Annotations to James Joyce's Ulysses/Calypso/061

Annotations

Là ci darem     (Italian) There we shall join [hands]. These are the opening words of the duettino Là ci darem la mano, Act I, Number 7 of Mozart's comic opera Don Giovanni, in which the Don, a sexual predator, begins his seduction of the peasant Masetto's young bride Zerlina. The opera occupies Bloom's mind for the rest of the day on account of the similarity between his and Masetto's predicaments:

Là ci darem la mano

Don Giovanni Là ci darem la mano, Là mi dirai di sì. Vedi, non è lontano; Partiam, ben mio, da qui. Zerlina (Vorrei e non vorrei, Mi trema un poco il cor. Felice, è ver, sarei, Ma può burlarmi ancor.) Don Giovanni Vieni, mio bel diletto! Zerlina (Mi fa pietà Masetto.) Don Giovanni Io cangierò tua sorte. Zerlina Presto ... non son più forte. Don Giovanni Andiam! Zerlina Andiam! A due Andiam, andiam, mio bene. a ristorar le pene D’un innocente amor.

Don Giovanni There we shall join hands, There you shall say "Yes" to me. See, it's not far; Let's leave here, my dear. Zerlina (I would like to, and I wouldn't like to, My heart is aflutter a little. It's true, I would be happy, But he can still make a fool of me.) Don Giovanni Come, my pretty beloved! Zerlina (I feel sorry for Masetto.) Don Giovanni I will change your destiny. Zerlina Quickly ... I am no longer strong. Don Giovanni Let's go! Zerlina Let us go! Both Let us go, let us go, my darling, To cure the pains Of an innocent love.

Voglio e non vorrei     (Italian) I want to but I wouldn't like to. Bloom has misremembered Zerlina's line. He will correct it in Hades, but he continually makes the same mistake throughout the day. It has been suggested that Bloom is thinking of a pair of lines spoken by Don Giovanni's servant Leporello in the opening scene: Voglio far il gentiluomo/E non voglio più servir (I want to be a gentleman/And I no longer wish to serve). In Circe, two pages before repeating the mistake, Bloom addresses Molly with the words At your service.

Zerlina's Vorrei e non vorrei (I would like to and I wouldn't like to) might be more loosely translated as: I would like to, but I shouldn't, or Should I or shouldn't I?.

Wonder if she pronounces that right : voglio     (Italian) The word voglio (I want to) is pronounced [ˈvɔʎo] in IPA, (vOLo in X-SAMPA, vawl-yo phonetically). Of course, this is all irrelevant to Molly, who won't be called upon to sing this word.