The Barber of Seville

Music by Rossini
English Version by Donald Pippin

English text examples:

Introducing the barber: FIGARO Bring on the barber, the man for the job! Make way! Rested and rollicking, ready to go! Nice day! Ah, life is good to me, All milk and honey, Prestige and money, Scaling the ladder Up to the top..... Favored by fortune and blessed by the gods, Bound for success, overcoming the odds. Scissor and razor Ready as needed, I am stampeded, Run to the ground. Ever at home With curler and comb, A finer profession Is not to be found..... Higher rewards come with the client; Gentlemen cordial, ladies compliant..... People pursuing me, Hailing, yoohooing me, Gender and station No limitation. Shorten the beard! Heighten the color! Service outstanding They are demanding. Falling all over, The public is calling; So highly regarded. The barber bombarded. Customers clamoring, Hounding and hammering, Ever so eager, oh Figaro, Figaro, FIGARO.....
ROSINA responds to an amorous voice heard from her balcony window:
When he spoke of love I knew Here was all I had to know. To the heart the arrow flew From Lindoro, who drew the bow. Dear Lindoro will be mine! I'm determined it shall be so. Though the doctor will say no, I have got a trick or two; He will have to let me go, Or a battle will ensue. Dear Lindoro will be mine, I'm determined it shall be so. Most often affable, Sweet, kind and tender, Prone to surrender, Let love take over, Yes, on the whole, I am A meek and gentle lamb; I wait and watch the world go by. BUT! If you cross my path, If you provoke my wrath, The cat will scratch, the fur will fly. I have the wherewithal, A hidden arsenal Of secret weapons to apply. Strategic traps to lay, A pack of cards to play, Till in the end I have my way. I tend to acquiesce, To yield and follow, To nod and answer yes With lowered eyes. BUT! If you collide with me, The other side of me, The sleeping tiger will arise. I have the wherewithal, A hidden arsenal Of secret weapons to apply. Strategic traps to lay, A pack of cards to play, Till in the end I have my way. After the trap is laid, I have my way. After the card is played, I have my way.

(La calunnia)

BASILIO Slurs and slander, Like summer breezes, Softly stirring, Subdued and gentle, Incidental, idle chatter, Featherweight, of little matter, Start with flimsy distant whispers barely heard. Piano, piano, Undercover, Sotto voce, Quiet rumor, Bolstered by insinuation, Enters into circulation. Rumor, first absurd and silly, Gains momentum as it travels willy nilly. Starting out in tiny ripples, Soon the volume doubles, triples And the murmur hits the firmament, Expanding with each word. From a subtle innuendo To a gradual crescendo, Like the galloping of horses, On the course it gathers forces, With a hammerstroke of thunder Tearing giant oaks asunder; Flashing, crashing, little wonder That it freezes to the bone; Bursting out and overflowing, With a fury ever growing, Building up to an explosion, Like a storm upon the ocean; Like a tempest or tornado, Like a charging light brigade, oh See the monster fully grown! Lo, the poor, unhappy victim! After calumny has kicked him, Mutilated, devastated, Left to struggle on his own.

List of Donald Pippin's English Versions
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English text examples:
Introducing the barber: FIGARO Bring on the barber, the man for the job! Make way! Rested and rollicking, ready to go! Nice day! Ah, life is good to me, All milk and honey, Prestige and money, Scaling the ladder Up to the top..... Favored by fortune and blessed by the gods, Bound for success, overcoming the odds. Scissor and razor Ready as needed, I am stampeded, Run to the ground. Ever at home With curler and comb, A finer profession Is not to be found..... Higher rewards come with the client; Gentlemen cordial, ladies compliant..... People pursuing me, Hailing, yoohooing me, Gender and station No limitation. Shorten the beard! Heighten the color! Service outstanding They are demanding. Falling all over, The public is calling; So highly regarded. The barber bombarded. Customers clamoring, Hounding and hammering, Ever so eager, oh Figaro, Figaro, FIGARO.....
ROSINA responds to an amorous voice heard from her balcony window:
When he spoke of love I knew Here was all I had to know. To the heart the arrow flew From Lindoro, who drew the bow. Dear Lindoro will be mine! I'm determined it shall be so. Though the doctor will say no, I have got a trick or two; He will have to let me go, Or a battle will ensue. Dear Lindoro will be mine, I'm determined it shall be so. Most often affable, Sweet, kind and tender, Prone to surrender, Let love take over, Yes, on the whole, I am A meek and gentle lamb; I wait and watch the world go by. BUT! If you cross my path, If you provoke my wrath, The cat will scratch, the fur will fly. I have the wherewithal, A hidden arsenal Of secret weapons to apply. Strategic traps to lay, A pack of cards to play, Till in the end I have my way. I tend to acquiesce, To yield and follow, To nod and answer yes With lowered eyes. BUT! If you collide with me, The other side of me, The sleeping tiger will arise. I have the wherewithal, A hidden arsenal Of secret weapons to apply. Strategic traps to lay, A pack of cards to play, Till in the end I have my way. After the trap is laid, I have my way. After the card is played, I have my way.
*(La calunnia)*
BASILIO Slurs and slander, Like summer breezes, Softly stirring, Subdued and gentle, Incidental, idle chatter, Featherweight, of little matter, Start with flimsy distant whispers barely heard. Piano, piano, Undercover, Sotto voce, Quiet rumor, Bolstered by insinuation, Enters into circulation. Rumor, first absurd and silly, Gains momentum as it travels willy nilly. Starting out in tiny ripples, Soon the volume doubles, triples And the murmur hits the firmament, Expanding with each word. From a subtle innuendo To a gradual crescendo, Like the galloping of horses, On the course it gathers forces, With a hammerstroke of thunder Tearing giant oaks asunder; Flashing, crashing, little wonder That it freezes to the bone; Bursting out and overflowing, With a fury ever growing, Building up to an explosion, Like a storm upon the ocean; Like a tempest or tornado, Like a charging light brigade, oh See the monster fully grown! Lo, the poor, unhappy victim! After calumny has kicked him, Mutilated, devastated, Left to struggle on his own.