LAKME - Morning puja, ACT I

From the Bel Canto Opera production, the Brahmin priest Nilakantha and his daughter Lakme preside over the Hindu morning puja (Surya Namaskar) in British India, c. 1910.

LAKME: Om, fierce Durga
Om, Lord Shiva
Ganesha, benign
whom Brahma has created divine. Om,
Om, Brahmanyei Namaha
HINDUS: Durga, spare us from your wrath
Shiva, give us birth anew
O Ganesha, lead us forth
To the creator of all. Brahma
NILAKANTHA:
Peace be with you
Defend our Aryan pride
And remember that God
Our God
Your God
Is on our side!
HINDUS:
The dawn has come and gone and the sun flames above us
Flooding heaven to renew us; Lord Brahma's golden star,
May the Gods choose to spare us, may they bless us and love us
Let us greet and salute the mighty sun, Namaskar
Brahma, God of Creation Brahma, Om Namaha
NILAKANTHA: Lakme,
in you I see the future
It is for you I vow to carry on the struggle
Ending colonial rule
I can face jail or death
Your virtue is my strength
LAKME: In ancient vedas, it is stated
Brahma crumbled a flower,
from its juice he created
a universal power.
This sweet nectar, we call 'love'
NILAKANTHA:
And now, my dearest child, I should leave
LAKME: Must you go?
NILAKANTHA: I have business.
I'm going to the chowk to address a swaraj group
In concealment they meet to plan the defeat of the British
(to Hadji and Mallika)
Keep Lakme safe from harm.
HADJI: Old Hadji will protect her
MALLIKA: I'm always by her side
NILAKANTHA: Soon we'll meet here again
Stay out of sight till then
ALL: May the blessings of Brahma
Be with us through the day
Protecting us from evil
Keeping foes at bay
Fierce Durga will defend us,
And send us on our way.

Words © Tom Boyd

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bel
• Canto
• Opera
• Lakme
• Delibes
• Nilakantha
• David
• Purcell
• Mallika
• Sue
• Black
• Hadji
• Tim
• Cranmore
• Tom
• Boyd

[rkrc]

i really don't like the music.....it just looks weird with the indian theme i like indian classical music

[hughdrover]

I'm afraid you are in the wrong neck of the woods, my friend. This is 19th century opera by an esteemed French composer, Delibes. It's not Ravi Shankar, but it's possible to like both.

[ragman2008]

that brahmin guy has his sacred thread in the opposite direction

Brahmins have the thread which runs from left shoulder to right waist

[traubloch]

Great production. Wonderful opera. Why isn't Lakme done more often? It deserves to be.