Le Roi Arthus - Act Two by Ernest Chausson Lyrics

Prelude

Scene One - The edge of a pine forest. The tree
trunks, tall and straight, resemble endless rows
of stately columns. On the right, a large moss-
covered rock that could be used as a place to sit.
At the back, fields stretching out into the distance.
It is broad daylight. The sun, filtering through the
branches of the trees, leaves bright patches on the
ground. As the curtain rises, a plowman is slowly
moving across the back of the stage, scattering
seeds along the way.

PLOWMAN
Rion, the beard-stealing king of the isles,
Was said to be all of eight feet tall, ho ho!
With his band of pirates and desperadoes,
This giant would sail across the high seas,
And prowl around our towns and villages
So as to kidnap our wives and daughters!
The eagles of Lomond high up in the sky
Were keeping watch over Arthur's realm!
(He disappears on the right.)
One dark night they spied the pirate ship,
And cried out to warn their country man--
"Merlin, wake up! Go and alert the king!
The giant's here to carry off our women!"

(As Lancelot slowly moves forward from the
back of the stage, he pauses to lay his sword
and cloak down at the foot of a tree.)

Scene Two - Lancelot and Guinevere

LANCELOT
Has Lionel found a way to go and see her?
How maddening to have to stay right here,
And not be able to do anything to help her!
All I can do now is to wait for her to arrive!
(anxiously)
The daylight was just about ready to break!
What if the night watchmen recognized me
While they were up there on the ramparts?
What if Mordred isn't really dead after all?
What if my hands were trembling so badly
That I was only able to wound him instead?
Oh, God help me! What if he is still alive?
What if he has already been to see the king,
And has accused me of betraying his trust?
PLOWMAN (off stage)
"See the rich lining of my royal cloak, ho ho!
It's made of the beards of those eleven kings
That I've killed in battle throughout the years!
Oh, Arthur, I'm here for the hair on your chin!
All that I need now is one more ruler's beard,
And yours is the only one that is still missing!"
(As he comes back out and moves across the
back of the stage from right to left, Lancelot
stops to listen to the words of his song.)
The brave King Arthur turned white with rage,
And then drew out his sword Excalibur, ho ho!
He gave a great shout to the heavens up above,
And then hurled himself straight at the pirate!
Soon the field was soaked in bright red blood,
And the monstrous giant lay dying at his feet!
(As the plowman moves off into the distance and
disappears entirely, his voice can still be heard.)
Jesus Christ was there to watch over the King
As he did battle with the forces of evil, ho ho!
The giant monster who tried to steal his beard

Died like a dog with his face lying in the dust!
King Arthur, with the heart of a mighty falcon,
Dared to risk his own life to bring Rion down!
LANCELOT
(as if returning to his senses)
Arthur! Arthur! The greatest ruler of them all,
The saintliest king the world has ever known!
The staunchest defender of the Christian faith!
The brave warrior who conquered the Saxons!
(in the depths of despair)
Ah, I'm not worthy of his loyalty and respect!
I'm guilty of the worst crime he can imagine!
I've betrayed his confidence again and again!
I've committed treason against my own king!
I've lied to him in every way I knew how to!
I've broken each vow that I once held sacred!
And my name, which once stood for loyalty,
Will now be dragged right through the mud!
How can I ever have let myself stoop so low?
Yes, I'm a liar! And yet in my heart of hearts
I know that I'll be tied to Guinevere forever!
Everything that governed my life is forgotten
As soon as I hold her once more in my arms!

GUINEVERE (off stage)
Lancelot! My own Lancelot! Where are you?

LANCELOT
(catching sight of Guinevere in the distance)
Here she is! She's come back to me after all!

GUINEVERE
I'm begging you! You've got to protect me!
(She rushes in breathlessly, followed by Lionel,
who immediately withdraws.)

LANCELOT
Oh, my Guinevere! Just to be with you again!

Scene Three - Guinevere and Lancelot

GUINEVERE
Mordred's alive! He's accused you of treason!
Your comrades are joining forces against you!
Only Arthur is convinced that you're innocent!
He still refuses to believe what he's been told!

LANCELOT
Is there still some way in Heaven to save you?
Just tell me what it is that you want me to do!

GUINEVERE
You have to fearlessly confront your accusers!
Go back to Carlisle with your head held high!
Arthur could never believe his friend is guilty!
You're the only one who can protect me now!
I myself have already denied the accusations,
But you're the one that he wants to hear from!

LANCELOT
You want me to appear before King Arthur!
You want me to tell him that I am innocent!
What can I possibly say in my own defense?
I'm too ashamed of myself ever to face him!

GUINEVERE
You can tell him whatever it is you want to,
But I'm begging you to save your Guinevere!

LANCELOT
So you're asking me, Sir Lancelot himself,
To lie in front of everyone present at court,
And swear that these accusations are false?

GUINEVERE
You must do it! You have no other choice!

LANCELOT
You want me to lie to my lord and master?

GUINEVERE
What does one more lie matter in the end?
You've been deceiving your king all along!

LANCELOT

There's no way that I could ever face him!

GUINEVERE
Are you so afraid to tell just one more lie,
To try and save the woman who loves you?

LANCELOT
Yes, I am! I'm too ashamed to face him!
My love made me forget everything else!
I betrayed the man who was my brother!
Arthur, the most valiant knight of us all!
The king who made me his loyal friend!
How could I cruelly betray a sacred trust,
And lie to him to protest my innocence?
Oh, Guinevere, do you really mean this?
Don't ask such a terrible sacrifice of me!
I would shed my own blood to save you!
Let me die for you instead! Take my life!

GUINEVERE
Ah! How could you even think of dying?
You'd ruin me right along with yourself!

LANCELOT
What more is there I could do to help you?
Isn't this at least a fair and honorable way
To protect the reputation of the one I love?

GUINEVERE
What I am asking of you is hateful, I know!
It's shameful, but we have no other choice!
My honor itself is at stake! And so is yours!
It's you, my Lancelot, and your love for me
That forever changed the course of my life!
I am begging you not to refuse this request!
I have come to you in the depths of despair!
I understand just how much it will cost you
To have to tell your king such an awful lie!
There's no other way that you can save me!
The king trusts you, but he still has doubts!
The more we delay, the more he'll suspect!
My darling, we have no time left to waste!

LANCELOT
Ah! I could never lower myself to do this!
I wouldn't be able to look him in the eye!
There is no way I'd ever find the courage
To tell such horrible lies right to his face!
Even my expression would give me away!
No, no! I can't even think of such a thing!

GUINEVERE
Ah! So you're really a coward in the end!
First you tell me how much you love me,
And then you refuse to help save my life!
You have invented every possible excuse
To avoid proclaiming that I am innocent!
Sir Lancelot, the greatest liar of them all,
Suddenly sees that he has some scruples!
So be it! Get out of my sight this instant!
I've decided to confront the king myself,
And tell him the whole truth at long last!
I don't care about what will happen next!
None of it really matters to me anymore!
All I want from you is to leave me alone!
Our love was no more than a bad dream!
I never want to lay my eyes on you again!
(Exhausted, she collapses on a grassy bank
and buries her head in her hands. Lancelot,
completely taken aback, remains motionless
in the center of the stage.)

LANCELOT
What made me say such awful things to her?
How could I ever forsake the woman I love,
Who risked everything to love me in return?
As long as I was faithful to our guilty secret,
I still believed that I was capable of loyalty!
Now all of that is over! There's nothing left!
(suddenly coming to a decision)
Ah! What do I care if I've disgraced myself?
Why should I agonize over a few more lies?
There she is, exhausted and as pale as death!
I'm the only one who can save her! And then--
(Overcome by his emotions, he stands staring
at the ground. Then he slowly makes his way
to the back of the stage to retrieve his cloak
and sword while Guinevere silently looks after
him. He hesitates several times, as if he were
waiting for her to change her mind, and finally
turns toward the left to exit the scene. Just as
he is about to leave, Guinevere, who is still
sitting with her head in her hands, calls out
to him in a voice that can barely be heard.)

GUINEVERE
Oh, Lancelot, my darling Lancelot, wait!
Just tell me where it is that you're going!

LANCELOT
(coming back on stage)
I've decided to appeal directly to the king,
And swear before Almighty God Himself
That I have never betrayed his trust in me!
Ah, Guinevere, will he believe what I say?
You keep insisting that he will forgive me
(bitterly)
Because he still loves me as he did before!
So be it! I'll find the strength to lie to him,
And commit this shameful act to save you!
When it's all over, in one battle or another,
At least I'll find a way to die a noble death,
And put an end to my miserable life at last!

GUINEVERE
How can you even think of going off to die?
(suddenly rising to her feet and rushing over
to where Lancelot is standing)
Ah! Don't ever say such things to me again!
If I could only take back those harsh words!
Lancelot, believe me! I was out of my mind!
I'm yours! All I want is to be here with you!
(She embraces him ever so tenderly.)
Why did I have to say those terrible things?
Look at me! I'm begging you to forgive me!
I don't know what suddenly came over me,
And made me lash out at you so viciously!
Oh, my love, how could I live without you?
What would I do without your sweet kisses?
I am begging you to let me share your fate!
We have nothing to fear if we are together!

LANCELOT
Your love! Your anger! It's all just torment!
You said so yourself! It's time for us to part!
Even if the king does think we are innocent,
Do you truly believe we can keep ourselves
From gazing at each other wherever we are?
And then there is Mordred and his revenge!
We'll be spied upon, and caught off guard!
Even your tenderness could give you away!

GUINEVERE
Why can't we leave everything behind us?

LANCELOT
Do you want us to run off together instead?

GUINEVERE
The love I feel for you shall see us through!
Alive or dead, your own adoring Guinevere
Shall never, ever be parted from you again!
We're bound together by our common fate!
Giving up the throne means nothing to me!
All that matters is that we have each other!
I am beside myself with happiness and joy!
I am part of you! I am yours for the asking!
Take me away with you! It's time to leave!
Your castle is there waiting for us to arrive!
Let it be our refuge for the rest of our lives!
Come away with me! Come now! It's time!
Take me off to a world of our own making,
Where we can love each other for all to see!
My darling, love shall guide us on our way!
The king will come for us, of that I'm sure,
And he may decide that we are both to die!
But at least we'll face our destiny together,
As united in death as we have been in life!

LANCELOT
Guinevere, listen to me for just a moment--

GUINEVERE
Ah, Lancelot, my dearest darling Lancelot,
Take me as far away from here as you can!
Even my royal standing and my reputation--
Nothing means as much to me as your love!

LANCELOT
To spend all the rest of our lives together!

GUINEVERE
Never to be parted from each other again!

LANCELOT
Guinevere, tell me this isn't just a dream!
Tell me what you're saying is really true!
Ah! Tell me there won't be any more lies!

GUINEVERE
I'll show the world how much I love you!

LANCELOT
We'll live only for the love that we share!

GUINEVERE
Such happiness is like a dream come true!

LANCELOT
We're free at last! No joy could be greater!

GUINEVERE
We're free! There could be no greater joy!

(They fall into each other's arms, and
remain locked in a passionate embrace.)

GUINEVERE and LANCELOT
We now belong to each other body and soul,
And our two hearts will forever beat as one!
No one else has ever loved like this before!
No one has known such heights of passion!

LANCELOT
Oh, Guinevere, my own sweet Guinevere,

I love you! I'm yours until the end of time!

GUINEVERE
Oh, Lancelot, I love you with all my heart!
Hold me close! And never let me go again!

LANCELOT
Come, my darling! Let me take you away!
(As he leads her off stage, the curtain falls.)

Scene Four - A cloister in an inner courtyard
of Arthur's castle at Carlisle. Through the stately
columns of its galleries, a view of the garden at
its center, and the castle roofs in the background.
The garden itself is overgrown with trees, thickets
and vines. At the end of the gallery on the right,
several steps that lead to the door of the king's
apartments. The curtain rises on a group of knights
engaged in quiet conversation. Arthur enters from
the left and addresses one of the men in their midst.

ARTHUR
Is Sir Lancelot still nowhere to be seen?

KNIGHT
I'm sorry, sire, there's no sign of him yet!

(Arthur motions to the knights to withdraw,
and begins to walk slowly along the gallery.)

ARTHUR
I've had the same thought over and over!
I've tried so hard to get it out of my head,
But it keeps on coming back to me again!
I have lost what peace of mind I had left!
My faith in God and man is gone forever!
How can I put an end to these suspicions?
My sweet Guinevere! My loyal Lancelot!
Oh, no! They'd never deceive their king!
But why hasn't he come to me in person?
Oh, my Lancelot! Please answer my call!
I'm here to welcome you with open arms!
Just tell me that Mordred has been lying!

In my heart of hearts I still believe in you!
(As he makes his way slowly along the
gallery, he stops to ponder his situation.)
I overturned the altars of the pagan gods!
I chased the Saxons away from this land!
I founded the Knights of the Round Table
So as to bring God's justice to this world!
I'd thought these ideals would be eternal,
But the end of my dreams is here instead!
The knights are all at war with each other,
Torn by jealousy and the lust for revenge,
And no longer want to abide by the rules!
They let themselves be led on by Mordred,
Who is secretly inciting them all to revolt!
My nephew has set his heart on my crown,
And I'm sure he hates me more than ever!
I'm surrounded on all sides by conspiracy!
Are they plotting to bring down Lancelot?
Are they out to destroy him as well as me?
Am I right in suspecting him of treachery?

Why have you abandoned me, my Merlin?
You were my sole helpmate from early on!
Everything we believed in is coming apart,
And I'm powerless to prevent this disaster!
Oh, Merlin, my dear friend in days of yore,
What evil spell has kept you away so long?
Such a burden is too heavy for me to bear!
Come back to me! Where are you hiding?

Scene Five - Arthur and Merlin

ARTHUR
Merlin, I'm begging you! Hear my voice!

(The trees part slightly, revealing Merlin
himself, who is half hidden by the branches
of an apple tree. He is wearing a long white
robe, and his white beard reaches down to
his waist. Throughout the entire scene, he
remains completely still.)

MERLIN
My Arthur! Turn around and look at me!

ARTHUR
Oh, Merlin, my oldest and dearest friend,
You have answered my pleas at long last!
(He goes out into the garden.)

MERLIN
Green apple trees, who tell of the future,
Whose magical words only I understand,
How many centuries have now passed by
Since those days when you first took root!

Oh, green apple trees again in full bloom,
The day of reckoning has finally arrived!
Woe is me! The hundred-year-old eagles
Abandoned watch on Lomond this night,
And cried out their ill omens to the skies!
Oh, green apple trees, as old as the hills!

ARTHUR
I've never heard you sound so sad before!
Merlin, I'm afraid to ask what this means!

MERLIN
There is no hope at all left for the future!
What we once achieved is now destroyed!
The Round Table is doomed to extinction,
Despised and rejected by those you loved!

ARTHUR
So everything is now over and done with!
Isn't there any hope for redemption at all?
Can you at least tell me what the reason is
For the downfall of my beloved kingdom?
There was a time when you had no doubts
That what we had built would last forever!
It was you who could look into the future!
But why do you suddenly seem so strange?
Why are you sitting there as still as can be,
Half hidden among the branches of a tree?
Am I dreaming that I've found you at last?
Oh, speak to me, my Merlin! Speak to me!

MERLIN
As blind as the two of us have always been,
We have mistakenly placed too much faith
In the power and greatness of human virtue!
If this land of ours that we once held sacred
Is choked with weeds and has gone to seed,
It is because some hideous unnamed crime,
Along with the sins of false pride and envy,
Have proved all my prophesies to be wrong!

Oh, my Arthur, don't ask me anything more!
My lips have been sealed for the rest of time!
The only reason I have left my secret prison
Is to tell you that you must accept your fate!
Your final days on this earth are numbered!
The gentle murmuring of the blue-green sea,
Which once sang you to sleep in your cradle,
Shall shroud your death in mystery as well!

But when the day of your reckoning arrives,
And the great awakening has come to pass,
Oh, son of Pendragon, High King of Britain!
Leader in war and noble prince of chivalry!
The mighty oak trees shall burst into bloom,
And deck themselves in their brightest red!
The knights shall rise up from their graves,
Dressed in rare garments of silver and gold,
And the sparkling rays of the sun up above
Shall wreathe your head in a blaze of glory!

ARTHUR
Then let death come, for such is my destiny!
I'm not afraid to leave the land of the living!
Oh, my dear Merlin! Tell me one more thing!
Who among us is guilty of that deadly crime
That you spoke of in such a trembling voice?
(hesitantly)
Could it be Guinevere, my own loving wife?
Tell me she and Lancelot are truly innocent!
Merlin! See how I'm suffering! Answer me!
By your silence you condemn both of them!
Merlin, are you forgetting I'm still the king?
Speak to me! Speak to me! I command you!
(The trees close up again, and the vision of
Merlin disappears. Arthur remains motionless
for several seconds, overcome by his feelings,
and then rushes back out to the gallery.)
Ah, Guinevere, my Guinevere, return to me!
(He makes his way across the stage and exits
by the rear door.)

Scene Six - At the sound of Arthur's cries,
the knights coming running on stage in a state
of alarm and total confusion.

KNIGHTS
Someone's crying out! What's the matter?
It's the king! Why is he shouting like that?

OTHER KNIGHTS
What is it? He's beside himself with rage!

ALL
We could hear him! He sounded so angry!

KNIGHTS
It's the king? What does all of this mean?

KNIGHT
Don't you know what has happened here?

ALL
What is it? What's going on? Just tell us!

KNIGHT
The queen's gone off! She's disappeared!

ALL
She's left the king? Was it with Lancelot?

FIRST CHORUS
Who else could it have been but Lancelot!

KNIGHT
Someone saw them together in the forest!
Then they were seen riding for the coast!

SECOND CHORUS
Ah! Nothing worse could have happened!

FIRST CHORUS
What do you mean? What are you saying?

SECOND CHORUS
Why did Mordred have to open his mouth?

FIRST CHORUS
What! Should he have said nothing at all?

SECOND CHORUS
Yes! He should have kept his mouth shut!

FIRST CHORUS
Ah! Just think! We'll get rid of Lancelot!

SECOND CHORUS
Have you all forgotten about King Arthur,
And the honor of the Round Table itself?

FIRST CHORUS
It's time to put an end to the Round Table!
We're tired of living by his code of honor!
We don't want to obey his rules anymore!

SECOND CHORUS
How dare you talk like that, you traitors!
We're warning you! We've heard enough!

(Beside himself with anger, Arthur rushes over
to where the knights are standing, brandishing
his sword and shouting at the top of his voice.)

ARTHUR
Prepare for battle! Ready your weapons!
I'd rather die than let him take her away!

ALL
Prepare for battle! Ready your weapons!