This soprano aria is a fierce reaction to the betrayal of Judas. The text uses shocking imagery: Judas is compared to a child trying to murder its own parent ('caretaker') and has turned into a venomous snake. The music is restless and full of leaps, reflecting the indignation over this betrayal.
Judas' Betrayal
Blute nur, du liebes Herz
Aria
•Soprano
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No. 8part_09
Bleed now, thou loving heart!
Ah! a child that thou hast raised,
that hath sucked at thy breast,
seeks to murder its caretaker,
for it hath become a serpent.
German
English
Blute nur, du liebes Herz!
Ach! ein Kind, das du erzogen,
Das an deiner Brust gesogen,
Sucht den Pfleger zu ermorden,
Denn es ist zur Schlange worden.
Bleed now, thou loving heart!
Ah! a child that thou hast raised,
that hath sucked at thy breast,
seeks to murder its caretaker,
for it hath become a serpent.
Modern adaptation
Your heart bleeds with sorrow. Someone you have always trusted and protected now turns against you like a snake.