La Traviata - Famous Arias - 03 - Act I - Un dì felice, eterea

While everybody is dancing Violetta, who has almost fainted, stops for a while in order to rest. Alfredo has stayed close to her, he tells her to consider more her health and he takes advantage of the moment to declare his love for Violetta. He remembers the day in which he saw her for the first time ("Un d' felice eterea mi balenaste innante, - One happy day you flashed lightly into my life") and breaking the rules of the good society and showing his impulsive character, he tells her that he loves her. Violetta's answer to this declaration of universal love ("amor ch'è palpito dell'universo intero - that love which is the pulse of the whole world") is pretty frivolous and this frivolousness is musically expressed by some "vocalizzi" ("amar non so, né soffro - I don’t know how to love"). Violetta is not ready to leave her freedom to become Alfredo's loyal lover and she describes love as the mixture of pleasure and pain ("croce e delizia al cor - the torment and delight of my heart"). Violetta want to push love away, a feeling that as a prostitute she cannot accept,  and for this reason she tells to Alfredo that she can't love him back and they can be just friends (BOOM FRIENDZONED! xD).
They are interrupted by Gastone and they must compose themself. Violetta gives a flower to Alfredo (a camellia of course) and promises him that they will meet again when the flower will be withered (the following day).

UN DÌ FELICE, ETEREA
Testo

ALFREDO

Un dì felice, eterea,
mi balenaste innante,
e da quel dì, tremante,
vissi d’ignoto amor.
Di quell’amor ch’è palpito
dell’universo intero,
misterioso, altero,
croce e delizia al cor.

VIOLETTA

Ah, se ciò è ver, fuggitemi,
solo amistade io v’offro:
amar non so, né soffro
un così eroico amor.
Io sono franca, ingenua;
altra cercar dovete;
non arduo troverete
dimenticarmi allor.

Link Spotify:

1. Bergonzi-Caballè 
2. Callas - Di Stefano 

UN DÌ FELICE, ETEREA
English translation

ALFREDO

One happy day,
you flashed lightly into my life,
and since that day,I’ve lived in tremolous possesion
of that unspoken love,
that love which is the pulse
of the whole world,
mysterious, unattainable,
the torment and delight of my heart.

VIOLETTA

If that’s true, then leave me,
friendship is all I can offer you:
I don’t know how to love,
I couldn’t feel so great an emotion.
I’m being honest with you, sincere;
you should find somebody else;
then you wouldn’t find it hard
to forget me.