Dedication
To march so far to find
The traitor, whom I love,
And who is so unkind?
“Nightingale that sings,
And who hast flown so far,
Tell me, tell me truly,
Where other lovers are.”
But all the other lads
Have sought for other brides,
And taken for their spouses
The sabres at their sides.
The Veille des Noces gayly mocks the impatience of the young maiden for the dawn of her wedding day, which will not allow her to rest quiet in bed, or endure without reply the rebuke of her more contented mother:—