Situation: After re-assuring Artimedore that Armide cannot
move his heart with her spells, Renaud sends the younger Crusader away. Demons
conjured up by Armide and Hidraot, her uncle, surround Renaud to lull him into
vulnerability to Armide's spells. As he drifts off to sleep, Renaud expresses
his admiration for his lovely surroundings in this air de sommeil or
"sleep aria."
midi file 436 kb
Text:
| Plus j'observe ces lieux et plus je les admire | The more I observe this place, the more I wonder at it. |
| Ce fleuve coule lentement | This river flows slowly |
| Et s'éloigne à regret d'un séjour si charmant. | And withdraws with regret from such a charming place. |
| Les plus aimables fleurs, et le plus doux Zéphire | The loveliest flowers and the softest zephyrs |
| Parfument l'air qu'on y respire. | Perfume the air one breathes here. |
| Non, je ne puis quitter des rivages si beaux | No, I cannot leave such lovely river banks. |
| Un son harmonieux se mêle au bruit des eaux. | A harmonious sound blends with the noise of the waters. |
| Les oiseaux enchantés se taisent pour l'entendre, | |
| Des charmes du sommeil j'ai peine à me défendre, | I can scarcely defend myself from the spells of sleep. |
| Ce gazon, cet ombrage frais, | This lawn, this cool shadow, |
| Tout m'invite au repos sous ce feuillage épais. | All entice me to rest under this dense foliage. |