Z 626 Dido and Aeneas Act the third. [Italian translation]

ACT THE THIRD

Scene: The Ships

[enter the Sailors, the Sorceress, and her Enchantresses]

PRELUDE

FIRST SAILOR: Come away, fellow sailors,

Your anchors be weighing.

Time and tide will admit no delaying.

Take a bouzy short leave

Of your nymphs on the shore,

And silence their mourning

With vows of returning

But never intending to visit them more.

CHORUS: Come away, fellow sailors,

your anchors be weighing.

Time and tide will admit no delaying.

Take a bouzy 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

Guilding more deceitful streams.

SECOND WITCH

Our plot has took,

The Queen's forsook

TWO WITCHES

Elissa's ruin'd, ho, ho!

Our plot has took,

The Queen's forsook, ho, ho!

SORCERESS: Our next Motion

Must be to storme her Lover on the Ocean!

From the ruin of others our pleasures we borrow,

Elissa bleeds tonight, and Carthage flames tomorrow.

CHORUS: Destruction's our delight

Delight our greatest sorrow!

Elissa dies tonight and Carthage flames tomorrow.

A DANCE

DIDO: Your counsel all is urged in vain

To Earth and Heav'n I will complain!

To Earth and Heav'n why do I call?

Earth and Heav'n 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.

[enter Aeneas]

AENEAS: What shall lost Aeneas do?

How, Royal Fair, shall I impart

The God's 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 ...

DIDONE:By all that's good, no more!

All that's good you have forswore.

To your promis'd empire fly

And let forsaken Dido die.

AENEAS: In spite of Jove's command, I'll stay.

Offend the Gods, and Love obey.

DIDONE: No, faithless man, thy course pursue;

I'm now resolv'd as well as you.

No repentance shall reclaim

The injur'd Dido's slighted flame.

For 'tis enough, whate'er you now decree,

That you had once a thought of leaving me.

AENEAS: Let Jove say what he will: I'll stay!

DIDONE: Away, away! No, no, away!

AENEAS: No, no, I'll stay, and Love obey!

DIDONE: To Death I'll fly

If longer you delay;

Away, away!.....

[Exit Aeneas]

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, remember me,

But ah! Forget my fate.

CHORUS: With drooping wings you Cupids come,

To scatter roses on her tomb.

Soft and Gentle as her Heart

Keep here your watch, and never part.

CUPIDS DANCE

• Artist:Henry Purcell
• Album:Live:-San Gimignano, Teatro dei Leggieri, 22.05.2015.