Carmen, Frasquita and Mercédès in Act III of Bizet’s Carmen
In the mountains, Carmen, Frasquita and Mercédès pass the time by reading their fortunes in a deck of cards.
At first, the scene is playful.
Frasquita sees love.
Mercédès sees romance, wealth and good fortune.
They laugh over the futures the cards seem to promise them.
Then Carmen turns over her own cards.
And the mood changes completely.
Again and again, she sees the same answer: death.
The Lyrics & Their Meaning
Mêlons! Coupons!
Shuffle! Cut!
Bien, c’est cela!
Good, that’s it!
The three women begin almost like children playing a game.
Shuffle the cards. Cut the deck. See what fate has waiting.
There is nothing frightening yet.
The quick exchanges and lively music make the scene feel light and spontaneous.
Frasquita’s Fortune
Moi, je vois un jeune amoureux
I see a young lover
Qui m’aime on ne peut davantage.
Who loves me more than anyone possibly could.
Frasquita immediately finds romance in her cards.
Her future is full of love and admiration.
And the fantasy becomes increasingly extravagant.
Il est très riche et veut m’épouser.
He is very rich and wants to marry me.
The cards seem to promise everything at once:
love, marriage and wealth.
For Frasquita, fortune-telling is entertainment — a chance to imagine a wonderfully improbable future.
Mercédès’ Fortune
Mercédès joins in with predictions of her own.
Her cards also suggest admirers, adventure and prosperity.
The two women become increasingly excited, competing almost playfully over whose future will be more magnificent.
Their fortunes are exaggerated and amusing.
The cards tell them exactly the kinds of things people hope fortune-tellers will say.
And then Carmen looks at hers.
Carmen’s Cards
Voyons, que j’essaie à mon tour.
Let me try in my turn.
Carmen takes the cards.
Until this moment, she has been part of the game.
But what she sees is different.
Carreau! Pique!
Diamonds! Spades!
The cards begin to form a pattern.
Carmen understands it immediately.
There is no lover waiting for her.
No fortune.
No happy marriage.
Instead, the cards point toward something she does not want to see.
La mort!
Death!
One word changes the entire scene.
Death.
The playful fortune-telling suddenly becomes something much darker.
Carmen gathers the cards and tries again.
But the answer does not change.
Toujours la mort!
Always death!
She reshuffles.
She draws again.
And again the cards give her the same message.
There is something chilling about Carmen’s reaction.
She does not scream.
She does not run away.
She simply understands.
En vain pour éviter les réponses amères…
En vain pour éviter les réponses amères,
In vain, to avoid the bitter answers,
En vain tu mêleras,
In vain you will shuffle,
Cela ne sert à rien.
It is no use.
Now Carmen is no longer merely reading the cards.
She reflects on what they mean.
You can shuffle them again.
You can cut the deck differently.
You can keep asking the question.
But fate will not change its answer.
Les cartes sont sincères
The cards are truthful
Et ne mentiront pas.
And they will not lie.
For Carmen, the cards have stopped