The story is set in the late nineteenth century British Raj in India. Many Hindus have been forced by the British to practice their religion in secret. The Hindus go to perform their rites in a sacred Brahmin temple under the high priest, Nilakantha. Nilakantha’s daughter Lakmé (which derives from the Sanskrit Lakshmi) and her servant Mallika are left behind and go down to the river to gather flowers where they sing the famous “Flower Duet”. Lakme and the slave girl Mallika decide to boat downstream in search of blue lotus flowers. Here is a rough translation of the maiden’s song:
Under the dense canopy / Where the white jasmine / Blends with the rose / On the flowering bank / Laughing at the morning / Come, let us drift down together / Let us gently glide along / With the enchanting flow / Of the fleeing current / On the rippling surface / With a lazy hand / Let us reach the shore / Where the source sleeps / And the bird sings / Under the dense canopy / Under the white jasmine / Let us drift down together
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