Mireille Opera by Charles Gounod

Cast:  MIREILLE (soprano)  VINCENT (tenor)  OURRIAS (baritone)  MAITRE RAMON (bass)  TAVEN (mezzo-soprano)  ANDRELOUN (mezzo-soprano)  MAITRE AMBROISE (bass)  CLÉMENCE (soprano)  CHORUS  mulberry gatherers, townspeople, spirits of the Rhone, farmhands, pilgrims to the Chapel of the Saintes-Marie Overture  ACT ONE  The Mulberry Grove  SCENE ONE  CHORUS  Sing, sing, cocoon-pickers,  For singing suits our occupation!  Like the green grasshoppers  Under the sun, in the fields.  Sing, sing, cocoon-pickers  For singing suits our occupation!  Laughing and  Industrious girls,  The gleam of summer  Makes us joyous!  We are like  The golden bees  Whose nimble swarm  Likes to flit  Over the rosy flowers!  Sing, sing, cocoon-pickers, etc.  SCENE TWO  TAVEN  Listen to their songs and laughter,  Merry-hearted little girls!  They do not know that a lure draws them  Towards the hunter's trap, like the birds of heaven;  And that the day comes when one sighs  With tears in one's eyes!  Listen to their songs and laughter,  Merry-hearted little girls!  CLÉMENCE AND GIRLS  Here is Taven the witch  Complete with her goad  And her old bodice  Duller than dust!  Here is Taven the witch  Complete with her goad!  She has cast her stone  Into our humble furrow!  Here is Taven the witch  Complete with her goad!  AZALAIS  Let the hunter come… his trap makes me laugh.  NORADE  Green Spring fears neither cold, nor snow!  AZALAIS  The bird, sovereign of the air, ewapes from other birds!  NORADE  Our songs will chase away troubles and tears!  CLÉMENCE  As for me, should some loving prince  Young, courteous, comely and of noble gait,  Chance to offer me his hand,  I should have him lead me to his palace tomorrow!  Empress and sovereign lady,  With lengthy robes dragging on the ground,  Lined with hermin and embroidered with gold,  Among you, - it makes me laugh already.  I should come back to look once more  Upon our beautiful land of Provence.  SCENE THREE  MIREILLE  And I, should some youth,  Even though poor and shy and self-conscious,  Chance to tell me softly: "Mireille, I love you!"  I should listen to my heart rather than my reason,  And mindless alike of derision and censure  Having read in his soul as in a limpid brook  I should give him my hand… and I should be his wife.  CHORUS  Who is it who speaks thus?  Is it you, Mireille?  VIOLANE  Quick, lend me your ears!  Listen to this  The fair one longed  For a pretty basket…  AZALAIS  And the deft weaver  Vincent made one for her…  NORADE  And just see how everyone  Comes to an agreement:  He received in exchange  A farewell kiss!  TAVEN  Silence! You are lying! Mireille is the most virtuous girl!  MIREILLE  Vincent got no more than thanks for his present;  But quite willingly… if I must speak plainly,  I should have liked to give him more!  GIRLS  Which of us would choose a weaver for a lover!  Sing, sing, cocoon-pickers, etc.  SCENE FOUR  TAVEN  Is it true then?… Whisper your secret in my ear,  Is it true that Vincent is beloved by Mireille?  Speak, have no fear, go on, speak!  You love him?  MIREILLE  Yes!  TAVEN  Wealth and poverty are ill-suited!  I can see into the future, Mireille!… And I tremble!  Listen… Should your desolate heart ever  Fear some misfortune for yourself or for him,  Remember Taven! You can trust me, sweet child,  And come over there to consult me.  SCENE FIVE  MIREILLE  Farewell, good Taven! Farewell! The sky is dazzling!  The bird is singing! Today, nothing can make me sad!  Is that you, Vincent?  VINCENT  Mireille!  MIREILLE  Where are you going so fast?  VINCENT  The fair weather invites us to roam across the fields.  MIREILLE  Can you not stay with me and chat awhile?  I am weary and want to rest here.  VINCENT  Ah! were I to follow my wishes,  Mireille, I should spend my whole life next to you!  Over there, in our humble home,  I am always alone,  With my sister and my old father.  The old weaver is not over-talkative,  My sister sings as she works and I dream as I listen.  MIREILLE  Your sister, Vincent! you never spoke of her before.  What is her name? Is she young and beautiful?  VINCENT  Vincenette is your age and you look like her.  But just as the lowly field-flower  Is sister to the red row,  So is Vincenette sister to Mireille!  Should you appear next to her  In front of all the village lads,  You would be the fairer one!  MIREILLE  Oh! that Vincent,  How sweetly he puts things!  His speech is so caressing  That one cannot help smiling at it!  Oh! that Vincent!  VINCENT  Like Vincent,  Anyone could tell you the same thing!  With a tender and caressing look  Everyone follows and admires you,  Like Vincent!  MIREILLE  And so your sister is a handsome girl,  And yet you find me prettier than her!  VINCENT  Yes, I do, much prettier!  MIREILLE  Why,  Vincent? What more have I got, in your eye?  VINCENT  What more?  What more has God's bird, rending the air in flight,  Got than the cricket  Hidden in the furrow,  If not beauty itself, and his song, and his grace!  With a mocking ditty, Vincenette sometimes  Laughingly comforts me when I am sad;  But from you, every single word  Delights my ear and rejoices my heart!  MIREILLE  Oh! that Vincent! etc.  VINCENT  Like Vincent, etc.  MIREILLE  But time flies by…  And as I listen to you, I forget  That the others are waiting for me over there.  Farewell Vincent! Farewell, sweet weaver;  Come and help me place my basket on my head.  CHORUS  Mireille!  MIREILLE  They are looking for me! They are calling me!  Quickly, let us part!…  VINCENT  Farewell, Mireille! Farewell!  MIREILLE  Listen and remember! Under God's eye,  On the blessed threshold of the old chapel,  Let me give you, o Vincent, a holy appointment!  Should ever some misfortune come to strike either of us,  We must meet at the Saintes!… At the Saintes on our knees!  VINCENT  Yes, farewell, farewell!  MIREILLE  Farewell!  CHORUS  Sing, sing, cocoon-pickers, etc. ACT TWO  The Amphitheatre of Arles  SCENE ONE  DANCERS  The Farandole,  Merry and crazy,  To the sound of singing  Carries away the girls and the lads!  DRINKERS  What shouts! What joy!  From Nîmes to Tarascon,  And from Arles to Gasconny,  Everyone is making merry and feasting!  The good muscat from Baume and the Férigoulet  Are poured down parched throats!  And songs and laughter, friends to drinking,  Heal many a love-lorn heart!…  Long live the wine from Baume and the Férigoulet!  SCENE TWO  LADS  Friends, here comes Mireille,  The peerless beauty!  GIRLS  And the loving Vincent, who was waiting for her,  Hurries from his corner to meet her!  VIOLANE  She has come for his sake!  AZALAIS  And Vincent has come for hers!  SCENE THREE  GIRLS  Good-day, Vincent!  LADS  Good-day, fair girl!  CHORUS  Why don’t the two of you sing us some love-song?  VINCENT  Well, let Mireille begin.  MIREILLE  Since Vincent wants it, pray be silent, friends,  We shall sing one after the other!  Magali’s Song  The breeze is soft and fragrant.  The bird is failing asleep under the leaves,  Deep inside the silent wood!  Night spreads its veil over us  And high up in heaven  I can see a love-lorn star  Shining in my eyes!  VINCENT  O Magali, my beloved,  Let us escape under the leaves,  Deep inside the silent wood!  Night spreads its veil over us  And your lovely eyes  Will make the stars dwindle  High up in heaven!  MIREILLE  No, no, I turn myself into a swallow  And disappear in rapid flight!  You can go to the wood by yourself!  VINCENT  Farewell, then! Fly as fast as you can,  Poor little bird!  The bird-catcher will easily catch you  In his snare!  MIREILLE  In vain do you think me caught,  I am a cloud!  VINCENT  And I am the breeze  And carry you away on a sunbeam!  MIREILLE  I am the cornflower slumbering  In a furrow.  VINCENT  In order to kiss you, I become a bee  Or a butterfly.  MIREILLE  At last, the convent opens its doors to me.  VINCENT  I am the prayer-book you carry;  I shall be there to comfort you.  MIREILLE  If you follow me in the nunnery,  I shall die there!  VINCENT  Then I shall become the earth  And I shall receive you!  MIREILLE  Now I do believe you love me!  Let us escape under the leaves,  Deep inside the silent wood!  Night spreads its veil over us  And high up in heaven  I can see a love-lorn star  Shining in my eyes!  VINCENT AND MIREILLE  Night spreads its veil over us, etc.  GIRLS AND LADS  Like daylight in the sky,  Like a star  In the clear air,  Love shines in their eyes!  A MAN FROM ARLES  Give way to the runners! In the stifling arena  They shall rush off at the given signal!  Landry will vie for the prize with Lagalante!  Let them shake hands and we can begin!  VOICES  Here is the signal! Let us go! Quickly, we must hurry!  SCENE FOUR  TAVEN  Well, Mireille, are you not going with them?  Come here! I have something to tell you in confidence.  MIREILLE  Speak, good Taven!  TAVEN  Yes, yes, you think me good  Because I promised to favour your love!  MIREILLE  It may be so! But speak all the same!  TAVEN  Here comes the season, my sweet,  When the beaux make their choice!  Love flits around like a butterfly  All over the fields and the woods!  The youths are looking  For their future wives…  The girls look coquettish,  The fathers look on with mock severity;  And more than one ring is given away  And slipped on some pretty finger!  Here comes the season, my sweet,  When the beaux make their choice!  MIREILLE  Yes, this is the time for betrothals!  But why should you mention it?  TAVEN  Just now, as I was roaming around  Along the old walls  I saw three beaux, who made rne laugh,  Tell each other of their rival loves;  Ourrias the bull-tamer; Alari, the shepherd;  And Pascoul, the mare-tender…  MIREILLE  Well?  TAVEN  If their words are to be believed,  You are the one they have chosen for their true love!  MIREILLE  Me!  TAVEN  Yes! Here comes the season, my sweet,  When the beaux make their choice, etc.  MIREILLE  Could I marry and love another than Vincent?  No! neither my father, nor God could make me!  TAVEN  Yet fear a father’s anger!  Beware! I thought it better to warn you!  SCENE FIVE  MIREILLE  To betray Vincent would be madness indeed!  When happiness goes by, it flies off if you do not catch  it!  My heart cannot change!  Remember I love you!  Vincent, O my Vincent, why should we be sad?  Your dreary lonesomeness, your poverty even,  I want to share everything with you for ever!  My heart cannot change!  I am ready to follow you to your your home!  I am ready to sit by your empty hearth.  This humble fate delights me and this dream inebriates me!  Whoever seeks to tempt my soul is moved by a mad  hope!  My heart cannot change!  Vincent, O my Vincent, remember I love you!  Your dreary lonesomeness, your poverty even,  I want to share everything with you for ever!  My heart cannot change!  No, never, never! Ah!  My soul is yours,  I am your wife.  Although they chide me  I belong to you.  Proud and delighted  In this life  My heart does not covet  Sweeter possessions.  May God hear me,  I am happy indeed  If I can but follow you  Over the heath  And if my dream  On the humble beach  Should one day end  Between your arms.  My soul is yours, etc.  I belong to you, O my Vincent!  I belong to you for ever!  SCENE SIX  MIREILLE  Ourrias!  OURRIAS  Why should you hurry away when I draw near?  Do I frighten you, pretty one? Or else have I,  Without knowing it, incurred your wrath?  MIREILLE  Not in the least! I am glad to see you.  OURRIAS  Why have I not the power to charm you?  If the girls of Arles are queens  When pleasure calls them to the amphitheatre,  If the girls of Arles are queens,  I do believe that the cowherds also  Are kings of the fiery heath!  Yes, over there, they are kings!  And should they decide to wed,  The proudest girl at the bottom of her heart  Submits to their choice!  But proud in his turn of his sweet bondage,  Deserting for your sake his wild waste,  In front of everyone, O fair girl, the victorious Ourrias  Throws himself at your feet to win your heart!!  Ourrias, the cowherd from Camargue,  Is not a man to be despised and laughed at!  Ourrias, the cowherd from Camargue,  With his iron trident in his hand,  Can defy the human race!  The tamer whom nothing can tame  Does not wait till the morrow  To confront whoever insults him!  But proud in his turn etc.  MIREILLE  Farewell! pray let me go… or keep silent.  OURRIAS  Why? From among all those who seek your love  Your father has chosen me, thinking it it a wise choice,  And I want…  MIREILLE  Your suit and your tender avowal  Seem to me, my fine sir, to be inspired by love itself.  But believe me, if you want to be loved,  Never ever say: I want.  SCENE SEVEN  OURRIAS  I can see that she will have none of me!  SCENE EIGHT  RAMON  Well?  OURRIAS  My suit has been turned down.  RAMON  I thought so, when I saw your brooding face!  SCENE NINE  AMBROISE  I have come to ask you, neighbour, for a piece of  advice…  Come here!  You have known my son for a long time:  I thought he had a kind heart and an honest soul;  But do you know what he has got into his head?  He has, I do not know where,  Chanced to meet I do not know which girl  Of good repute, from a wealthy family,  With whom he has fallen madly in love.  The poor child, neighbour,  The poor child weeps and despairs!  Pray, help me with some good advice!  RAMON  Pooh, neither the girl, nor he will die, I warrant you!  But spare yourself the insult of a certain denial;  And if he will not give in, then you must act!  This should be enough to cure him of his Iove!  AMBROISE  When your dog asks for a drink, you beat him!  SCENE TEN  RAMON  A father speaks as a father should, a man acts as a  man should!  In the old days, the head of the family  Was the master and everything gave way at his voice!  And when at Christmas, around the holy table  The patriarch sat with his generation,  The good old man quenched all rebellions  And put an end to all complaints,  As the extended his blessing to his sons!  But should any of them dare defy his supreme law,  God of justice!… he might have killed him!  MIREILLE  Kill me!  I am the girl he loves!  And by Our Lady and by God himself,  I swear that no one else will have my faith!  RAMON  Saints in heaven!… I am struck by a thunderbolt!  VINCENT  Before long, your hands  Will lay me down in my grave.  VINCENETTE  Keep hoping yet… Your tears will move him!  AMBROISE  Come! let us go back home after such an insult!  OURRIAS  She has affronted me for this fine lover’s sake!  RAMON  Listen! There is still time to go back on your words!  Deny this crazy avowal!  MIREILLE  No, I am not crazy,  And the avowal you heard came straight from my heart!  RAMON  Well then, away with you, defy shame and contemptuous mockeries!  I no longer know you! Farewell! My daughter is dead.  Follow your lover, the husband you have chosen!  Go and beg for your bread from doorstep to doorstep,  Go and live in the woods, far away from us all!  Why, no! You shall remain! I want you to! Such is my  will!  Though I must bind you hand and foot  To prevent you from roaming all over the countryside!  Though I must…  MIREILLE  Strike me… and may God forgive you!  Alas, here I am at your feet!  I am defenceless and weaponless!  If my poor mother were here  She woold have mercy on my tears!  Her soul was full of pity and kindness,  My tears dried under her hand,  And from heaven she forgives  The child who beseeches you in vain!  Ah! it is all over… I am hopeless  Unless God should come to my help!  Do you want to see me die  Like her? Answer me, Father!  Alas, here I am at your feet! etc.  RAMON  Stand up! What are you hoping for?  I am impervious to your tears!  VINCENT  Alas, here she is at his feet!  He is impervious to her tears!  AMBROISE  Come, come! Let us go!… Forget her!  He is impervious to her tears!  VINCENETTE  Let us go, Vincent, and pity her!  He is impervious to her tears!  OURRIAS  She weeps and beseeches…  And the father gives in to her tears!  RAMON  You are the culprit, base weaver!  You cannot deny that you treacherously  Organised the whole infamous business!  AMBROISE  By God! Poverty does not debase our soul!  And, thank goodness, my life is above reproach!  RAMON  What! Have I toiled ceaselessly for so long  In order to ensure the peace of my old age  And to leave my inheritance to my family…  And shall you soon come and steal my daughter away!  Thunder and blood! Is that what you are after?  MIREILLE  Vincent!  VINCENT  Father!  RAMON  Go to the devil, both of you!  SCENE ELEVEN  RAMON  Yes, may hell itself seize you!  Go on, by God! Keep away from her!  And woe betide you  If I chance to meet you tomorrow!  AMBROISE  Keep your treasure, old miser!  Your pride alone stands in their way!  May you chance to meet tomorrow  Shame and misery!  MIREILLE  In vain do they part me, from you!  I am yours! Here is my hand!  See you soon, Vincent! See you tomorrow!  VINCENT  He turns down my offer! He parts me from her!  His hand pushes our hand away!  I shall not see her tomorrow!  VINCENETTE  Poor lovers! You are parted!  Let us go Vincent! Give me your hand!  We must be on our way!  OURRIAS  Go on, by God! Keep him away from her!  And woe betide him  If I chance to meet him tomorrow!  CHORUS  Cruel father! Barbarous soul!  Your pride alone stands in their way!  For their sake we beseech you in vain!  Heaven will punish you tomorow! ACT THREE  FIRST TABLEAU  The Val d’Enfer  SCENE ONE  OURRIAS  Here is the Val d’Enfer and the fairies’ cave  Whence at midnight proceed the stifled moans,  The laughter and screeches of the black spirits from  down below.  Who the witch Taven excites in their frenzy.  CHORUS  Is this where she lives?  OURRIAS  Yes, in this wild spot.  If you wish, friends, we can seek her advice;  They say she hides in a safe place a potion  Which unlucky lovers can use  And it might be wise to buy some.  CHORUS  Why should you spend needlessly?  If you are not loved, the wisest thing,  I think, is to make the best of it.  OTHERS  To forget the whole thing and never mention it again.  CHORUS  You will easily find a prettier girl.  OTHERS  And a wealthier one too!  CHORUS  And a more virtuous one!  OURRIAS  Where does she hide then  The girl who in your eyes is prettier and more virtuous  Than Mireille herself?  Which of you knows her? Who has seen her? Where?  I want none other and she is the one I love!  But night is falling. Let each one go his way.  CHORUS  This is the time for nightmares!  The time when elves, sprites and ghosts  On the edge of the waves and the sand of the beaches  Dance by moonlight, holding each other’s hand!  OURRIAS  Try not to meet them. See you tomorrow!  CHORUS  See you tomorrow!  SCENE TWO  OURRIAS  There they go!  And I, my heart burning with rage,  I wait here for my rival to go by.  You are beloved, happy weaver!  You are beloved, wretched Vincent!  Upon my soul and my life,  You shall pay with your blood  The happiness I crave.  Do you think my hand cannot bend you  And break you like a reed,  And throw you as a prey  To the hungry wolves of the Crau!  Do not stand in the way of my rage!  Go, go, I detest you, I hate you!  Your love angers and outrages me!  She loves you and I loved her!  Death and woe! Here he is! I was not mistaken!  At the bottom of this dark vale  Over which night spreads its shadow,  Hell itself has thrown him in my path!  Here you are then, lucky and beloved lad,  Handsome weaver preferred to all others  And whom Mireille herself  Has chosen for her husband!  VINCENT  Do not envy me my happiness, friend!  Her heart has chosen me in vain; in vain  Does she love me! Her father has refused my hand  And destroyed with one word the dream of my life!  OURRIAS  Who cares about a father’s refusal and contempt,  If the fair one’s heart is in love with you!  But tell me with what spell,  What damned witchcraft you caught her in your trap;  Speak, answer me! What love-potion made her mad?  VINCENT  Why should you insult me with this base suspicion?  OURRIAS  And how else couid it be  That in front of God himself  The fair one should prefer to the richest man  A homeless and penniless vagrant?  Doesn’t it seem to indicate  That she is lost to reason and to shame?  VINCENT  Enough! Silence! You speak ill!  Beware if you insult Mireille!  Anger has woken up at last  At the bottom of my hopeless heart.  By the love Mireille bears me,  Me, the weaver, me, Vincent,  I swear that I shall here and now  Drown your contempt in your own blood!  OURRIAS  Some devil has given you up to my rage,  I shall have your blood, ah, defend yourself!  One of us must cease to live,  I can no longer contain!  VINCENT  By hell, rage maddens me,  Beware, Ourrias, look to yourself!  One of us must cease to live,  I can no longer contain myself!  OURRIAS  Go away! Go away! Woe betide you!  Ah! What have I done? I must flee.  VINCENT  O Mireille! I die for your sake!  SCENE THREE  TAVEN  What sinister moan  Rent the nightly air? My heart is terror-stricken!  A man is lying there… his brow bathed in blood  And icy! God almighty!  I recognise him in this darkness! This is Vincent!  And he, the murderer, the traitor,  Fleeing away like a scoundrel,  I recognised him too!  A curse on you, Ourrias! Be thrice accursed!  SECOND TABLEAU  The Bridge at Trinquetaille  SCENE ONE  OURRIAS  Ah! What have I done!  God’s hand bends my guilty brow!  The memory of my crime  Pursues and distresses me!  Remorse has entered my heart for ever!  I am afraid!  The blood I shed  Soils my hands with an indelible spot!  Pale and icy cold,  Vincent lies on the sand, over there!  Remorse has entered my heart for ever!  I am afraid!  Mercy! Have mercy on me, threatening archangels!  Turn your swords away from me. Ah!  But what empty dream  Dims my senses?  The night is peaceful and clear;  The beach is deserted…  Let us hurry to the other side of the river!  Hey there! ferryman, bring your boat over!  God! What deathly sounds  Are exhaled in the air!  What wandering ghosts paw beneath the clear waves,  Or rise up in the darkness?  SCENE TWO  SPIRITS  It is midnight!  A glowing flame  Crosses the darkness!  The deadmen  Rise up, icy cold,  From the dark chasm!  The sky is blue!  The air inebriates us!  Blessed be God  Who has delivered us!  MAIDENS WHO DIED FOR LOVE  We are love-crazed creatures!  Poor forsaken girls  Which inescapable death  Has betrothed to the old river!  VARIOUS VOICES  O night! Starry sky! Sweet fragrances of the earth!  O death! Cruel exile! Wretched mystery!  OURRIAS  I remember! ’Tis at midnight  That the spirits noiselessly  Creep from the dark chasm  I can see them… I see them glide under the blue  waves  And rise up in the darkness,  Holding their arms out to God!  Here, ferryman! Here, hell’s own boatman!  A VOICE  Who calls me?  OURRIAS  Ourrias, hell’s own boatman!  FERRYMAN  Here I am… let us hurry!  OURRIAS  You kept me waiting long enough,  Ferryman! Another time, keep your ears open.  And now, off we go!  Holy Saints in heaven!  The water swells and roars… and your boat stops!  Treacherous wretch! You shall answer for my life  With your head and your eternal salvation!  FERRYMAN  Ourrias, your anger is useless!  My boat carries an accursed load!  Think of Vincent… whom you struck down!  OURRIAS  Who told you?  FERRYMAN  The God of revenge in whose hand we are!  CHORUS  It is midnight!  A glowing flame, etc. ACT FOUR  FIRST TABLEAU  Nettle-tree Farm  SCENE ONE  HARVESTERS  Friends, harvest-time is now over!  Pile up the bundles of wood; light up the fires!  And let everyone celebrate till daylight  Saint John the harvester, Saint John, God's best friend!  SCENE TWO  RAMON  Well done! Enjoy yourselves, friends! Here is the Master!  To hell with cares and let us have a good time!  As soon as daylight comes, you shall all be paid  For your hard work with fat and shining coins.  CHILDREN  Now that the harvest is over,  Yours is the blessed sheaf  Of ears of corn and flowers!  May God himself soon  Giving you to he who loves you,  Bind for ever your two hearts!  Now that the harvest is over,  Yours is the blessed sheaf  Of ears of corn and flowers!  CHORUS  What is wrong with her? Why does she look so sad?  RAMON  Hush! Mireille is cross with me! Mireille is angry!  I shall tell you why tomorrow.  Come, glass in hand, good friends!  HARVESTERS  Friends, harvest-time is now over, etc.  CHILDREN  Saint-John! Saint John! Saint-John!  SCENE THREE  RAMON  Ah, wretched child! Ah, accursed love!  Cruel troubles sent us by a dismal fate!  My joy has vanished for ever  And so has the peace of my old age!  Wild thunderstorms come in the summer!  The sky darkens over the horizon;  The lightning rends the clouds;  The wind scatters the harvest!  So does mourning knock on my door!  So does misery swoop down on me,  And destroy my dream as it carries it away!  Such is God's blind law!  SCENE FOUR  MIREILLE  O Magali, my beloved,  Let us escape under the leaves,  Deep inside the silent wood!  Night spreads its veil over us  And your lovely eye  Will make the stars dwindle  High up in heaven!  Musette  SCENE FIVE  SHEPHERD  The day is rising  And lightens up the darkness of night  Far away, already, the fiery beach,  Which no breeze stirs up,  Blazes and dazzles the eye!  And the bird flies through the air,  And I, alone with my goats,  With parched lips,  I roam aimlessly in the burning desert,  With a peaceful and steady tread.  The grey lizard drinks in the light,  The humble cricket, in the dust,  Sings in the sun,  And I, reclining on the heather,  Shall soon go back to sleep.  SCENE SIX  MIREILLE  Happy little shepherd,  Ah! how I envy your fate!  Always free, with a light heart,  The cares of life  Cannot be a burden to you,  Happy little shepherd!  In this fiery desert,  All alone with your goats,  You sleep under the blue sky  With a song on your lips.  And while you are slumbering  The merry cicadas  *** together under the sun  Their noisy cymbals!  Happy little shepherd, etc.  SCENE SEVEN  VINCENETTE  Mireille!  MIREILLE  Who calls me? Is it him?  VINCENETTE  No, Mireille, it is I!  But keep your voice low, we must not wake anyone up!  MIREILLE  What is wrong with you? What has happened?  VINCENETTE  Allay your fears. He is safe now!  MIREILLE  Safe! Who is safe? God almighty! I tremble.  VINCENETTE  An evil fate last night brought them together  On the path of the Val d'Enfer.  And the treacherous Ourrias, spurred on by a mad rage,  Struck his brow with his iron trident!  MIREILLE  Heavens! Ourrias! Vincent!  VINCENETTE  Wait and take heart!  Taven called for me  And said "Have no fear,  His wound is a light one,  He's asleep, all will be well."  MIREILLE  Ah! Speak again? Finish the story! I tremble as I listen!  You have not told me everything!  You are probably deceiving me  For fear of hurting me!  Vincent is waiting for me! His life is threatened!  VINCENETTE  No! No! Your heart may be at rest!  Taven will cure his wound!  Stop crying, O Mireille, and believe me  If I had any fear for his life, should I be with you?  MIREILLE  Well, it is today that the church at the Saintes  Opens its doors to the unfortunate!  God himself, in his heaven, will receive their complaints  And his angels will pray for them!  Women, old folk, children of the land of Provence,  With bare feet and eyes full of tears,  Will go and carry there their humble offering  Of ripe ears of corn, fruit and flowers!  This time I want to be the first  To reach the doors of the holy place;  And in the darkness, on my knees,  With my brow on the stone-floor,  I will implore God for my Vincent!  VINCENETTE  Ah, dear sister! Dear Mireille!  Heaven has inspired you and may God advise you!  I shall wait over there for you father's awakening.  MIREILLE  Necklaces and bracelets, rings of silver and gold,  Blessed palms from the procession,  All my poor jewels, all my little treasure  I give them all to the Holy Maries!  O patron saints of lovers!  VINCENETTE  O refuge of unhappy people!  MIREILLE  Holy martyrs!  VINCENETTE  Holy women!  MIREILLE  Whose eyes can read in our souls!  VINCENETTE  Whose hand can dry our tears!  MIREILLE  And comfort all our sorrows!  VINCENETTE  I beseech you  As I would God!  MIREILLE  Protect the life  Of the one I love!  It is time to go! Come, I must not waver.  May some good angel guide our footsteps!  God will forgive me… Forgive me, Father!  Farewell!… I love!… I believe!… I hope!  SECOND TABLEAU  The Desert of the Crau  Introduction  MIREILLE  Here are the wide plain and the fiery desert,  Merciful God, let Mireille fulfil her pledge?  On I go, as Maguelonne did!  The wings of love and the breeze of faith,  Beneath the burning and dazzling sky,  Once carried her away as they do me!  Neither the frothy waves of the sea,  Nor lightning, nor the tempest,  Nor the flaming arrows of the sun  Could stop the wretched lover, love's pilgrim!  But the sky dazzles me!… Daylight blinds me!  Where am I?  I feel dizzy and ready to fall!  And over there, O prodigy!  In the transparent azure of the sky,  What is this dream of a promised land  That suddenly rises up in front of my eyes!  Is this Jerusalem and its holy church?  Or the tomb of the Holy Ladies of the Sea?  Why, no! The vision vanishes into thin air,  The winged image  Has flown away!  Ah! the sun has wounded me  With his golden arrow!…  I am dying! Farewell, Vincent, farewell! Weep for your fiancée!  No, no! I will not die!  I do not want to die! Let us walk on!  On I go, as Maguelonne did, etc.  On I go! On I go! On I go!  Ah! ACT FIVE  The Chapel at the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer  SCENE ONE  The Procession  CHORUS  O you, who from heaven  Can see the tears in our eyes,  Hear our prayers,  Holy Saints in Paradise!  Cure our old fathers  And protect our sons!  SCENE TWO  VINCENT  My heart is filled with black forebodings!  Who detains her? Why is she not here?  Angels of Paradise, cover her with your wings!  Up in heaven, spread your cloak above her!  And you, fiery summer sun,  Have mercy on her youth, spare her beauty!  I saw her in my dream  On the heath where a fiery breath blows,  Running alone towards the beach,  Pale, her brow bent under the glare of the blue sky,  Invoking the Holy Women and God!  Angels of Paradise, etc.  SCENE THREE  VINCENT  Ah, here she is! She has come!  MIREILLE  You, Vincent! My faithful friend!  You were waiting for me! I see you again!  Ah! my heart revives at your voice!  My courage has come back to me!  VINCENT  Do you not remember the holy appointment?  Should ever some misfortune come to strike either  of us,  We must meet at the Saintes! At the Saintes on our  knees!  MIREILLE  Yes! Yes!  VNCENT  How pale your face is!  What is wrong with you?  MIREILLE  Nothing. Nothing. With his flaming arrows  The sun has wounded my brow. But, thank goodness,  Under your kisses, my pain grows less;  Under your looks, my heart shudders with delight!  CHORUS  The veil is torn asunder at last!  The black tomb is suddenly lit up!  Here is the sacred treasure!  Glory to the Holy Maries!  An angel comes down from the blue heaven;  Sweet fragrance perfumes the holy place:  A cry of love rises up to God!  Glory to the Holy Maries!  MIREILLE  Listen! They are praying for us!  Mireille and Vincent are being married!  Heaven has blessed their love!  VINCENT  What is she saying?  MIREILLE  We must love each other! Love each other for ever!  Holy elation! Divine ecstasy!  My heart is consumed by a pure felicity!  Blessed dream! Sweet witchcraft!  Heaven itself opens up and blazes!  And in the air as in my soul  There is nought but joy and bliss!  VINCENT  God almighty!  VINCENETTE  Mireille! Come quickly, all of you!  SCENE FOUR  RAMON  Mireille! My child!  MIREILLE  Are you weeping? Are you weeping?  VINCENETTE, VINCENT, RAMON  God! What a strange flame  Burns in her distraught eyes!  RAMON  You must not die, darling child, you must not! Forgive  me !  You save her, Vincent! She is yours now!  MIREILLE  It is too late! See, what a glare in the sky,  The Holy Women are coming down to me  To give me their hands. I can see them!  VINCENT  Ah! I will follow them with you!  MIREILLE  Holy elation! Divine ecstasy! etc.  EVERYONE  Holy elation! Divine ecstasy! etc.  MIREILLE  See! See! The sea sparkles!  The waves are calm and the sky is blue!  Farewell, Vincent! Farewell!  VINCENT  O Death! Take me down to the tomb with her!  A VOICE  O Mireille, follow us to the divine sojourn,  Come and enjoy in heaven the infinite sweetness,  The ineffable grace and the blessed elation  Of eternal love!  EVERYONE  Her soul has taken flight towards God!  A sweet fragrance perfumes the holy place!v