A single secret tear

from her eye did spring:

as if she envied all the youths

that laughingly passed her by.

What more searching need I do?

What more searching need I do?

She loves me! Yes, she loves me, I see it. I see it.

For just an instant the beating

of her beautiful heart I could feel!

As if my sighs were hers,

and her sighs were mine!

The beating, the beating of her heart I could feel,

to merge my sighs with hers...

Heavens! Yes, I could die!

I could ask for nothing more, nothing more.

Oh, heavens! Yes, I could, I could die!

I could ask for nothing more, nothing more.

Yes, I could die! Yes, I could die of love.

For inspiration listen to Donizetti's Una furtiva lagrima

Una furtiva lagrima

negli occhi suoi spuntò:

Quelle festose giovani

invidiar sembrò.

Che più cercando io vo?

Che più cercando io vo?

M'ama! Sì, m'ama, lo vedo. Lo vedo.

Un solo instante i palpiti

del suo bel cor sentir!

I miei sospir, confondere

per poco a' suoi sospir!

I palpiti, i palpiti sentir,

confondere i miei coi suoi sospir...

Cielo! Si può morir!

Di più non chiedo, non chiedo.

Ah, cielo! Si può! Si, può morir!

Di più non chiedo, non chiedo.

Si può morire! Si può morir d'amor.

L'elisir d'amore

Place: A small village in the Basque Country

Time: The end of the 18th century

Act 1

Nemorino, a poor peasant, is in love with Adina, a beautiful landowner, who torments him with her indifference. When Nemorino hears Adina reading to her workers the story of Tristan and Isolde, he is convinced that a magic potion will help him to gain Adina's love.

The self-important Sergeant Belcore appears with his regiment and immediately sets about courting Adina in front of everyone. Nemorino becomes anxious and, alone with Adina, declares his love for her, but Adina rebuffs him, telling him she wants a different lover every day. Nemorino declares that his feelings will never change. The traveling quack doctor, Dulcamara (the self-proclaimed Dr. Encyclopedia), arrives, selling his bottled cure-all to the townspeople. Nemorino innocently asks Dulcamara if he has any of Isolde's love potion. Dulcamara says he does and sells it to Nemorino.

"Dr. Dulcamara" (an itinerant quack and purveyor of "elixirs" and other tonics, gestures to "Cochise" his sly trumpet playing assistant, to call together the townspeople as he sings his Act 1 (Scene 2) aria "Udite, udite, o rustici" ("Hear me, hear me, oh peasants").

Unknown to Nemorino, the bottle contains only cheap Bordeaux. In order to make a timely escape, Dulcamara tells Nemorino the potion will not take effect until the next day — by which time, the doctor will be long gone. Nemorino drinks it, feeling its effects immediately. Emboldened by the 'elixir', Nemorino encounters Adina and feigns indifference. Adina becomes increasingly annoyed (perhaps because she has feelings for Nemorino). Belcore returns and proposes marriage to Adina. Still riled by Nemorino, Adina promises to marry Belcore in six days' time. Nemorino's confidence that tomorrow he will win Adina by virtue of the elixir causes him to act indifferently toward her. Belcore then learns that his regiment must leave the next morning and Adina accordingly promises to marry him that very day. Nemorino is, of course, panicked, and cries out for Dr. Dulcamara to come to his aid. Adina, meanwhile, invites everyone to the wedding.

Act 2

Adina and Belcore's wedding party is in full swing. Dr. Dulcamara gets Adina to sing a duet with him to entertain the guests. The notary arrives to make the marriage official. Adina is annoyed to see that Nemorino has not appeared. While everyone goes to witness the signing of the wedding contract, Dulcamara stays behind, helping himself to food and drink. Nemorino appears, having seen the notary. He is depressed as he believes that he has lost Adina. He sees Dulcamara and frantically begs him for more elixir, of the type that will work immediately. But because Nemorino has no money, the Doctor refuses. Belcore emerges, alone, wondering aloud why Adina has suddenly put off the wedding and the signing of the contract. Nemorino spots his rival. Belcore asks Nemorino why he is depressed. When Nemorino says he needs money, Belcore tells him that if he joins the army he'll be paid immediately. Belcore tries to excite Nemorino with tales of military life, while Nemorino dreams of winning fame and thus Adina. Belcore produces a contract and Nemorino signs it in return for cash, which Belcore gives him on the spot. Nemorino privately vows to rush to Dulcamara for more potion, while Belcore muses that he has easily dispatched of his rival by sending him off to war.

After the two men have left, Giannetta gossips with the women of the village that Nemorino is unaware that he has just inherited a large fortune from his uncle. Nemorino enters, having clearly spent his military signing bonus, and bought and consumed a large amount of 'elixir' (wine again) from Dr. Dulcamara. The women approach Nemorino with overly friendly greetings, the likes of which he has never seen. This is proof to Nemorino that this dose of the elixir has worked. Adina sees Nemorino with the women and is rattled by his newfound popularity. Encountering Dr. Dulcamara, she asks what has gotten into Nemorino. Dulcamara, unaware that Adina is the object of Nemorino's affection, tells her that Nemorino has spent his last penny on the elixir and joined the army for money to get more, so desperate was he to win the love of some unnamed cruel beauty. Adina immediately realizes Nemorino's sincerity, and regrets her behaviour. She realises that she has loved Nemorino all along. Dulcamara tries to sell her one of his potions to win Nemorino back, but Adina declares that she has full confidence in her own powers of attraction.

Nemorino appears alone, pensive, reflecting on a tear he saw in Adina's eye when he was ignoring her earlier. Based on that tear alone, he is now sincerely convinced that Adina loves him. She enters and asks him why he has chosen to join the army and leave the town. When Nemorino says he's seeking a better life, Adina responds by telling him he is loved, and that she has purchased his military contract from Sergeant Belcore. She offers the cancelled contract to Nemorino and reassures him that if he stays he will be happy. As he takes the contract Adina turns to leave. Nemorino believes she is abandoning him and flies into a desperate fit, vowing that if he is not loved he might as well go off and die a soldier. Deeply moved by his fidelity, Adina finally declares that she will love Nemorino forever. Nemorino is ecstatic. Adina begs him to forgive her for teasing him. He does so with a kiss. Belcore returns and sees Nemorino and Adina in an embrace. Adina explains that she loves Nemorino. The Sergeant takes the news in stride, noting that there are plenty of other women in the world. Dulcamara returns and boasts of the success of his elixir: Nemorino is not only loved but also now rich. As he prepares to leave, everyone queues up to buy the elixir and hails Dulcamara as a great physician.