Underneath you will find translations of the lyrics from the CD Dutch Theatre Music 1600-1650. You can also view the notes on this CD. A Word-document containing the translations of the lyrics and the notes, can also be downloaded.
All translations by Ruth van Baak Griffioen.
[1] - [6] From
GRANIDA by
P.C. HOOFT (1605)
[1]
THE FIERCE SHINING OF THE SUN
Shepherdess
Dorilea is being pursued by Daifilo and hides in the woods. She
likes him, and maybe he's sincere, but you never know with those
shepherds; as soon as they get what they want, love's over and
they're on to the next one. Should she let him catch her or not?
The
fierce shining of the sun
I'll
hide from in the forest.
If
these woods could talk
What
trysts they could tell about!
Trysting?
No. Trysting? Yes,
Trysting
without meaning it:
Out
of a hundred shepherds – isn't it a shame? –
Not
a single one is trustworthy.
A
lusty lad always steers
His
desires towards a new love.
His
love lasts no longer than
Your
resistance does.
My
heart is tugging me so hard,
So
hard – do I dare?
But
no, I'll never dare.
Their
loves are only winds.
But
winds which quickly pass on
And
wrap around another.
Yet
I see my lover
As
the truest of them all.
But
if you're wrong, silly girl,
You
can't see inside him;
Then
it's clear: she who doesn't wait and wager
Also
can't very well win in love.
But if I found that he too was rash
And it played out in this forest –
If these woods could talk
What trysts they could tell about!
[spoken:]
There he is – oh, how this all weighs me down!
I'd better hide myself among the brown leaves
In the depths of the woods, before he sees me.
That's best, that's best. But then what if he can't find me?
Do I even know what I want? I'm scared of loving:
What if I reveal my love and he rejects me?
No, better stay here before going any farther.
But here he comes; let's hear what he's singing.
Melody:
'Die Mey die ons de groente geeft' (May that gives us
greenery), naar
Amsterdamsche Pegasus, Amsterdam 1627.
[2] BREEZE THAT RIPPLES THROUGH
THE WOODS
Daifilo enters searching for
Dorilea. He asks the wind to blow the tree-branches apart so he can
find her. Although she's hiding, he has high hopes that she still
really does like him.
She who the laws of love would
hate
Wishes she hadn't, once it's too
late.
Breeze that ripples through the
woods,
Be my hunting hound, roust the
quarry
So that I may give chase,
Spread the hedges
And the branches apart;
Perhaps my nymph is hiding there.
Oh nymph, as soon as you guess
That my steps hurry towards you
You hide yourself
In the caves
In the depths of the forest,
Where you would have good reason
to be fearful.
Do you not fear that the Satyrs
Might find you there
And capture you;
Those are fellows
Who would snatch, to your regret,
That for which a shepherd would
long woo you.
Did you not think that there in
the underbrush
Smooth-skinned snakes are often
Concealed;
You walk, wandering,
But no matter how fast you flee,
I don't think that you hate me.
For not long ago when we
Sang from evening till dawn
With each other
And when, from all the others,
I chose you for the dance,
Your cheeks blossomed like a rose.
Then I heard murmuring
That this was a good sign,
And when I
So eagerly
Came to kiss your tender mouth
Your lips, I thought, stirred.
To refuse, and to be distant,
Doesn't become one as much as they
say
For a woman;
It can bring her to grief.
She who the laws of love would
hate
Wishes she hadn't, once it's too
late.
[spoken:]
Hush, hush, what do I hear
Rustling in the hawthorn?
If it's her, she shall not escape
me.
No, now that I've seen you,
Dorilea
You won't go untouched by just one
kiss.
Dorilea: Daifilo, I tell
you, you'll come on too strong.
Daifilo, let me be.
Daifilo, let me go.
Daifilo: But Dorilea, must
you be so averse
To that which all desire
And flee so stubbornly?
Dorilea: From what?
Daifilo: From sweet love.
Melody: 'J'aymeray
tousjours ma Phillys', after
La pieuse alouette avec son
tirelire, Valenciennes 1619.
[3] YOU LOVELY SWEET NYMPHS
Princess Granida fell behind
during the swine-hunt and got lost. She meets Daifilo, who is deeply
impressed by her. But soon her ladies-in-waiting arrive, searching
for their mistress. The Chorus of Young Ladies is a song of praise
to the country life of shepherdesses, who desire neither power nor
pomp, but follow their natural desires toward love. Like the
shepherds, they feign nothing. Freedom out on the land is thus worth
more than the apparent pleasures of the courts.
You lovely sweet Nymphs
Who would scarcely surrender a
wreath of roses
For a crown of gold,
How much you love your lives!
For an apple which your lover
tosses
With great affection into your
lap,
You would disdain
The overladen table of the courts.
If your lover tells you
That his heart is given over to
you
You are more content
Than adored princesses.
To live simply and purely
Leads
you to peace and safety;
Your freedom is better
Than the seeming pleasures of the
courts.
Melody: 'Een Maysjen had een
Ruyter lief' (A Maiden loved a knight), after the
Souterliedekens, Antwerp 1540, Psalm 99.
[4] FAREWELL, SCEPTERS
Granida has fled the court with
all its intrigues, and wants to go live an idyllic life as a
shepherdess in the country, at Daifilo's side. She has stayed
overnight with Daifilo's sister and as day breaks she waits
impatiently for her beloved.
Farewell, scepters, farewell,
farewell, exalted thrones,
So exalted that you make me
shudder,
Farewell, constraining garments,
and all-too-heavy crowns,
False gods, who nourish your vain
servants only with wind.
O trees full of shadow, humbly let
your
Bowed heads droop if you see his
worthy face;
1
Pole-Star and Morning-Star
2
with reflecting rays,
If my happiness
3 is
sleeping, why do you not wake him?
Happy
birds, now that it begins to dawn,
Stir
the stilled forest with joyful song,
You,
nightingale, arise, and fly carrying the message
That
he should hurry; I wait here for my love and desire.
1. Daifilo's face 2. Polaris and
Venus, which shine just before dawn 3. Daifilo
Melody: 'Esprits qui soupirés'
and bass from
Airs de differents autheurs, Paris 1608.
[5] PRAISE BE, MERCIFUL
Daifilo decides to enter the
service of Tisiphernes, the charming prince who is one of Granida's
suitors. As a shepherd, he himself of course hasn't got a chance.
Anonymously, in Tisiphernes' place, Daifilo then fights a duel with
the rough prince Ostrobas, who also wants to marry Granida. Daifilo
wins, and the Chorus of Young Ladies sings their joy: thankfully, no
foreign tyrant will ascend the throne.
Praise be, merciful
Gods, worthy of devotion,
Who, when we wept,
Lent power and courage
To our side,
In the fierce fight
For the kingdom.
What evils
Befall an oppressed land
Whenever it must suffer
Foreign tyrannies!
Along with the torments
Of a tyrant, it must suffer
His soldiers' oppression.
Praise be, merciful
Gods, worthy of devotion,
Who, when we wept,
Lent power and courage
To our side,
In the fierce fight
For the kingdom.
Melody: one of the two 'Sapphica'
settings from Thysius' Lute-book, Leiden c1600.
[6] GREAT GODS, WE CANNOT FATHOM
After a number of dramatic
developments, Daifilo and Granida can be married. A group of
shepherdesses merrily sing of Daifilo's youth. From his boyhood on,
he was the favorite of both gods and men. Arriving at a marriageable
age, countless shepherdesses and divine nymphs flirted with him. The
gods however determined that he should marry a queen. So, let the
marriage rites begin!
Great Gods, we cannot fathom
The grounds of your decision;
It was your desire to make this
marriage,
Come and perform this wedding.
Shepherd who, laden with heavy
loads,
Receives fortune's grace –
O happy one! O fortunate one! –
And is exalted heavenwards!
Not that you prefer a golden staff
Above a flower,
But that you are united in
faithfulness
With your famed and worthy heart's
desire.
Love chose you, when you were
born,
For his own selected one,
And the heavens, even before then,
Had given its favors to you.
A thousand wished to be your mate,
A thousand pined for your love,
But the heavens wanted to save you
For a great Queen.
Great Gods, we cannot fathom
The grounds of your decision;
It was your desire to make this
marriage,
Perform this wedding with your
favor.
Melody: 'Ne vous offençez
Madame', after
Amsterdamsche Pegasus, Amsterdam 1627.
[7] - [10] From
GEERAERDT VAN
VELSEN by P.C. HOOFT (1613)
[7] ALARM
One of the signals the trumpets
played on the stage, was the alarm. For instance, in Geeraerdt van
Velsen (1613) by P.C. Hooft, wenn the trumpeter sees the enemies
and shouts from the tower: To arms! The enemy!
Signals after the
Allarm
from 'Batali' (Battle) by Jacob van Eyck,
Der fluyten lusthof,
1649.
[8] WHO SHALL FROM NOW ON IN THE
SERVICE OF PRINCES
Geeraerdt van Velsen takes
place in the Middle Ages. Knight Geeraerdt imprisons his lord,
Floris V, Count of Holland. Geeraerdt transports Floris to Muiden
Castle and ultimately kills him (1296). At the end of the first act,
the Chorus of the Young Ladies of Amsterdam sings about the
prehistory of the drama using the age-old song 'Gerrit van Velsen,'
which Hooft arranged for this occasion. Floris has Geeraerdt make
long journeys and meanwhile goes to visit Geeraerdt's wife, Machteld
van Woerden. To her horror, he rapes her, to settle an old score.
This was that Geeraerdt had once angrily refused to marry one of
Floris's lovers. 'Your worn-out shoe doesn't fit me,' he had bluntly
said, and the count never forgave him for it. Inflamed by his
disappointed lover, Floris commits his outrage, by which he brings
down Geeraerdt's wrath on himself.
Who shall from now on in the
service of princes
Acquit himself steadfastly,
upright, and pure?
The best are repaid the worst,
And nowhere is trust safe.
Lord Van Velsen, in a foreign land
Lay under unknown roofs,
As a diligent, eager, and faithful
envoy;
And carried out the affairs of the
Count of Holland.
For the cause of his land's lords,
He forewent sweet sleep every
night;
His new bride was not with him,
Who could have eased his cares.
The Count rode to the little
castle
Whose tops were concealed in the
trees;
Where Holland is at its
narrowest,
1
And shrinks from the shifting of
the dunes.
Lady Machtelt stopped her
needlework at once
When she heard the news,
And came down the spiral staircase
To meet her lord.
'News from your husband, my
niece,' said he,
You shall not long miss your love;
Lead me where we can speak
freely.'
She went; he followed her into the
room.
Then the door-bolt lurched,
Her limbs began to tremble.
The Count quickly let her know
That words would be of no use.
She cried aloud, with power and
force,
'What are you doing, my noble
lord?
If there were a man set upon me,
You should defend me with your
sword.'
The more she cried out, and
groaned, and pleaded,
The more he forced his coarse
boldness
Until his wicked lust was sated,
And he gave his heart over to
remorse.
Now,
I fear, furious rage is brewing
Much
evil throughout the whole land;
O God, what deeds rulers commit
The innocent must pay for all too
dearly!
1.
Velzen lay at the passage between the former Wijkermeer (which was
connected to the river IJ) and the North Sea.
Melody: 'Gerrit van Velsen', from
Thysius' Lute-book, Leiden c1600.
[9] O HOLY THREESOME, WELCOME
Geeraerdt has taken Floris
prisoner and has arrived with him at the Muiderslot (Muiden castle).
This must lead to misery: the allegorical Strife, Force, and Deceit
sense their chance.
Unity, Faith, and Innocence are
forced to leave the country, and take the road to heaven, where they
are welcomed by a Chorus of Heavenly Creatures (Angels).
Chorus of Heavenly Creatures:
O Holy Threesome, welcome
You who have come
To flee wordly cares
And have chosen the way
To gather
With our happy throngs.
Up, upwards rise, ever higher,
Until in this exalted shining
castle
Filled everywhere
With abundance and contented
Joys.
Unity:
Happy chorus,
Who dance over heaven's floors
with purest feet,
Where grief and weeping, despite
themselves,
Can touch no-one;
Nor can spite,
With stinging pain
Dare rap on the windows
Nor does fear
Nor care with its oppression
Settle on the roofs.
Chorus of Heavenly Creatures:
Glide in, glide in, you are
expected
In the high halls
Free from torments;
And should the thankless earthly
race
Treat you evilly,
In her valleys,
So shall to you, o
fellow-citizens,
The Father's gates
Never be closed to you.
Glide in, and lie down
To happiness.
Melodies:
'ô! Heylige drie-tal wel-kom' [De lustelijcke mei] (Welcome,
Holy Threesome [Delightful May]), after J. Steendam,
Den
distelvink III, Amsterdam 1650; and the 5-voiced madrigal 'Sei
tanto gratiosa' by G. Ferretti, after
Musica divina, Antwerp
1583, rearranged for four voices.
[10] HE HAS PASSED AWAY
Geeraerdt deliberates with the
other nobles of the castle what they should do with Floris. Suddenly
an alarm signal sounds from the tower. The trumpeter has seen a mass
of enemies on the Diemerdijk. Geeraerdt decides to flee and takes the
count with him. When Floris' followers corner him, he mortally
wounds Floris and escapes. The count dies in the presence of his
loyal subjects, the citizens of Naarden. The Chorus of the Citizens
of Naarden raise a dirge.
He has passed away,
Raise your cries,
Young and old,
Show your sorrow,
Rend your garments,
Give yourself to mourning.
The Count of Holland
Has been in both health and wealth
Sorely defeated.
Sorely defeated!
Raise your voices and cry.
Let tears falls
And sighs shoot upwards.
See him die,
He, who was born
From the famous
Family of the King of the Romans.
1
His life is over!
His life is over!
What a sorrowful end!
The head that should have worn
That the Crown of Scotland
2
Shall rot instead.
O grievous days!
Orphaned lands,
Pull out your hair.
O heavy loss!
O heavy loss!
What will the Frisians
3
Now force upon us
As they boldly pounce on
The Kennemer borders?
It's hard to imagine that.
He made them despair
And bear the yoke.
It is the time for groaning.
It is the time for groaning.
Who will now protect
The dwellers in the land
From the harsh Flemings?
He drove their fleets
From the waters of Zeeland
And utterly destroyed
The enemy ships.
Now all that is lost!
Now
all that is lost!
Usher
in grief.
Now
there shall walk
In
mourning clothes
Citizens
and nobles;
Without
their ornaments
The
horses lament;
Gold
removed from swords
And
the body be given to the earth.
1.
Floris was the son of the Catholic king Willem.
2.
Floris had made a claim to the Scottish throne.
3.
The West Frisians, whom Floris had subdued.
Melody: one of the two Sapphic
settings from Thysius' Lute-book, Leiden c1600.
[11] O WORTHY SPOUSE
A song from Baeto by P.C.
Hooft (1626). In the first century B.C., Prince Baeto, through the
evil wiles of his stepmother, is driven out of the court of the
Catten, in modern Hessen, Germany. His wife Rycheldin is murdered.
He wanders round the borders of the kingdom, carrying Rycheldin's
body with him. As he falls exhausted in sleep, his head on her
coffin, Rycheldin appears to him in a dream and orders him to leave
that land and head west. There he will found a new kingdom, the
kingdom of the Batavians, which later will be called Holland.
O worthy spouse, why do you
Torment your heart so with grief?
Do not daunt your courage any more
With unbearable pain.
Clear from your breast
The whole array of torments.
For you, the unburdened Gods
Preserved an empty place,
Which the Maas and the Rhine and
the Ocean
Enclose with their proud waves.
There a worthy crown awaits
Your lineage.
There you will found a people
Fit to endure through every age.
Their name shall first be
Batavians:
Later, Hollanders, with their
neighbors,
Who in both peace and war
Shall excel in every way.
Melody and bass: 'Cessés
mortels de souspirer' by Pierre Guédron from G. Bataille,
Airs
de differents autheurs IV, Paris 1613.
[12] A TRUMPETER PLAYS "IT'S
DAWNING IN THE [EAST]"
In Diana by Jan Harmensz
Krul (1623), Prince Florentius lies sleeping with Princess Diana,
whom he has seduced. Towards daybreak he is awakened: 'Trumpeter
plays It's dawning in the etc,' says the stage direction. Diana
sleeps through it, but Florentius hurries out of bed and goes on to
his next conquest.
The melody that the trumpeter
would play is of course the famous dawn song 'Het daghet inden
oosten' (It's dawning in the east). The trumpeter would have had to
play a major-mode variant, otherwise the tune would not work on the
natural trumpet.
Melody (in major): 'Het daghet uyt
den Oosten' (It's dawning in the east) after Cornelis de Leeuw,
Christelycke plicht-rymen, Amsterdam 1649.
[13]
FLEE HENCE, SAD SIGHS
Cypriaen
is in love with Rosemondt, who will have nothing to do with him. In
his despair, he has written a serenade for her, which he now has a
group of musicians sing 'at their prettiest', accompanied by flute,
violin, and bass. This song from Krul's Rosemondt en Raniclis
(1632) also became popular outside the theatre.
Cypriaens
love-lament to Rosemondt
Flee
hence, sad sighs,
Go
after my Rosemondt, whose heart, alas, burns with sweet love;
Venus,
let your fruits take root
In
the heart of my dearly beloved Murderess;
Sorrowful
tears, if I could mingle you into her blood,
Rosemondt,
I know, my pain, my suffering,
Would
move your feelings.
But
what does it matter, O Gods,
Whether
I offer laments, tears, or sighs to my Rosemonde,
You,
through your commands
Have
bound her in love with worthier marriage promises.
Fly
towards heaven, sorrowful sighs, witness to the Gods
That
I, for the love of my goddess,
Must
die a thousand deaths.
Ah!
How can I live?
As
I (Rosemond) think how you in the ropes of love
Should
offer lips, breasts, heart, soul, yes, all your self, earthly
Goddess,
Sorrowful
thoughts shall witness to me what happens to you.
Dear
fruit of love, the spring of my love
Must
be smothered in grief.
Melody and bass from J.H. Krul,
Minnelycke Sangh-rympies, Amsterdam 1634.
[14] WE WHO BOW TO EARTH
In Krul's Pastorel Musyck-Spel
van Juliana, en Claudiaen (1634), shepherds offer flowers to the
goddess Pallas to gain her favor for Music, which has for a time been
neglected – probably a play on the unpleasantnesses surrounding
Krul's persona in the Amsterdam Chamber of Rhetoric. Claudiaen sings
first; the other shepherds repeat the song 'with full voices.'
We who bow to earth
As an offering,
As these blossoms bear witness,
Which burn upon the altar;
Through Art, O Goddess, your favor
We seek in our joy.
That neither envy nor hate ever
harm us,
That neither envy nor hate assault
The Music which we esteem so
highly.
Melody and bass: 'Spoedt
vluchtigh, vlugge voetjes' (Speed quickly, nimble feet) from J.H.
Krul,
Minnelycke Sangh-rympies, Amsterdam 1634.
[15] LAURA WAS SITTING BY THE
STREAM
Later
in Krul's Pastorel Musyck-Spel, Juliana flatters herself under
the trees and sings a song, while a Duke listens, unseen. The song
is about Laura, who lay sleeping by the stream and dreamt that she
made love. She wakens with a start and thank goodness, she's still a
virgin.
'Laura's
Dream-Song' became immensely popular and was used as a
tune-indication for many dozens of songs.
Laura
was sitting by the stream
Under
the shadow of alder-trees;
Softly
she looked in the water
And
then, fallen into sleep
She
began to dream sweetly,
Of
love, of courtship.
Sleeping,
she sank down;
With
her bosom loosened
Lay
my beautiful field-goddess.
While
she sat there alone,
I
went and sat down beside her;
As
soon as I held her breasts,
My
Laura cried out: 'What is this?
Ah,
my bosom burns with heat.'
With
this she sank down again,
And
began to dream again:
'As
you wish, you may approach;
No,
oh, no! this wounds my honor.'
Then
I take a handful of greenery
That
was mingled with roses.
Laura
called out: 'What are you doing?
I'm
beginning to blush with shame.'
And
then she lets loose a sigh,
And
falls back sweetly in the grass again.
'Oh,
I've been deceived by a dream,
She
says with her eyes shut,
'I
thought I'd lost my maidenhood.'
Melody and bass from J.H. Krul,
Minnelycke Sangh-rympies, Amsterdam 1634.
[16] THE ARRIVAL OF THE KING
In many plays the trumpets sound
as a lord approaches. In Schouwenberg's Sigismundus (1647),
for example, they beat drums and blow trumpets when King Bazius
arrives with his court and council. And as in Jacob Duym's Spieghel
der Eerbaerheyt (Mirror of Virtue, 1600) King Eduard
returns from the coronation, he is preceded by 'three or four
trumpeters.'
Music:
Entrata imperiale en
l'Imperiale from Girolamo Fantini,
Modo per imparare a
sonare di tromba, Frankfurt 1638.
[17] -[18] From
GIJSBRECHT VAN
AEMSTEL by JOOST VAN DEN VONDEL (1637)
[17] O CHRISTMAS NIGHT, MORE
BEAUTIFUL THAN THE DAYS
This play is about the taking of
Amsterdam by the Kennemers in 1304. By traitorous treachery, the
enemy has invaded the city, and on Christmas night, no less. Lord
Gijsbrecht van Aemstel prepares himself for the battle. The Chorus
of Clares (nuns of the Order of St. Clare) sing in their cloister on
Holy St a song in which they think back on that other bloody
occurrence around the birth of Christ, the Slaughter of the Innocents
by Herod. Also on this night many innocents will die. Imitating St
Matthew, Vondel makes a connection with the Old Testament prophecy
about Rachel, who could not be comforted because of the loss of her
children.
O Christmas night, more beautiful
than the days,
How can Herod bear the Light,
That shines in your darkness,
And is celebrated and worshipped?
His pride listens to no reason,
No matter how shrilly it sounds in
his ears.
He tries to destroy the Innocent
One
1
By murdering innocent souls,
And wakens a weeping in both city
and land,
In Bethlehem and on the fields,
And wakes the spirit of Rachel,
Which wanders through meadow and
pasture;
Now to the west, now to the east.
Who shall comfort that sorrowing
mother,
Now that she has lost her dear
children?
Now that she sees them smeared in
blood
Almost before they're born,
And so many swords, coloured red?
She sees the milk on the tips
Of those dead and pale lips,
Snatched fresh from their mothers'
breast.
She sees the tender tears hanging
Like dew, as droplets on their
cheeks;
She sees them soiled foul with
blood.
So the scythe fells the ears of
corn.
So shudder and bow the green
leaves,
Whenever it storms in the wild
woods.
What the blind ambition of power
can plot
When it rushes about in ill faith!
How
great a rift, before it repents!
Beleaguered Rachel, stop this
wandering;
Your children die as martyrs,
And first-fruits of the seed
That will begin to grow from your
blood,
And will bloom beautifully to
God's honor
And which no cruelty can conquer.
1.
That is, Jesus
Melody from
Livre septième,
Amsterdam 1644.
[18]
WHERE WILL TRUER TRUST
The
defence of the town descends into chaos. As Badeloch, Gijsbrecht's
wife, hears how hard the fighting becomes, she fears he will not
return. She is deadly uneasy. The Chorus of Citizens sing of the
pair's love.
Where will truer trust
Than that between a man and his
wife
Ever be found in the world?
Two souls forged glowing into one
Or bound and shackled tightly
In love and sorrow.
Because of this love
The turtledove mourns, torn
From her beloved mate.
She laments upon the dry tendril
Of a tall tree,
Her roots dried up,
Lifelong.
So mourns now Aemstel's wife,
And melts like snow with grief,
To water and to tears.
She counts Gijsbreght now as dead,
Who, for his city and subjects,
Gives himself.
O God, lighten her cross,
That she might with joy
Receive her hero at home,
She who drifts between hope and
fear
And sighs, and looks with longing
To where he might be.
Melody and setting: 'N'esperez
plus mes yeux' by Antoine de Boësset,
Neuvième livre
d'airs de cours à 4 & 5 parties, Paris 1642.
[19]
FOR JESUS' NAME AND CAESAR'S EMPIRE
In
his play Peter en Pauwels (1641) about the apostles Peter en
Paul, Vondel treats the contrast between Christendom and paganism.
The Chorus of Converted Soldiers tries to bridge the two: these
Christian Romans fight with invisible weapons for Christ and with
visible ones for the emperor Caesar.
Vondel's
play was not performed in the theatre; it was too Catholic for that.
But the Haarlem composer Cornelis Tijmensz Padbrué did set a
portion of it to music, not only the choruses but also texts that
Vondel had intended to be spoken. The Chorus of Converted Soldiers
is set for five voices, and consists of a Chorus, Counterchorus, and
Concluding Chorus. We have recorded the Chorus here.
For
Jesus' name and Caesar's empire,
Whether
in living or in dying,
We
stand ready to give each
Its
honor and its own rights
With
respectful submission,
As
we swore to God and to Caesar.
And,
with a lawful distinction
We
wield our weapons in two kinds:
The
Invisible, to repel hell's blind power
With
Christian force,
The
Visible, to repel violence with the
Power
of arms, to protect the Empire,
Its
Capitol and all the Senate.
This
befits a Christian Roman soldier.
Music
from C.T. Padbrué,
De Tranen, Petri ende Paul (The Tears,
Peter and Paul), Amsterdam 1646. Reconstruction of the first and
third voices by Louis Peter Grijp.
[20]
THE BALLET OF THE FIVE SENSES
Each
of the five senses has its own dance: Sight, Smell, Hearing, Taste,
and Touch, in that order. The Amsterdam Schouwburg Theatre accounts
list performances of this ballet from 1645 on. The Personnel Book of
1658 shows that each sense was portrayed by one dancer/actor.
Melodies
from
Het Uytnement Kabinet (The Excellent Cabinet) II,
Amsterdam 1649. For Hearing and Taste, the two-voiced settings by
'C.v.E.' from that same collection are used.
[21]-[29]:
The SUNG FARCE of LIJSJE FLEPKOUS
A
Sung Dialogue of Three Characters from J.J. Starter,
Friesche
Lusthof (The Frisian Pleasure-Garden), Amsterdam 1621.
Knelis
Joosten, a half-baked suitor
Lysje
Flepkous, his lover, a clever girl
Griet
Kaecks, an innkeeper
Knelis
tells the public that he's been following Lijsje for a dozen or so
days, but that she keeps turning him away and mocking him. But he's
so crazy about her, he just has to keep going at her, and he does.
Oh, here she comes. Lijsje sings a song, supposedly to herself, but
she's aware that Knelis is listening to her. While singing she
complains about lovers who talk pretty but aren't trustworthy. But
she does love Knelis, she sings slyly, and so lures him in her trap.
[21]
HOW NOW, MY SWEET SUGARMOUTH?
Knelis
appears concerned about the weeping Lijsje and comforts her. He
suggest they go out of town to drink sweet milk with cream, and wine.
Lijsje sputter some objections; she wants to get dressed up first.
That's good, says Knelis, go ahead. Oh boy, am I going to get you
good, he thinks to himself.
Melody:
Gads-a-million-zooks, etc.
K:
How now my sweet sugarmouth? Why are you so sad?
L:
Because things aren't going my way in the least.
K:
Tut, tut, that's enough crying; come come my sweet thing,
Let's
go out, what are we doing staying around here?
There
we'll drink some sweet milk, and cream with sugar
And
there we'll drink clear cool wine from big tankards.
Hey,
hey, what do you think of that? That'll be like
Mother's
milk in your lovely breasts, and then you'll feel better.
L:
How could I go out with you, I'm not even dressed?
I
don't have a ruff-collar, no pinafore, no coif, nothing!
And
if the other girls saw that, they'd think I was nuts.
But
if you'll wait for me, I'll go get them on.
K:
Oh yes, my dear heart, no matter how long it takes.
L:
All right then, Knelis Joosten, look here friend, I'm on my way.
K:
No no my love, not like that, we mustn't part that way.
L:
What do you want from me
? K:
A kiss must send you on your
way.
L:
A kiss, that's a small matter, even if there were eight or ten.
K:
Well all right then, my heart, my innards, my life, it will
happen.
Oh!
oh! That tastes good to me! Oh, I've got to have another.
L:
Now silly, bye-bye now. K:
What creamy flesh she has!
Lijsje
exits, but she stands behind the door, listening.
Oh
how (I hope) I'm going to go sit and snort!
But
wait, how shall I go about this cleverly?
I
have to think of something. Ha! I've got it already:
We're
going out soon, then she'll be in my power.
There
I'll have a tankard of sugared wine made ready,
And
I'll flatter her so sweetly
That
she'll get drunk on what I give her to drink;
I
bet she'll drink her fill before she even knows what's going on.
Melodie: 'Pots hondert duysent
slapperment' (Gads-a-million-zooks) uit A. Valerius,
Nederlandtsche
Gedenck-clanck, Haarlem 1626.
[22]
FOR SUGARED WINE GOES DOWN SWEET
Knelis
can see it all coming: he'll get Lijsje drunk on sweetened wine. But
Lijsje hears it all and comes up with her own plan.
Melody: The English fa la la etc.
For sugared wine goes down
sweet,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
lyna,
And that's just what the girls
want,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
lyna.
Lijsje sings, standing behind the
door:
He
means to betray me with wine,
Fa la la, etc.
But
I bet he'll get drunk first,
Fa
la la etc.
One
who chases others doesn't stand still himself,
Fa
la la etc.
He'll
notice that, but not the way he wants.
Fa
la la etc.
Lijsje
enters.
Melody:
'Mein hert is betrubt biss in dem thodt, Fa la la la la la la la la
la' (My heart is troubled to death, Fa la la) from D. Camphuysen,
Stichtelycke Rymen, Hoorn 1624.
[23]
WELL, SWEETHEART, ARE YOU THERE AGAIN
Lijsje
has changed clothes, and they go to the inn. Knelis knocks and is
let in by Griet the innkeeper. He orders beer and sweet wine, and
starts kissing Lijsje already.
Melody: I've been to Amsterdam,
hoo hoo.
K:
Well, sweetheart, are
you there again?
Let's go out walking with each
other, come, come,
I'll bring you to a nice place
Where we can have a good time.
L: All right, my friend, let's go
out.
K:
Here's where the innkeeper
lives.
Hey, hey, Griet Kaecks, come on
over and open the door.
G: Who's making all that
noise outside my door? K:
It's me knocking.
G: No, I've got to know your name
first
Before I let you in.
K:
I'm Knelis Joosten.
(I bet she'll let us in.)
G: Well, Knelis Joosten, is that
you? welcome,
What would you like, dear friend?
K:
Good dark beer,1
Sweet wine, and yummy pastries,
Fa la la, etc.
Griet enters: Well,
I'll bring it right up,
Fa
la la, etc.
L:
Now Knelis, not so heavy, back off,
K:
Why? Can't I have a kiss first?
Oh,
you are such a sweet sweet thing!
Fa
la la, etc.
L:
Knelis, you just need a drink,
Fa
la la, etc.
G:
Knelis Joosten, please have a seat,
I've
brought you what you wanted. K:
Well then,
Dear
Barent's daughter, sweet Buttercup,
Fa
la la, etc.
Come
sit, eat, and have a drink,
Fa
la la, etc.
1.
He names 'Mom,' a good dark beer from Braunschweig
Melody
'Zu Ambsterdam bin ich gewesen' (I've been to Amsterdam) from
Engelische Comedien und Tragedien (English Comedies and
Tragedies), Leipzig 1620.
[24]
MY REFUGE, MY JOY
The
drinking contest. Knelis offers toast after toast, but Lijsje deftly
manages to keep the damage on her side to a minimum. Knelis gets
steadily drunker.
Melody:
La Picarde, etc.
K:
My refuge, my joy,
My
comfort and my happiness,
The
only one who can help me:
Look
a little happy,
I
drink this to you
To
the bottom of the glass,
With
a kiss for your mouth.
L:
To answer your toast
Reasonably,
I'm
ready for that;
Just
turn it around,
That'll
be welcome
To
me.
K:
Well, what else would you like?
L:
So if you want to do what I want,
Do
this, dear man!
Send
another one down the hatch.
K:
Two against one,
That's
not fair,
But
look here, sweetheart,
I'll
do it since you ask.
That's
empty; come here, innkeeper,
And
pour another one,
Just
like before, no more no less;
Funny
girl,
Go
along with me
And
drink it up,
Pour
it down nice and easy.
L:
Oh love, that's to much
And
more than my share,
But
still it's all got to go down my throat.
Then
you have to
Answer
my glass with
Two
more of your own.
K:
Yes, by Gum, even if it were more than that.
L:
I don't feel very good.
K:
You're drinking way too slow,
Come
on, have fun, go on,
Drink
it dry,
In
a flash,
That's
the way to do it.
L:
Drink two for me. K:
I will.
O
my love! If you asked me to drink ten,
If
that would please you
Then
consider it done.
I'll
drink this up,
Just watch me.
Well,
go for it
Drink
up, do what you have to do.
Melody:
'La Picarde' from D.P. Pers,
Bellerophon, Amsterdam 1640-1648.
[25]
GIRL WITH YOUR WHITE ARSE
Knelis
is now really drunk, and starts to sing a bawdy song.
Knelis,
being drunk, sings from the Flesh-book
To
the tune: Then when you come to The Hague
K:
Girl, with your white arse
And
your curly blonde hair,
Wouldn't
you like to take a little trip
With
a soldier here or there ?
Tirritum
fa sol la, Tirritum fa sol la.
L:
What a dirty mouth you have,
Knelis
Joosten, dear man!
You
think I'll suddenly be in the mood
As
soon as you go singing about
Tirittum
fa sol la? etc.
No,
no, I can't take much of that,
Behave
yourself, keep quiet,
Did
you think to play so soon
With
me, just the way you wanted,
Tirittum
fa sol la? etc.
K:
Have you ever done it?
It's
a sweet business, come,
Dear
Lamb! the stupid dogs
Often
bite each other doing it
Tirittum
fa sol la etc.
L:
What, these words are too hot for me,
Are
you wild? Or are you crazy?
Drink
these glasses down fast,
Who
knows, maybe I'll do it then
Tirittum
fa sol la, etc.
K:
If that'll make you happy,
Here,
I'll pour them down my throat.
L:
So, so, now he's got legs of straw
He
is good and drunk,
Tirittum
fa sol la, etc.
Melody:
'Als ghij compt inden Haghe' (When you come to The Hague) from
Thysius' Lute-book, Leiden c1600.
[26]
COME, YOU WANT TO SLEEP A BIT
Knelis
falls asleep. Lijsje grabs her chance: she asks Griet for a plate
with raw eggs, which she beats, and then pours in the sleeping
Knelis's pants. When he wakes up, he first thinks he's soiled his
pants, but quickly figures out what's going on. He curses Lijsje.
Melody:
Gads-a-million-zooks, etc
L:
Come, you want to sleep a bit, want to lie down here?
K:
Yeah, just a half hour or so, my head hurts so bad,
My
sweetheart, my dear, let me lay my head
Down
and rest a bit in your blessed lap.
L:
Come, come my Knelis Joosten, my own sweet fellow,
Lay
your head here in my lap, and lay your body there,
And
sleep to your heart's content, as much as you want,
Who
knows whether the pleasure you await might still happen?
Innkeeper,
if you please, get me fast
A
tin plate with three or four raw eggs on it,
I
will be sure to pay you for your trouble.
G:
Hold on a minute, I'll go get them for you right away.
L:
Well now, lie there and sleep, you drunken slob,
I
bet I'll pull a good joke on you now,
As
an example to all other young men who are so eager
To
deceive honorable young women so crookedly.
G:
Here are the raw eggs, and a plate along with them.
L:
Now I'm going to make a first-rate mush out of this.
Would
you clear the table meanwhile?
Now,
now, I think the eggs are beaten well enough.
She
pours the eggs into his pants.
Well,
now that that's nicely poured into his pants,
Now
when he wakes up, he'll think that he has shit in his pants.
So
there, lie there my sweet man, this is what should happen to all of
them
Who
want to trick women into dishonor.
Music
is played while he sleeps.
[Melody:
'O slaep, o zoete slaep' (O sleep, sweet sleep) from J. van Eyck,
Der
fluyten lusthof (The Recorder's Pleasure Garden), Amsterdam 1649]
When
he wakes, he sings:
K:
There, I've now had a nice sleep in my love's lap.
But
hey, what the hell is that? how'd I get so wet?
What
trickery is this? By Gum, I have no idea,
But
from what I can feel, I think I have shit in my pants!
A
pox on that girl, let her get the falling-sickness,
I
finally realize now that I've been betrayed
Because
the more I smell this, the more I realize, dear children,
That
I did not shit on myself, but these are raw eggs!
Which
that loose whore poured into my pants;
The
devil tear her limb from limb for this.
I
will make conjure up the devil to have him bring her to me,
I'll
wager, girl, that I'll get my revenge on you for this deceitful
mischief.
Melody
as in [21]
[27]
NOW DEVIL, LOOK, I'M SUMMONING YOU NOW
In
his wrath, Knelis wants to summon the devil to teach Lijsje a lesson.
He
makes a circle met certain characters in it, end sings to the melody
of the English fa-la-la, but the fa-la-la part is expressed with
words in this case:
Now
Devil, look, I'm summoning you now,
By
stars, by sky, by heaven, by earth,
By
sea, by hell, by south and by north,
That
you appear here with the girl.
The
foul whore deceived me,
And
so I summon you ten times over:
Come
and bring her here right before my eyes,
And
I will get my revenge on her.
Melody
as in [22].
[28]
WHAT THE DEVIL DO I FEEL HERE?
While
Knelis is busy with his attempts at the occult, Lijsje hangs a
firecracker from his rear end and lights it. The farce ends with
Knelis running about shocked to bits.
She
hangs a firecracker with wet gunpowder on his arse, and lights it; he
being surprised, runs around while singing to the tune 'We two are
here alone, etc.'
What
the devil do I feel here?
I
think I'm full of fire.
Oh,
my arse is on fire!
Oh,
my arse is on fire!
Oh,
my arse is on fire!
Oh,
my arse is on fire!
Dangummit
the devil and that filthy slut.
Melody
'Engelsch Oud Joen metten Bas' (The English Old John with a bass)
from A. Valerius,
Nederlandtsche Gedenck-clanck, Haarlem 1626.
[29]
YOU YOUNG MEN WHO GO OUT FLIRTING
Finally
Lijsje sings the moral: guys, if you go out flirting, then don't try
to deceive your girl.
Lijsje,
alone on stage, sings to the tune: May that gives us greenery, etc.
You
young men who go out flirting,
Keep
an eye out for honor,
For
evil pays its master back with evil,
And
in the end it is you who will be deceived.
He
who uses drink's deceits
Or
other tricks
To
lead a maiden away from the path of virtue
Will
never succeed.
If
you love a girl honorably,
Then
let her know that honorably;
But
if you start treating her so shamefully,
In
the end the shit's on you.
For
what goes around, comes around,
That
old saying doesn't lie:
So
take this as a lesson
And
watch out for deception.
Melody
as in [1].