The barbèd seeds of love, or birds of passage
Scattered them in their flight, do they take root, 825
And grow in silence, and in silence perish.
Who hears the falling of the forest leaf?
Or who takes note of every flower that dies?
Heigho! I wish Victorian would come.
Dolores!
(Turns to lay down her book, and perceives the COUNT.)
Ha!
Lara. Señora, pardon me! 830
Prec. How ‘s this? Dolores!
Lara. Pardon me —
Prec. Dolores!
Lara. Be not alarmed; I found no one in waiting.
If I have been too bold —
Prec. (turning her back upon him). You are too bold!
Retire! retire, and leave me!
Lara. My dear lady,
First hear me! I beseech you, let me speak! 835
‘T is for your good I come.
Prec. (turning toward him with indignation). Begone! begone!
You are the Count of Lara, but your deeds
Would make the statues of your ancestors
Blush on their tombs! Is it Castilian honor,
Is it Castilian pride, to steal in here 840
Upon a friendless girl, to do her wrong?
Oh shame! shame! shame! that you, a nobleman,
Should be so little noble in your thoughts
As to send jewels here to win my love,
And think to buy my honor with your gold! 845
I have no words to tell you how I scorn you!
Begone! The sight of you is hateful to me!
Begone, I say!
Lara. Be calm; I will not harm you.
Prec. Because you dare not.
Lara. I dare anything!
Therefore beware! You are deceived in me. 850
In this false world, we do not always know
Who are our friends and who our enemies.
We all have enemies, and all need friends.
Even you, fair Preciosa, here at court
Have foes, who seek to wrong you.
Prec. If to this 855
I owe the honor of the present visit,
You might have spared the coming. Having spoken,
Once more I beg you, leave me to myself.
Lara. I thought it but a friendly part to tell you
What strange reports are current here in town. 860
For my own self, I do not credit them;
But there are many who, not knowing you,
Will lend a readier ear.
Prec. There was no need
That you should take upon yourself the duty
Of telling me these tales.
Lara. Malicious tongues 865
Are ever busy with your name.
Prec. Alas!
I ‘ve no protectors. I am a poor girl,
Exposed to insults and unfeeling jest.
They wound me, yet I cannot shield myself.
I give no cause for these reports. I live 870
Retired; am visited by none.
Lara. By none?
Oh, then, indeed, you are much wronged!
Prec. How mean you?
Lara. Nay, nay; I will not wound your gentle soul
By the report of idle tales.
Prec. Speak out!
What are these idle tales? You need not spare me. 875
Lara. I will deal frankly with you. Pardon me;
This window, as I think, looks towards the street,
And this into the Prado, does it not?
In you high house, beyond the garden wall, —
You see the roof there just above the trees, — 880
There lives a friend, who told me yesterday,
That on a certain night, — be not offended
If I too plainly speak, — he saw a man
Climb to your chamber window. You are silent!
I would not blame you, being young and fair — 885
(He tries to embrace her. She starts back, and draws a dagger from her bosom.)
Prec. Beware! beware! I am a Gypsy girl!
Lay not your hand upon me. One step nearer
And I will strike!
Lara. Pray you, put up that dagger.
Fear not.
Prec. I do not fear. I have a heart
In whose strength I can trust.
Lara. Listen to me. 890
I come here as your friend, — I am your friend, —
And by a single word can put a stop
To all those idle tales, and make your name
Spotless as lilies are. Here on my knees,
Fair Preciosa! on my knees I swear, 895
I love you even to madness, and that love
Has driven me to break the rules of custom,
And force myself unasked into your presence.
(VICTORIAN enters behind.)
Prec. Rise, Count of Lara! That is not the place
For such as you are. It becomes you not 900
To kneel before me. I am strangely moved
To see one of your rank thus low and humbled;
For your sake I will put aside all anger,
All unkind feeling, all dislike, and speak
In gentleness, as most becomes a woman, 905
And as my heart now prompts me. I no more
Will hate you, for all hate is painful to me.
But if, without offending modesty
And that reserve which is a woman’s glory,
I may speak freely, I will teach my heart 910
To love you.
Lara. O sweet angel!
Prec. Ay, in truth,
Far better than you love yourself or me.
Lara. Give me some sign of this, — the slightest token.
Let me but kiss your hand!
Prec. Nay, come no nearer.
The words I utter are its sign and token. 915
Misunderstand me not! Be not deceived!
The love wherewith I love you is not such
As you would offer me. For you come here
To take from me the only thing I have,
My honor. You are wealthy, you have friends 920
And kindred, and a thousand pleasant hopes
That fill your heart with happiness; but I
Am poor, and friendless, having but one treasure,
And you would take that from me, and for what?
To flatter your own vanity, and make me 925
What you would most despise. Oh, sir, such love,
That seeks to harm me, cannot be true love.
Indeed it cannot. But my love for you
Is of a different kind. It seeks your good.
It is a holier feeling. It rebukes 930
Your earthly passion, your unchaste desires,
And bids you look into your heart, and see
How you do wrong that better nature in you,
And grieve your soul with sin.
Lara. I swear to you,
I would not harm you; I would only love you. 935
I would not take your honor, but restore it,
And in return I ask but some slight mark
Of your affection. If indeed you love me,
As you confess you do, oh, let me thus
With this embrace —
Vict. (rushing forward). Hold! hold! This is too much. 940
What means this outrage?
Lara. First, what right have you
To question thus a nobleman of Spain?
Vict. I too am noble, and you are no more!
Out of my sight!
Lara. Are you the master here?
Vict. Ay, here and elsewhere, when the wrong of others 945
Gives me the right!
Prec. (to LARA). Go! I beseech you, go!
Vict. I shall have business with you, Count, anon!
Lara. You cannot come too soon! [Exit.
Prec. Victorian!
Oh, we have been betrayed!
Vict. Ha! ha! betrayed!
‘T is I have been betrayed, not we! — not we! 950
Prec. Dost thou imagine —
Vict. I imagine nothing;
I see how ‘t is thou whilest the time away
When I am gone!
Prec. Oh, speak not in that tone!
It wounds me deeply.
Vict. ‘T was not meant to flatter.
Prec. Too well thou knowest the presence of that man 955
Is hateful to me!
Vict. Yet I saw thee stand
And listen to him, when he told his love.
Prec. I did not heed his words.
Vict. Indeed thou didst,
And answeredst them with love.
Prec. Hadst thou heard all —
Vict. I heard enough.
Prec. Be not so angry with me. 960
Vict. I am not angry; I am very calm.
Prec. If thou wilt let me speak —
Vict. Nay, say no more.
I know too much already. Thou art false!
I do not like these Gypsy marriages!
Where is the ring I gave thee?
Prec. In my casket. 965
Vict. There let it rest! I would not have thee wear it:
I thought thee spotless, and thou art polluted!
Prec. I call the Heavens to witness —
Vict. Nay, nay, nay!
Take not the name of Heaven upon thy lips!
They are forsworn!
Prec. Victorian! dear Victorian! 970
Vict. I gave up all for thee; myself, my fame,
My hopes of fortune, ay, my very soul!
And thou hast been my ruin! Now, go on!
Laugh at my folly with thy paramour
And, sitting on the Count of Lara’s knee, 975
Say what a poor, fond fool Victorian was!
(He casts her from him and rushes out.)
Prec. And this from thee!
(Scene closes.)
SCENE V. — The COUNT OF LARA’S rooms. Enter the COUNT.
Lara. There ‘s nothing in this world so sweet as love,
And next to love the sweetest thing is hate!
I ‘ve learned to hate, and therefore am revenged. 980
A silly girl to play the prude with me!
The fire that I have kindled —
(Enter FRANCISCO.)
Well, Francisco,
What tidings from Don Juan?
Fran. Good, my lord;
He will be present.
Lara. And the Duke of Lermos!
Fran. Was not at home.
Lara. How with the rest?
Fran. I ‘ve found 985
The men you wanted. They will all be there,
And at the given signal raise a whirlwind
Of such discordant noises, that the dance
Must cease for lack of music.
Lara. Bravely done.
Ah! little dost thou dream, sweet Preciosa, 990
What lies in wait for thee. Sleep shall not close
Thine eyes this night! Give me my cloak and sword. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI. — A retired spot beyond the city gates. Enter VICTORIAN and HYPOLITO.
Vict. Oh shame! Oh shame! Why do I walk abroad
By daylight, when the very sunshine mocks me,
And voices, and familiar sights and sounds 995
Cry, “Hide thyself!” Oh, what a thin partition
Doth shut out from the curious world the knowledge
Of evil deeds that have been done in darkness!
Disgrace has many tongues. My fears are windows,
Through which all eyes seem gazing. Every face 1000
Expresses some suspicion of my shame.
And in derision seems to smile at me!
Hyp. Did I not caution thee? Did I not tell thee
I was but half persuaded of her virtue?
Vict. And yet, Hypolito, we may be wrong, 1005
We may be over-hasty in condemning!
The Count of Lara is a cursèd villain.
Hyp. And therefore is she cursèd, loving him.
Vict. She does not love him! ‘T is for gold! for gold!
Hyp. Ay, but remember, in the public streets 1010
He shows a golden ring the Gypsy gave him,
A serpent with a ruby in its mouth.
Vict. She had that ring from me! God! she is false;
But I will be revenged! The hour is passed.
Where stays the coward?
Hyp. Nay, he is no coward; 1015
A villain, if thou wilt, but not a coward.
I ‘ve seen him play with swords; it is his pastime.
And therefore be not over-confident,
He ‘ll task thy skill anon. Look, here he comes.
(Enter LARA followed by FRANCISCO)
Lara. Good evening, gentlemen.
Hyp. Good evening, Count. 1020
Lara. I trust I have not kept you long in waiting.
Vict. Not long, and yet too long. Are you prepared?
Lara. I am.
Hyp. It grieves me much to see this quarrel
Between you, gentlemen. Is there no way
Left open to accord this difference, 1025
But you must make one with your swords?
Vict. No! none!
I do entreat thee, dear Hypolito,
Stand not between me and my foe. Too long
Our tongues have spoken. Let these tongues of steel
End our debate. Upon your guard, Sir Count. 1030
(They fight. VICTORIAN disarms the COUNT.)
Your life is mine; and what shall now withhold me
From sending your vile soul to its account?
Lara. Strike! strike!
Vict. You are disarmed. I will not kill you.
I will not murder you. Take up your sword. 1035
(FRANCISCO hands the COUNT his sword, and HYPOLITO interposes.)
Hyp. Enough! Let it end here! The Count of Lara.
Has shown himself a brave man, and Victorian
A generous one, as ever. Now be friends.
Put up your swords; for, to speak frankly to you,
Your cause of quarrel is too slight a thing 1040
To move you to extremes.
Lara. I am content.
I sought no quarrel. A few hasty words,
Spoken in the heat of blood, have led to this
Vict. Nay, something more than that.
Lara. I understand you.
Therein I did not mean to cross your path. 1045
To me the door stood open, as to others.
But, had I known the girl belonged to you,
Never would I have sought to win her from you.
The truth stands now revealed; she has been false
To both of us.
Vict. Ay, false as hell itself! 1050
Lara. In truth, I did not seek her; she sought me;
And told me how to win her, telling me
The hours when she was oftenest left alone.
Vict. Say, can you prove this to me? Oh, pluck out
These awful doubts, that goad me into madness! 1055
Let me know all! all! all!
Lara. You shall know all.
Here is my page, who was the messenger
Between us. Question him. Was it not so,
Francisco?
Fran. Ay, my lord.
Lara. If further proof
Is needful, I have here a ring she gave me. 1060
Vict. Pray let me see that ring! It is the same!
(Throws it upon the ground, and tramples upon it.)
Thus may she perish who once wore that ring!
Thus do I spurn her from me; do thus trample
Her memory in the dust! O Count of Lara,
We both have been abused, been much abused! 1065
I thank you for your courtesy and frankness.
Though, like the surgeon’s hand, yours gave me pain,
Yet it
has cured my blindness, and I thank you.
I now can see the folly I have done,
Though ‘t is, alas! too late. So fare you well! 1070
To-night I leave this hateful town forever.
Regard me as your friend. Once more farewell!
Hyp. Farewell, Sir Count. [Exeunt VICTORIAN and HYPOLITO.
Lara. Farewell! farewell! farewell!
Thus have I cleared the field of my worst foe!
I have none else to fear; the fight is done, 1075
The citadel is stormed, the victory won! [Exit with FRANCISCO.
SCENE VII. — A lane in the suburbs. Night. Enter CRUZADO and BARTOLOMÉ.
Cruz. And so, Bartolomé, the expedition failed. But where wast thou for the most part?
Bart. In the Guadarrama mountains, near San Ildefonso.
Cruz. And thou bringest nothing back with thee? Didst thou rob no one?
Bart. There was no one to rob, save a party of students from Segovia, who looked as if they would rob us; and a jolly little friar, who had nothing in his pockets but a missal and a loaf of bread. 1080
Cruz. Pray, then, what brings thee back to Madrid?
Bart. First tell me what keeps thee here?
Cruz. Preciosa.
Bart. And she brings me back. Hast thou forgotten thy promise?
Cruz. The two years are not passed yet. Wait patiently. The girl shall be thine. 1085
Delphi Complete Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Delphi Poets Series Book 13) Page 20
