Flower Duet

The "Flower Duet" (French: Duo des fleurs / Sous le dôme épais) is a duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano in the first act of Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé, premiered in Paris in 1883. It is sung by the characters Lakmé, daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river.[1]

Not to be confused with the "Flower Duet" (Il cannone del porto!) from Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly.

The duet is frequently used in advertisements and films[2] and is popular as a concert piece. It was adapted for the track "Aria" in the British Airways "face" advertisements of the 1980s by Yanni and Malcolm McLaren.[3] More recently, it has been heard in films such as Meet the Parents and True Romance and television shows including The Simpsons.[4]

Music

The duet's time signature is 6
8; its key is B major, except for the part "Mais, je ne sais" until "les lotus bleus," which is in G major. That part has a slightly faster tempo (=160) than the surrounding lines (=144). The final reprise is in the original key and tempo. A performance takes about six minutes.

First line of duet

Lyrics

French lyrics
Lakmé: Viens, Mallika, les lianes en fleurs
Lakmé: Jettent déjà leur ombre
Lakmé: Sur le ruisseau sacré
Lakmé: qui coule, calme et sombre,
Lakmé: Eveillé par le chant des oiseaux tapageurs.

Mallika: Oh! maîtresse, c'est l'heure
Mallika: où je te vois sourire,
Mallika: L'heure bénie où je puis lire
Mallika: Dans le coeur toujours fermé
Mallika: De Lakmé!

Lakmé: Dôme épais le jasmin
Mallika: Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin

L.: À la rose s'assemble,
M.: À la rose s'assemble,

L.: Rive en fleurs, frais matin,
M.: Sur la rive en fleurs, riant au matin,

L.: Nous appellent ensemble.
M.: Viens, descendons ensemble.

L.: Ah! glissons en suivant
M.: Doucement glissons; De son flot charmant

L.: Le courant fuyant;
M.: Suivons le courant fuyant;

L.: Dans l'onde frémissante,
M.: Dans l’onde frémissante,

L.: D'une main nonchalante,
M.: D’une main nonchalante,

L.: Gagnons le bord,
M.: Viens, gagnons le bord

L.: Où l'oiseau chante,
M.: Où la source dort.

L.: l'oiseau, l'oiseau chante.
M.: Et l’oiseau, l’oiseau chante.

L.: Dôme épais, blanc jasmin,
M.: Sous le dôme épais, Sous le blanc jasmin,

L.: Nous appellent ensemble!
M.: Ah! descendons ensemble!

L.: Mais, je ne sais quelle crainte subite
L.: s’empare de moi.
L.: Quand mon père va seul à leur ville maudite,
L.: Je tremble, je tremble d'effroi!

M.: Pour que le Dieu Ganeça le protège,
M.: Jusqu'à l'étang où s'ébattent joyeux
M.: Les cygnes aux ailes de neige,
M.: Allons cueillir les lotus bleus.

L.: Oui, près des cygnes aux ailes de neige,
L.: Allons cueillir les lotus bleus.

L: Dôme épais le jasmin
M: Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin

L.: À la rose s'assemble,
M.: À la rose s'assemble,

L.: Rive en fleurs, frais matin,
M.: Sur la rive en fleurs, riant au matin,

L.: Nous appellent ensemble.
M.: Viens, descendons ensemble.

L.: Ah! glissons en suivant
M.: Doucement glissons; De son flot charmant

L.: Le courant fuyant;
M.: Suivons le courant fuyant;

L.: Dans l'onde frémissante,
M.: Dans l’onde frémissante,

L.: D'une main nonchalante,
M.: D’une main nonchalante,

L.: Gagnons le bord,
M.: Viens, gagnons le bord

L.: Où l'oiseau chante,
M.: Où la source dort.

L.: l'oiseau, l'oiseau chante.
M.: Et l’oiseau, l’oiseau chante.

L.: Dôme épais, blanc jasmin,
M.: Sous le dôme épais, Sous le blanc jasmin,

L.: Nous appellent ensemble!
M.: Ah! descendons ensemble!

Literal English
Come, Mallika, the flowering lianas
already cast their shadow
on the sacred stream
which flows, calm and dark,
awakened by the song of rowdy birds.

Oh! Mistress, this is the hour
when I see you smile,
the blessed hour when I can read
in the always closed heart
of Lakmé!

Thick dome of jasmine
Under the dense canopy where the white jasmine,

Blends with the rose,
That blends with the rose,

Bank in bloom, fresh morning,
On the flowering bank, laughing in the morning,

Call us together.
Come, let us drift down together.

Ah! Let's glide along
Let us gently glide along; For its enchanting flow

The fleeing current;
Let us follow the fleeing current;

On the rippling surface,
On the rippling surface,

With a nonchalant hand,
With a nonchalant hand,

Let's go to the shore,
Come, let's go to the shore

Where the bird sings,
Where the spring sleeps.

the bird, the bird sings.
And the bird, the bird sings.

Thick dome, white jasmine,
Under the dense canopy, Under the white jasmine,

Call us together!
Ah! Let's drift down together!

But, an eerie feeling of distress
overcomes me.
When my father goes into their accursed city
I tremble, I tremble with fright!

In order for him to be protected by Ganesh
To the pond where joyfully play
The snow-winged swans
Let us pick blue lotuses.

Yes, near the swans with wings of snow,
And pick blue lotuses.

Thick dome of jasmine
Under the dense canopy where the white jasmine,

Blends with the rose,
That blends with the rose,

Bank in bloom, fresh morning,
On the flowering bank, laughing in the morning,

Call us together.
Come, let us drift down together.

Ah! Let's glide along
Let us gently glide along; For its enchanting flow

The fleeing current;
Let us follow the fleeing current;

On the rippling surface,
On the rippling surface,

With a nonchalant hand,
With a nonchalant hand,

Let's go to the shore,
Come, let's go to the shore

Where the bird sings,
Where the spring sleeps.

the bird, the bird sings.
And the bird, the bird sings.

Thick dome, white jasmine,
Under the dense canopy, Under the white jasmine,

Together call us!
Ah! Let's drift down together!

Singable English[5]
Come, Mallika, the flowering vines
Their shadows now are throwing
Along the sacred stream,
That calmly here is flowing;
Enlivened by the songs of birds among the pines.

O mistress, dear! 't is now –
When I behold you smiling,
In this blest hour, no cares beguiling,
That your oft-closed heart I may read,
Lakmé!

'Neath the dome, the jasmine
'Neath the leafy dome, where the jasmine white

To the roses comes greeting,
To the roses comes greeting,

By flower banks, fresh and bright,
On the flow'rd bank, gay in morning light,

Come, and join we their meeting.
Come, and join we their meeting.

Ah! we'll glide with the tide,
Slowly on we'll glide floating with the tide,

On we'll ride away;
On the stream we'll ride away;

Through wavelets shimm'ring brightly,
Through wavelets shimm'ring brightly,

Carelessly rowing lightly,
Carelessly rowing lightly,

Reach we the steeps
We'll reach soon the steeps

Where the birds warble,
Where the fountain sleeps.

warble, the birds sprightly.
Where warble the birds sprightly.

'Neath the dome rowers unite,
'Neath the leafy dome, where the jasmine white,

Come and join we their meeting!
Come and join we their meeting!

But, why my heart's swift terror invested,
Doth not yet appear,
When my father 'lone goes to your city detested,
I tremble, I tremble with fear.

May the god, Ganesa, keep him from dangers,
Till he arrives at the pool just in view,
Where wild swans, those snowy wing'd strangers,
Come to devour the lotus blue.

Yes, where the wild swans, those snowy wing'd strangers,
Come to feed on lotus blue.

'Neath the dome, jasmines white
'Neath the leafy dome, where the jasmine white

To the roses comes greeting,
To the roses comes greeting,

By flower banks, fresh and bright,
On the flow'rd bank, gay in morning light,

Come, and join we their meeting.
Come, and join we their meeting.

Ah! we'll glide with the tide,
Slowly on we'll glide floating with the tide,

On we'll ride away;
On the stream we'll ride away;

Through wavelets shimm'ring brightly,
Through wavelets shimm'ring brightly,

Carelessly rowing lightly,
Carelessly rowing lightly,

Reach we the steeps
We'll reach soon the steeps

Where the birds warble,
Where the fountain sleeps.

warble, the birds sprightly.
Where warble the birds sprightly.

'Neath the dome rowers unite,
'Neath the leafy dome, where the jasmine white,

Come and join we their meeting!
Ah! come join we their meeting!

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References
  1. "Lakmé, by Leo Delibes". World of Opera. National Public Radio. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  2. Léo Delibes on IMDb
  3. "British Airways – Face". SplendAd. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. "Léo Delibes: Lakmé". Classic FM. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  5. Lakmé, pp. 5–9, translated and adapted by Theodore T. Barker, Oliver Ditson & Co., Boston, 1890.
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