ACT II
(Relayed from the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden)
AT night, before her house in the lonely valley of Sorek, Delilah muses on her plot to be avenged on the Israelites. The High Priest comes to beg her to betray Samson, the Hebrew leader. She is only too ready to do so, to avenge her people. She determines to get from him the secret of his power.
Now a storm arises as Samson comes to
Delilah's dwelling. She exercises her arts of fascination upon him, but in the roll of the thunder Samson hoars the warning voice of God. Delilah spurns him and rushes into the house, but her work is done. for Samson cannot resist, and follows her. The Philistine soldiers now creep in, and in a few moments Delilah appears at the window holding Samson's shorn hair, and exclaiming: 'Tis done!' Samson, crying ' Betrayed ! ' is overcome and bound.