O Terrore, O Gioia!

TO enjoy--or merely endure--Italian opera, especially Verdi, a word-for-word acquaintance with the libretto is not essential. Most listeners will be able to navigate the critical junctures of the average plot by developing a familiarity with a handful of catch phrases. Such verbal adornments keep the melodrama moving and can be used to tell almost any story. As in the following dialogue --drawn entirely from Verdi's Ernani --which took place between an opera-loving wife and a bored husband on opening night at the Met. SCENE 1

He: Beviam! (Let's get a drink!)

She: Per piet`a. (Wait until intermission, dummy.)

He: Io sono il re! (I am the king!)

She: Il delirar non vale. (Stop your raving.)

He: Morrai! (You shall die!)

She: Che felice ti fara? (That will make you happy?)

He: Un re non mente! (A king doesn't lie!)

She: O terrore. (Oh, terror.)

He: Sar`a sposa, non amante. (She may be a bride, but not a lover.)

She: Io tremo sol per te. (I tremble only for you.)

He: Tad, o donna! (Be silent, O woman.)

She: Mio signor, dolente io sono (My Lord, I am sorry.)

He: Caro accento. (Beloved word.)

She: O gioia! (Oh, joy!)

He: Fuggiamo! Fuggiamo! Fuggiamo! (Let us fly! Let us fly! Let us fly!)

SCENE 2

He: Beviam! (Now--about that drink!)

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