"don Juan Triumphant" (scene 7) Lyrics

(The set of the final scene of "Don Juan TRIUMPHANT" A huge hall with an arch. Behind the arch, which has curtains, is a bed. A fine table, laid for two. PASSARINO, DON JUAN'S servant, is directing the STAFF as they make the room ready. They are a crowd of sixteenth century ruffians and hoydens, proud of their master's reputation as a libertine)



CHORUS



Here the sire may serve the dam,

here the master takes his meat!

Here the sacrificial lamb

utters one despairing bleat!



CARLOTTA AND CHORUS



Poor young maiden! For the thrill

on your tongue of stolen sweets

you will have to pay the bill -

tangled in the winding sheets!



Serve the meal and serve the maid!

Serve the master so that, when

tables, plans and maids are laid,

Don Juan triumphs once again!



(SIGNOR PIANGI, as Don Juan, emerges from behind the arch. MEG, a gypsy dancer pirouettes coquettishly for him.He throws her a purse. She catches it and leaves)



DON JUAN



Passarino, faithful friend,

once again recite the plan.



PASSARINO



Your young guest believes I'm you -

I, the master, you, the man.



DON JUAN



When you met you wore my cloak,

with my scarf you hid your face.

She believes she dines with me,

in her master's borrowed place!

Furtively, we'll scoff and quaff,

stealing what, in truth, is mine.

When it's late and modesty

starts to mellow, with the wine . . .



PASSARINO



You come home! I use your voice -

slam the door like crack of doom!



DON JUAN



I shall say: "come - hide with me!

Where, oh, where? Of course - my room!"



PASSARINO



Poor thing hasn't got a chance!



DON JUAN



Here's my hat, my cloak and sword.

Conquest is assured,

if I do not forget myself and laugh . . .



(DON JUAN puts on PASSARINO's cloak and goes into the curtained alcove where the bed awaits. Although we do not yet know it, the Punjab Lasso has done its work, and SIGNOR PIANGI is no more. When next we see DON JUAN, it will be the PHANTOM. Meanwhile, we hear AMINTA (CHRISTINE) singing happily in the distance)



AMINTA (CHRISTINE - offstage, entering)



". . . no thoughts

within her head,

but thoughts of joy!

No dreams

within her heart

but dreams of love!"



PASSARINO (onstage)



Master?



DON JUAN (PHANTOM - behind the curtain)



Passarino - go away!

For the trap is set and waits for its prey . . .



(PASSARINO leaves. CHRISTINE (AMINTA) enters. She takes off her cloak and sits down. Looks about her. No one. She starts on an apple. The PHANTOM, disguised as DON JUAN pretending to be PASSARINO, emerges. He now wears PASSARINO's robe, the cowl of which hides his face. His first words startle her)



DON JUAN (PHANTOM)



You have come here

in pursuit of

your deepest urge,

in pursuit of

that wish,

which till now

has been silent,

silent . . .



I have brought you,

that our passions

may fuse and merge -

in your mind

you've already

succumbed to me

dropped all defences

completely succumbed to me -

now you are here with me:

no second thoughts,

you've decided,

decided . . .



Past the point

of no return -

no backward glances:

the games we've played

till now are at

an end . . .

Past all thought

of "if" or "when" -

no use resisting:

abandon thought,

and let the dream

descend . . .



What raging fire

shall flood the soul?

What rich desire

unlocks its door?

What sweet seduction

lies before

us . . .?



Past the point

of no return,

the final threshold -

what warm,

unspoken secrets

will we learn?

Beyond the point

of no return . . .



AMINTA (CHRISTINE)



You have brought me

to that moment

where words run dry,

to that moment

where speech

disappears

into silence,

silence . . .



I have come here,

hardly knowing

the reason why . . .

In my mind,

I've already

imagined our

bodies entwining

defenceless and silent -

and now I am

here with you:

no second thoughts,





I've decided,

decided . . .



Past the point

of no return -

no going back now:

our passion-play

has now, at last,

begun . . .

Past all thought

of right or wrong -

one final question:

how long should we

two wait, before

we're one . . .?



When will the blood

begin to race

the sleeping bud

burst into bloom?

When will the flames,

at last, consume

us . . .?



BOTH



Past the point

of no return

the final threshold -

the bridge

is crossed, so stand

and watch it burn . . .

We've passed the point

of no return . . .



(By now the audience and the POLICE have realised that SIGNOR PIANGI is dead behind the curtain, and it is the PHANTOM who sings in his place. CHRISTINE knows it too. As final confirmation, the PHANTOM sings)



PHANTOM



Say you'll share with

me one

love, one lifetime . . .

Lead me, save me

from my solitude . . .



(He takes from his finger a ring and holds it out to her. Slowly she takes it and puts it on her finger.)



Say you want me

with you,

here beside you . . .

Anywhere you go

let me go too -

Christine

that's all I ask of . . .



(We never reach the word 'you', for CHRISTINE quite calmly reveals the PHANTOM'S face to the audience. As the FORCES OF LAW close in on the horrifying skull, the PHANTOM sweeps his cloak around her and vanishes.



MEG pulls the curtain upstage, revealing PIANGI'S body garotted, propped against the bed, his head gruesomely tilted to one side. She screams.)



TRANSFORMATION TO:



REVERSE VIEW OF THE STAGE

(POLICE, STAGEHANDS, etc. rush onto the stage in confusion. Also: ANDRE, FIRMIN, RAOUL, GIRY, CARLOTTA and MEG)



CARLOTTA



What is it? What has happened? Ubaldo!



ANDRE



Oh, my God . . . my God . . .



FIRMIN



We're ruined, Andre - ruined!



GIRY (to RAOUL)



Monsieur le Vicomte! Come with me!



CARLOTTA (rushing over to PIANGI's body)



Oh, my darling, my darling . . . who has done

this ...?



(Hysterical, attacking ANDRE)



You! Why did you let this happen?



(She breaks down, as PIANGI's body is carried off on a stretcher)



GIRY



Monsieur le Vicomte, I know where they are.



RAOUL



But can I trust you?



GIRY



You must. But remember: your hand at the level of

your eyes!



RAOUL



But why . . .?



GIRY



Why? The Punjab lasso, monsieur. First Buquet. Now Piangi.



MEG (holding up her hand)



Like this, monsieur. I'll come with you.



GIRY



No, Meg! No, you stay here!



(To RAOUL)



Come with me, monsieur. Hurry, or we shall be too

late . . .