Ritorna Vincitor
Maria Callas
Return, Victor!
Return, victor!
And from my lips came the wicked word!
Victor over my father, over him
Who takes up arms for me
To give me back a homeland,
A palace and the illustrious name
That here I am forced to hide!
Victor over my brothers so I can see him,
Stained with beloved blood,
Triumphing in the cheers of the Egyptian troops!
And behind the chariot,
A king, my father, bound in chains!
Oh gods, take away this insane word!
Return the daughter to her father's embrace,
Destroy the ranks of our oppressors!
Ah! Unfortunate! What did I say?
And my love?
Can I forget this burning love
That, oppressed and enslaved,
Like a ray of sun, here warmed me?
I will curse death to Radamès,
The one I love so much!
Ah! Never has a heart broken
Under more cruel anguish!
The sacred names of father and lover,
I can neither utter nor remember,
Confused and trembling for one or the other,
I would like to cry and pray.
But my prayer turns into blasphemy,
It’s a crime for me to weep, a sin to sigh.
In the dark night, my mind is lost,
And in cruel anxiety, I wish to die.
Gods, have mercy on my suffering!
There is no hope for my pain.
Fatal love, terrifying love,
Break my heart, let me die!
