L'Île du rêve

Synopsis

Act I

On the Isle of Dreams – an idyllic Polynesian island – the French naval officer Georges de Kerven, accompanied by Princess Or na, meets Mahénu and her charming companions as they sing at the foot of the murmuring waterfall of Faatua. The young girls baptise him, dropping flowers on his head, and rename him Loti, while the ridiculous Chinese Tsen-Lee, who has come laden with gifts, is chased away with gusts of laughter. Lieutenant Kerven’s brother was also baptised there, and named Rouéri by the beautiful Téria. The same adventure befalls all Europeans on the Isle of Dreams. Georges falls under the spell of charm and seduction: as night falls and populates the forest with blue phantoms, he is united with Mahénu.

Act II

Mahénu’s father reads the Bible in his hut and gravely glorifies love before Tsen-Lee, who remains impassive in his ridicule. Loti has come to see Téria and tell her that his brother, who had become her husband a year earlier, has died in faraway France. Téria’s despair does not sadden the new lovers of the Isle of Dreams, who bow before Mahénu’s father and receive his mystical blessing.

Acte III

At a ball held at Princess Oréna’s court, Mahénu overhears the news that Loti is to depart, and reveals her presence in a cry of grief. The lieutenant immediately comforts her, promises to take her with him to France, and then leaves. But Oréna explains to the child the impossibility of the voyage for her, the danger of exile and the disenchantment she would suffer in the future. She must stay on the Isle of Dreams, and the couple must part without saying farewell. Mahénu now joins Téria among those whose destinies have been crushed by love on the island.