“La sonnambula” by Vincenzo Bellini libretto (English)

Contents: Roles; Act One; Act Two

ACT TWO

Scene One

A wood

(A group of villagers come in.)

CHORUS
Here the wood is thick and dark,
let us rest here by the stream.
Distant still, steep and rocky,
is the road up to the castle.
We have time to reach it yet
before the Count is out of bed.

Let's reflect! When we're there,
what can we say to touch his heart?
Excellency!...we'll speak up bravely...
Count...the unfortunate Amina
was before the pride of the town,
the envy of every nearby village...
All at once she's found asleep
in the room you occupied,
if she's innocent, defend her.
Help her, if she has sinned.
At such words and arguments...
He'll be moved and convinced;
We'll beg, insist respectfully...
He'll trust us, promise. We've won.
We'll come back, consoled, to town;
In just two steps we'll be there.
To the test!...Bravely...let's go...
The poor girl will be protected.
(All go out. Amina and Teresa enter.)

AMINA
Help me, good mother;
you're my only support.

TERESA
Courage. The Count
will be moved by your tears.
Come.

AMINA
Ah! no...I cannot:
My heart, my steps fail me.
See. We are not far
from Elvino's farm. How often

we sat together in the shade
of these beeches, by the murmuring stream!
The breeze that blows
still echoes our vows...
He forgot them, cruel Elvino!
He has abandoned me.

TERESA
It cannot be, believe me,
he must love you still,
perhaps, he, too, is grief-stricken,
as you are...Look...
Here he comes, alone, thoughtful...

AMINA
Hide me...I daren't stay.
(Elvino enters.)
You see, mother...he's sad, upset...
Perhaps, perhaps he loves me still.

ELVINO
All is undone
there's no solace left to me,
my heart is dead forever
both to joy and to love.
(Amina draws closer. He sees her and speaks to her bitterly.)

AMINA
Hear me, Elvino.

ELVINO
You...you dare?

AMINA
Ah, calm yourself.

ELVINO
Faithless!

AMINA
Believe me...
I am without blame.

ELVINO
You've robbed me of all joy.

AMINA
I swear I'm innocent.
I am without blame.

ELVINO
Feed your glance, fill you soul
with the excess of my pain;
I'm the saddest of all men,
cruel Amina, because of you.

VOICES IN THE DISTANCE
Long live the Count!

ELVINO (about to leave)
The Count!

AMINA and TERESA
Ah! stay.

ELVINO
No; I'll fly.

AMINA
Have pity!

ELVINO
Leave me.
(The villagers enter.)

CHORUS
Happy news!
The Count says she is pure,
innocent. He's coming to us.

ELVINO
He! oh rage!

ALL
Stay your wrath!

ELVINO
No! I must leave.
My wrath has no bounds.
(He takes the ring from Amina.)

AMINA
My ring! Oh, mother!

TERESA and CHORUS (to Elvino)
See. The blow will kill her.
Cruel one!

ELVINO
Why cannot I despise you,
faithless, as I should?
Still you are not driven
wholly from my heart.

May another, may he love you
as this unfortunate one has!
Fear no other wish, traitress,
from the depths of my grief.

TERESA and CHORUS
He will restore her good name.
(Elvino, despairing, leaves. Teresa takes Amina off in
another direction.)

Scene Two

The village, as in Act One

(In the square are Lisa, Alessio, Elvino, and the people
of the village.)

LISA
Can it be true, Elvino,
that at last you have found me
worthy of your love?

ELVINO
Yes, Lisa. We'll renew
our former vows.
Forgive my heart,
seduced by false virtue,
for having broken them.

LISA
I forgive everything.
Now you've come back to me
I think of the past no more;
I see only the bright future
that awaits me at last.

ELVINO
Come. You shall be
my love, my companion.
The sacred rite is ready
in the church. Let's not delay.

ALL
Let's go.
(Enter Rodolfo)

RODOLFO
Stop, Elvino.

LISA
(The Count!)

ALESSIO
(Just in time.)

RODOLFO
Where are you hurrying?

ELVINO
To the church.

RODOLFO
Hear me first.
Amina still deserves your love
and respect. I shall be
guarantor of her virtue
and of her merits.

ELVINO
You! Sir!
I cannot deny, my lord,
what my eyes have seen.

RODOLFO
You are deceived, mistaken;
I stake my honour on it.

ELVINO
In the room occupied
didn't I see her asleep?

RODOLFO
You saw Amina. It was she...
But she hadn't come in awake.

ALL
How then? In what way?

RODOLFO
Listen, all of you.

CHORUS
Let's hear him.

RODOLFO
Certain people when they sleep
go about as if awake;
they can talk and answer
when they're spoken to.
They are called somnambulists
from the words for "sleep" and "walk".

ALL
Can it be? Is it this possible?

RODOLFO
A man like me doesn't lie.

ELVINO
No. It's not so. The reason
for the story's obvious.

RODOLFO
Wretch! Can you doubt
my truthfulness?

ELVINO (paying no attention to Rodolfo)
Come, Lisa.

LISA
Let us go.

CHORUS
Yes. let's go.
We can't believe such tales.
Someone walking while asleep!
It's not so. It cannot be.
(Teresa enters.)

TERESA
Softly, friends, do not shout;
poor Amina's asleep at last;
she sorely needs it, poor thing,
after all the tears she's shed.

ALL
Yes, be silent.

TERESA
Lisa! Elvino!...What is this?
Where are you going like that?

LISA
To be married.

TERESA
You! Good heavens!
And the bride...is Lisa?

ELVINO
Yes, Lisa.

LISA
I deserve him. I wasn't found
alone, at night, any time,
nor shut alone in a room
belonging to a gentleman.

TERESA
Lying wretch! At this accusal
I cannot retrain my rage!
This handkerchief was found
in the bedroom of the Count.

ALL
Whose is it? Who lost it?

TERESA (pointing to Lisa)
Let her blushes answer you.

ALL
Lisa!
(Elvino, embarrassed, lets go of Lisa's hand.)

TERESA
Lisa. Let the Count
deny me if he can.

ELVINO
Sir?...What must I believe?
She, too, betrayed me!

RODOLFO
I am reluctant to say what I think
of this. Only I repeat,
I insist that Amina's innocent.
Offending her, you offend
virtue itself.

ELVINO
Who can prove it to me?

RODOLFO
Who? Look. She herself.
(Amina is seeing coming out of a window of the mill;
asleep, she walks across the frail bridge over the
water-wheel which turns quickly below her,
threatening to crush her if she takes a false step. All
turn to watch her, terrified. Elvino is held back from
rushing to her by Rodolfo.)

ALL (with a shout)
Ah!

RODOLFO
Silence: a single step,
a shout can kill her.

TERESA
Oh, my daughter!

ELVINO
Oh, Amina!

CHORUS
She is coming down. Heaven,
guide her wandering steps.
(Amina arrives near the wheel, walking along a half-
rotted beam that bends beneath her weight.)
She trembles...hesitates...alas!

RODOLFO
Courage...she's safe!...

ALL
She's safe!
(Amina comes toward the others.)

AMINA
Oh! could I see him again
just a single time,
before he takes another
to the altar as his bride!...

RODOLFO (to Elvino)
You hear?

TERESA
She's thinking of you;
of you she's speaking.

AMINA
Vain hope!...I hear
The holy bells ringing...
He's going to the church...
I've lost him...and yet...
I'm blameless.

ALL
Tender heart!

AMINA (kneeling)
Dear God, don't look
at my tears: I forgive him.
May he be as happy
as I am unhappy...
This is the final prayer
of my dying heart...

ALL
Oh, words of love!

AMINA
(looking at her hand as if hunting for her ring)
The ring...my ring...
He took it from me...
But he cannot take his image...
it's printed here...in my heart.
(taking the flowers from her breast)
Nor you, oh flower, pledge
of eternal love...I've kept you.
Again I kiss you...but...
you are withered.
I hadn't thought I'd see you,

dear flower, perished so soon.
You died as did our love
that only lived for a day.

ELVINO
I can bear
my grief no more.

AMINA
If only my weeping could
restore your strength again...
But all my tears can never
bring back his love to me.

ELVINO
I can bear my grief no longer.

AMINA
If he should return to me!
Oh! come back, Elvino...

RODOLFO (to Elvino)
Do as her thoughts bid you.

AMINA
You're near me? Oh joy!
Have you brought my ring?

RODOLFO
Give it back to her.
(Elvino puts the ring on her finger.)

AMINA
I'm yours once more; you're mine...
Dear mother, embrace me...
my joy's complete!

RODOLFO
Let her be wakened
in the arms of those she loves.
(Teresa embraces her. Elvino kneels at her feet.)

CHORUS
Long live Amina!
Again long life!

AMINA (awakening)
Heaven! Where am I?
What do I see...have mercy...
don't waken me!
(She covers her face with her hands)

ELVINO
No, you're not dreaming.
Your love, your husband
is near you.

AMINA
Oh joy! joy!...
I've found you again, Elvino.

ALL
Come to the church.
Innocent Amina, so dear to us,
made lovelier by your grief,

come to the church and there,
at the altar, begin your joy.

AMINA
Human thought cannot conceive
of the happiness that fills me;
I can hardly trust my senses.
You've faith in me, beloved.
Embrace me, always now together,
forever joined in one hope,
on the earth where we live
we will make a heaven of love.

ALL
Innocent Amina, so dear to us,
made lovelier by your grief,
come to the church and there,
at the alter, begin your joy.

END

Contents: Roles; Act One; Act Two