Robin Goodfellow, the fairy made famous by Shakespeare, is living in a small town in Ontario. For 400 years, he has been in love with the Goddess Aurora; and on this warm midsummer night atop Arden Hill, he tries once again to plead his case for the goddess’s love, as Aurora illuminates the midnight sky.

This aria is part of a much larger ensemble in A Northern Lights Dream, with parts for townsfolk and Aurora’s three handmaidens. I have here arranged it for one voice, so that it can be performed in concert. The role of Robin is a speaking role in the the opera. In context, most of the vocal lines would be sung by Helen, one of the townsfolk. But as the aria is primarily about Robin’s infatuation with Aurora, with Helen acting as his proxy, I have given it all to him.

Although Robin is male, the aria is intended to be sung by Soprano, in the pants-role tradition. It could, of course, also be performed by a male soprano.