Ryno, or The Knight Errant
A Play with Music in Three Acts
First performed at the Kongl. Stora Theatern [ = Kungliga Operan, Stockholm] on 16 May 1834.
Words by Bernhard von Beskow (1796 - 1868).
Music by Eduard Brendler (1800 - 1831) "and a Music Lover" [ = Prince Oscar, subsequently King Oscar I (1799 - 1859)].
The Ryno project really shouldn't have survived Brendler's untimely death, but it did, becoming the first opera in Swedish and gifting you a ready-made quiz question about which king was also an operatic composer.
I was lucky enough to be given the Sterling double-CD of Ryno for Christmas. It's a 1992 recording by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and choir members of Gothenburg's Stora Teatern conducted by Anders Wiklund.
From the very start of the uplifting overture it's marvellous listening: Brendler's Weberian intensity, Prince Oscar's Rossiniesque vivacity, not forgetting the three ballet episodes that adroitly repurposed music from the divertimento Balder by the former royal Kapellmeister Edouard Du Puy (c. 1770 - 1822). To this work of many hands we should also add the name of Adolf Fredrik Lindblad (1801 - 1878), Prince Oscar's music teacher, who orchestrated and to some extent tightened up the prince's contributions. (You can listen to it all on YouTube: https://youtu.be/duWyujh8-B4?si=InbW0_LDivDzvc8p .)
But this recording of Ryno is also a bit of a puzzle, because it only includes the musical numbers, not the substantial dramatic scenes in between. Hence the unfolding story is difficult to follow, and the synopsis isn't entirely accurate (e.g. it was Christofer, not Arnold, who broke down upon hearing Botvid's ballad).
And we miss a lot when we can't see, for instance, how the emotion in Agnes' solo aria unconsciously responds to Ryno's hopes in the previous scene, and then how it's jarred by Arnold's appearance, the loveless engagement that for a moment has been forgotten.
Here, then, is a roughly-translated sample. (I'll take it from the top and see how far I get.)
*
[Facsimile of the Swedish text, published in 1834:
https://litteraturbanken.se/f%C3%B6rfattare/BeskowBvon/titlar/Ryno/sida/I/faksimil .]
*
Bernhard von Beskow's note:
This piece was intended to be given for the first time at the opening of the Royal Theatre after its repair, in the autumn of 1831. The meritorious and very promising composer Brendler had undertaken to write the music, but he was unexpectedly taken away by death, when he had completed about a third of his work. In order that the ingenious compositions Brendler prepared for this project should not fail of their intended purpose, and in order to provide a benefit for his widow, the completion of his work was taken up by a young musical genius, who has now performed it in a manner which, according to the judgment of competent connoisseurs, will in more than one respect do honour to Swedish music.
The subject is partly taken from an older piece that the author saw during his first trip to one of the small theatres in Germany, and whose name he does not now remember, but the whole thing has been substantially altered. The play itself, as the reader will easily discover, is a hasty work, as usually happens when a play is to be written for a certain occasion and within a couple of weeks; but given the small importance generally attached to the text of an opera, the author has not thought that a revision of it is inevitably required, and therefore leaves the play as it originally flowed from his pen. In production there were a few mainly insignificant changes.
Von Beskow is too modest. His libretto is excellent, and this was surely another factor in the prince's commitment to Ryno reaching an audience.
 |
| Set-design for Act I of Ryno (1834 watercolour by P. G. Zelander) |
[Image source: the CD jacket. Zelander's watercolour is in the Drottningholm Theatre Museum in Stockholm.]
NOTE: Spoken text is in standard font. Sung text is in italics.
Act I
[Overture: CD 1, track 1. Composer: Eduard Brendler. ]
Act I, Scene 1
(An open space outside Arnold's castle, adorned with lamps and lit by fires. The peasants are assembled to tie wreaths, and the Chorus with Dance begins as soon as the curtain rises. BOTVID [the head gardener] and JÖSSE [his servant], standing on a pair of steps, are lighting and tending the lamps. In the background Arnold's castle is seen, magnificently illuminated. In front of the stage, close to the spectators, is Christofer's hut and next to it is a burial mound with a large stone cross.)
Chorus with Dance [CD 1, track 2. Composer: Eduard Brendler.]
In the stars' twinkling beams,
In the flowers' fragrant wreath,
A joyful love is painting
Its future in glorious splendour.
When night with its veil covers
Each torch in its high-vaulted hall,
Then waiting faith will offer
The lover the cup of joy.
JÖSSE
Engagement and wedding within two days... Quick work, Gaffer!
BOTVID
Do you think so?
JÖSSE
Not that I have anything against it.
BOTVID
That's big of you, that is....
JÖSSE
I should like to do the same thing....
BOTVID
You just stick to thinking about the lamps, not about getting wed...
JÖSSE
But I can think of both at the same time. If only the one were as easily arranged as the other! (coming downstage) I still think that His Grace could put in a good word for me, when I've saved his life so many times.
BOTVID
What do you mean?
JÖSSE
Isn't it me who lights the lamp in the dark hallway at night? If it weren't for that lamp, someone might break their neck on the stairs, as likely the Knight as anyone. —
BOTVID (coming downstage)
There we are, now everything's in order. (The people have gradually gathered around them.) I'm saying that . . . and yet . . it seems to me more like a funeral than a wedding.
JÖSSE
Our old Knight Thure's funeral was even more solemn. It was a real joy to see our gracious master weeping. Yes, he could put out whole log-fires with his tears.
THOMAS (half-aloud.)
Crocodile tears!
BOTVID (taking his hand.)
Well said. (looking around.) As for our gracious master, well . . . No one deceives everyone . — From that downcast eye and those dissembling features a secret joy peeked out. He could barely conceal it until the day came for Miss Agnes to set aside her mourning garb. And that's today. Now he won't have to dissemble.
THOMAS
She doesn't seem to love him.
BOTVID
No, she's much to be pitied.
THOMAS
But why did our blessed lord make it a condition in his will that she should marry the knight?
BOTVID
(looks closely at the bystanders, who have gathered around him.)
There's no spy here, I'm thinking. So I'll tell you what people are whispering to each other. The will is probably a fraud. What happened to our blessed master . . . . But why trouble you with this, which is only my own guesswork?
THE PEASANTS
Oh yes, oh yes, tell us! . . . . tell us what you know about it.
BOTVID
You all love your old master, don't you?
THOMAS
Not one of us but grieved for him as for a father.
BOTVID
Then I've nothing to fear from you, and I'll say what I know. I've guessed most of it, and there are no proofs of the truth of what I say. Believe as much of it as you like. But listen. You remember that, about twelve years ago, our old knight returned from a journey in a foreign land, and brought with him Arnold, who once saved his life in a battle. Arnold is brave and obliging, and was particularly happy at that time, no one can deny that. Knight Thure used to say: I've often complained that heaven has denied me a son, but Arnold is everything to me a son can be. If Miss Agnes had any liking for him, her father would probably have offered him both her daughter and her castles. But she never wished to hear his declarations of love. However, the time came when Agnes was of an age to be married, and the burghers went looking abroad.
THOMAS
I begin to understand. It wasn't by chance that Arnold kept the castle closed to all foreign visitors.
BOTVID
All the same, the talk of our young lady's beauty got about, and several brilliant offers were made. At that time, the old knight made a journey to St. Magnild's chapel in Skåne, in consequence of a vow he made during the war. He was accompanied only by his valet Christofer, who lives in there (pointing to Christofer's hut), and the knight died, so it's said, from being struck down by illness on the way.
JÖSSE
And Gaffer reckons he was struck down more than once? (miming repeated blows.)
BOTVID
Shut up, idiot. I don't reckon anything. —Christofer brought our master's signet ring to Arnold, as a sign he was to be his heir. The rest you know.
THOMAS.
In truth I can hardly recognise Christofer since Knight Thure died. He creeps around like a bad conscience. But maybe grief also has a part in it. One shouldn't believe everything people say. He's served our master since childhood, and has always been known as an upright and faithful servant.
BOTVID
The other day, when I sang the ballad of Knight Brun who was killed by his stable-lad, he wept bitterly.
JÖSSE
Ah, do sing it .... It's so merry.
BOTVID (sings) [CD 1, track 3. Composer: Eduard Brendler.]
And the knight rode through the thirty-mil forest,
The cocks crowed of the dawning,
So uneasily the wave beat on the lake shore
And the winds blew so chilly.
That servant should always guard his life,
But the gold played on his mind,
So slowly he draws his silver-handled knife
And blood-red now runs the wave.
And the wave goes further and further off
And snow-white he washes the knight.
A miller dams his millstream
And the corpse from the wave he drags.
He buried it in the earth, so deep and cool.
But the bird on the lily stem complains,
God forgive that servant for the lure of gold,
That he ended his master's days!
Act I, Scene 2
(The same. BIRGER [Arnold's bailiff].)
BIRGER
Who dares to sing funeral hymns on the knight's engagement day?
BOTVID
It was only an old song.
BIRGER
Haven't I stipulated that no songs are to be heard here except the ones Master Gregorius has composed in honor of the knight and his bride?Look to it! Be joyful! He who shows a gloomy countenance, I will put where neither sun nor moon shines on him.
BOTVID (to Thomas)
Come to my cabin. I can't rejoice over my master's dead body. (They go.)
BIRGER.
Here come the knight and his bride. Strike up the song of joy.
Act I, Scene 3
(The same. ARNOLD and AGNES, both in shining array, with retinue and surrounded by a strong guard.)
Chorus with Dance [CD 1, track 4. Composer: Eduard Brendler.]
Over dale and sound,
Through forest and grove
Many glances you attract,
Beautiful star of love.
But behind the clouds now
You blush, pale maiden,
For Agnes, oh little star,
Is more beautiful than you!
The bird with its song,
The stream in its course,
The evening that is streaked,
They breathe only love.
The rose alone dares not
Peek out from her purple robes;
For she finds the bride
More beautiful than herself.
[Presumably this chorus was immediately followed in the 1834 production by the first two ballet episodes: "national dances" choreographed by Anders Selinder and performed by the ballet dancers of the Kungliga Teatern. CD 1, tracks 5 and 6. Composer: Edouard Du Puy.]
ARNOLD (warmly, but modestly)
You hear, beloved Agnes, how everything sings the praises of your beauty. The poet is right when he says that the star blushingly hides behind the cloud, and the rose dares not emerge from its bud, when they see you. Should Arnold's heart alone remain cold?
AGNES
I know all that I owe you, sir knight. And I hope I have left you sufficient proof of it when I give you my hand tomorrow. He who once saved my father's life and mourned his death, like a son, can in no other way be rewarded.
ARNOLD
Your hand, my lady, is a gift worthy of the envy of princes. But what is it, what are all your father's treasures, without your love? With it, a hut is a king's castle to me, without it the world is desolate.
AGNES
I cannot dissemble. Friendship and trust will have to replace the tender inclination of the heart.
ARNOLD
Alas! they are mere alms compared with the wealth of love. I ask for a rose and you hand me the withered stem.
AGNES
Perhaps time will . . . .
ARNOLD (vehemently)
Yes, it will free you from the torment of seeing
me, hearing my lament, and being pursued by my prayers. (taking her hand tenderly) Do you remember the day when I came from the war with your father? You were still a child then.
You shed tears of joy when he told of the danger of death he had escaped, and how I managed, at the risk of my own life, to save his. — You whispered to me: “You good knight, you shall be my betrothed!” — How little did I suspect then that your childish glance would give me a more deadly wound than the enemy’s sword!
AGNES (moved)
What the child promised the maiden shall hold to. There stands my father’s memorial. — His dust is lost to us. (pointing to the tombstone.) Kneel at this memorial of the departed, and let
us call upon him for a blessing upon our union.
(All turn to the tombstone and kneel. The lamps
gradually go out.)
Chorus [CD 1, track 7. Composer: Eduard Brendler.]
Are you not near to us,
Father, guardian and friend?
The evening winds carry
Our sighs to you yet.
Through the bars of the grave
Border of eternity and time —
On your people falls
The father's gaze light and gentle!
(The stage has begun to darken at the beginning of the chorus, and thunder is heard in the distance.)
ARNOLD and AGNES
May your eye shine gently,
May your hand keep guard over us!
Bless in the heavens
Our hearts' knit bond!
(Lightning is followed by a loud thunderclap. All start up. The music changes from the spiritual calm of prayer, into a depiction of unease and terror.)
Chorus
It flames in the sky,
The angry words
Are proclaimed to the earth
From the brow of heaven.
Lightning flashes,
The mountains rock,
The earth opens with a roar.
Stars are extinguished,
The dead are awakened,
Go quickly, quickly from here!
(They hurry away, scattering in different directions.)
Act I, Scene 4
CHRISTOFER (in mourning attire, coming from his hut)
The songs of joy have fallen silent. All nature is in tumult . . and then, I feel calmer. — Peace and quiet joy, once my dearest friends, have abandoned me. — Here . . at this
cross . . I spend my nights . . tearing my chest and pressing my forehead against the cold dust. (Pause.) In vain! bloody and crying for revenge, the same shadow always stands before me. — (Taking out a rolled-up piece of paper.) How often do I unroll this letter of indulgence. Here is the sinner's forgiveness, but when I
begin to read it, the words turn into my
death sentence. — No prince strikes the kind of coin that can purchase peace of mind. . no tears
can wipe away the bloodstains on my hand.
Act I, Scene 5
(CHRISTOFER, RYNO [a knight errant] and SNAP [his squire] (backstage))
RYNO
No, there on the left, I thought I just saw a light.
SNAP
In darkness like this you can't even tell left from right.
RYNO
The horses don't want to go any further.
SNAP
And in that they're right. We ought to rest for a while.
(Christofer gets up and goes into his hut.)
RYNO (entering the stage)
It's strange. A minute ago I saw lights here, as if the whole area had been on fire, and now everything's dark again.
SNAP
That troupe of fortune-tellers and gypsies we met on the way, saying they were coming here for a wedding, they were just making fun of us.
RYNO
It almost looks like it.
SNAP
That illuminated castle, we must just have imagined it. There isn't even a den of twigs here. No, it would have been better to stay with that nice fisherman. There we could have had a good fresh pike, a tankard of mead and a warm bed. But that was far too simple for a knight errant. — Sometimes will-o'-the-wisps do for us, or glow-worms light our way to bed, but this evening we'll just have to bunk down in the dark. (throwing himself down on the ground.)
RYNO
What are you doing?
SNAP
I'm trying to lie down in my comfy bed, but I'm struggling to pull the bed-curtains round me, because the roof is a bit high.
RYNO
Are you going to bed already?
SNAP
After eighteen hours of wandering about, it's none too soon.
RYNO
I'm damned hungry!
SNAP
My stomach has been telling me that all day,
but knights errant usually don't eat anything. It
is written in the scriptures that all flesh is grass; but I couldn't help noticing when I made my evening meal that all grass is not flesh, because it tastes damned dry. (Pause.)
RYNO
Snap!
SNAP
I'm asleep.
RYNO
You lazy fellow.
SNAP
In sleep one does no evil... And the best way to become a saint is to sleep round the clock. — (he falls asleep.)
RYNO
(half-aloud.) Wait, I'll wake you up. (shouting)
Snap? Look at the forest lady over there in the bush.
[NB: "skogsfru", a mythical female forest spirit who lures men to their doom]
SNAP (starts up, wide awake.)
Where? . . . Where? . . .
RYNO.
Look, how she beckons us.
SNAP
For God's sake let's get out of here, sir knight.
RYNO
But you're so tired?
SNAP
Sleep is all gone.
RYNO
Ha, ha, ha! Admit it, you're a crockpot!
[NB: "kruka" means a pot and also a coward]
SNAP
Yes, and one of the worst, because it's completely empty. — But what is so strange about being afraid of supernatural powers? In a battle with men, well, that's quite different, there I always share the danger with you, sir knight.
RYNO
You?
SNAP
Yes, because you're the first into battle and I'm the last. But tell me, what is the use of all this wandering about, when you have two, three beautiful castles to live in?
RYNO
A life without adventure is like a day without sunshine. — That twilight, which you call a quiet life, I cannot bear.
SNAP
Oh, but at twilight the birds sing, the flowers are scented, the fire crackles and the wine tastes so wonderful!
RYNO
When I look at my family tree or read the old tales, my heart is stirred to seek adventure and a name like my ancestors.
Recitativ [CD 1, track 8. Composer: Eduard Brendler, but he left it unfinished near the end of the Recitativ and never got on to the Romance that follows. This musical episode was presumably missing from the 1834 performances.]
A memory of past days gladdens me,
Like the moon's silver glance on the warrior's broken monument.
But the time of poetry has flown with our fathers.
Deserted and cold, Reason enters
its abandoned temple yard.
Nature's heart beats no more,
Peopled no more are the mountains, lakes and groves,
Hertha is an abandoned bride,
Faded is each image on her heart's ground.
Romance
The knight has gone to the tourney;
The maiden, anxious in her castle,
Walks at evening in the oaks of the grove,
The stars lament her sorrow.
Many the temptations and dangers
He endures for his maiden
Until the next time he and his company
Come riding over the drawbridge.
The green-clad forest lady invites him
Into her cave on cushions blue,
The lake-spirit's song entices,
But he does not listen to it.
Elves lead him astray;
Dwarves steal away his sword,
But a new one they must make,
Forged on an unconquered hearth.
The dragon's brow he bravely crushes,
Brings peace to king and land,
The king's daughter's chains he looses,
But refuses yet her hand.
A knightly dwelling stands deserted,
Where its mistress walks again,
He brings rest to the dead,
To the fallen heavens.
So he returns triumphant,
Proclaimed clean from rumour's tongue,
Blessed by his father's hands,
He proudly embraces his beloved bride.
In the chapel we see
How in marble, fine and delicate,
He and his mistress lie both,
As they lived, beside each other.
SNAP
Well, as far as all that's concerned, I think we've got most of it under our belts. Hasn't the gentleman fought dragons and giants; haven't will-o'-the-wisps led us into quagmires so we could drown; haven't we lain in a dozen castles to free ghostly knights and damsels? Now the best part remains, and that's for the gentleman to settle down in peace with his lovely bride and place me in some quieter position, for instance, supervisor of the gentleman's
kitchen and cellar; then we'll drink as fine wines as the Turkish Emperor in Holy Constantinople. If we carry on battling dangers and difficulties like this, we'll end up wandering through life with no arms or legs.
RYNO
You have forgotten one main thing. In all my adventures I yet to fall in love.
SNAP
That adventure would be the most sensible at least, and the most fun too.
Act I, Scene 6
(The same. JÖSSE (at rear).)
JÖSSE
It's such a stupid thing to be afraid. I happened to stay a bit too long chatting with Ma Gertrude,
and now from sheer terror I can't find my way home.
SNAP
God be praised, I think I can hear a human voice.
JÖSSE
There's someone there. — I'll shut my eyes, so he won't see me. (shutting his eyes and groping his way forward a couple of steps.)
SNAP. (shouting)
Is there someone there?
JÖSSE
A . . h! It's a robber. (wanting to run away. )
RYNO (meeting him on the other side.)
Stop!
JÖSSE
Gracious Sir Robber, don't kill me! (falling to his knees.)
SNAP
Ha, ha, ha! Look, there's someone who's more scared than I am!
JÖSSE (getting up manfully.)
What? Is somebody scared? That's my kind of man! What's your question?
RYNO
The question is if there's a castle round here where a knight errant could find quarters for the night?
JÖSSE
Yes, the castle lies there, right in front of the gentleman's knight-errant nose; but there are no sleeping quarters there.
RYNO
Is it uninhabited then?
JÖSSE
No, and it's just because it's inhabited by honest folk that they don't receive such extra noses.
RYNO
Who is your master?
JÖSSE
It's a gentleman called the Knight.
RYNO
Doesn't he have any other name?
JÖSSE
Well, those who don't know him call him
Arnold. (Ryno gives a start.)
SNAP
Arnold, who inherited the castle of Thure Stenson... He's a brave man.
JÖSSE
Yes, you bet he is. When he goes to war, he never runs his sword through less than a dozen men at once, and there are always a few additional children hanging from the hilt.
SNAP
Well, tell him that the Knight Ryno and his squire, Mr. von Snap, wish to stay with him overnight.
JÖSSE
Ha, ha, ha! Well, it seems that the gentleman doesn't know the knight very well! The idea of him receiving such a young and handsome gentleman, and the night before his wedding too! Ha, ha, ha!
RYNO
So, he's going to get married? Is the bride pretty?
JÖSSE
You ask if Miss Agnes is pretty? She is as
beautiful as a sunflower, and as sweet as a parsnip.
RYNO
Well, — she is very much in love with the knight, isn't she?
JÖSSE
In love with the knight? Yes, about as much as
I'm in love with the gaffer's whip. She's afraid of him and daren't do anything but say yes. -- But what am I thinking of, standing here talking for a whole hour . . . God's peace!
SNAP
Wait. Is there no way to get into the castle?
JÖSSE
No -- it pains me that the gentlemen are going to have to sleep under the open sky tonight; but it's strictly forbidden to entertain any foreigner, or even to speak to one. Which is why I've said nothing, by the way. Have a great night! Sweet dreams. Ho, ho, ho! (He goes.)
Act I, Scene 7
(RYNO. SNAP.)
RYNO
Did you hear that?
SNAP
Yes of course I heard, that the rascal seemed to
make fun of us, and that we're going to have to sleep on nothing but our own bare backs, as before.
RYNO
It isn't about that now! You should know then, that at the last jousting the rumour spread that Arnold was the old knight's murderer. My
father and the old knight Thure Stenson were
brothers in arms. — I urged Arnold to defend himself with the sword against the accusation, but the next day he had disappeared.
SNAP
Well, what does the gentleman mean to do?
RYNO
I want to see Thure Stenson's daughter in secret,
and discover if Arnold deserves her hand and is innocent of the crime for which he stands accused.
SNAP
And then?
RYNO
If he is forcing Miss Agnes to marry him against her will, I will free her, and if she is as beautiful as they say, I might offer her my hand myself.
SNAP
Well, the last part makes sense; but how will it be possible to free her?
RYNO
I don't know. I feel like challenging Arnold to a duel again. Then he can't deny me entry into the castle, and I'll see the lady.
SNAP
Well, the latter might not be a given.
RYNO (fiercely)
I'll set fire to the castle, then she'll have to come out.
SNAP
Ha, ha, ha! The gentleman has no lack of happy
suggestions.
RYNO (reflecting)
I . . . wait. — That was a splendid thought! I'm as good as inside the castle already!
SNAP
And in what way?
RYNO
You remember that a few hours ago we
met a group of gypsies and fortune-tellers, who intended to go to the castle to entertain the
wedding guests with their arts. I'll borrow one of their costumes, mingle in the crowd, and within an hour I'll know the castle and all its inhabitants.
.
SNAP
What are you thinking of, sir knight . . if you're discovered . . and you definitely will be . . then we might both be hanged as vagrants. What an excellent adventure that would be.
RYNO
Don't go on about that. Hurry and tighten the girths on my horse. We must set off at once!
SNAP (starting to wail)
I at least would be sure to betray my disguise! My anxiety would give me away at once.
RYNO
You may be right in that. Besides, you can
be useful as a relief troop outside the castle.
(Snap goes out.)
[Finale to Act I. CD 1, track 9. Composer: Prince Oscar. I'm translating von Beskow's original text; there were minor changes in the musical setting.]
Song
At the hour of midnight
The king's son, young Habor,
Went into the green grove,
His armour weighed on his heart.
But a rose so lovely
Sprang up quickly at his bosom,
And when the day dawned,
The fair Signild lay on his arm.
(breaking off.)
But why, of so many tales,
Does my heart recall this one in particular?
I want to be happy, like Habor,
But I don't want to be hanged, like him.
But what do I fear? . . I don't walk alone,
My good sword is by my side,
If I'm betrayed I'll fight like old Starkotter,
He who struck with three pairs of arms!
[NB: Starkotter = the mythical Norse hero Starkad, who in some accounts had eight arms.]
(Snap returns.)
Duo
RYNO
Never fades the knight's star
When he, on a journey of war,
For a beautiful, unfortunate damsel
Draws his faithful, shining sword.
Tender is the request of tears,
Beautiful is the woman in her sorrow,
And against love and honor
No castle is closed.
SNAP
Alas, when shall I see the day
(Before I have gray hair and beard)
When I, with a pleasant woman,
Sit between the bowl and the wall,
Happy in my moderation,
Sprinkling my Sunday floor with leaves,
Having my supper at eight o'clock,
And my dinner at twelve!
RYNO
Hurry onward! I must not hesitate!
Love summons me there.
SNAP
Heaven will never deny me
A pleasant sleep and a good appetite.
RYNO
Under the laurels so bloodily won,
Love in bloom stands.
SNAP
Just every day a barrel of beer
And a field of rest every year.
Together:
RYNO
Earth's joy does not become permanent,
Until between two hearts are tied
A bond of union, so faithful
That not even death breaks it!
SNAP
To my tankard I am faithful,
Our union is never broken,
And at my table I am permanent
Until I exchange it for my bed.
(They go. The curtain falls.)
End of Act I
ACT II
(A room in Arnold's castle.)
Act II, Scene 1
[Recitativo-Aria. CD 1, track 10. Composer: Prince Oscar. I'm translating von Beskow's original text, which was slightly cut and reordered in the musical setting.]
AGNES (Alone. Opening a
window and gazing at the cloud-covered sky.)
Nature breathes more calmly
And darkness descends, with slow wingbeats.
In vain my eye scans, but
On high the sky's starry script
Is extinguished by the storm.
Covered with a shroud of sorrow,
To Day's deserted throne his widow Night ascends;
Her sceptre, star-strewn, extends over the earth,
And each life awakened to light and joy
She with a word consecrates to silence!
Nevertheless I love you,
You pure, tender mother of feelings!
Only when you have extinguished the rivers of light,
Does the nightingale pipe up and the flower open.
A nameless longing in my bosom
I feel awaken in your presence.
What do these tears say, so warm,
That Agnes weeps in your bosom?
When earth and sky both melt
Together there, at the brow of the evening,
And the purple gleam on the evening sky
Seems to reveal their parting kiss;
When the sun, burning and warm,
Descends into the bosom of the wave;
When the brook, warmed by the summer winds,
Winds its soft arm around the hill,
And the dove in undisturbed peace
With her mate coos in her nest,
Then a secret voice tells me
I too have received a heart,
And that love possesses a heaven
I can but dimly conceive!
Act II, Scene 2
(AGNES. ARNOLD.)
ARNOLD
Still in sad dreams, beloved Agnes? I hope, however, that the storm that drove us from the garden has not frightened your easily-stirred imagination. I know you believe in omens. Your father, in other respects an excellent man, had the same weakness.
AGNES
I will not deny I was filled with a horrible and terrifying feeling when a higher power replied, seemingly with every sign of anger, to our prayers for a blessing and happiness in our impending union. It was not just within me that this event aroused consternation, it has put all the inhabitants of the castle in disquiet.
ARNOLD
(smiling and with indifference.)
Unenlightened people are always gullible and superstitious. — (Seriously.) Fortunately, everyone knows how much I was loved by your late father; his last will, which appointed me his heir and gave me a legitimate claim to your hand, sufficiently testified that our union was his warmest wish. — But let us banish every thought that can disturb the joy of this day. — Before I have the good fortune to call you my wife, I want to show how tireless my efforts will be to please you, and to bring you a variety of pleasures. To conclude the day's entertainments, I've summoned a wandering troupe of gypsies and fortune-tellers, whose songs and predictions should for a while dispel your gloom. (Aside.) The predictions are my own.
Act II, Scene 3
(The same. BIRGER. A troupe of Gypsies and Fortune-tellers . Among the latter is RYNO. At the sight of Agnes he is captivated by her beauty. Birger, who soon discovers his emotion , follows it with attention. Song and Dance. The music has a wild and mysterious character. Agnes is silent and abstracted throughout the scene.)
Chorus and Dance [CD 1, track 11. Composer: Eduard Brendler.]
We who can read in the stars above,
The dream's enigma we solve.
The maidens of fate reveal to us
The hidden future's conclusion.
With the mighty spirits of fire and water
And earth and air, we seal a bond.
We rule over the dark night,
The mountain deeps and the sea floors.
ARNOLD (to Ryno.)
Well then , wise fortune-teller! Give us a proof of your art. Tell my betrothed bride something of her future destiny.
(Fantastical music. Ryno makes signs with his wand.)
RYNO
Invisible beings, who obey
The mighty sound of the spell !
Let my voice be your command!
Foretell the future destiny
Of the knight's charming bride!
(Taking Agnes' hand and gazing at it with delight.)
Never was a hand more beautiful!
He who is linked in faith with this hand
Though brought to the brink of the grave,
Would not exchange his fate with the gods!
(coming to his senses.)
Though cloud of sorrow shades your eye,
Soon its sky will sparkle clear.
For you, indeed, in the heights,
Watches a friend, a guardian, a father!
Of all that fate may give,
This to you it dare not deny:
Your life's path will be happy,
For love will strew it with roses.
Chorus
Your life's path will be happy,
For love will strew it with roses.
(During the chorus, Birger approaches Arnold and whispers something in his ear. Arnold looks at Ryno attentively and gives a secret order to Birger, who goes out.)
[Presumably this musical section was followed directly by the third ballet episode or "national dance". CD 1, track 12. Composer: Edouard Du Puy.]
ARNOLD
I am pleased with your prediction, wise fortune-teller, and I plan for you a reward you may not have expected. I am pleased with you too, my friends. You have contributed to increasing the joy of this day, and you shall not go unthanked from my castle. (Giving them a sign to depart. — To Ryno:) With you, wise man! I have yet a word to speak.
Chorus and Dance [CD 1, track 13. Composer: Eduard Brendler.]
We who can read in the stars above,
The dream's enigma we solve.
The maidens of fate reveal to us
The hidden future's conclusion.
With the mighty spirits of fire and water
And earth and air, we seal a bond.
We rule over the dark night,
The mountain deeps and the sea floors.
(They depart.)
Act II, Scene 4
(AGNES. ARNOLD. RYNO.)
ARNOLD
You can hardly believe, fortune-teller, how your visit has delighted me.
RYNO (with a feigned voice)
I, my son, am also glad to have seen your castle. I have found a treasure here.
ARNOLD
Really?
RYNO
Which I plan to take with me.
ARNOLD
Treasure hunters don't usually talk about the
hidden treasures they discover. One is said to lose them if someone else knows about them, and I fear this one will prove the same.
RYNO
Every place has its protective power, whose participation is necessary. In this case it's an angel. I hope for its assistance.
ARNOLD
Won't you at least share the treasure with me?
The castle's owner should have a right to share.
RYNO
It is not the kind of thing that can be shared.
ARNOLD
To show you I'm not entirely unworthy of your trust, I'll give you a little sample of my art of divination. I don't often predict, but my predictions nearly always come true. Give me your hand. (Alternately scrutinizing Ryno's hand and his own, with a piercing gaze. Ryno trying to hide his confusion.) What do I see? That line . . . and that depression . . yes, it can't be clearer. — What it says here is "Capture and death within twenty-four hours."
RYNO (with a sly smile)
You're not doing a bad job.
ARNOLD
No, I hope not. (going to the door, which
immediately opens. Birger and several armed men come in.)
RYNO
Ha! Overpowered! (throwing off his cloak, hat and beard and drawing his sword, but before he can stand to defend himself he is disarmed by Birger and his people, who pinion him from behind.)
ARNOLD
What do I see? The Knight Ryno! How comes this, sir knight? In such a mean manner daring to sneak into my castle?
RYNO
You didn't open your gates, as a knight should,
to all who ride unconcealed. It's with
cunning that one rewards a recreant. If I'd asked to enter your castle, you would have refused me. Now I renew that challenge
*
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| Bernhard von Beskow, engraving from a painting of c. 1830 by Olof Johan Södermark. |
[Image source: https://snl.no/Bernhard_von_Beskow .]
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| Eduard Brendler |
[Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Brendler#/media/File%3AEduard_Brendler.jpg .]
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| Prince Oscar, 1836 painting by Fredric Westin. |
[Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Oscar_I_portr%C3%A4tterad_1836_av_Fredric_Westin.jpg .]
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| Edouard Du Puy |
[Image source: https://www.swedishmusicalheritage.com/composers/du-puy-edouard/ .]
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| Adolf Fredrik Lindblad |
[Image source:
https://www.swedishmusicalheritage.com/composers/lindblad-adolf-fredrik/ .]
Labels: Bernhard von Beskow, Eduard Brendler, Oscar I, Specimens of the literature of Sweden
