Choruses from Cavalleria Rusticana

Scena: La scena sul principio č vuota. Albeggia.

Coro d'introduzione

DONNE (di dentro)

Gli aranci olezzano
Sui verdi margini,
Cantan le allodole
Tra i mirti in fior;
Tempo č si mormori
Da ognuno il tenero
Canto che i palpiti
Raddoppia al cor.

(Le donne entrano in scena.)

UOMINI

(di dentro)

In mezzo al campo
Tra le spiche d'oro
Giunge il rumore
Delle vostre spole,
Noi stanchi
Riposando dal lavoro
A voi pensiamo,
O belle occhi-di-sole.
A voi corriamo
Come vola l'augello
Al suo richiamo.

(Gli uomini entrano in scena.)

DONNE

Cessin le rustiche opre:
la Vergine Serena allietasi del Salvator;
Tempo č si mormori
Da ognuno il tenero
Canto che i palpiti
Raddoppia al cor.

(Il coro attraversa la scena ed esce.)

 Scene: The stage is empty. Dawn breaks.

Opening chorus

WOMEN (off-stage – lit. “from within”)

The fragrant oranges
On the green hedges,
The skylark sings
Among the myrtles in bloom;
It is the season when everyone murmurs
the tender
Song that quickens the heart
(lit – redoubles the beating of the heart)

(The women enter on-stage.)

MEN

(from within/offstage)

In the midst of the field
Among the golden [orange] segments
Comes the clamour
Of your shuttle (weaving?),
We tire.
Resting from labor
Think of you,
O beautiful sunflowers [1]
We run to you
As the bird flies 
to the sound of its mate.[2]

(The men enter.)

WOMEN

The toil of the peasants is ended:
The Serene Virgin rejoices in the Savior;
It is the season when everyone
murmurs
the tender
Song that quickens the heart.

(The chorus crosses and exits.)
CORO (interno della chiesa)

Regina coeli laetare. Alleluja!
Quia quem meruisti portare. Alleluja!
Resurrexit sicut dixit. Alleluja!

SANTUZZA, LUCIA E CORO ESTERNO

(sulla piazza)

Inneggiamo,
il Signor non č morto;
ei fulgente
ha dischiuso l'avel;
Inneggiamo
al Signore risorto
oggi asceso
alla gloria del Ciel!

CORO (interno della chiesa)

Alleluja!

(Tutti entrano in chiesa tranne Santuzza e Lucia.)

 CHOIR (from inside the church)

Queen of Heaven, rejoice! Alleluia!
Who wast worthy to carry him, Alleluia!
Who was raised as he said, Alleluia!

Santuzza, Lucia, & Chorus - OUTSIDE

(in the square)

We sing praises,
The Lord is alive (lit – “not dead”)
His radiance
has flung open the grave,
We sing praise
To the risen Lord
Today he ascends
To the glory of Heaven!

CHOIR (from inside the church)

Alleluia!

(All enter church except Santuzza and Lucia.)

CAST

Santuzza: Paula

NOTES

[1] Sunflower is actually girasole. Occhi di Sole (literally, "eye of sun") is probably something like a black-eyed-Susan or a buttercup. Sunflower probably best conveys the sense of the line.

[2] Richiamo – literally, "bird call", but it is more likely the image is of a bird responding to the call of its mate – not flying to a decoy.

Cavalleria Rusticana opened in Rome in 1891 with libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci and music by Pietro Mascagni.  Although Mascagni wrote other operas, this was his only major success, and the only one still performed.

Complete libretto

Synopsis