**Captions in English and Italian**
Philippe Jaroussky and his Ensemble Artaserse live, Versailles, 2009.
You can find the whole concert on YouTube! I took the liberty to rescale this one piece and let AI clean it up a little.
The opera "(La) Merope" tells the story of Merope, the widow of King Cresfonte (greek: Kresphontes). Her husband and children were killed by his enemy, with only her son Eptide (greek: Aipytos) escaping this fate. Growing up in exile, Epitide falls in love with Argia. The plot culminates in Act III, when Epitide finds himself completely alone among the two people who he thought knew him best..

In "Sposa, non mi conosci", Epitide addresses his mother Merope and his lover, Argia, alternately which makes for a slightly confusing text. Later, Vivaldi used the achingly beautiful piece for his pasticcio "Bajazet", but with an altered text: "Sposa, son disprezzata".

*Italian*
Sposa non mi conosci?
Madre tu non mi ascolti.
(Cieli che feci mai!)
E pur sono il tuo Cor,
Il tuo figlio, il tuo amor
La tua speranza.

Parla, ma sei infedel
Credi, ma sei crudel
Morir mi lascerai?
Oh dio! manca il valor
E la costanza.

*English, literal translation*
My love, do you not recognize me?
Mother, you do not listen to me.
(Heavens, what did I do!)
And yet I am your heart,
Your son, your love
Your hope.

Speak! but you are unfaithful
Believe! but you are cruel
Will you let me die?
Oh gods, I am losing my courage
and my constancy. (FR)

*English (poetic) translation*
And am I to my spouse unknown?
Will not my mother lend an ear?
Say, oh ye gods, what have I done,
Deserves a torture thus severe!
I once was object of thy love;
Thou plac'd thy hopes in me thy son.

Speak; but thou dost faithless prove.
Believe; but thou art cruel grown.
What will ye both, than, let me die,
Ye gods, I find I can't prevail:
And now I feel my constancy,
And former courage both do fail.


*** Disclaimer ***
I believe the publication of this track fulfils the criteria of fair use, discussion and study. If you have any objections against this being online, please get in touch and I will remove it immediately.

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