“Medea” – Act 1

ACT ONE

Near Creon’s palace, in sight of the sea, at Corinth. In the background the ship Argo rides at anchor. First Maidservant What? Now that Love crowns your sighs, is there still such deep sadness in your eyes? Come now, rejoice in our merriment. Heaven will bestow on you its sweet favours. Second Maidservant Tomorrow, when in the sky, dawns over our happy native soil accompanies the sun, Hymen and Eros will captivate the heart of him who loves and adores you. Chorus What? Now that Love crowns, etc. Glauce Alas, I would like to rejoice. But I fear tomorrow. In vain from Heaven the gods rain down the sweet joy of love upon me. In my mind now Hymen is only torment. Tomorrow Hymen will bring bitter tears to my heart!

First Maidservant Cast far from you grim premonitions, and give your heart happily to the joys of love. Your omen of bitter grief is only a thin cloud that can never veil the sunshine of such a lovely day. Maidservants, Chorus Hymen will make you forget the evil, cruel vision! Love can allay entirely the sufferings of a true heart. An illusion, a dream it was that troubled your heart. Hymen will have the power to gladden you again. Chorus So let evil doubts always be far from you. No one has ever hoped in vain who has prayed to the god of love.

Glauce I yield to your kind pleas. Dear friendship, you comfort my heart! And you, who promise me a divine destiny, o Love, be true to me, be true to a heart that hopes. O Love, come to me! Bring my sadness to an end. In you alone your faithful Glauce puts her trust. Come, pervade my senses! Come, set my heart aflame with your divine ardour! Love, kindle your fire, Love, come down within me! Because of you alone shall I be blissfully happy! Come down within me, because of you alone, yes, one day I’ll be happy. Oh, lovely fire of love, revive my senses. in your warmth I shall see evil doubt fade away. Sink down within me, come, Love, etc. Far from me for ever be the grim, deadly sorceress who chained with her spell the great heart of a hero! Grant that her rage, her presence may never cloud our love. May Hymen restore us! O Love, come to me, etc. If you come down within me, Love, all doubt will leave my heart. it is because of you alone that I still hope and no longer tremble. No, Medea cannot break the sweet ties. No, Medea shall no longer hold sway over Jason! Her fatal power is now defeated! Oh come, Love, my heart hopes only in you!

Creon (entering with Jason) No, have no fear: trust in what I say. I will protect the lives of your children. They are dear to us and still blameless. Must they pay for their mother’s sin? Glauce (to Creon) You come to me hesitantly. Waiting so long makes me suffer! Creon You know that I’ve already given Jason’s children to the Temple to be raised. Kind, warm are the hearts of my loyal people. They hate and love. And now they decree death for the vile witch. But since they cannot yet have the mother, they demand swift justice on her children. Glauce Save them, father! Creon As a tender pledge I took them one day and I will save them as a true friend. (An Argonaut enters and draws him aside to speak to him.) Jason O King, the heroes bearing the Golden Fleece, the Argonauts, pay you homage here. Pray allow us to place fine treasure as tribute at the feet of fair Glauce. (Creon and Glauce mount the throne; the Argonauts carry the Golden Fleece and a model of their ship, the Argo, in triumph.)

Chorus Oh lovely Glauce, great Jason brings you the spoils of his heroic feat. He offers you in homage his glories and his laurels with the Golden Fleece he wrested from Colchis. Glauce Ah, Colchis! Chorus ...with the Golden Fleece, etc. Oh, lovely Glauce, etc. Glauce Ah, Colchis! Fatal thought! Oh grim premonition! Jason (turning to Glauce) What do I see? What baleful thought thus dims your eyes? Creon (to Glauce) What has vexed you? Why is your face so pale?

Glauce Alas! The splendour of this heroic feat weighs heavily on my heart! Colchis is the enchanted land where the dragon was tamed! The power of Medea subdued the great monster. We shall see her arrive here soon! She will ask for Jason. She will use prayers and wiles. If her threats do not avail, the black arts of the sorceress will destroy countryside and royal palace! Jason O dear Glauce, her power is over. No, no, she cannot struggle against love. Glauce (embracing Jason) You are my protector. I shall draw courage from you in danger. Jason Now that I’ll no longer see that cruel bride who was shame and grief to me, no more can I recall my long-lasting mistake. My destiny is renewed. Marriage once brought me sorrow, now I shall have joy from marriage. Happy at your feet Jason now wishes to swear that no human power will ever tear you from him!

Creon Ah, grave doubt has afflicted my mind too: Help will come to you only from a clement Heaven. It is up to the gods to tie the sacred knot. The future of your marriage is already known to them. Nuptial divinities, household gods, watch over my children: Let your grace ever fall upon them! Do not scorn, o gods, this plea! Oh, grant that their marriage be happy, thus I too will be blissfully happy, etc. I too will be the happiest of fathers, and I shall be blissfully happy. Chorus God of Love! Sweet Hymen! Come down and gently but firmly bind us in your chains here below! God of Love, hear our praises: Tie sweet knots, Love! Glauce, Jason, Chorus Come, Hymen! Sweet Hymen! etc. Only you can set our hearts at rest! Captain of the King’s Guard (entering) Sire! A woman is at your gates: her appearance is strange and mysterious. A thick veil covers her face, her words are harsh and blunt. Creon Her name? Captain of the King’s Guard I do not know. She raised her arm threateningly! Sire! Here she comes! At last we’ll hear her speak.

(Medea appears. Her face is heavily veiled. She pauses at the entrance, looking around solemnly.) Medea Is it perhaps here that the dastard hides safely? Is it here that love brings joy to traitors? Jason Ah, that voice! Creon Who are you? Medea I? Medea! Glauce, Jason, Creon Medea! Chorus Ah, Medea! Medea People of Corinth, no! You must not tremble. Trust in me (pointing to Jason and Glauce) I am here, because of them. The Argonauts Let us chase the evil woman away!

Chorus Ah, no! Let us fly. For to stay here means disaster. (The Argonauts and the people retire in disorder. Glauce is supported by her attendants.) Medea (to Jason) Now you speak! Why do you remain silent? Have you nothing to say to me, your woman? Creon Why have you come to my kingdom? Medea With that power which my grief gives me, with my rights that they wish to take from me, because Jason is mine! Jason I am yours? I? It is true, once your witchcraft overcame me! Now I am free from you! Creon Medea, go! For your guidance, hear my will. The sun sets upon you not yet a slave. At dawn the sun can well find you a prisoner. Medea You threaten me? I can threaten too! If Jason marries Glauce, your daughter, I swear here to rob him of her and torture her so that finally she will die.

(Glauce falls into her attendants’ arms. Jason tries to comfort her.) Creon Here you must tremble, evil woman, pitiless witch! Wicked, cruel woman! Creon with his power will halt the course of your fatal arts. Guilty woman, for you now the pit of hell awaits! Tomorrow the maw of hell will swallow you up! Now you must shiver at the fate lying before you! Glauce Heaven, only you can save me! Creon For you has dawned your last day! Chorus O Heaven! Hear me pray here! You can save Glauce! Creon Your last day has come! Evil, deadly woman, cruel, bitter grief, Hell is already preparing for you! For you has dawned your last fatal day! Tremble now, etc. (Creon leaves with Glauce and her women.)

Medea You are silent, Jason, and stare fixedly at the ground? A bitter struggle rages within you, your new and old loves wage war inside. Jason Enough! One day I betrayed myself, that day I vowed to love you! I was false to my valour and trampled my honour in the mud! Medea Your words are lying and cruel – unworthy of Jason! Do you remember the day, the first time you saw me? We dreamt of heavenly joys on earth, joined together by a sacred, eternal love! Did I not then guard your safety? Did I not shatter the arrogance of your enemies? And did I not scorn a royal hand to give myself to you? And sacrifice my own brother to save you? Jason, listen! Hear me out yet! The mother of your children you see defeated and distressed, made wretched by you, yet rejected by you. You know how much she loved you once, cruel one, she was once dear to you, cruel man, etc. Alone here, unloved, cast out, sorrowful, if you had come to me I would be kind again, etc.

I would be compassionate! My heart did not know terrible passions; I passed the night in sweet dreams. Day shone serenely upon me. I was happy then, I had a father, a cosy home, I gave everything up for you. Come back as my husband! Cruel one, I want only you, Medea is begging you here, Medea will kneel at your feet! Have pity! For all the love I bore you. Come back to me, come back as my husband, etc. Come back again! Have pity! Jason Threats, prayers, grief are fruitless here! Away from here! Creon has threatened you. Heed his words! Dawn awaits me, happy at the bridal bed of Glauce, my beloved. Medea Heartless enemies, my sly rival, you wish to torment me, I call on the gods of hell to witness here my fatal oath as well as the gods of Olympus! This traitorous wedding no one will be able to bless, no, I call on the gods to witness, no one will be able to bless this traitorous wedding. This marriage, shall not be, I swear it to the gods! This marriage shall not be!

Jason O gods, thwart her deadly threats. Defend the king ever from her vengeance! O gods, always keep safe both palace and sacred soil! Medea, Jason Oh, fatal Golden Fleece, bitter glory of triumph, how much blood, how many tears you have cost me already! Medea To make the ungrateful man whom I loathe, suffer, inspire me, o Colchis, with your cruellest horrors! Jason Fatal witch, go, cruel woman rejected by my heart, begone, away from here! Your punishment awaits you. Medea Must I fly? Jason Go away from here!

Medea Must I fly? Jason You will be repaid, etc. Begone! Medea Ah, must I fly? Fly? If this is her destiny, cruel man, Medea, in leaving, will tear your heart out! Cruel one! Jason, Medea Oh, fatal Golden Fleece, etc. Jason The king is powerful, you must fear his anger! Corinth and her king o gods, may they be saved for ever! Medea Never will dawn for you your wedding-day! Bitter glory of triumph, o fatal Golden Fleece! Medea, Jason O you, fatal Fleece, you are to cost great distress. Noble, fatal courage of heroes will cost great suffering. O fatal Golden Fleece!