Steal Me, Sweet Thief

FROM
G. MENOTTI


THE OLD MAID AND THE THIEF

  
 


(SCENE VI)

 
Larghetto

   
                      
  
 
    
   

               
                         
3


      
   
What a curse for a wo man is a tim id man! A week has gone by: he had plen ty of chanc es,

    
    
 
   
 
  
  

      
               
94


      
5

 
poco più mosso

   
           
but he made no ad van ces. Miss Todd schemes and lab ors to

    

   
  

 
      
       

 
 
                
 Tempo I
   
      
         
7

   


  
get him some mon ey. She robs friends and neigh bors the club and the church. He takes all the

         
     

       
     
    
2

        
                  
95

      
 


9

 

               
     
mon ey with a smile that en tran ces... but still makes no ad vanc es. The

 
         
 
 
 
        
  
       

      
    
  

         
                   


12

    
       
    
   
old wo man sighs and makes lan guid eyes. All the drawers are wide op en,

        

    
  
 
 
  

   
   
        
    
   


        
                    


96

     
15

  
        

                        
all the doors are un locked... He neith er seems pleased nor shocked. He eats and drinks and

     
  

   
 pesante 
     
                      
     
 

        2 
          
          
18


      
      
       
sleeps, he talks of base ball and box ing... but that is all. What

            
  
        


     
               
  
    
  
             
3

         



Adagio ma non troppo

         
21

 
    
  
         
a curse for a wo man is a tim id man! rall. molto Steal me, Oh,

                         
      
 espres.
            
         
      

            
affrettando  
                           
25 un poco




  
steal me, sweet thief, for time's flight is steal ing my youth and the cares of life steal fleet ing time

 
    
 
                        
        

       
                
affrettando un poco

     

      pochiss. riten.

   
      
              
98

    
30
a tempo


  
Steal me, thief, for life is brief and full of theft and strife. And then with

                              
          
          

          
pochiss. riten.

   
                         
99


34 con emozione

    
a tempo


poco rit. cresc.


 
fur tive step death comes and steals time and life. O sweet thief, I pray make me


      
                  
                  
 
      
  
            
   
   a tempo, mafluttuante
4

                
       
100

   
rit.


38


die. be fore dark death steals her prey. Steal my lips be fore they

                  
           
          
 
          
   

               
rit.


  


            
                     
42


crum ble to dust. Steal my heart be fore death must. Steal my cheeks be fore they're sunk and de cayed

  
                               
  
                     
          
3

         
            
  
47


muovendo un poco e cresc.

Steal my breath be fore it will fade. Steal my lips, steal my heart,

                

   muovendo un poco e cresc.
                     
 
subito dim.

3
 5

    moltorit.   a tempo  
                    
101

     
  
50

 
ritardando


steal my cheeks, steal, oh steal my breath and make me die be fore death will

  
     
                            
     
molto rit.  

              
 
a tempo

 



     
     
54 Adagio



steal her prey. Oh, steal me!

 
     
     
   


   
      
  

 


 riten.  
              
a tempo poco rit. a tempo


56

  


   
For time's flight is steal ing my youth.

 
                   
      
 
 
          

 
     
    
 