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When I read Plutarch
l feel bored and disgusted with the cowardly times we live in!
If only there were a spark of the spirit of Arminius
in my forefathers’cold ashes!
l would give all Germany such freedom
that Sparta and Athens would seem enslaved by comparison.
A band, heroes of the highway.
In fighting and drinking, no one’s a match for the robber!
It’s my shameless, drunken companions in error!
Father, how long I’ve waited for your forgiveness
so that l can leave such wicked men behind!
Castle of my fathers,
hills that are ever green,
how my soul will rejoice there when I have been forgiven!
Amalia! I come to you,
welcome me into your chaste embrace!
Let me relive the joys of my youth.
Here is a letter addressed to you.
Are you trembling?
I am overjoyed!
My friends, this is my pardon.
How pale and changed he is!
Alas, it’s from my brother!
Charmingly written!
"My father has asked me to tell you not to think of coming home,"
"unless you want to be locked up and live on bread and water."
Bread and water! Hearty fare!
Human savages, savage humans, harder than mountain rocks!
Have my heart felt tears done nothing to soften his heart?
I’d rouse the earth and sea with a single cry,
and unite them in war against mankind!
Listen, Moor!
Where is the sword that will put such snakes to death?
We have it. Be calm, and listen. Let us form a band of robbers.
Thieves, us? What prompted such an idea?
You will stand at our head and lead us.
By death, I shall not refuse!
Are you with us?
I am with you!
My hand on it.
Long life to the chief!
Inspired by my anger, thrust your blades into that cursed flesh!
I want carnage behind me, terror before me.
You’ll be avenging furies, together we’ll share one fate;
you must swear loyalty to my mighty arm.
We swear loyalty to your mighty arm.
Old man, I broke the bond between you and the first-born son I hate!
I destroyed the tearful letter that he wrote you.
You read one I wrote, where l painted such a vivid picture of him.
At last, through my brother,
I’ve punished nature for the sin of making me younger.
Now I must punish it through my father.
The law! Conscience!
They only scare poor, timid souls.
Be bold, Francesco! Get rid of the old man.
that worn-out old skeleton is barely alive.
One puff...
And he’s dead.
The light of his life is fading, it’s true, but not yet out.
If nature moves slowly, I swear to God I’ll hurry it on.
Let me think of how to strike
and pierce a man’s heart,
without revealing the hand that struck the blow.
Success! I have the answer.
Arminio, come here!
What is it you want, sir?
Are you loyal to me?
Can you doubt it?
Then you must assist me in my plan.
Disguise yourself, make sure no one recognizes you.
Then go to my father.
Tell him you left his Carlo lifeless at the battle of Prague,
under a pile of the dead.
If I do as you say, will he believe me?
He’ll swallow your story, I assure you.
I’ll provide you with some proof
that would fool even the most astute.
Francesco, soon you will be master here!
Tremble, you wretches, you will see me
in my true, fearful colours.
You’ll no longer be ruled by the tired hand
of a weak old man you do not fear.
Laughter and joy will give way
to sobs and tears, fear and suspicion.
You’ll be tortured by hunger, imprisonment, shame and anguish.
Father, you have a venerable face,
like that of a saint.
May you sleep peacefully!
Let sleep take you from the sorrows of life, and console you.
You have banished my Carlo,
you have taken away my every joy,
but I cannot feel anger against you.
He had the face of the angels that God fashioned from a smile.
His kiss bestowed a heavenly delight.
I was swept away in his arms,
our hearts beat together as one.
Our souls were united in a single passion.
Heaven and earth dissolved in that embrace.
I tasted a sweetness unknown to mankind.
Heavenly dream! But it all disappeared, never to return.
My Carlo...
He is dreaming.
How wretched you are!
Waken, beloved father, and those ghosts will disappear.
Francesco! Do you take him from me even in my dreams?
Look, it is l, your daughter.
Are you here?
I was just dreaming of our Carlo.
Poor maiden!
I have spoiled the springtime of your joy.
Do not curse me...
Curse you? Oh, never!
Carlo, I am dying...
And alas, you are far from me in my last hours.
A cold, ungrateful hand
will lower me into the grave.
Tears are precious to a dying man.
But who will weep for me?
Yet I’d like to bid farewell to this life of sorrow,
now that I have nothing; not even the flowers bloom for me!
I shall be with Carlo throughout eternity!
A messenger has woeful news! Will you hear what he has to say?
Speak, what is your message?
I bring news of your Carlo.
- Where is he? - Is he alive?
He was my companion in King Frederick’s army,
which he joined as a beggar and a fugitive.
Poor man!
He fought bravely at Prague,
before he was mortally wounded.
Silence, cruel man!
He struggled to say to me:
"Take this blood-stained sword to my father,"
"and tell him, the son you rejected"
"died in battle in despair."
I am that father whom heaven has cursed!
The last word he spoke was "Amalia" .
I am that sad woman, who lived on to weep!
Read!
Your Carlo wrote these words in blood:
"Amalia, my death frees you from your vow."
"Francesco, marry Amalia."
Carlo, Carlo, you never loved me!
Savage beast, what blood you shed!
Carlo, Carlo, you never loved me!
Let the wrath of heaven
fall on my guilty head!
But you are the traitor
who made me curse him,
give me back my slaughtered son!
Father! The god of those who suffer took him up with the martyrs,
so that we might not be as blessed as those in heaven.
But we shall be comforted, and see him amid the stars and sun.
But you are the traitor who made me curse him...
Thanks to the devil, he’s assailed by grief, remorse and anger.
Father, the god of those who suffer took him up with the martyrs.
I cannot bear his father’s grief!
Give me back my murdered son!
But we shall be comforted, and see him amid the stars and sun.
Thanks to the devil, he’s assailed by grief, remorse and anger.
May I feel eternal remorse for this lie.
Now pour out despair with a final curse.
Give me back my slaughtered son!
He’s dying!
He is dead.
Oh God!
Dead?
I am master now!
Father, I fled that shameful banquet,
and took refuge here,
at your forgotten tomb,
which only my furtive tears console.
Let’s enjoy life, for laughter is fleeting.
Let pleasure lead from wine to kisses.
The grave and the Cross send a warning:
- life is short, hurry and enjoy it. - Blasphemy!
No more of foolish grieving. It is wasted on the dead.
Blasphemy!
Don’t let sadness spoil the party.
Let’s be cheered by wine and love.
Rejoice over the bones of your father!
The weak fear what will come,
but the strong never give it a thought.
Enjoy life, laughter is fleeting. Let pleasure lead from wine to kisses.
The peace you stole from him when he was alive,
you cannot spoil now he is dead!
Your hateful voice cannot penetrate this stone.
Blessed soul, you flew into the embrace of my Carlo,
and your suffering on earth
has turned to joy in heaven.
I alone am left in tears,
abandoned and inconsolable.
How I envy you your happy grave!
- My lady! - What is it?
Please forgive me for a terrible crime.
- Leave me! - Hear me out. - How dare you!
Your Carlo is alive!
- What are you saying? - The truth.
Your uncle is still alive as well.
Wait!
God in heaven!
Is Carlo alive? Wonderful word, heavenly music!
God heard my weeping, and took pity on my sorrow.
Is Carlo alive? Now heaven and earth smile again.
The sun and stars shine brightly again, the universe is full of love.
Why did you run from the songs at the party?
I heard another voice in my heart:
the devout prayer
your father took to his grave.
Will you never be finished mourning him?
Have done with this tiresome grieving,
and these mourning clothes that conceal your beauty.
I love you, Amalia, I’m consumed by love for you!
I call you to rule by my side,
I offer you my hand and my heart.
Your master and judge
falls at your feet like a slave.
You have only just sent a man I love to his death:
do you now ask me to be your bride?
You evil man, you will not take me into your vile marriage bed!
Arrogant woman! Locking you away will bend you to my will.
You vile tyrant, I’ll be happy far away from you.
Is that what you hope? Oh no, you proud woman!
You’ll remain here,
my servant and ***.
No!
Yes, my ***!
I want everyone to blush just to hear your name.
I’ll drag you by the hair.
I offended you. Forgive me!
Stand back, you villain,
unless you want to feel this in your heart!
This instrument of death I hold
is guided by the unquiet spirit of your father.
You craven little woman, you don’t know who you’re threatening.
You’ll pay for this outrage in blood.
Chains, whips and new tortures
will be my vengeance on you.
We’ve spent all day doing nothing.
- Haven’t you heard? - What’s happened?
- Rolla has been captured! - Captured? What are you saying?
I tell you, he’s sure to be hanged.
What did our chief say?
He intends to torch Prague.
If he’s sworn to do so, he will.
- Poor Prague! - Do you pity it?
Poor Rolla, who will soon be no more.
Can you see that great fire?
There’s the flame! It’s not make-believe.
Our chief kept his word.
What a terrifying fire! What next?
This is surely the end of the world.
Help!
Death and damnation! Who is coming?
The ghost of Rolla?
By God, it is he!
Where have you come from in such haste?
I?
Straight from the gallows.
Give me a drink, I’m exhausted.
Drink, and then tell us.
You tell the story.
The people were running to the spectacle,
and we threw down some torches
and shouted,"Set fire!" from this side and that.
Suddenly there was uproar and weeping.
The powder keg exploded,
the sergeants were paralysed by fear.
Our leader rushed into the crowd
and took the noose from Rolla’s neck.
Hurray! A victory for wits and might.
No one outsmarts the bandit.
Yes, he snatched me from the grave.
Here he is! How sad and troubled he seems!
Chief, what are you thinking?
We shall leave at dawn.
Hurrah for the bandit!
How splendid is the setting sun!
How worthy of adoration!
This is how a hero falls!
Nature, how lovely you are!
You are lovely, and wonderful.
And I am corrupted and hateful!
Here everything smiles.
I alone find hell in paradise!
Surrounded by thieves,
bound to crime,
I am rejected by the world,
and cursed by heaven.
Dear, innocent maiden!
When I think of you,
my shackles grieve me more,
my pain is intensified.
Chief, we’re surrounded.
- By how many? - A thousand men.
Come, brothers, keep close together.
Don’t fear those who are afraid!
Come, brothers, let’s run into battle like wolves of the forest!
With desperate bravery we’ll triumph over these slaves.
He who wields a free sword has a whole army in his hand.
Just one of our band can defeat them all.
God receive my thanks!
I’ve escaped the villain’s clutches and come to this solitary place.
Where am l?
What desert surrounds me?
I can see no sign of a path,
only bushes and rocks
obstructing my weary steps.
Pillage, ***, fire and death
are nothing but mere sport to us.
What are those voices? Alas!
I’ve fallen into the hands of thieves! Heaven, come to my aid!
- They’re approaching. - God in heaven!
Show mercy on an unhappy woman!
Amalia!
- Who is calling me? - Look at me. - Who are you?
You no longer recognise in my bronzed features...
- I’ve seen him before. - ... Carlo?
Heavens above, I’ve found you again.
I embrace you, Carlo/Amalia, come into my arms!
Press your heart to mine!
Neither man nor God shall ever separate us again!
Carlo, we must flee!
I heard terrifying voices.
What do you fear if I am by your side?
She must never know what evil men I am bound to!
What sea, what land kept you from me?
Don’t ask so cruel a question!
I heard the false news that you had been killed.
I would have been blessed to go to my grave!
Then did you suffer, my Carlo?
May you never know how much!
Abandoned, for years I grieved for you.
Did an angel dare to shed tears for me?
But a rainbow of peace has chased away the storm.
Torments and anguish are at an end.
And the bliss of a heavenly moment
erases all memory of that suffering.
Why are you lost and alone in the woods?
Why have you fled from the castle?
Listen, Carlo: when your father died...
What tears and shame he was spared.
... Francesco, the new master,
threatened my life and my honour!
The villain!
But God has led me to you!
My love, place your trust in your Carlo.
- Come with me! - Together on earth, then in heaven!
The kind, deceived soul!
Shining above, more bright and more beautiful,
we shall see the star of our love.
Above, among the blessed souls with God,
all our sorrow will be forgotten.
Shining above, more bright and more beautiful,
we shall see the star of our love.
Above, among the blessed souls with God,
all our sorrow will be forgotten.
Pillage, ***, fire and death
are nothing but mere sport to us.
Brothers, let’s chase boredom away today,
for execution may come tomorrow.
Be cheerful! Let’s chase boredom away today,
for execution may come tomorrow.
We live a life of freedom, a life full of pleasure.
A cave can be our refuge, a wood our home.
Here pious women feed us, there a farmer showers us with food.
Mercury guides our steps, and the moon is our sun.
The dying agonies of murdered fathers,
the shouts and howls of wives and mothers,
are music, entertainment
for our hard, stony hearts.
But when the hour arrives
for the executioner to see us off,
we’ll wipe the mud from our boots and jackets,
and take the reward for our glorious deeds.
We finish our brief journey, drinking deep the final drop.
We leap straight into the next world.
Welcome, chief!
What time is it?
Midnight.
You sleep, I’ll keep watch.
I deceived you, Amalia!
You thought me yours for ever,
and I have put an everlasting rift between us.
Even evil-doers can sleep.
But I cannot!
Oh, the dark mystery of life!
Death and eternity, no less a mystery,
deep secrets, who can understand you?
This vile weapon could reveal the mystery to me.
Reveal it!
Shall I do this for fear of a life of dread?
No! I shall suffer.
Pride must conquer grief.
All around is darkness and silence.
Come to the gate, poor inhabitant of this stronghold.
Your supper is here.
What do I hear?
Arminio! Is it you?
It is I; eat.
I am weak from hunger.
Goodbye!
Go back.
It’s unwise to stay here with you!
Evil son!
Stop!
- Alas, I’m caught! - Who are you? - Have mercy!
I’m guilty, I hadn’t the heart.
- Arminio! I hear another. - Who is speaking in there?
- Sir! - Stand aside, or I shall...
Who are you? Who has come to my aid?
What voice is that? My father!
The ghost of Moor!
What torment has raised you from the dead?
I am no ghost, nor am I dead.
Did they not bury you, then?
Yes, I live in there!
Oh heaven and earth! What infernal soul forced you there?
My son Francesco.
Eternal chaos!
Listen, and be amazed!
Eternal chaos!
Three months ago, a stranger told me
my Carlo was dead.
I fainted at the sudden shock,
and it was thought that I had died.
When I came to, I found myself shut inside a box.
I stirred, and moaned.
The shroud was raised.
Francesco was standing by me.
"What?" he exclaimed, "Have you come back to life?"
The coffin was closed and brought here,
and the lid was raised again.
"Throw that phantom down there."
"He’s lived too long!» cried my son.
My pleading and weeping fell on deaf ears.
They threw me into that hideous den.
And it was he, my ruthless son,
who locked the door.
Rouse yourselves!
What is it? Who’s attacking?
Do you see this old man?
The claws of a demon son buried him alive!
- He is my father! - that frail old man?
Vengeance!
I cry for it to you in heaven who punish all who do evil!
Let everlasting darkness fall on my eyes
if I do not shed his blood before dawn.
You, bandits, will today be agents of divine justice!
Bow your heads, fall to the earth
before the power that made this your destiny.
Then all stand tall, terrifying, like angels of fury!
What is it you want? Tell us.
Let everyone swear to avenge this sainted old man!
We swear to you to avenge this sainted old man!
Drag the murderer to me whether he’s feasting or praying!
We’ll drag the murderer to you whether he’s feasting or praying!
Keep him alive and unharmed for my sword!
We swear!
Today we are the instrument
of God’s deadly wrath.
Betrayal! The dead have risen!
They shout "murderer" at me!
You there!
- Sir! - Did you not hear a noise?
- No, my lord. - No? Go!
Run to the pastor, and bring him here.
Wait!
Send someone else.
What! Are you trembling?
l? No.
I am not trembling.
Tell me, Arminio, do the dead come back to life?
Or is there no truth in dreams?
I had a terrible dream just now.
How pale you are!
Listen to me!
I’m listening.
I seemed to have left a party
and was sleeping in a pleasant, shady garden.
When I suddenly heard a rumbling, and I awoke
to find the earth in flames,
and in that blaze people’s homes were consumed.
Then a cry arose:
"Deliver the dead from the bowels of the earth!"
"Cast out the dead from the depths of the sea!"
And the land was covered by bones without number.
Then I was taken to the top of Mount Sinai,
where I was dazzled by three shining figures.
This is a picture of the Day of Judgement!
The first, armed with a mysterious paper, cried out:
"Woe to him who lacks faith!"
And the other, holding a mirror, said:
"Here untruth is shamed."
The third brandished a spear, crying:
"Come, children of Adam."
And my name rang out amid the clouds
that cast a dark veil over Mount Sinai.
With every passing hour,
new sins piled up on the scales, weighing them down.
But on the other side, the blood that redeemed us
counterbalanced the pile.
Then an old man who had starved to death
plucked a lock of his white hair,
and into the cup of sins and grief
that old man I knew cast the lock.
Then the cup descended with a creak,
and the other scale flew up,
and soon a thundering voice was heard:
"Accursed man, the Son of God did not suffer for you."
Have you summoned me now
to mock faith, as usual?
Or is eternity pursuing you?
Fantasies.
I can see it from your pallor.
You’re afraid!
of what?
of the god you deny
who is now roaring within your con fused soul.
You hear him already calling you to account for your sins.
What can he do to me?
if the soul is immortal,
I’ll provoke your god into destroying it.
What sin most enrages him?
There are two sins:
parricide and fratricide.
Silence!
You liar!
But no man can imagine them.
A raging gang of cavaliers is streaming down from the mountain.
Everyone go to the chapel and pray for me!
Destroy the castle!
Absolve me!
God can,
but man will not absolve you.
Destroy the castle!
Tremble, evil man, for thunder and lightning hover over you.
Hear me, O God!
This is the last time I shall pray to you.
Destroy the castle!
God denies you his forgiveness, you stand before the abyss.
It’s the first time, and will be the last that I pray to you.
You stand before the abyss.
Hear me, O God!
Tremble!
No, hell will not make a mockery of me!
Francesco! My son!
What! Can you pity him?
Heaven does not avenge me through you,
it only punishes me!
Forgive your father,
spirit of my Carlo!
He forgives you.
I have lost him for ever!
Ah yes, for ever!
And am I still alive?
Heaven inspires me! If I could persuade him...
Now give me the price of your ransom, old man,
and bless the man who sets you free!
May God thus show the same pity
as you have done!
Kiss me, saintly old man.
Take a loving father’s kiss,
beloved stranger.
Let me think of it too
as the kiss of a pitying son.
All the sweetness of a father’s kiss
has passed from your lips into my heart.
I caught a glimpse of the heaven
that I have lost for ever.
Here they are!
- Chief! - Who’s there?
He’s not there... he got away...
Thank you, omnipotent God!
Be cheerful, friends! We have a splendid trophy!
Let me go! Carlo, where are you?
- Amalia! - Are you alive? - Who brought her here?
- Protect me! - Destiny, you have prevailed!
- My bridegroom, have you lost your mind? - Your bridegroom?
Take her away from me!
Kill that old man!
Kill her too, me, and all of you!
I would have all the living cut down at once!
Has he lost his mind?
The son you cursed was struck and rejected by the Lord as well!
But you who dragged me down into the abyss,
the loathed agents of divine wrath...
Amalia, listen to me!
Listen and die, wretched father!
Your saviours are thieves and murderers!
Your Carlo is their leader!
What catastrophe!
Why not conceal it?
The villain has fallen, struck down by God.
Farewell for ever to dreams of joy!
Chains, prison, the axe, the stake,
these are the attendants on our love.
Whether angel or demon, I shall not abandon you!
I shall be your bride for ever.
With you I’ll share power and slavery,
heaven and hell, joy and sorrow.
This angel loves me, she loves me and forgets!
- My Carlo! Mine for ever! - Amalia! Mine for ever!
Ages may pass and worlds crumble...
Does the earth not open to swallow me up?
... but love will live on in our souls.
Traitor, listen! Have you forgotten your binding vow?
Can God wreak no more havoc on me?
It’s true!
These wounds made you ours.
Look at them, traitor, we bear them for you.
If you cannot break your bond,
then go, but kill me first!
I cannot bear to live now.
Give me this last token of love.
They tear the veil away from my eyes!
We bear these wounds for you.
I tumble down from the heaven I dreamt!
A whirlpool drags me down.
You are ours!
Hear me, demons!
You offered me your shamed heads.
I offer you an angel!
What are you doing? Stop!
Now to the scaffold!