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from Act III of the French opera Werther by Jules Massenet
Libretto: Edouard Blau

Role: Charlotte, daughter of the Magistrate, Sophie's sister
Voice Part: mezzo-soprano       Fach: lyric mezzo
Setting: the Magistrate's house at Christmas, Frankfurt, Germany, 1780
Synopsis: Charlotte reads Werther's letters to her which describe his sorrow that they are apart and the happiness he will feel when they are together. His ardent declarations make her realize that she still loves him.
Range: Tessitura:
C4 - F#/Gb5F4 - F5
Translations/Aria Texts:
Translation into English by Lea Frey (added 2000-06-02)
Je vous écris de ma petite chambre, Charlotte's aria from Werther

Werther!  Werther!  Qui m’aurait dit la place	
	Werther! Werther!  Who would have told me the place
que dans mon coeur il occupe aujourd’hui? 	
	Which in my heart he holds today?
Depuis qu’il est parti, malgré moi,  		
	Since he has left, in spite of myself,
tout me lasse, et mon âme est pleine de lui ! 	
	Everything wearies me, and my soul is filled with him!
Ces lettres!  Ces lettres!  			
	His letters!  His letters!  
Ah, je les relit sans cesse... 	
	Ah, I reread them constantly..
avec quel charme, mais aussi quelle tristesse! 	
	With what charm, but also what sadness!
Je devrais les détruire...je ne puis! 			
	I ought to destroy them...  I  can’t !

"Je vous écrit de ma petite chambre. 		"I am writing you from my little room.
un ciel gris et lourd de décembre 		A grey and heavy sky of December
pese sur moi comme un linceu, 			Weighs on me like a shroud
et je suis seule, toujours seul!" 		And I am alone, always alone!"
Ah!  Personne auprès de lui !   		Ah!  Nobody  with him!
Pas un seul temoignage  			Not a single bit of evidence
de tendress ou même du pitié! 			of tenderness or even of pity!
Dieu!  Comment m’est  venu ce triste courage 	God!  How did I  come upon this sad courage
D’ ordonner cet exil et cet isolement! 		To order this exile and this isolation?

"Des cris joyeux d’enfants montent 		Joyful cries of  children rise
sous ma fenêtre, des cris d’enfants! 		from beneath my window, cries of children!
Et je pense à ce temps si doux où 		And I think of the time so sweet when
tous vos chers petits jouaient autour de nous. 	All your dear litle ones were playing around us.
Ils m’oublieront peut-être? " 			They will forget me, perhaps? "

Non, Werther, dans leur souvenir, 		No Werther, in their memory,
votre image reste vivante. 			Your image remains alive.
Et quand vous reviendrez... 			And when you return...
mais doit-il revenir? 				but will he come back?
Ah!  Ce dernier billet me glace 		Ah! This last note freezes me 
	et m’épouvante!... 				and terrifies me!...
"Tu m’as dit : ‘à Noël’  			"You said to me, ‘Until Christmas,’
et j’ai crié-’Jamais!’ "... 	  		& I said, ‘Never!’ "
On va bientôt connaître 			One will soon know
Qui de nous disait vrai,...  Mais 		Which of us was speaking truth, ...  but
Si  je dois reparaître, 			If I should reappear, 
au jour fixé devant toi				on the fixed day, before you,
Ne m’accuse pas, pleure - moi! 			Do not accuse me, weep for me!
Ne m’accuse pas, pleure - moi! 			Do not accuse me, weep for me!
Oui, de ses yeux si pleins de charme, 		Yes,  with  those eyes so full of charm,
Ces lignes, tu les lira,   			These lines, you will read them again,
et tu les mouilleras de tes larmes, 		And you will dampen them from your tears,
O Charlotte!  Et tu frémiras,   		O Charlotte, and you will tremble,
tu frémiras,  Tu frémiras! 			You will tremble,  you will tremble!

Translation by Lea Frey (blfrey@earthlink.net)
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