Nixon in China - "Look Down at the Earth..." (Opera)

A lovely scene from the Met's performance of John Adams' opera, Nixon in China.

PAT
I come from a poor family.
I treat each day like Christmas.
Trivial things are not for me,
Trivialities are not for me.

CHORUS
Look down at the earth,
look down, look down;
down from the north the snowstorm comes.
Mile after mile on each side
of the ice-locked wall vanishes.
Far as you can see you cannot see the land or sky.

PAT
This little elephant in glass
brings back so many memories.
The symbol of our party, prize of our success,
our sacred cow surrounded by blind Brahmins,
slow Musclebound, well-dressed, half-awake,
with Liberty upon her back.
Tell me, is it one of a kind?

MINDERS
It has been carefully designed
by workers in our factory.
They can make hundreds every day.

PAT
Wonderful!

CHORUS
Look down,
Look down at the earth.
A living current moves beneath rivers caught
in the hand of death,
serpentine mountains cross the plain
to bask in an uncertain sun,
and elephantine hills rejoice advancing towards
a sky of ice.
This country is so beautiful;
one fine day you will see it all.

MINDERS
This is the People’s Clinic.

PAT
Ouch! I think it’s sort of rude to watch.

MINDERS
"Do not distress yourself", she begs.
She will get well. Come see the pigs.

CHORUS
pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig
pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig

PAT
I once raised a red-ribbon boar.

CHORUS
Do you think you could scratch his ear?
Thank you.

PAT
And how was that?

CHORUS
Just fine.

MINDERS
Here are some children having fun.

PAT
The children in the U.S.A. all say hello.
I used to be a teacher many years ago
and now I’m here to learn from you.