麻豆约拍

ACT I

Jaufr茅 Rudel, Prince of Blaye, is tired of the life of pleasure led by the young people of his rank.聽He yearns for a different, distant love, but he is resigned to the idea that he will never find it. A聽chorus of his old companions reproaches him for the change and makes fun of him. He tells them聽that the woman of whom he sings doesn鈥檛 exist. Then, a Pilgrim who has arrived from overseas聽asserts that there is such a woman, and that he has met her. Jaufr茅 can no longer think of聽anything but her.

ACT II

Returning to the East, the Pilgrim meets the Countess of Tripoli and admits to her that in the聽West, a prince-troubadour celebrates her in his songs, calling her his 鈥渓ove from afar.鈥� Offended聽at first, she later begins to dream of this strange and distant lover, but she also asks herself聽whether she merits such devotion.

ACT III

Returning to Blaye, the Pilgrim meets Jaufr茅 and admits to him that the lady now knows that he聽sings of her. At this, the troubadour resolves to visit her in person.聽Cl茅mence, for her part, seems to prefer that their relationship remain distant. She doesn鈥檛 want to聽live in anticipation, and she doesn鈥檛 want to suffer.

ACT IV

Having embarked across the sea, Jaufr茅 is impatient to find his 鈥渓ove from afar,鈥� but at the same聽time he dreads their meeting. He regrets having set off on impulse, and his anguish is such that聽he falls ill and becomes more and more unwell the nearer he gets to Tripoli. He arrives there聽dying...

ACT V

When the ship lands, the Pilgrim goes ahead to warn Cl茅mence that Jaufr茅 is there, but that he is聽on the point of death and is asking to see her. The troubadour arrives at the Tripolis citadel聽unconscious, carried on a stretcher. In the presence of the woman of whom he sang, he revives聽little by little. Thus the two 鈥渓overs from afar鈥� meet, and with tragedy approaching they throw聽caution to the winds. They declare their passion, embrace, and promise to love each other...聽When Jaufr茅 dies in her arms, Cl茅mence rails against Heaven; then, believing herself to blame聽for the disaster which has just taken place, decides to enter a convent. In the last scene we see her聽at prayer, but her words are ambiguous, and we do not know exactly to whom she prays on her聽knees鈥攈er distant God, or her 鈥渓ove from afar.鈥� 鈥擱eprinted by kind permission of Chester聽Music, Limited