Dido & Aeneas

ACT THREE The Ships

(Enter sailors.)

FIRST SAILOR (repeated by CHORUS)
Come away, fellow sailors, your anchors be weighing,
Time and tide will admit no delaying
Take a bouzy short leave of your nymphs on the shore,
And silence their mourning with vows of returning,
but never intending to visit them more,
no never intending to visit them more.


(...)


SORCERESS
Our next motion must be to storm her lover on the ocean!
From the ruins of others our pleasures we borrow:
Elissa bleeds tonight, and Carthage flames tomorrow.

CHORUS
Destruction's our delight, delight our greatest sorrow! Elissa bleeds tonight, and Carthage flames tomorrow. Ho ho!

(...)

DIDO
Thy hand, Belinda; darkness shades me:
On thy bosom let me rest:
More I would, but Death invades me:
Death is now a welcome guest.

When I am laid in earth,
May my wrongs create no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me! but ah! forget my fate.

CHORUS
With drooping wings ye cupids come,
and scatter roses on her tomb,
soft and gentle as her heart;
Keep here your watch, and never part.