Henry Purcell - King Arthur ~ Frost Scene from Act 3 | Текст песни

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• King Arthur ~ Frost Scene from Act 3

Henry Purcell
King Arthur or The British Worthy
Text by John Dryden
Frost Scene from Act 3

Deller Consort
The Deller Choir
Alfred Deller, director

The King’s Musick
Roderick Skeaping, director

The musical sections of Purcell's semi-opera form interludes within the main action mostly at the ends of each of the acts of Dryden's text. [...] In Act 3, as an illustration of the power of love, Cupid descends on a wintry landscape and even the Cold Genius and his colleagues are warmed by his gift.
From Synopsis in http://www.boosey.com

THIRD ACT ~ Frost Scene
Cupid
What ho! thou genius of this isle, what ho!
Liest thou asleep beneath those hills of snow?
Stretch out thy lazy limbs. Awake, awake!
And winter from thy furry mantle shake.

Cold Genius
What power art thou, who from below
Hast made me rise unwillingly and slow
From beds of everlasting snow?
See'st thou not how stiff and wondrous old
Far unfit to bear the bitter cold,
I can scarcely move or draw my breath?
Let me, let me freeze again to death.

Cupid
Thou doting fool, forbear, forbear!
What dost thou mean by freezing here?
At Love's appearing,
All the sky clearing,
The stormy winds their fury spare.
Thou doting fool, forbear, forbear!
What dost thou mean by freezing here?
Winter subduing,
And Spring renewing,
My beams create a more glorious year.

Cold Genius
Great Love, I know thee now:
Eldest of the gods art thou.
Heav'n and earth by thee were made.
Human nature is thy creature.
Ev'rywhere thou art obey'd.

Cupid
No part of my dominion shall be waste:
To spread my sway and sing my praise,
E'en here, e'en here I will a people raise
Of kind embracing lovers and embrac'd.

Chorus of Cold People
See, see, we assemble
Thy revels to hold,
Tho' quiv'ring with cold,
We chatter and tremble.

Cupid
'Tis I, 'tis I that have warm'd ye.
In spite of cold weather
I've brought ye together.

Chorus
'Tis Love that has warm'd us?

Cupid & Genius
Sound a parley, ye fair, and surrender.
Set yourselves and your lovers at ease.
He's a grateful offender
Who pleasure dare seize:
But the whining pretender
Is sure to displease.
Sound a parley?
Since the fruit of desire is possessing,
'Tis unmanly to sigh and complain.
When we kneel for redressing,
We move your disdain.
Love was made for a blessing
And not for a pain.

Chorus
'Tis Love that has warm'd us?