ACT 3
Rusalka:
Unfeeling cruel waters’ might,
Once more you hold me in your power.
Why cannot I in your cold arms die in this bitter hour?
Jezibaba:
Ha, what brings you back so soon? ‘Twas short your stay upon the earth.
How pale and wan you are, my dear! How eloquent the tears that fall!
Weren’t kisses sweet enough for you, nor human love, now, after all?
Rusalka:
Ah, woe is me! All things betrayed me!
Oh, Witch of Forests, oh deign to aid me!
Jezibaba:
Short indeed the time of love, long the bitter time of mourning,
after passionate human kiss, cruel and bleak the wilderness.
Humans are humans, scum of elements, long ago spewed from the bowels of the earth!
Woe, you who wanted love to engender simply to monstrous betrayal gave birth.
Rusalka:
Wondrous woman, oh tell me, tell, will nothing save me save me from this hell?
Jezibaba:
Now your love’s betrayed you, ceased to love you well, you expect salvation now,
you expect salvation from the witches spell?
After worldly wand’rings, daughter wondrous fair, to your water sisters, you would now repair!
Well, I can advise you where salvation grows, whether you’ll listen to me, Old Nick only knows!
Human blood must flow to free you element accursed, f
or the love for which you hungered and in vain did thirst.
You will be what once you were, ere the world deceived you,
only red human blood now must flow to free you.
Then all cares will fall from you snd then you will be free,
if your hand will slay the one who paid in treachery!
Rusalka:
Jezibaba! Horror! What is this you say?
Jezibaba:
Now take this knife and vow you will obey!
Rusalka:
Go, nameless horror, go away!
And leave me to my pain and fear, pain and fear!
Forever let me bear, oh bear the curse, Oh,
leave me, leave me!
The love that I for him do nurse, that hopeless love that ruined me!
If only he may happy, may happy be! He must happy be!
Jezibaba:
Into life’s anarchic swirl longing caused you forth to whirl,
now you have not e’en the will cursed human blood to spill?
Human who would be and man be come, shed must the blood of his
brothers, then is his passion all unleashed drunk on the blood of others.
And you, you wanted human to be, and thought by your passion to hold him?
Vain little water bubble so frail, born of the moonlight, vapid and pale.
Go, go, go suffer through the ages long and droop for love of him who did you wrong!
Rusalka:
Life has now cast me off... all alone here I pine.
All alone, I must weep.
My love, I know, no more I’ll see you now.
Oh, curse of the waters deep!
Water Sprites:
For the world you left our joys, and you scorned our merry play, restless now you
tread the world, with us dare not stay! In our dance you may not join who are held in human sway.
And from you we must now flee should you come this way.
From your sadness fear breathes loud and it scares us in our play,
with the dark bog’s will o’wisps, sister, go and play!
Humans lure on with your gleam and at cross roads light the gloom,
with your little dancing fire light them to their doom.
Darkened graves and crossroads bleak must you haunt now in the night.
Other sisters you must find, we shall shun your plight.
...
Gamekeeper:
Are you frightened? Gibble gabble! Others have been here before.
Knock and say what you were told to when she opens, when she opens up her door.
That the prince is as bewitched, that his head aches till it splits,
that some demon out of hell in our castle grounds does dwell,
that the Prince’s nanny knows that the witch can cure his woes.
Turnspit:
My feet won’t obey me now I’m growing faint,
Uncle, do it for me, by my patron saint!
Surely I would stutter, I’m in such a stew, it would be far better, if ‘twas done by you.
Gamekeeper:
If I were your father I should be ashamed!
But, all right, I’ll show you-- then I can’t be blamed!
Witch of Forests, Jezibaba! Ho there!
Jezibaba:
Who’s that calling, calling out there?
Gamekeeper:
Our old nanny sends us to your place, says that you alone can give advice.
Jezibaba:
For that wisdom, for that speck of knowledge, this is what she sends me for my porridge?
Wait until I’ve fattened you a bit-- you’ll make me a very nice titbit!
Turnspit:
Leave me, let me go from here, uncle, she’ll eat me, I fear!
Jezibaba:
Ha! Oh you silly creature, don’t stand there and squirm, don’t think I would eat you!
Puny little worm! Let your cursed race grow fat and ripe for hell,
out with it now quickly, what have you to tell?
Turnspit:
Our Prince lies in sickness, pining away for a friendish sorceress holds him in her sway.
Brought her to his castle, gave her all, gave her everything she wished for, great and small.
And the Prince would his wife have made her, but our beauty would not wait and nothing could persuade her.
When the prince she’d rendered quite distraught, faithless woman fled she from his court.
All the court lies bound within her spell. Sure it was the King of Demons took her off to hell!
Water Gnome:
Who took her from him? Who, say you, was betrayed?
Accursed the breed that sent you hither!
Infamous wretches, mendacious villains, ‘twas he, ‘twas he betrayed her, brought down a curse on her!
Revenge, revenge! Revenge I’ll take, where’er my realm does reach!
...
Wood Sprites:
Woodsprite 1:
Gold, golden is my hair, glowworms fly to nestle, sparkling in my braids,
and my dainty fingers loose my golden tresses,
while the moon combs through them with its silver rays.
Gold, golden is my hair!
Woodsprite 2:
Oh, dainty are my feet,
on them have I flitted, light across the green,
Barefoot, have I flitted light across the green!
On them have I wandered, and the dew caressed them!
Moonlight now has shod them with a silver sheen!
Woodsprite 3:
Oh, I am wondrous fair!
O’er the lea at nighttime, shines my beauty bright!
As I trip so lightly, softly falling moonbeams clothe in gold and silver,
dainty limbs so white.
Wood Sprites:
Form a ring, sisters dear, form a ring! Dance with the night wind’s daughter!
Soon from the reeds you will hear a call!
Water gnome climbs from the water! Soon from the reeds you will hear a call...
Water gnome leaves the water!
Form a ring, sisters dear, form a ring! Light in the nightly breeze swinging!
Here he comes, now he comes, comes to mend his nets he runs.
Here he comes, comes!
Water gnome, oh heigh, oh heigh, Try to catch a sprite at play!
If you catch us ugly wight, you a kiss can claim as right!
But your wife then, hee, hee, hee, water gnome, oh, hee, hee, hee!
Water gnome, oh she will pull your ears for ye!
Water Gnome:
Stop your gentle teasing, children of the green wood, for our native waters sullied are by human falsehood.
Wood Sprites:
Who is it spoiling our merry play? Watergnome, tell us, quickly say!
Water Gnome:
Doomed in the troubled waters, scorned by her sisters below,
Woe is you, Rusalka pale, woe, ah woe!
Wood Sprites:
Woodsprite 1
Tears are starting to my eyes, cold the night and clouded.
Woodsprite 2
Icy mist the gentle moon from my sight has shrouded...
Woodsprite 3
Dark is now invading me, sisters, sisters, let us flee!
Prince:
Gentle snow white doe! My love, silent phantom queen,
shall my breaking heart never more find peace on the bosom of my dream?
By longing spurred I hasten on, I seek you, breathless,
day and night, when dusk does fall I feel you near and in the pale moon’s gentle light.
Throughout the world I search for thee, my loved one,
come back, come back to me! Here was our trysting!
Speak, silent forests! Vision enchanting, beloved one, oh, where are you?
By all that lies in my dead heart heaven I beg, by earth I swear,
plead I with Gods and with devils, where are you, loved one, where, beloved one, where?
Rusalka:
Beloved, know you me?
Beloved, do you remember me?
Prince:
Dead if you be, destroy me too, if you be living, save me too!
Rusalka:
Dead nor alive, woman nor sprite, damned I stray, a phantom wraith!
Vainly I dreamed in your arms at night sweet dreams of love with every breath.
Once was I happy as your beloved, Now ‘tis my fate to bring you death!
Prince:
Without you, life means naught to me-- oh can you pardon me?
Rusalka:
Why did you call me to your arms? Why spake your lips a falsehood? N
Now through the night, your ruin I must lure you through the wood,
lure you must I through the wood.
And I must lead your steps astray... dishonoured now am I.
A will o’wisp to waters cold I draw you down to die.
Why did you call me to your arms? Why spake your lips a falsehood?
You sought a passion, oh I know, You sought a passion which I did not possess;
Were I to embrace you now you perish!
And were I to embrace you now, you die in my caress!
Prince:
Kiss me, oh kiss me, bring me peace!
Kiss me and bring me peace! I care no more for worldly ease,
Death then may come when-e’r he please.
Rusalka:
Of every joy you were the cause. Why did you, lover mine, play me false?
Do you know, darling, that from me nevermore shall you now be free?
And by my love, my love must cursed be.
Prince:
All that I gave to you would I give, in your embrace I die or live.
Gladly with you for-e’r I’ll dwell. Now let me bid the earth farewell!
Rusalka:
Not even love can your ransom buy. Now to your doom in my arms fly...
In my embrace you now must die!
Prince:
Kiss me, oh kiss me, bring me peace, kiss me, oh kiss me, bring me peace!
Oh may your kisses all my sins efface, oh may your kisses all my sins efface!
I die now happy, I die now happy in your embrace.
Water Gnome:
Vainly in your fond arms he dies, vain is your every sacrifice!
Woe is you, Rusalka, woe!
Rusalka:
For your beauty, for your human love by that strange and restless passion ruled!
For all that by which I am accursed, human soul, may God be merciful!
End of the opera