliza dyes tonight, and Carthage flames tomorrow.

Dido
Your Councel all is urg’d in vain,
To Earth and Heaven I will complain.
To Earth and Heaven why do I call,
Earth and Heaven conspire my Fall.
To Fate I sue, of other means bereft,
The only refuge for the wretched left.

Belinda
See Madam, see where the Prince appears,
Such Sorrow in his looks he bears,
As would convince you still he’s true.

Aeneas
What shall lost Aeneas do?
How Royal Fair, shall I impart
The Gods’ decree and tell you we must part.

Dido
Thus on the fatal Banks of Nile,
Weeps the deceitful Crocodile.
Thus Hypocrites that Murder Act,
Make Heaven and Gods the Authors of the Fact.

 

Aeneas
By all that’s good,

Dido
By all that’s good: no more,
All that’s good you have Forswore.
To your promised Empire fly,
And let forsaken Dido dye.

 

Aeneas
In spight of Jove’s command I’ll stay,
Offend the Gods, and Love obey.

Dido
No faithless Man thy course pursue,
I’m now resolved as well as you.
No Repentance shall reclaim
The Injur’d Dido slighted Flame.
For ’tis enough what e’re you now decree,
That you had once a thought of leaving me.

Aeneas
Let Jove say what he please, I’ll stay.

Dido
Away, away. Away, away.

Aeneas
No, no, I’ll stay, and Love obey!

Dido
To Death I’ll fly, if longer you delay.

Dido
But Death, alas! I cannot shun,
Death must come when he is gone.

Chorus
Great Minds against themselves conspire,
And shun the Cure they most desire.

Dido
Thy hand Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy Bosom let me rest,
More I would but Death invades me.
Death is now a Welcome Guest,
When I am laid in Earth,
may my Wrongs create
No trouble in thy Breast.
Remember me, but ah! forget my Fate.

Chorus
With drooping Wings ye Cupids come,
And scatter Roses on her Tomb.
Soft and Gentle as her Heart,
Keep here your Watch and never part.

 

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Eerste akte

Belinda
Trek de frons uit je wenkbrauwen,
want je kunt het Lot vertrouwen.
Het rijk groeit,
welbehagen vloeit,
het geluk lacht en dat zou jij ook moeten doen,
trek de frons uit je wenkbrauwen.

 

Koor
Ban zorgen uit, verjaag verdriet,
Kommer nadere de schone niet!

 

Dido
Belinda, ik ben bedrukt,
maar mag niet toegeven aan mijn verdriet.
Gemoedsrust en ik zijn uit elkaar gegroeid,
ik verkwijn zolang mijn kwelling verborgen bloeit,
maar dat iemand de reden kent wil ik niet.

 

Belinda
Verdriet neemt toe door het te verhullen.

 

Dido
Ik mag het mijne niet onthullen.

 

Belinda
Laat mij dan spreken. De Trojaanse gast is je lief,
heeft tedere gedachten in je hart gedrukt.
Het is de grootste zegening die het Lot kan geven
om Carthago veilig te stellen en Troje te doen herleven.

 

Koor
Als monarchen zich verenigen zijn zij in de gelukkige omstandigheid
te triomferen over hun vijanden en hun Lot tegelijkertijd.

 

Dido
Van waar is zoveel deugd ontsprongen?
Welke stormen, welke veldslagen heeft hij niet bezongen?
Anchises' moed vermengd met Venus’ bekoorlijkheid,
hoe teder in vrede, en toch hoe fel in de strijd!

 

Belinda
Een verhaal zo machtig en vol van rouw
zou zelfs de rotsen doen smelten, net als jou.

 

Tweede vrouw
Welk onverbiddelijk hart zou onaangedaan
zoveel leed, zoveel vroomheid kunnen ondergaan?

 

Dido
Het mijne, door stormen van zorg verteerd,
heeft medelijden met de nooddruftigen geleerd.
Ik raak door leed van ongelukkigen ontroerd,
maar ik vrees dat mijn medelevende hart
te zeer door het zijne wordt beroerd.

 

Belinda, tweede vrouw en koor
Vrees niet dat het tot gevaar leidt
de held is net als jij tot liefde bereid.
Altijd glimlachend, altijd mild
worden de zorgen van het leven gestild;
Cupido zal jullie met bloemen vergelden,
geplukt in Elyseese velden.

 

Belinda
Zie, daar komt je koninklijke gast,
met een tred die bij een godheid past!

 

Aeneas
Wanneer, mooie koningin, zal ik worden gezegend
en met de zorgen van liefde en plicht bejegend?

 

Dido
Het lot verbiedt wat je nastreeft.

 

Aeneas
Ik weersta wat het lot voor mij in petto heeft
met een enkele glimlach van Dido voor mij,
want Aeneas heeft geen lot ander lot dan jij.

 

Koor
Alleen Cupido werpt de pijl
die gevaarlijk voor een krijgershart kan zijn.
Alleen zij die hem verwondt kan hem genezen van de pijn.

 

Aeneas
Zo niet voor mij, dan omwille van je bewind,
heb medelijden met hem, die je bemint.
Ach, laat een held geen hopeloos vuur doorstaan,
en Troje voor een tweede keer ten onder gaan.