La Traviata (lyrics )
The first act commences with a gay party in the house of Violetta (the heroine), a young and beautiful creature, thrown by circumstances, and the loss of her parents in childhood, into a course of voluptuous living.
She is surrounded by a circle of gay and thoughtless beings like herself, who devote their lives to pleasure. Amongst the throng who crowd to her shrine is Alfred Germont, a young man, who becomes seriously enamored with Violetta. Touched by the sincerity of his passion, she yields to its influence, a new and pure love springs up in her heart, and for the first time she becomes conscious of the misery of her position, and the hollowness of the pleasures in which she has basked.
In the second act, we discover her living in seclusion with her lover, in a country-house near Paris, three months after the events narrated in the preceding act.
Alfred accidentally discovers that Violetta has been secretly selling her houses and property in Paris, in order to maintain this establishment; and, revolting at the idea of being a dependant on her bounty, he leaves hurriedly for Paris, to redeem his honor from this disgrace.
During his absence, his Father, who has discovered his retreat, arrives, and, representing to Violetta that his son’s connexion with her is not only lowering him in
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the opinion of the world, but will be ruinous to his family, inasmuch as his sister was betrothed to a wealthy noble, who had however declared his intention of renouncing her, unless Alfred would give up Violetta.
The generous girl resolves to sacrifice her affections and happiness for her lover’s sake, and returns alone to Paris, whither Alfred, overwhelmed with despair when ho discovers her flight, follows her.
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We are then transported to a saloon in the hotel of Flora, one of Violetta’s former friends, during a festival given by the fair mistress of the mansion. There Alfred again meets Violetta, now under the protection of the Baron Dauphol, and being unaware of the generous motive which made her desert him, he overwhelms her with reproaches, and flings a purse containing money at her feet, in the presence of the company. Degraded and heart broken, the unfortunate Violetta returns home to die; and in the last act we find the sad romance of her life drawing to its close.
Alfred, too late, learns the truth, and discovers the sacrifice she has made to secure his happiness. Penetrated with grief and shame, he hastens, with his Father, to comfort and console her, and to offer her his hand and name in reparation of die wrong ho has done her;—but too late. The fragile flower, broken on its stem, can never more raise its beauteous head. One gleam of happiness, the purest and brightest that she has known, arising from her lover’s assurance of his truth, and his desire to restore her reputation, gilds the closing moments of her life, and in a transport of joy her soul suddenly quits its fragile tenement of clay.
[Source: Libretto La Traviata, Oliver Ditson & Co., Boston 1859. ]
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Libiamo Trinkt Buvons Drink 
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