“Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner libretto (English)

Contents: Characters; Act One; Act Two; Act Three

ACT ONE

SCENE ONE

(A plain on the banks of the Scheldt near Antwerp. The river curves into the background; the view of it is obstructed on the right by trees, and it is visible again further off as it winds its way into the distance)
(In the foreground king Heinrich is sitting under the Judgement Oak, next to him are Saxon and Thuringian counts, nobles and soldiers comprising the king's levy. Opposite them are Brabantian counts and nobles, soldiers and people. They are headed by Friedrich of Telramund, next to him is Ortrud. The middle ground comprises an open circle. The king's herald and four trumpeters proceed to the middle. The trumpeters play the king's fanfare)

HERALD

Hear ye, counts, nobles and freemen of Brabant!
Heinrich, King of the Germans, has come to this place
to confer with you according to the law of the realm.
Do you willingly obey his command?

BRABANTIANS

We willingly obey his command.

Welcome, welcome, O King, to Brabant!

KING HEINRICH
(standing up)

God greet you, worthy men of Brabant!
Not for nothing have I journeyed here to you!

I come to remind you of the Empire's plight!

Must I first tell of the scourge
that has so often visited German soil from the East?
In the furthest marches of the realm you bade women and children pray:
"Dear Lord, save us from the wrath of the Hungarians!"
But it was I, head of the Empire, who saw fit
to plan an end to such dreadful humiliation;
victory in battle brought me peace
for nine years - this I used to protect the Empire;
I ordered fortified towns and castles to be built
and used the levy as a resistence army.
But now this period is over, the taxes are being denied us
and with threats the enemy is arming itself.
Now it is time to defend the Empire's honour;
East and West, to all I say:
let every acre of German soil put forth troops of solidiers,
never again shall anyone abuse the German Empire!

SAXONS AND THURINGIANS

Let us away! With God for the honour of the German Empire!

THE KING
(sitting down again)

I come to you now, men of Brabant,
to summon you to Mainz, there to join the troops.
How grieved and saddened I am to see
that without a prince you live in discord!
I am told of confusion and wild feuding;
thus I call on you, Friedrich of Telramund!
I know you to be a man of the highest virtue,
speak now, that I may know the reason for this strife.

FRIEDRICH

I thank you, O King, for having come to pass judgement!
I speak the truth, being incapable of deception.
The Duke of Brabant lay upon his death bed
when he assigned his children to my care,
Elsa, the girl, and Gottfried, the boy;
faithfully I tended his great youth,
his life was the jewel of my honour.
Imagine, O King, my grim sorrow,
when I was robbed of this my honour's jewel!
One day Elsa took the boy to the wood for a walk,
but she returned without him;
feigning concern she asked after her brother,
for, having strayed a little from his side,
she could not, so she said, find him again.
All attempts to find the lost youth proved futile;
when I pressed Elsa with threats,
her pale trembling and apprehension
proved to us her terrible crime.

I was seized with a horror of the girl;
the right to her hand, granted me by her father,
I willingly renounced there and then
and took instead a wife eho pleased me:

(He introduces Ortrud,
who bows before the king)
Ortrud, scion of Radbod, Prince of Friesia.

(He moves forward a few steps with great cerimony)
Now I bring a charge against Elsa of
Brabant; I accuse her of fratricide.
And I rightfully claim this land for myself,
since I am next in line to the duke
and my wife is of the house that once
gave its princes to these lands.
You hear the charge, O King! Pass rightful judgement!

ALL THE MEN

Ha, Telramund charges her with a dreadful crime!
How this accusation fills me with horror!

THE KING

What a fearful charge you utter!
How could such crime be possible?

FRIEDRICH

My Lord, rapt in dreams is the vain girl
who so arrogantly spurned my hand.
Thus do I accuse her of a secret amour:

she clearly thought that, once rid of her brother,
she as duchess of Brabant
could rightfully refuse the vassal her hand
and openly tend her secret lover.

THE KING
(interrupting the over-zealous Friedrich
with a solemn gesture)

Call the accused!

Let the trial commence!
May God grant me wisdom!
(The herald proceeds solemny to the middle)

HERALD

Shall trial be held in this place by might and right?

(The King hangs his shield on the oak tree with great cerimony)
THE KING

May I remain unprotected by this shield
until I have passed harsh and compassionate judgement!

ALL THE MEN
(They draw their swords, the Saxons
and Thuringians plunging them into
the ground in front of them, the Brabantians
laying them flat on the ground)

May the sword not return to the scabbard
until it sees justice done through judgement!

HERALD

Where the King's shield hangs,

there shall you now see justice done through judgement!
Thus do I call loudly and clearly:
Elsa, appear at this place!

SCENE TWO

(Elsa appears in a simple white garment: she lingers in the background awhile before moving slowly and timidly towards centre foreground. She is followed by women, also dressed in simple white clothes, but they initially remain in the background at the extreme edge of the Judgement Circle)

MEN

Behold! The accused approaches!

Ah! How resplendent, how pure she looks!
He who dared make such an accusation against her
must be quite sure of her guilt!

THE KING

Are you Elsa of Brabant?

(Elsa nods her head in affirmation)

Do you recognise me as your judge?
(Elsa turns towards the king, looks him
in the eye and, by means of a trusting
gesture, confirms that she does)

Then I further ask you: are you aware of the serious charge
that has been brought against you here?

(Elsa looks at Friedrich and Ortrud,
shudders, bows her head sadly and nods)

What have you to say against the charge?

(Elsa gestures, implying the answer "nothing!")

THE KING

So you admit that you are guilty?

ELSA
(starting sadly
ahead for a while)

My poor brother!

ALL THE MEN

How strange! What peculiar behaviour!

THE KING

Speak Elsa! What have you to confide to me?

ELSA
(quietly transfigured
staring ahead of her)

Lonely, in troubled days
I prayed to the Lord,
my most heartfelt grief
I poured out in prayer.
And from my groans
there issued a plaintive sound
that grew into a mighteous roar
as it echoed through the skies:
I listened as it receded into the distance
until my ear could scarce hear it;
my eyes closed
and I fell into a deep sleep.

ALL THE MEN

How extraordinary! Is she dreaming? Is she enraptured?

THE KING
(as though trying to wake Elsa from the dream)

Elsa, defend yourself before the court!

(Elsa's expression goes from one of dream-like detachment to one of frenzied transfiguration)

ELSA
In splendid, shining armour
a knight approached,
a man of such pure virtue
as I had never seen before:
a golden horn at his side,
leaning on a sword -
thus he appeared to me
from nowhere, this warrior true;
with kindly gestures
he gave me comfort;
I will wait for the knight,
he shall be my champion!

ALL THE MEN

May the grace of Heaven preserve us,
that we may clearly see who is guilty here!

THE KING
Friedrich, you honourable man,

think carefully - whom are you accusing?

FRIEDRICH
Her dreamy state deceives me not;

you hear how she raves about a lover!
I have sound reason to make the accusation I do!
Her crime was reliably testified;
but to have to dispel your doubts with a witness
would truly offend my pride!
Here am I, here is my sword! Who of you
dares fight against my honour?

BRABANTIANS

None of us! We will only fight for you!

FRIEDRICH
And you, O King! Do you remember how I have served you,
how I defeated the wild Dane in battle?

THE KING

Heaven forbid that I should need you to remind me!
I freely admit that you are of the highest virtue;
in nobody's possession but yours
would I wish to know Brabant. -

God alone

must decide in this matter!

ALL THE MEN

Ordeal by battle! Ordeal by battle! Let it begin!

THE KING

I ask you, Friedrich, count of Telramund!
Do you agree to a fight to the death,
to defend your honour in an ordeal by battle?

FRIEDRICH

Yes!

THE KING

And now I ask you, Elsa of Brabant!
Do you agree to let a fight to the death take place here,
to let a champion represent you in an ordeal by battle?

ELSA
(without looking up)

Yes!

THE KING

Whom do you choose to be your champion?

FRIEDRICH

Learn now
the name of her lover!

BRABANTIANS
Pay heed!

ELSA
(She still looks enraptured;
everyone watches her
in expectation)

I will wait for the knight,
he shall be my champion!

(without looking round)

Hear what reward I offer
the one sent by God:
in my father's lands
he shall wear the crown.
I shall consider myself happy
if he takes my possessions -
if he wishes to call me spouse,
I shall give him all that I am!

ALL THE MEN
(to themselves)
A wondrous prize, where it God's to give!
He who fights for it would be wagering a great deal!

THE KING

It is already midday, the sun stands at its zenith:
it is time, let the call go forth!

(The herald comes forward with the four trumpeters; he orders them to the four points of the compass, they proceed to the edge of the Judgement Circle and sound the call)

HERALD

Let him who has come to fight in the trial by combat
for Elsa of Brabant come forward!
(There is a long silence)
(Elsa, who has hitherto been completely calm, now begins to look worried as she waits expectantly)

ALL THE MEN

The calls has died away unanswered!
Things do not bode well for her!

FRIEDRICH
(pointing to Elsa)

Behold, did I accuse her falsely?
I have right on my side!

ELSA
(moving towards the king)
I beseech you, beloved King,
one more call to my knight!

He is surely a long way off and could not hear!

THE KING
(to the herald)

Send out one more call to the trial!

(The herald gives a signal and the trumpeters once again turn to the four points of the compass)

HERALD
Let him who has come to fight in the trial by combat
for Elsa of Brabant come forward!
(Once again there is a long, tense silence)

ALL THE MEN
In dismal silence God passes judgement!

(Elsa sinks to her knees, praying fervently. The women, worried for their mistress, move slightly further into the foreground)

ELSA
You carried my lament to him,
he came to me at your command:
O Lord, tell my knight now
to help me in my need!

Let me see him now as I saw him then,

(with an expression of joyful transfiguration)

as I saw him then, let him be near me!

WOMEN
(sinking to their knees)

Lord! Send her help!
Lord God! Hear us!

(The men standing on the higher ground near the river are the first to witness the arrival of Lohengrin, who is seen in the distance in a barque pulled by a swan. The men in the foreground furthest away from the river bank turn round, initially without leaving their places; their curiosity grows as they look questioningly at those standing on the bank and soon they move from the foreground over to the river to look for themselves)

MEN
Behold! Behold! What strange and wonderous things is this? A swan?
A swan is pulling a barque towards us!
A knight is standing upright in it!
How his armour shines! The eye is dazzled
by such splendour! Behold, he is coming ever closer!
The swan is pulling on a golden chain!

(The last few men hurry over to the background; the foreground is occupied only by the king, Elsa, Friedrich, Ortrud and the women). (From his raised seat the king can see everything; Friedrich and Ortrud are overcome with shock and astonishment; Elsa, who has been listening to the men's cries with increasing rapture, remains in the middle of the stage; she dares not even look round)

MEN
(return to the foreground
in a state of great agitation)

A miracle! A miracle! A miracle has happened,
a miracle never before seen or heard!

WOMEN
We thank you, Lord our God, for protecting this weak woman!

SCENE THREE

(Elsa has turned round and cries out when she sees Lohengrin)

ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN

Greetings, God-sent man!

(The barque, drawn by the swan, reaches the bank in the middle of the background; Lohengrin, dressed in gleaming silver armour, a helmet on his head, a shield on his back and a small golden horn by his side is standing in the boat leaning on his sword. Friedrich looks at Lohengrin in speechless horror. Ortrud, who has hitherto maintained a cold and arrogant posture, is gripped with terror when she sees the swan. As soon as Lohengrin makes a move to leave the boat, an expectant silence descends on the assembled throng)

LOHENGRIN
(bending down
to the swan)

I thank you, my dear swan!
Go back across the waters
to whence your boat brought me,
return again only to bring us happiness!
Thus will you have carried out your duty faithfully!
Farewell, farewell, my dear swan!

(The swan slowly turns the barque around and swims back up the river. Lohengrin gazes at it wistfully for a while)

MEN AND WOMEN

What sweet and blissful trembling comes over us!
What blessed power holds us spellbound!
How fair and noble to behold is he
whom such a miracle brought ashore!

LOHENGRIN
(leaves the river bank
and proceeds to the foreground
slowly and solemnly
bowing before the king)

Hail, King Heinrich! May God's blessing
be with your sword!
May your great and glorious name
never vanish from this earth!

THE KING
I thank you! Do I rightly recognise the power
that brought you to this land,
do you come to us as one sent by God?

LOHENGRIN

To stand in combat for a maiden
accused of a great crime
is why I have been sent. Now let me see
whether I am right in coming to her.

(He moves slyghtly closer to Elsa)

Speak then, Elsa of Brabant:
If I am appointed as your champion
will you without fear or trepidation
entrust yourself to my protection?

ELSA
(All the time she has been looking
at Lohengrin, she has been unable to move,
as if spellbound; but as soon as he
addresses her she seems to wake up and
falls down at his feet, overcome with joy)

My knight, my saviour! Take me to you;
I give to you all that I am!

LOHENGRIN

If I win this fight for you,
do you wish me to become your husband?

ELSA

As surely as I lie at your feet,
so will I freely give you my body and soul.

LOHENGRIN

Elsa, if I am to become your husband,
if I am to protect country and people for you,
if nothing is ever to take me from you,
then you must promise me one thing:
never shall you ask me,
nor trouble yourself to know,
whence I journeyed,
what my name is, or what my origin!

ELSA
(almost unconscious)

Never, my Lord, shall the question come to me!

LOHENGRIN

Elsa! Do you understand what I am saying?

Never shall you ask me
nor trouble yourself to know,
whence I journeyed,
what my name is, or what my origin!

ELSA
(looking up at him with great emotion)

My protector! My angel! My redeemer,
who firmly belives in my innocence!
What crime or doubt could be greater
than that which would rob you of credence?
As truly as you protect me in my need,
so shall I faithfully honour your command!

LOHENGRIN
(deeply moved, he lifts her to his breast
in a transport of joy)

Elsa! I love you!
(Both remain awhile in the same position)

MEN AND WOMEN

What wondrous thing do I see?
Has a spell been cast over me?
I feel my heart fail
at the sight of this noble, blessed man!

(Lohengrin leads Elsa to the king and assignes her to his care before moving solemnly to the middle of the circle)

LOHENGRIN

Hear ye! To all of you, people and nobles alike, I now proclaim:
Elsa of Brabant is free of all guilt!
That your charge was false, Count of Telramund,
will now be shown to you through God's judgement!

BRABANTIAN NOBLES
(first a few, then an increasing number,
whisper to Friedrich)

Stand down from the fight! If you risk it,
you will never win!
He is protected by the highest power,
so of what use is your brave sword?
Stand down! We your loyal friends beseech you!
Defeat, bitter remorse awaits you!

FRIEDRICH
(who has hitherto kept his eye
unwaveringly on Lohengrin,
is gripped with passionate
indecision but finally
makes his mind up)

Sooner dead than a coward!
I know not what magic brought you here,
stranger who stands so bold before me,
but your arrogant threats will never stir me,
for I am not wont to lie.
Thus I will take up the fight with you
and hope for rightful victory!

LOHENGRIN
Command the fight, O King!

(Everyone resumes their previous positions)

THE KING

Come forward, three men for each combatant,
and measure off the battle ring!

(Three Saxons nobles come forward for Lohengrin, three Brabantians for Friedrich; they solemnly pace out the fighting area, marking off a full circle with their spears)

HERALD
(standing in the middle of the circle)

Hear me, listen carefully:
let no man disturb this fight!
Keep away from the battle ring,
for if anyone disrespects the law of peace,
if freeman, he shall pay with his hand,
if serf, he shall pay with his head!

ALL THE MEN

If freeman, he shall pay with his hand,
if serf, he shall pay with his head!

HERALD
(to Lohengrin and Friedrich)

Hear ye likewise, combatants to be judged!
Faithfully respect the law of battle!
Let not the deceit and cunning of magic
spoil the nature of the ordeal!
God will pass rightful judgement,
so trust in Him, not in your own strength!

LOHENGRIN AND FRIEDRICH
(standing opposite each other,
outside the circle)

God will pass rightful judgement on me,
so I shall trust in Him, not in my own strength!

THE KING
(proceeding to the middle
with great cerimony)

My Lord and God, I call upon you

(Everyone bares their head
in deepest reverence)
to be present at this fight!
Proclaim through the sword's victory a verdict
that clearly shows what is deceit and what is truth!
May he who is innocent fight with the arm of a hero,
and may he who is false be sapped of strength!
So help us God in this hour,
for our wisdom is but fooly!

ELSA AND LOHENGRIN

You will now make known your true judgement,
my Lord and God, thus fo I not hesitate!

FRIEDRICH

I faithfully come before you to receive judgement!
Dear Lord, abandon not my honour!

ORTRUD

I rely on his strength,
wherever he fights, it brings him victory!

ALL THE MEN

Give to the innocent's arm the hero's strength,
and take away the strength from the liar:
Make known your true judgement,
O Lord our God, do not hesitate!

WOMEN

Lord my God, give him your blessing!

(Everyone returns to their places, rapt in solemn attention. The six witnesses remain by their spears at the edge of the ring, the rest of the men standing slightly further back. Elsa and the women in the foreground under the oak tree beside the king. At a signal given by the herald, the trumpeters sound the call to battle. Lohengrin and Friedrich finish their preparations for the fight. The king draws his sword and strikes it three times on the shiel hanging on the oak. At the sound of the first stroke, Lohengrin and Friedrich take up their respective positions; at the second they draw their swords and adopt the guard position; at the third they begin the fight. After several violent bouts he floors his opponent with one mighty blow. Friedrich tries to stand up again, stumbles back a few steps and falls to the ground)

(As Friedrich does so, the Saxons and Thuringians pull their swords from the ground and the Brabantians likewise seize hold of theirs. The king takes his shield from the oak)

LOHENGRIN
(his sword at Friedrich's throat)

Through God's victory your life is now mine:

(letting him go)

I will spare it you, may you devote it to repentance!

(All the men thrust their swords back into the scabbards. The witness pull their swords from the ground. The nobles and other men joyfully break into what was the fighting area until it is filled with a mass of people)

THE KING
(likewise returning his sword
to its scabbard)

Victory! Victory!

MEN AND WOMEN
Victory! Victory! Victory!
All hail to you, hero!
(The king leads Elsa to Lohengrin)

ELSA
Would that I could find tunes of jubilation
equal to your glory,
worthily to laud you,
tunes rich in the highest praise!
In you I must melt away,
before you I fade into nothingness;
that I may be blissfully happy,
take all that I am!

(She falls upon Lohengrin's breast)

LOHENGRIN
(lifting Elsa from his breast)

I gained victory
through your innocence alone;
now you shall be richly rewarded
for all that you have suffered!

FRIEDRICH
(writhing in anguish on the ground)
Woe, I was beaten by God,
through him has victory eluded me!
I must despair of salvation,
my glory, my honour is no more!

ORTRUD
(furious at seeing Friedrich defeated,
and keeping her sinister eyes
fixed on Lohengrin)

Who is it that beat him
and over whom I am powerless?
Will this man reduce me to despair,
are all my hopes no more?

THE KING AND THE MEN

Ring out, tune of victory,
greet the hero with the highest praise!
Glory be to your journey!
Praise be to your coming!
Hail to your origin,
Protector of the meek!

You have defended
the right of the meek,
praise be to your coming,
all hail to your origin!

We sing the praises of you alone,
our songs ring out to you!
Never again will a knight of your stature
return to these lands!

WOMEN

Would that I could find tunes of jubilation
equal to his glory,
worthily to praise him,
tunes rich in the highest praise!
You have defended
the right of the meek,
praise be to your coming,
all hail to your origin!

(Young Saxon men lift Lohengrin up on his shiels and Brabantians lift up Elsa on the king's shield, having first spread it with several cloaks; both are carried off amidst cheers of jubilation. Friedrich falls unconscious at Ortrud's feet)

Contents: Characters; Act One; Act Two; Act Three