what a serene day the sky foretells! let us celebrate it in our song. let the echoes from this shore lift our songs into the air! through our labours, let us do homage to the creator of the universe. come quickly into my little boat shy young lass. here is the abode
of the pleasure that calls you. i am leaving the shore. lisbeth, sail with me. ah, come! the cloudless sky promises us a fine day. in his elation he extols his pleasures, his mistress. he is not tormented by the weariness of spiritthat afflicts me.
how burdensome is life! we no longer have a fatherland! he sings, and helvetiamourns her lost freedom. flowers wreathe her head.- his foolhardy courage their secret power- invites shipwreck warding off the storm- and, defying the storm assures us a safe return.- thinks only of his return. and you, lonely lake- if he directed his course witness to a sweet mystery- towards the dreaded reef
do not tell the land- a death-song, to be sure the secret of love!- would follow his songs of love! from the mountainswe hear the signal for rest. the country festivitycuts short our labours. this rustic festival,unbeknown to the master's eye will let us acknowledgethe sweet land of our birth. greetings, honour, homageto the virtuous melcthal! the shepherds' festival,according to ancient custom out of three young loversmakes three happy husbands.
lovers, husbands!ah, what thoughts beset me! blessed by you. by the? you will pronounce a blessing on us all. it is the sacred privilegeof age and virtue and a sweet portentof the favours of heaven. shepherds, let your voices unite! let the horns resound far and wide! all of you celebrateon this glorious day
work, marriage and love... with the joyous songs that resound let our gentler tones unite! let us too celebrate, by turns work, marriage and love! let us all celebrateon this glorious day by the roaring torrentslet the horns answer each other! and the echo from these hills,holding back our songs will repeat their sweet soundsto the forests and valleys!
let us celebrate through our gameslove and its passions. let us celebrate through our gamesmarriage and its bonds. through our songs and our gameslet us celebrate the sweet bonds of the loving shepherds and fly to them! let my lonely roof offer you a protectiveshelter against the heat of the day! it is there that my ancestors lived in peace that i escape from the tyrants,that i conceal from their eyes the happiness of being a husband,the happiness of being a father.
the happiness of being a father! you hear him, o my son it is the supreme blessing. will you always disappointthe wish of my old age? the shepherds' festival on this glad day,through a triple bond is going to consecratethe marriage vow but not yours! he talks of marriage, but never mine! oh that i may keep to myself
the secret of my disastrous obsession! you, whose brow aspires to the diadem o mathilde, i love you! i love you, and i betray duty and honour,my father and my country! against the deadly avalanche my strength served to shield you. i saved you.you, the daughter of kings. you whom a perfidious powerdestines to rule over us!
drunk with a mad hope my insane youth has wastedits blood for ungrateful masters. to have known under themthe glory of battle that is my shame! but then, my tears have wiped it out. let us not restore itthrough a fatal love. but what's this noise? the horn of the tyrantsspewed out by germany sounds on the mountain.
gessler is there;mathilde accompanies him. i must see her again,hear her voice again. let us be both happy and guilty! where are you going? what's troubling you so? the approach of a frienddoesn't stop you? nc)! why are you trembling? shall i have the courage to dissemble?
under the burden of slavery what great heart is not cast down? i should understand woes that i share. arnold has not answered me. could i be more wretched? wretched? he's hiding a secret from me. why do you remain silent?- what are you hoping for? to restore to your heartstrength and virtue... arnold!
ah, mathilde, my soul's idol must i then subdue my passion? i can read his heart... o my fatherland! he reddens at his error.- to you my heart sacrifices... if by serving tyranny he was a traitorto his country, - ...both love... at least his remorse expiates a momentof dishonour. - ...and happiness! for us no more servile fear;let us be men, and we shall conquer! and how shall we avenge our indignities?
all unjust power is weak. against foreign masterswhat can sustain us? danger. we face only one, they a thousand. think of the blessings you may lose! i care not! what glory can youhope to gain from defeat? i'm none too sure what glory is... but i do know the weight of fetters.
then you hope...- for victory. you too, i need to believe it. we should be free?- such is my vow. but where shall we fight?- here. defeated, what will be our refuge?- the grave. and our avenger?- god! when the hour of danger sounds,friend, i shall be ready. stay! o fatal mischance!
melcthal! melcthal! what do i hear? it's gessler! what! while he still defies uswould you, a willing slave crave the favour of a scornful glance? what harsh words!for me they're an insult. i shall confront the insolentoppressor as he passes. no rash enterprise. think of your father, he must be protected.think of your country, it must be avenged. my father!
he wavers... my country! he turns pale! my love! what then is this secrecy?- what must i do? o heaven, you knowhow dear mathilde is to me but to virtue i yield. hatred and woe betide our tyrants! listen to those wedding-songsin the distance!
let's not cast a gloomover the shepherds' festival. let's not mingle tearswith their pleasures and for one day at least- let me hide my tears let a people escape its woes.- from his eyes. i owe no more, save to our woes. o heaven, you knowhow dear mathilde is to me... he will fight in our ranks.- ...but to virtue i yield. over our heads the sun shines and seems to halt in midcourse
to witness the family festival. venerable melcthal,honour of bygone days it is for you to blesstheir chaste love. o sky, the world's adornment,- they're to be united. how happy they are! cause a sweet augury to shine for them!- their vows have heaven's blessing! for their love is as pure- pure delight! as your light on a fine day!- o chaste love! you represent our ancient virtues. remember, young shepherds,that switzerland, watching over you
asks of your marriagesupport and vengeance. o faithful companionsof these young men of the mountains their descendants sleep withinyour chaste breasts. may you have many sons. your fertilityis the wealth of the land. gessler again! i must follow mathilde! gessler forbids such vows. listen to the tyrant!
listen: he tells youyou have no homeland now. that the source of the generous blood that raged within our ancestors' hearts has forever run dry. a people without valourdoes not produce valiant offspring. what would you bequeath your sons? the fetters that have bruised your arms? women, banish your husbandsfrom your beds! there are already slaves enough!
what emotions lie behind this outburst? is the day nigh for youto give them free rein? perhaps ah, if only he would soon appear! i cannot see arnold any more... he has left us. he has run away from me. in vain does he hide from mewhatever trouble is pursuing him. i must go and question him;you, go on with the festivities.
you fill me with icy fearand then speak of festivities! let the celebrations hide the soundof the storm from the tyrants! smother it in joyful songs. they must know nothing of ituntil it breaks above their heads! hymen, your day of joy dawns for us. your glorious day dawns for us. these happy couples are enviousof the crowns that you give. with joy and tendernesstheir youth grows in beauty. above our heads the storms are hushed.
everything tells us... through your flames, in our soulsyou proclaim our hope. your rapture unceasingly joinstenderness to duty. glory, honour to tell's son,he gains the prize for skill! ah, mother! o moment of rapture! he gains the prize for skill:he inherits it from his father. glory! glory! for us, children of nature,the simple fustian garb
takes the place of the armourthat protects the warriors. but to the mark that summons itour arrow is true and with it hope revives in our homes. mother, a herdsman comes hurrying towards us,pale and trembling, hardly able to support himself. it's the worthy leuthold.what misfortune brings him to us? save me! save me! what do you fear?- their anger. leuthold, what power threatens you? the only one that has never shown mercy
the cruellest, the most dreadful of all... o my friends, save me from its blows! what have you done?- my duty. out of all my family heaven left meonly one child, only one daughter. an impious supporter of the governor a soldier, carried her off,my last remaining blessing! hedwige, i am a father,and i had to protect her. my axe was not slowto find his forehead. you see this blood? it is his.
he had a father's courage but we must fear thetyrant's wrath for him. a sure refuge waits for meon the other bank. take me there. this torrent, that rock,allow no approach to the opposite bank. to brave this dangermeans certain death. ah, barbarian, may you in your last hour find god deaf to your remorse,as you are to my entreaty! arnold has vanished.i could not catch him.
leuthold, woe betide you!- great god! i implore your protection! i hear threats and lamenting. william, fate overwhelms me, i am pursued, i am not at all guilty. yet i die if i do not escape at once. there is only one way for my safety. your boat is there, fisherman,you hear him. it's useless;he is as pitiless as the governor. he disregards heaven's law,he refuses you!
well then, follow me! murder demands blood.woe betide you, leuthold! let's make haste, there they are.farewell. you will perish. ah, never fear, hedwige. the perils are indeed great,but we have a guide up above! god of goodness, god all-powerful confound the oppressors' rage! deign to protect from shipwreck
the defender of the innocent! this is the hour of justice! woe betide the murderer - let him die! he is saved! what do i see? o fury! he has made the fearful crossing. i recognise god's handiwork. their joy is a new outrage;slaves, woe betide you all! what insolence!
why does my agenot serve my anger better? over our heads the storm rumbles. let's away! stay! there is morethan one guilty person. who lent his help to the murderer? name the traitor -your lives are at stake. they're going to talk...terror overwhelms them. obey. your lives are at stake.
virgin, whom christians adore hear our voices, they implore thee. i see them all begin to tremble. protect from the evil-doers' sword our husbands and our children! we should have done as he did. friends, calm your terror. he dared to act,do you dare to keep silent! he dares to act,let us dare to keep silent!
tremble, tremble!name the traitor, speak! tell the tyrant that this soilsupports no informers. seize this daring fellowwho defies our governor. let the horror of devastation andpillage lie heavy upon this shore! shame and misery are the rewardthat my wrath bequeaths to misfortune! if the horror of devastation and pillagelies heavy upon this shore vile mercenary, my father's bowcan shield us from your fury! what wild harmonysounds with the horns! the cry of the dying chamoisblends with the noise of the torrent.
is there any greater pleasurethan hearing his dying breath? the fury of the stormholds nothing more intoxicating. what is that noise? into the midst of the shining waterthe sun glides down. from the snow-crowned mountainsthe brightness vanishes. the village bell sounds ordering our return. night is here, night is here. the shepherds' monotonous tonesstill follow us.
the governor's horn sounds night has fallen! they're going away at last;i thought i saw him. my heart did not deceive my eyes. he has followed me here,he is somewhere nearby. i tremble - if he were to appear! what is this deep, mysterious feeling whose warmth i nurture,that maybe i cherish? arnold, arnold, is it really you
a simple inhabitant of these fields the hope, the pride of these mountains who captivate my thoughtsand cause my terror? ah, that i might at leastadmit it to myself? melcthal, it is you whom i love.you saved my life and my gratitude... ...excuses my love. gloomy forest,sad and wild wilderness i prefer you tothe splendours of palaces.
it is on the hills,in the dwelling-place of the storm that my heart can be restored to peace and the echo alonewill learn my secrets. gentle and shy star of the shepherd you whose light falls upon my footsteps ah, be also my star and guide! like him your rays are discreet and the echo alonewill repeat my secrets. my presence here perhaps offends you?
mathilde, my indiscreet footsteps have dared to forcea way through to you. one easily pardons the wrongsin which one shares. arnold, i was waiting for you. that answer in whichyour soul breathes i feel all too stronglythat pity inspires it in you. you pity my error. i offend you by loving you. how hideous is my destiny!
is mine any the happier? i must speak, i must, in this moment so cruel and so sweet -so dangerous, perhaps that fearful mathildemay learn to know me. i dare to say it with a noble pride for you heaven called me into being. i have weighed the dangerof a fatal prejudice. it rises up between us in all its power. i can respect it,but only in your absence.
mathilde, order me to fleefar from your sight to give up my country and my father to go and die on foreign soil to choose for a tomb uninhabited shores pronounce on my fate, say a word. stay. yes, you wring from my heart this secret my eyes have betrayed. i cannot stifle my passion
though it might destroy us both! so it has come from her heart this secret her eyes have betrayed! her passion responds to mine but what a distance between us what obstacles on all sides! ah, do not lose hope. everything raises you in my eyes. sweet admission!this tender way you speak
makes my heart drunk with delight! i can love him, everything foretells days of happiness by his side. i love him dearly, everything foretells yes, i love you. i love him dearly, a good omen promises me happiness. what ecstasies for my heart! return to the fields of glory
fly on to new exploits. one is ennobled by victory. the world will approve my choice. may i earn on the fields of glory the prize which awaits me on my return. can i doubt victory when i obey love? in the one who loves you/whom i love yes, it is honour itself
that rules. mathilde, ever faithful will come to your/my tent to receive your/my faith. arnold, someone's coming. heaven! walter and william, ah! flee their presence! you weren't alone here? well?
we fear to disturbsuch a sweet conversation. i do not inquire into your intentions. more than any other,you should seek to know them. no... what do they matter to melcthalif he is deserting our ranks if he secretly aspiresto serve our tyrants? who told you so? your agitation,and mathilde and her flight. i'm being spied on, and by you? yes, by me.
your conduct yesterday castsuspicion into my troubled heart. but if i love... great god! and if i am loved?your suspicions? would be correct. my love? is impious. mathilde? she is our enemy.
she was born among our oppressors. and basely melcthalprostrates himself before her! but what right have youfor your blind fury? our rights? a wordwill tell you them all. do you really know what it isto love one's fatherland? you speak of 'fatherland',we no longer have one. i am leaving this shoreinhabited by discord and hatred and fear worthy daughters of slavery. i hasten into battleto regain my honour.
when helvetia is a field of tortureswhere they harvest its children let your arms be gessler's accomplices,fight and die for our tyrants! the camps restore my courage. in the camps loyalty reigns already glory has markedmy passage there and replaces freedom. on your account, gessler, as a prelude tobattle, has cut short an old man's life. this victim awaits his funeral rites,he has claims on your help. ah, what a dreadful mystery!
an old man, you say? whom switzerland reveres. his name? i must conceal it. to speak would strike at your heart. my father...- yes, your father. melcthal, the honour of our hamlets your father, assassinated bythe hand of executioners! what do i hear!
o crime! alas! i'm dying. his life that they dared to outlaw i did not protect it! my father, you must have cursed me! my heart is torn by remorse! o heaven, o heaven!i shall see you no more! he shudders...- he reels...
...he scarcely breathes. he turns pale, remorse rends him all the ties of love are broken. his terror replaces his frenzy his unhappiness willrestore his virtues to him! so it is true! i witnessed the crime. you? i saw the victim struggle and fall.
great god! what must i do?- your duty. must i die?- you must live! well then, against gesslerassist my despair. will you follow me into altdorf? restrain the wild passionsto which your soul gives way. stay, and avenge both your fatherand your country. go on! the night, favourable to our plans already surrounds uswith protective darkness.
you will see, in these partsthat gessler believes submissive courageous friends rise up on all sides. they will understand your tears. out of ploughshares they beat weapons to win a worthy destiny. independence or death! let us fire ourselveswith a holy frenzy! liberty conspires for us. from the heavensmy/your father inspires us.
let us avenge him,let's weep for him no more. when he dies for his country his glorious destiny seems to tell us that it was for the palms of martyrdomto crown so many virtues! i hear a sound coming from the depths of the forest. listen! silence! i hear footstepsresounding in the forest.
the sound draws nearer... who is it? friends of the fatherland! o joy! o vengeance! honour to their presence! we have successfully faced and overcomeboth perils and distance. neither floods nor forestcould hold us back. under the escort of prudence
our daring has brought usthrough to rã¼tli. o courageous sonsof the canton of unterwalden this noble alacrityin no way surprises us. others will imitate it. i hear the horn ofour brothers of schwyz. o my country,be proud of your children! in these times of griefa foreign race spying upon our sorrow,condemns us to secrecy. may this lonely wood
be sole witness to our tears. the fear of such greatmisfortunes is pardonable but have faith in my hope,their hearts will respond to ours. we regret the absence ofthe canton of uri alone. to put their pursuers off their scent,the better to hide our sacred conspiracies our brothers are rowingacross the water a route that will not betray them. the promise is followedby swift results, do you not hear? who goes there?
honour to those who uphold our rights! william, as you see,three peoples at your call proud of their rights,will defy an infamous yoke. speak, and the brave wordsthat spring from your heart will fire our sensesin shafts of flame! the avalanche rolling downfrom our mountain tops hurling death upon our fields encloses within its flanksevils less ravenous than those sown byour oppressors as they march.
hereafter, it is we who with courage must purge this shoreof detested masters. friends, against this infamous yokehumanity protests in vain. our oppressors are triumphant. a slave has no wife,a slave has no children! this suffering is too great;what must we do? avenge the death of my father! melcthal! what was his crime? his crime? he loved his fatherland!
abominable, sacrilegious murder! let us at last be worthyof the blood from which we spring. in darkness and in silence with sword and lancearm the three cantons. by the lake, when the beaconsof vengeance burn will you help us? have no doubt of it, yes, all of us. ready to conquer?- yes, all of us! ready to die?- yes, all of us!
let the loyal clasping of our hands confirm these sacred promises. let us swear, let us swearby the danger we face by our grief, by our ancestors to the god of kings and shepherds to resist our unjust masters. if there are traitors among us may the sun refuse the light of his torch to their eyes
heaven refuse to hear their prayer and the earth refuse them a tomb! day is here! for us it is a signal of alarm. of victory! what cry do we give in response? to arms! arnold, why such despair? is this the tender farewelli was hoping to hear?
you are leaving, but soon we shallbe able to see each other again. no, i stay where aterrible duty chains me. i stay to avenge my father. what are you hoping for? it is blood i hope for. i renounce the favours of fate. i renounce all that i love. glory you yourself!
me, melcthal? my father is dead.he fell beneath the murderous sword. god! do you know who brandished the steel? ah, i shudder! go on! your consternation hasnamed him: gessler! gessler! all hope for our love is over. when my life has scarcely begun
i lose my happiness for ever! yes, melcthal, a barbarian'scrime separates us my wandering reasonhas understood your grief. braving the servitude of fate,in vain have i given you my faith. what loneliness in my court! you will no longer be near me. finally, to complete my misery a crime deprives you of a father and i cannot mourn him with you!
destiny, despite your rage this sad heart will always harbour the image of my liberator. what noise reaches my ear? singing? shouts? gessler rouses himself. daylight returns him to his crimes. these songs herald thepreparations for a warlike festival.
flee from the governor's palace. his joy is always deadly. flee, if ever i was dear to you! i, flee! though upon a foreign shore i cannot offer to your misery my consoling attentions my soul follows you completely. it is faithful to your misfortunes.
these songs drown your prayer! their joy insults my grief! do you hear them? do you hear them? ah, take pity on my tears! i think of my father! by renouncing our love- by renouncing my love we give him more than our lives.- i give him more than my life. farewell, melcthal!- farewell, mathilde! farewell for ever!
glory to the supreme power! awe to gessler, who dispenses its laws! yes, it is the emperor himself who hurls vile curseswith his terrible voice. peace to the power we love! let us hope for mathilde's laws! what need is there for a diadem? love is a supreme power,equal to that of kings. vainly in their insolence
do the people defy my vengeance they must submit to my rule. before this sign of power let everyone bow down in silence as he bows before me! let the german empire todayreceive the pledge of your obedience! for a century now its powerhas deigned to sustain your weakness. on that day, our rights,sealed by victory were extended over your ancestors.
through your songs and your games celebrate the memoryof such a glorious day such is my will! you whom the birdwould not follow! ah! ah! fit your steps to our tunes! ah! ah! in our fieldsthe sons of the mountains will teach your stepsto their partners. you who are not, ah, ah! of these climes, ah, ah!
to our frosts, ah, ah! you will return. ah! ah! insolent fellow, bow down! you may demean these peopleby taking strength from their weakness but i refuse to recognise the lawthat would force a base action from me. governor, your law is being defied. what rash fellow dares infringe it? i recognise him; it is william tell! it is the traitor who rescued themurderer leuthold from our blows.
seize him! it's that redoubtable archer. it's that intrepid boatman. no misguided pity;he is my prisoner. may he be the last! such arrogance wearies me;the thunder gathers. let it pass over youand you will submit! what excess of audacity!- what excess of audacity! he defies, he threatens.- such arrogance wearies me.
come, no mercy,- no, no mercy let's disarm him.- disarm him. mortal disgrace! hope of my line o you whom i embrace run far away from here! see, fear strikes him- let your fear vanish, my place is here. he's afraid of death.- for mercy's sake let me die in your arms! no mercy for him!
he goes quickly to his death. go home to your mother, i order it. let the fire blaze out on our hilltops and give the three cantonsthe signal for battle! stop! their tenderness inspires my vengeance. answer, you who dare to defy me,is this your child? the only one. you want to save him?
to save him? what is his crime? his parentage, your speeches,your schemings, your culpable insolence. i alone have defied you,it is i who must be punished. his pardon is in your hands,and you can obtain it. you are celebrated everywhereas a skilful archer. have this apple placedupon the son's head. with one sure arrow you willlift it off before my eyes. or you will both of you perish. what are you saying?
such is my will. my mind is wandering. how dread a decree you would order on my son,you barbarian! no, the crime is too great. ah! you have no child! there is a god, gessler! a master. he hears us!
you dally too long, yield instantly. i cannot. let his son die! stop! abominable decree! you triumph over my weakness. the threat to jemmy forces me to yield gessler. and i bend my knee before you. look at the redoubtable archer.
look at the intrepid boatman! fear overwhelms him, a word crushes him. this punishment at least is just. you punish me forhaving forgotten myself. father, think of your skill. ah, i fear my love too much. reach out your hand. feel my heart. faced with your arrowit will beat fearlessly.
ah, let your soul be at ease. heaven and the rights of nature will speak to him on our behalf. see his suffering,think of my age. you want him to take aim at his son! you may be inflicting your wrathon a child but he has placed his couragewithin my breast. and if to appease your anger death is to be my lot
dealt by his hand, it will be sweet. the target is ready, the ordeal agreed before you now i pray for it to come. the death of my imaginationwill smile upon my youth. i await the ordeal with courage shedding tears, i bless you and i recover my strengthfrom your breast. the calm in your hearthas steadied my hand. no more weakness,no more alarms.
give me back my weapons. i am william tell after all! tie up the child! tie me up? what an insult! no, no, free at least shall i die. i expose my head tothe fatal shot without murmur and shall await it without blanching. what! the accents of innocencedo not disarm his vengeance? courage, father!
at the sound of his voicemy hand lets slip my weapons my eyes are clouded by dangerous tears... my son! let me embrace himone last time. stay quite still and bend an imploring kneeto the ground. call upon god it is he alone, my child who through the son can save the father. stay like that,but look up at the sky.
in threatening this beloved head this steel tip may startle your eyes. the slightest movement... jemmy, think of your mother! she waits for us both! victory! father! his life is saved! heaven!
what! the apple shot away! the apple has been shot away,william is triumphant! o fury! my life is saved:could my father sacrifice his child? i can no longer see. i can hardly stand up. is it really you, my son? i am overcome by happiness. ah! let us help my father!
he has escaped my hatred. what do i see? ah! i have savedmy dearest treasure! for whom did you intend this arrow? for you, gessler! tremble! i'm no longer afraid. rodolphe, have him shackled! what did i hear? atrocious sacrifice!
must we still fear for them? they must both of them perish. i shall not cut short suchmiserable lives, i have promised it. but both are guilty and both in fetters shall await death. what! his son? a child!my lord, you must hear me. the order has been given.it cannot be rescinded. the son too! you will not have him, no!
in the name of the sovereigni take him into my protection. with a whole indignantpeople looking on at you dare to snatch him from my arms! submit: at least we still have william. blessed assistance,celestial benevolence! let's submit:at least we still have the father. o dear william, o dreadful fate! shackles will punish your virtue. they are muttering, do you hear them?
the prisoner's audacityhas fed their hatred. tonight, across the water,i shall take him to kussnacht. across the water;but the wind, the storm? idle fear! is not the expert boatman with me? at the castle that the lake surrounds a new torment awaits him. have mercy! learn how gessler pardons.
i abandon him to the reptiles and their dreadful hungerwill provide his tomb. o my father!- o jemmy! never! barbarian! when arrogance misleads them...- it is his own death he prepares. ...to be sparing with their bloodis to dishonour yourself with us! i take possession of his son. let him leave with us!
it is to dishonour yourself with us! people, draw backor the guilty man dies. let this blade bear witness! they stay silent. they fear my vengeance.- they fear his vengeance. cursed be gessler! such violence will be answered by the sword! to suffer such insolence,o torments of hell!
long live gessler! forsake me not,hope of vengeance! william is in chains and my impatience urges onthe moment for battle. how silent it is in this place! i listen but hear only the soundof my own footsteps. i must drive out my hidden fear! i must go in!
in spite of myselfi halt upon the threshold. my father is dead i shall not go back in there. home of my forefathers, wheremy eyes first saw the light of day only yesterday your protective shelter offered a father to my love. i call in vain, o bitter grief! i call, he no longer hears my voice! beloved walls within whichmy father dwelt
i come to see you for the last time! vengeance! what hope... i hear alarm cries. my companions,i see them hurrying this way. william is taken prisonerand we have no weapons! we all want to rescue him. arms, give us arms and we shall know how to die. william and my father long sinceforesaw the hour for battle.
under the rock, at the back of thelonely chalet, run and arm yourselves! let us run and arm ourselves! no more useless fear,no more futile tears. gessler, you will perish! for you, who deprive my loveof my father and my mistress is death enough? melcthal, let your hope revive! at last we have swords to arm us. friends, friends, assist my vengeance.
if our leader is in fettersit is our task to save him. the roads to altdorf are open. follow me: let us thwart the murderousplans of a treacherous monster. let us wrest william from his blows! let us thwart the murderous plansof a cruel and treacherous tyrant. follow me...- this task is worthy of us! ...into battle! follow me into battle!- let us follow him into battle. where are you going?your grief bewilders you.
do you not hear our enemies? i mean to see gessler:i shall follow them. and what will you obtainfrom the barbarian? death, death! i desire it. he triumphs, and i live,when i no longer have a husband when i no longer have a son! mother! i heard a voice!
that soft, loving voice... i think i hear him! it's he! it's my child! but alas! your father is not with you. he will escape his undeserved chains. trust in our aid and protection. princess! as i listened to him
i did not see you there. o noble, beloved protectress hedwige kneels before you! i give back to your loving arms a son who is worthy of you. this son, despite his youth,is a man of courage. and when i tell you that your sorrowswill soon be at an end it is but a rightful tributeoffered to your misfortune. mathilde promisesthat more peaceful days
will bless our humble homes. she is for us the image of a skyfrom which the storm has passed. and when she tells us that our sorrowswill soon be at an end hope takes up her wordsand comes to dry our tears. what! by sharing in our misfortune you have remained on this unhappy shore you, the jewel, the pride of a court! i want to be the hostageof a captive william. my presence herewill ensure his safe return.
his return! surely that is a vain hope? how can we rescue him from altdorf? he is no longer there. they are taking him to the lake. the lake? but a violent storm is raging. my husband faces death on all sides! i have suddenly remembered!
quick, before it is too late. let the beacon of freedomat last be lit! to what purpose? to save my father's life. everyone will rise upat the sight of those guardian flames. and wherever gessler lands vengeance will rain down on him! what is that sound that clamours above? it is death, making its wayin the roar of the storm.
william is doomed! o providence, you who offer hope to the weak, keep william safe! mislead and confound our enemies in all their plans,in their desire for vengeance. shatter the yoke that oppresses us. punish the crime of the oppressor. keep william safe! else will he fall victimto the love he bears his country.
follow me! william is being driven on tothese shores by the tempest. his hands are no longer bound:the tiller yields to his will. if william, in spite of the storm,can approach this shore his freedom is assured. let's run to him! i see you again! o wondrous return! what fire is this i see before me?
for want of a signal pyre i myself set ablaze our ancestral roof. but at least i have saved your weapons! now you may come, gessler! in vain does he try and escape us:let's follow his trail. let him find mercyonly in a fatal blow! draw back. let switzerland breathe freely again! i die!
it's tell's arrow!- o day of liberation! his death puts an endto our woes at last. recognise god's help. nothing could spare himfrom the arrow of vengeance. neither his wealth nor his power his torture nor his executioners. at these fiery signalslet our fear be gone at last. we need blood to put them out we need the oppressor's blood.
but what do i see? william! he is free, o joy! let us fly at the tyrant! what do you want?- his death! go and look for his grave in the lake. honour, all honourto the liberating arm! let's harbour no vain hope so long as the proud battlementsof altdorf command our obedience. you need swear no more vows.
altdorf is in our power! victory! altdorf is in our power! you here, mathilde? yes, i am here. disabused of false grandeur,as your equal i see you again. and, supported by your sword i shall fight for liberty alongside you. why, o my father, is your presence wanting to the joy of all helvetia?
everything here is changingand growing in grandeur! what pure air! what a radiant day! in the distancewhat a boundless horizon! yes, before our eyes natureunfolds its magnificence! at our pious tones liberty, descend again from heaven and let your reign begin anew! and let your reign begin anew.
liberty, descend again from heaven!
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