porque en la ópera del siglo XX el libreto es EXTREMADAMENTE importante:
(SIEMPRE lo es, pero pocas veces en la historia de la ópera se es tan cuidadoso al respecto)
VANESSA:
[ERIKA exits. In great agitation VANESSA paces up and down the room; she stops in front of the covered portrait over the mantel; then she turns off most of the lights. Outside are heard the bustle and turmoil of arrival, servants rushing to and fro. She sits down by the fire with her back to the door. Suddenly, the door is thrown open. In the semi-darkness, the figure of ANATOL is seen standing silhouetted in the lighted doorway.]
VANESSA
[with restrained emotion, and without looking or moving toward him]
Do not utter a word, Anatol,
do not move;
you may not wish to stay.
For over twenty years
in stillness, in silence,
I have waited for you.
I have always been sure,
I have always known you would come back to me, Anatol;
I have scarcely breathed
so that Life should not leave its trace
and nothing might change in me
that you loved;
alone, apart, unseen,
I have waited for you.
Oh, how dark, how desperate
to let the days go by
unmarked, unheeded!
How endless, how lonely, how wrong
to rob a beating heart
of Time and Space!
How bitter
to freeze one’s beauty in waiting—
beauty, the hardest gift to keep.
All this I have done for you!
Now listen, listen, listen well:
[very tenderly]
Unless you still love me
I do not want you to see me, Anatol.
Without love
do not date look in my eyes
because all change beings
when Love has died.
Tell me, Anatol, do you love me?
Do you still love me as once you did?
For if you do not, I shall ask you
to leave my house this very night!
MAHAGONNY
Nr. 3a: Vivace
Nr. 3: Wer in Mahagonny blieb
Wer in Mahagonny blieb,
Brauchtejeden Tag fiinf Dollar
Und wenn er's besonders trieb,
Brauchte er vielleicht noch extra.
Aber damals saf3en alle
In Mahagonnys Poker-Drinksalon.
Sie verloren in jedem Falle,
Doch sie hatten was davon.
Auf der See
Und am Land
Werden allen Leuten ihre Haute
abgezogen,
Darum sitzen alle Leute
Und verkaufen ihre Haute,
Denn die Haute werden jederzeit mit Dollars
aufgewogen.
Wer in Mahagonny blieb, usw.
Auf der See
Und am Land
Ist drum der Verbrauch an frischen Hauten
ungeheuer,
Immer beif3t es euch im Fleische
Doch wer zahlt euch eure Rausche?
Denn die Haute, die sind billig
Und der Whisky, der ist teuer.
Wer in Mahagonny blieb, usw.
Auf der See
Und am Land
Siehet man die vielen Gottesmuhlen langsam
mahlen
Und dann sitzen viele Leute
Und verkaufen viele Haute
Denn sie woll'n so gern bar leben
und so ungern bar bezahlen.
Wer in seinem Kober bleibt
Braucht nicht jeden Tag fiinf Dollar
Und falls er nicht unbeweibt,
Braucht er vielleicht auch nicht extra.
Aber heute sitzen alle
In des lieben Gottes billigem Salon,
Sie gewinnen in jedem Falle,
Doch sie haben nichts davon.
traducción al inglés:
If you had five bucks a day
You could stay in Mahagonny
But a guy who liked to play
Needed lots of extra money.
Guys would sit and look for action
In Mahagonny's bar and gambling room
Never got them no satisfaction
But they all felt satisfied.
On the sea
And on land
People sell their skin because their needs are so
intensive
There's a big demand for skin
But these poor bastards never win
Because they sell their hide so cheap
and then buy.
If you had five bucks a day, etc.
On the sea
And on land
The consumption of fresh hides is immense.
Your flesh keeps itching
But who pays for your excesses?
For hides are cheap
And whisky is expensive
If you had five bucks a day, etc.
On the sea
And on land
You can see the many mills of God
are grinding slowly
Lots of people have no pride
To pay their way they sell their hide
Because they'd rather show off their bones
Than pay cash and hide those barebones.
You don't need five bucks a day
Living in your little boxes
If you'd rather work than play
Then you don't need all the extras.
There are those who get their action
in God's surburban furnished living room
And they all call it satisfaction
But they don't feel satisfied.
simon