"Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante"
I say nothing will frighten me
I say that nothing frightens me,
I say, alas, that I have
only myself to depend on;
but I have tried to be brave,
at heart I'm dying of fright!
Alone in this wild place,
all alone, I'm afraid,
but I do wrong to be afraid;
you will give me courage,
you will protect me, Lord.
I shall see close up this woman
whose evil wiles have finished
by making a criminal
of the man I once loved:
She is dangerous, she is beautiful,
but I won't be afraid,
I shall speak out in front of her.
Ah! Lord, you will protect me!
Ah! Lord, you will protect me!
I say that nothing frightens me,
I say, alas, that I have
only myself to depend on;
but I have tried to be brave,
at heart I'm dying of fright!
Alone in this wild place,
all alone, I'm afraid,
but I do wrong to be afraid;
you will give me courage,
you will protect me, Lord.
Protect me!
O Lord, give me courage.
Protect me!
O Lord, protect me, Lord!
Bizet’s Carmen is one of the most popular and familiar operas. When Bizet created Carmen, he broke operatic convention by celebrating proletarian and immoral ways of life. He also vividly brought to life the character of Carmen (almost a side note in the original story) as a complex, proud and spirited woman who strove at every turn to claim independence and agency in her life, love and friendships.
While much more conservative and the very opposite of Carmen in many ways, Micäela, the village sweetheart of Don José, is deeply loyal and is given strength through her love and faith to face the turmoil José's passion for Carmen has brought into her life.