The end of Butterfly

Most people know Puccini's opera, 'Madame Butterfly', but a lot of people don't know the full story behind it; a lot of soprano opera singers will avoid this role, as it is so very emotional, one of the reasons why Lisa-Lee lost her voice. We have included the lyrics (in english), to Butterfly's final aria, it is called, 'con onor muore, Tu, Tu, piccolo iddio! This is how the opera ends, Butterfly is about to kill herself, she gets her dagger and quietly reads the inscription, it says, "He dies with honour who cannot live with honour".

Then in a desperate bid to stop Butterfly from killing herself, Suzuki rushes in and puts Butterfly's son in her arms, Butterfly drops the dagger and sings her final words to her son, she says;

You, You, You, You,
little idol of my heart.
My love, my love
flower of the lily and rose.
Never know that, for you,
for your innocent eyes,
Butterfly is about to die...
so that you may go
away beyond the sea
without being subject to remorse
in later years
for your mother's desertion.
oh, you who have come down to me
from high heaven,
look well, well
on your mother's face,
that you may keep a faint memory of it,
look well!
Little love, farewell!
Farewell, my little love!
Go and play.

Butterfly then puts her son safely away and kills herself with her dagger.