from Act IV, Scene 1 (Scene 2 in complete version) of the Russian opera Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky

Libretto: Modest Mussorgsky

Role: Pimen, an old monk and companion of Grigory the Pretender

Voice Part: bass       Fach: dramatic bass

Setting: the council room in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, 1605

Synopsis: Pimen tells a story about a blind old shepherd that was told to pray at the tomb of the murdered half-brother of the previous Tsar, Dmitri. When he did so, his sight was restored.