from Act III of the French opera
Faust by Charles-François Gounod
Libretto: Jules Barbier
Role: Siebel, a young man in love with Marguerite
Voice Part: mezzo-soprano Fach: lyric mezzo
Setting: The garden of Marguerite in a German city, 16th century
Synopsis: Siebel gathers flowers to give to Marguerite. He hopes that they will convey his love to her, but they die as soon as he plucks them. He remembers the evil man who he met earlier (Mèphistophélès) and believes that he has been cursed by him. So, he dips his hands in holy water to remove the curse and goes back to picking flowers.