from Act I of the Czech opera
The Bartered Bride (Prodaná Nevesta) by Bedrich Smetana
Libretto: Karel Sabina
Role: Marenka, daughter of Krusina and Ludmilla
Voice Part: soprano
Setting: spring in a Bohemian village, Bohemia
Synopsis: Marenka and Jenik are in love but Marenka's parents have promised her to another man. Marenka has decided that she will refuse to go along with it. She notices, however, that Jenik seems uneasy. Suspecting that there might be something he is hiding from her, she tells him that she would be heart-broken if she ever learned of another woman in his life. She knows little of his past and wonders if his reluctance to talk about his life might mean that he has already left one sweetheart.