Un bel dì, vedremo

"Un bel dì, vedremo" (Italian pronunciation: [um bɛl di veˈdreːmo]; "One fine day we'll see") is a soprano aria from the opera Madama Butterfly (1904) by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

It is sung by Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) on stage with Suzuki, as she imagines the return of her absent love, Pinkerton.

Early in act 2, three years after her marriage to U.S. naval officer B. F. Pinkerton, Cio-Cio San ("Butterfly") awaits the return of her long-absent husband to Japan.

Trying to convince Suzuki of Pinkerton's loyalty, Butterfly sings of an imaginary scene in which a thread of smoke on the far horizon signals the arrival of a white ship into Nagasaki harbour, bringing her long-lost love back to her.

[3] "Un bel dì, vedremo" is especially significant as it appeals to audiences with its emotive melody but also encapsulates the tragedy at the heart of the opera, foretelling Cio-Cio San's inevitable demise.

[4] The aria was first performed by the soprano Rosina Storchio at the premiere of Madama Butterfly on 17 February 1904 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

In 1984, the pop musician Malcolm McLaren adapted the aria for his single "Madam Butterfly (Un bel dì, vedremo)", a synth-pop remix of opera and 1980s R&B.

[9] Un bel dì, vedremo levarsi un fil di fumo sull'estremo confin del mare.

Io senza dar risposta me ne starò nascosta un po' per celia ... e un po' per non morire al primo incontro, ed egli alquanto in pena chiamerà, chiamerà: "Piccina mogliettina, olezzo di verbena," i nomi che mi dava al suo venire.

One fine day we'll notice a thread of smoke arising on the sea, in the far horizon, and then the ship appearing; then the trim white vessel glides into the harbour, thunders forth her cannon.