“Jenůfa”
by Leoš Janáček libretto (English)
| Characters |
| Grandmother Buryjovka (a life-tenant and housekeeper at the mill) — Mezzo-soprano or Contralto Laca Klemeň (Števa’s half-brother, Grandmother Buryjovka’s grandson) — Tenor Števa Buryja (Laca’s half-brother, Grandmother Buryjovka’s grandson) — Tenor Kostelnička Buryjovka (a widow, Grandmother Buryjovka’s daughter-in-law) — Soprano Jenůfa (her foster-daughter) — Soprano The Foreman — Bass The Mayor — Bass The Mayor’s Wife — Soprano or Mezzo-soprano Karolka (their daughter) — Soprano or Mezzo-soprano The Shepherdess — Contralto Barena (a maid at the mill) — Soprano Jano (a herdboy) — Soprano Aunt — Contralto Chorus of recruits, servants, girls, villagers, and musicians |
| Act One |
| Late afternoon. A lonely mill in the foothills. On the right, in front of the house, a porch supported by wooden posts. A small slope, bushes, several felled trees; in the background, a millstream. |
| Scene One |
| Jenůfa, holding a pot of rosemary, stands on a raised spot by the millstream and looks into the distance, shading her eyes with her hand. Grandmother Buryja sits in the porch, taking potatoes from a heaped basket, cutting out the eyes and tossing them into another basket. On the left, dark-haired Laca sits on a felled tree, whittling a whipstock with a knife. |
| Jenůfa (to herself) Soon it will be evening and Števa has not come back, and Števa has not come back! Dread has haunted me all through the night, and when morning came, it began again! (desperately) O Virgin Mary, if you have heard my prayer, if my lover has been taken away as a soldier and our wedding prevented, if my lover has been taken away as a soldier and our wedding prevented, shame and dishonour will drive me to damnation, to damnation! O Virgin Mary, please have mercy on me! O Virgin Mary! Grandmother Buryja Jenůfa, you’re always leaving your work and running off! Must I sit here and do all this work myself? You know quite well my poor old eyes see very badly. Laca (sarcastically) Yes, Grandmama, there are many things your eyes do not see, there are many things your eyes do not see. You have always treated me just like a common labourer whom you give food you give food for his work at the mill, for his work at the mill! I’m not yours, that I know well, not your own grandson, not your own grandson! You have always made me feel it, made me feel it, when I, a poor orphaned boy, crept up to you, while you cuddled Števa on your knee, while you cuddled Števa on your knee and stroked his hair, saying it was golden just like the sun! golden just like the sun! You ignored me, even though I was also an orphan. If you would give me... the twelve hundred that are my share, I could go wherever my eyes might lead me! |
| Jenůfa (kneeling, she turns away from the stream) Laca, you always speak to Grandmother so rudely! always so rudely to Grandmother, and then you expect her to love you! and then you expect her to love you! and then you expect her to love you! Grandmother Buryja Oh yes, yes. To him I am only a dependent here, he does not consider me mistress of the house, let alone one of the family! Laca (to Grandmother Buryja) And now you expect Jenůfa to work, when she is waiting for Števa to return from the conscription examination? Jenůfa (to herself) He sees right into a person’s heart with those penetrating eyes, right into the heart, right into the heart. I won’t even answer him – that brute. (to Grandmother Buryja) Grandmother, don’t be angry! Grandmother, don’t be angry! I’ll make up for everything, I’ll make up for everything. I remembered that my rosemary was withering, so I went to soak it in water. (with a sigh) And if it should wither – you see, Grandmother, they say that then all happiness in the world will wither, that then all happiness in the world will wither, all happiness in the world! |
| Jano (calling from the mill) Jenůfka, hey, Jenůfka, hey! I can read now, I can read now, now I’ve got it! Won’t you write another page for me? Won’t you write another page for me? (runs in) (pleading) Jenůfa Patience, patience, Jano! Wait until I go to town, I’ll bring you a book to read, and then you can read from that! I’ll teach you how to write as well, so that you may become a better person. And now off to work with you, or we’ll have Grandmother scolding us again! Jano Hey, hey, hey, hey! I can read, hey, I can read, hey! Jenůfka has taught me! Grandmother Buryja (more mildly) That is what you enjoy! Yes, my girl, that is what you enjoy! Barena you’ve taught to read as well! You’ve a man’s common sense like your foster-mother; you should have been a teacher. Jenůfa (sighing) Ah, but my common sense, Granny dear, has long since fallen somewhere into the mill stream. Ah, but my common sense, Granny dear, has fallen somewhere into the mill stream. |
| Scene Two |
| The Foreman passes by; toward the end, the Kostelnička appears. |
| The Foreman (in town clothes whitened with flour, he comes along and stops by Laca) What are you doing, Laca? That should make a fine whipstock! Laca My knife is so blunt it will take me hours to get it finished! Sharpen it for me! The Foreman (takes a whetstone from his pocket and sharpens the knife) I’ll sharpen it! (Meanwhile, Laca knocks Jenůfa’s kerchief from her head with the end of the whipstock.) Jenůfa (without turning round) Is that you, Laca? Have you always been such a wild one?... Laca If it had been Števa who’d done that, you wouldn’t have minded? Jenůfa He would never do it... He would never do it. Laca See, you wouldn’t have minded? Because you are always getting so close to him! Jenůfa (She goes into the house through the porch; after a while she comes out again, sits down by the basket and diligently cuts out the potato eyes.) What business is it of yours? Mind your own business! What business is it of yours? Mind your own business! |
| Laca (to the Foreman, watching Jenůfa as she goes off) She’ll make a charming sister-in-law, she’ll have all sorts of good things in store for me! The Foreman Yes, she’s a nice-looking girl, enough to turn your head. She carries herself like a poppy, like a poppy head, and with those grey eyes of hers she could draw the soul right out of your body. Yes, she’s a nice-looking girl! Enough to turn your head! But why am I telling you all this? You’ve felt the power of those eyes yourself! Jenůfa (jumping for joy and kissing Grandmother Buryja) He’s not taken, thank God, he’s not taken, dearest Grandma! Laca (jumping up) And they call that justice! Laca (scornfully) I… I… You could see for yourself just how much I love her! She was grieving here over her rosemary. She doesn’t know that I buried worms in the soil around it, so that it will wither, just like her wedding to Števa, the one they’re preparing for. |
| Laca He’s not taken! And they dare to call this justice! A fellow strong as an ox! He’s not taken! The Foreman Look here, Laca, that’s what I find so strange, what is it that makes you, makes you so aggressive? Come now, don’t deny it, you’re not really so hard-hearted. And I’ve often noticed that when Jenůfa’s here, you are different. Kostelnička (enters) Števa’s not been taken? Števa’s not been taken? Laca Stupid talk! Go about your business! But, Foreman, he still hasn’t, he still hasn’t. If they took him today at the conscription examination, there’ll be no wedding... there’ll be no wedding. The Foreman He’s not taken! He’s not taken! I met the messenger; only nine altogether were recruited... and Števa wasn’t! Grandmother Buryja and the Foreman He’s not taken? He’s always had luck on his side! |
| Jenůfa (kissing Grandmother Buryja) He’s not taken! My dear Grandmother! Jenůfa (hurries to kiss her foster mother’s hand and then runs back to her work) Welcome! Welcome, Mother! (Laca silently takes off his hat and continues working on the whipstock.) The Foreman Here, your knife; it doesn’t seem to take an edge very well. (Kostelnička enters the house. The Foreman greets her and goes into the house.) |
| Scene Three |
| Jenůfa, Grandmother Buryja and Chorus. |
| Grandmother Buryja (about to go in after Kostelnička) What about you, Jenůfa, won’t you go in to your mother? Jenůfa For God’s sake, Grandma... don’t send me in to her! For God’s sake, Grandma, for God’s sake, Grandma, don’t send me in to her! don’t send me... Grandmother Buryja You’re acting strangely, child! |
| Scene Four |
| Jenůfa, Laca, Števa, the Foreman, later Kostelnička and Chorus. The recruits’ chorus and the band are heard offstage. |
| Recruits (offstage) They’re all getting married, they’re afraid of soldiering, but I shall not be wed, I’m not afraid of soldiering! If a man is rich, he can buy himself out of the army, but poor fellow that I am, I must be a soldier. If a man is rich, he can buy himself out of the army, but poor fellow that I am, I must be a soldier. Laca and Chorus And a rich man can buy himself out of the army. Števa (red-haired, with a lock of hair falling over his forehead, tipsy and unsteady on his feet, he raises his flower-bedecked hat high above his head) and no more courting, and no more courting, and no more courting, and I must be a soldier... and no more courting, and no more courting! (Kostelnička appears in the doorway of the house.) Jenůfa Števuško! |
🎼
Continue reading
You’re viewing a preview of this translation.
Create a free account to save your place and manage access.
Register freeAlready have an account? Log in
To read the complete translation:
Unlock this opera — $3.99 one-time
Full access to all operas — $5/month