9 Lines From Famous Operas, Translated
Opera isn’t for everyone. It’s an acquired taste, what with the frequently melodramatic plots — typically in a foreign language — and the over-the-top acting. The music, too, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. All reasons, perhaps, why Mark Twain wasn’t a fan, writing, “I have attended operas, whenever I could not help it, for fourteen years now; I am sure I know of no agony comparable to the listening to an unfamiliar opera.”
Unfamiliarity plays a big part in all this — only a few arias have broken through opera circles into the wider public consciousness, “Nessun dorma” from Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot” being the prime example. People might not recognize the name of a famous operatic piece, but they’ll almost certainly have heard it somewhere before, perhaps in a classic movie or a TV commercial, most often sung by the famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
As for opera’s lyrics, yes, they are largely impenetrable, unless you happen to speak Italian, German, or French (the three languages most common in opera), or have a translation on hand. With that in mind, here are nine translated lines from some of the world’s most famous arias, composed by the likes of Wolfgang Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, and Giuseppe Verdi.
Cherubino, a young male page, speaks of his newfound infatuation with the opposite sex in an aria whose title translates as “I don’t know what I am anymore” — a classic piece from one of the most famous comic operas.
The opera’s central character, Floria Tosca, sings this line as she laments her fate and what she believes is God’s abandonment of her.
“Nessun Dorma” became arguably the most popular aria in the world after Luciano Pavarotti performed it at the 1990 World Cup. The performance was seen by millions of viewers, catapulting the song to global fame.
Sung by the licentious Duke of Mantua, this “canzone” (a type of Italian ballad) was so catchy (albeit sexist and misogynistic) that it became the song of choice among Venetian gondoliers — an association it retains to this day.
The Queen of the Night is most definitely in a rage when she gives her daughter a knife and tells her to assassinate her rival Sarastro. This aria is most famous for its upper register staccatos, which even the opera-averse will likely recognize.
When Norma, the high-priestess of the druids, is asked to declare war on belligerent Rome, she convinces her people that now is not the time to fight. But she has secretly fallen in love with a Roman, and so begs the “Pure Goddess” for peace.
This famous aria is the response of the fiery gypsy Carmen to a group of soldiers who begin flirting with her and her companions in the town square.
This heartrending aria is sung by Dido as she watches her lover Aeneas sail away. The opera is based on Virgil’s Latin epic poem, the Aeneid.
This beautiful duet is sung by the characters of Lakmé and her servant Mallika as they pick flowers by a river. If it sounds familiar, that might be because it’s been used in many advertisements and films, including Meet the Parents and True Romance. 
