Una furtiva lagrima

"Una furtiva lagrima" (A furtive tear) is the romanza from act 2, scene 8 of the Italian opera L'elisir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti. It is sung by Nemorino (tenor) when he finds that the love potion he bought to win the heart of his dream lady, Adina, works.

Nemorino is in love with Adina, but she is not interested in a relationship with an innocent, rustic man. To win her heart, Nemorino buys a love potion with all the money he has in his pocket. That love potion is actually a cheap red wine sold by a traveling quack doctor, but when he sees Adina weeping, he knows that she has fallen in love with him, and he is sure that the "elixir" has worked.

Libretto

The Italian text is taken from Score and libretto at Indiana University. This source does not include the last line "Si può morir! Si può morir d'amor", which is however heard in most performances of the romanza.

Una furtiva lagrima negli occhi suoi spuntò: Quelle festose giovani invidiar sembrò. Che più cercando io vo? Che più cercando io vo? M'ama! Sì, m'ama, lo vedo. Lo vedo. Un solo istante i palpiti del suo bel cor sentir! I miei sospir confondere per poco a' suoi sospir! I palpiti, i palpiti sentir, confondere i miei co' suoi sospir... Cielo! Si può morir! Di più non chiedo, non chiedo. Ah, cielo! Si può! Si può morir! Di più non chiedo, non chiedo. Si può morir! Si può morir d'amor.

A furtive tear in her eyes appeared: Those festive young girls she seemed to envy. What more need I look for? What more need I look for? She loves me! Yes, she loves me, I see it. I see it. For a single instant the beats of her beautiful heart to feel! My sighs to confound for a while with her sighs! Her heartbeats, her heartbeats to feel, my sighs with hers to confound... Heavens! One could die! More I cannot ask, I cannot ask. Oh, heavens! One could, one could die! More I cannot ask, I cannot ask. One could die! One could die of love!

External links

• Score and libretto at Indiana University
• Score published ca. 1870 by Alfred Ikelmer et Cie. (Paris)
• Score published ca. 1874 by Gray's Music Stores

References

• The Aria Database