Ch'ella mì creda libero is a tenor aria from Act III of the opera La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini. It is the final tenor aria sung by Dick Johnson (a.k.a the bandit "Ramerrez") before his death sentence. In the aria, he was hoping for the Sheriff and the miners not to tell Minnie, his lover about his ill-fated destiny. He wishes Minnie to be told that he has gone far away and will never return.
It is said that during World War I, Italian soldiers sang this aria to maintain their spirits.[1][2]
[edit] Libretto
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Italian
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Translation in English
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Ch'ella mì creda libero e lontano
sopra una nuova via di redenzione!…
Aspetterà ch’io torni…
E passeranno i giorni,
E passeranno i giorni,
ed io non tornerò…
ed io non tornerò…
Minnie, della mia vita mio solo fiore,
Minnie, che m’hai voluto tanto bene!…
Tanto bene!
Ah, tu della mia vita mio solo fior!
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Let her believe I’m far away and free
Ahead to a new life of redemption!…
She will wait for me to return…
And the days will pass,
And the days will pass,
and I would not be coming back..
and I would not be coming back..
Minnie, the only flower of my life,
Minnie, you who love me so much!…
So much!
Ah, you’re the only flower of my life!
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[edit] References
- ^ Osborne, Charles (1982). The complete operas of Puccini: a critical guide. De Capo Press. p. 195.
- ^ Sadie, Stanley; Laura Williams Macy. The Grove book of operas.
[edit] External links
