from Act II of the Italian opera La Rondine by Giacomo Puccini

Libretto: Giuseppe Adami

Role: Magda, a demimondaine (a woman supported by a wealthy man), Rambaldo's mistress

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: lyric soprano

Setting: Outside of Magda and Ruggero's small house near the ocean

Synopsis: At Ruggero's urging, Magda reads a letter from Ruggero's mother that expresses her joy at hearing that her son has chosen a beautiful pure woman to marry. She despairs inwardly, though, because she is not pure and innocent. Before she met Ruggero, she was just a step above a prostitute.