I was regrettably running late for the Opera and I would now need to wait until intermission to claim my seat. In the meantime though I was escorted to the 5th floor of the Madrid Teatro Real where I could catch a sneak view. As I settled in and looked around I realized I wasn’t the only one who was late. To my surprise we were all women (I speculate age range between 30s to 70s), impeccably dressed for the occasion and alone at the opera.
Without the benefits of the centre stage Spanish subtitles, I listened to I Puritani in Italian intently and enjoyed it all the same even though I had no idea what they were saying.
Eventually I made it to my assigned seat and in the final act, Elvira asks Arturo “Do you love me?” In our modern world a simple yes or no answer would suffice but in the realm of the opera Arturo replies with passion and believable conviction:
Italian: Viene, vieni fra queste braccia, amor, delizia e vita, vieni: non mi sarai rapita finche ti stringo al cor. Ad ogni istante ansante ti chiamo e te sol bramo.Ah! vieni, vein, tel ripeto t’amo, ah, t’amo d’immenso amore!
Spanish: Ven, ven a mis brazos, amor, delicia y vida, ven: nadie te va a apartar de mi mientras te estreche contra mi Corazon. A cada instante anhelante te llamo, y te deseo solo a ti. Ah, ven, ven, te lo repito, te amo, ah, te amo con un inmenso amor!
English: Come, come to my arms, my love, my delight, my life, come: No one will take you from me as long as I embrace you against my heart. I call for you eagerly every instant and desire only you. Ah, come, come, I repeat that I love you; I love you with infinite love.
I can’t speak for the other ladies but this is one of the reasons I go to the Opera.
JAM English Flashcards: Fruit and Vegetables available online at jam.shop now!
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