This post is just an excuse for sharing a youtube video I found. The
youtube video is a rendition of the famous duet Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix, from the opera Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns. The opera is based on
the story of Samson as told in the book Judges. This book was in all likelihood
composed during the Babylonian exile and its outlook is theological rather than
historical. It is mainly a collection of original independent myths and legends
of heroes saving their tribes in battle. For instance the figure of Samson has
characteristics which point to a mythical origin.
Samson is one of the heroes of the Israelites, invincible against
the Philistines because of his extra human strength. Samson falls in love with
Delilah, a Philistine woman, and the Philistines got knowledge of this
relationship and persuaded Delilah in return for a lot of money to detract from
Samson the secret of his strength. Three times Samson gives the wrong answer
and then Delilah asks for the fourth tine:
Judges 16
15 Dixitque ad eum Dalila : `Quomodo dicis quod amas me, cum animus
tuus non sit mecum ? Per tres vices mentitus es mihi, et noluisti dicere in quo
sit maxima fortitudo tua.’ 16 Cumque molesta esset ei, et per multos dies iugiter
adhæreret, spatium ad quietem non tribuens, defecit anima eius, et ad mortem
usque lassata est. 17 Tunc aperiens veritatem rei, dixit ad eam : Ferrum
numquam ascendit super caput meum, quia nazaræus, id est, consecratus Deo, sum
de utero matris meæ : si rasum fuerit caput meum, recedet a me fortitudo mea,
et deficiam, eroque sicut ceteri homines. 18 Vidensque illa quod confessus ei
esset omnem animum suum, misit ad principes Philisthinorum ac mandavit : `Ascende
adhuc semel, quia nunc mihi aperuit cor suum.’ Qui ascenderunt assumpta
pecunia, quam promiserant. 19 At illa dormire eum fecit super genua sua, et in
sinu suo reclinare caput. Vocavitque tonsorem, et rasit septem crines eius, et
cœpit abigere eum, et a se repellere : statim enim ab eo fortitudo discessit.
20 Dixitque : `Philisthiim super te, Samson’. Qui de somno consurgens, dixit in
animo suo : `Egrediar sicut ante feci, et me excutiam’, nesciens quod recessisset ab eo Dominus. 21
Quem cum apprehendissent Philisthiim, statim eruerunt oculos eius, et duxerunt
Gazam vinctum catenis, et clausum in carcere molere fecerunt.
per tres vices: for three times
mentior: to cheat
molestus: troublesome, annoying
iugiter: closely
lasso: to make tired, exhaust
ad mortem usque lassata est = usque ad mortem lassata
(anima eius) est
ferrum: a knife
id est, consecratus: this is not in the Hebrew original or in the Septuagint, but
inserted by Jerome.
rado rasi rasum: to shave
confiteor confessus sum: to confess
semel: one time more
genu –us (n): knee (both words have a common Indo-European origin.)
sinus –us (m): bosom
tonsor –oris (m): hair-cutter
septem crines eius: not seven hairs, but seven braids of hair (seven is a sacred
number!)
coepio coepi coeptum: to begin
abigo abegi abactum: to repel, drive away
Philisthiim: Hebrew plural
egredior egressus sum: to go out
excutio excussi excussum: to shake off (the exact meaning of the Hebrew word here is unclear,)
eruo erui erutum: to draw out
catena: chain
molo molui molitum: to grind (in a mill, the word comes from Late Latin molina.)
And here is the video this post is all about, featuring Jon Vickers
and Shirley Verrett. There are worse reasons for writing a post!
Samson and Delilah by Rubens (1577 – 1640)
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