Les élémens

[6] After being extensively rearranged (all the parts featuring the King were for instance removed), on 29 May 1725 the ballet was revived before the general public by the Paris Opera at the Palais-Royal theatre.

[3] It met thereafter with increasing success, the degree of which "may be gauged by the fact that it remained in the repertory for more than 50 years and was revived in 1727, 1734, 1742, 1767, 1771, 1776, 1778, and 1780", and that it inspired "three parodies: Momus exilé (1725) at the Théâtre des Italiens; Le chaos (1725) at the same theatre; Il était temps (1754) at the Saint-Laurent fair".

[3] There was a modern revival at the Opéra Royal de Versailles on 7 October 2001 under Jérôme Corréas, with Isabelle Poulenard, Françoise Masset, Jean-François Lombard, Matthieu Lecroart, and Renaud Delaigue.

This entrée is set in the vestibule of the temple of Vesta, where the priestess Emilie attends to the goddess's fire for the last time, having received permission to marry Valère.

When Valère comes to the temple, Emilie tells him that she had a nightmare in which Vesta had appeared with a great crash, mad with rage, and had struck him dead by lightning.

While Valère is trying to reassure her, the temple plunges into darkness, as the sacred fire has gone out: Emilie takes the blame for neglecting it and refuses to flee with her lover, bravely willing to face her deadly punishment.

The 1721 first version also included an 'Epilogue' that again presented on stage the king and the twelve young courtiers who had danced with him in the 'Prologue', as well as four other high noblemen each flanked by a ballerina: they were to symbolize the Sun advancing in his chariot, surrounded by the signs of the zodiac and followed by the four continents.

The opera concluded in jubilation with Pomone and a follower of hers – accompanied by the general chorus of all the other performers – hymning the praises of the Sun and Louis XV at the same time.