Three Major Plays
Page 16
TELLO. Calahorra,* sir.
PEDRO. Your name?
TELLO. Martín Peláez.*
PEDRO. Related to
The Cid, no doubt. Where did you study? 510
TELLO. The University of La Coruña,* sir.
PEDRO. And took your holy orders there?
TELLO. I did, sir. Evening classes.
PEDRO. Excellent!
I'll see you later.
[Exit DON PEDRO
TELLO. FABIA, is that you?
FABIA. Yes, who do you think it is?
LEONOR. Are you 515
TELLO?
INÉS. My dear friend, TELLO!
LEONOR. Oh, this
Is trickery indeed!
INÉS. What news
Of Don Alonso?
TELLO. Can I speak
In front of LEONOR?
INÉS. Of course.
LEONOR. It would offend my love for her 520
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If any of her thoughts were not
Revealed to me.
TELLO. Then you should know
That since the May fiesta is at hand,
Alonso is preparing all the things
He needs: clothes, horses, harnesses, 525
Lances, and spears. The bulls are scared
Already. We've also made a shield,*
In case there is jousting -- a product of
My ingenuity. But you shall see
It for yourself, madam.
INÉS. Has he 530
Not written?
TELLO. Oh, what a fool
I am! His letter!
INÉS. I stamp it* with
A kiss!
Enter DON PEDRO.
PEDRO. Prepare the carriage if
The chestnut isn't up to it.
What's this?
TELLO. Your father! Read! I shall 535
Pretend to teach you Latin. Dominus. . .
INÉS. Dominus. . .
TELLO. Continue!
INÉS. Continue how?
TELLO. Dominus meus. . .
INÉS. Dominus meus. . .
TELLO. You'll soon be reading perfectly.
PEDRO. Teaching her already?
INÉS. I long 540
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To make progress quickly, father.
PEDRO. Enough for now. The council wants
Me to attend the fiesta.
INÉS. A wise
Decision. The King himself attends.
PEDRO. I have agreed on one condition: 545
That you and LEONOR come too.
INÉS. Then tell me, good mother. Would it be
Considered sinful?
FABIA. I doubt it would,
My dear. There are religious people who
Are over-scrupulous about such things. 550
They think that everything they do
Offends our Lord. Forgetting they
Are just as human as the rest
Of us, they judge that pleasures which
Distract us from our tasks must be 555
A sin indeed. We must, of course,
Be moderate in what we do,
But you have my permission to
Attend the fiesta. It is, after all,
Jugatoribus paternus.*
PEDRO. Let's go 560
At once. I have some money for
This excellent teacher, and some
For our good mother to buy herself
A cloak.
FABIA. May the blessed cloak of heaven
Protect us all! LEONOR, will you 565
Not soon be like your sister?
LEONOR. No doubt
I shall, good mother. It's only right
That I should follow her example.
-130-
Exit all. Enter the KING, DON JUAN, with
ATTENDANTS, and the CONSTABLE.
KING. Why bring me matters to attend
To at the hour of our leaving? 570
CONSTABLE. A question of your signature,
Your majesty, nothing more.
KING. Be brief, then.
CONSTABLE. Will you receive no one?
KING. Not now.
CONSTABLE. His Holiness has granted your request
Concerning the Order of Alcántara. 575
KING. The change of dress will be a great
Improvement.
CONSTABLE. The old one* was indeed
Quite ugly.
KING. So now a green cross may
Be worn. I am most grateful to
His Holiness. He favours us greatly. 580
The Infante prospers too, as long
As he is on our side.
CONSTABLE. Just two
More things. Two stipulations, both
Important.
KING. Which are?
CONSTABLE. The first concerns
The kind of dress to be adopted by 585
The Moors and Jews still living in Castile.
KING. This is to meet the wishes of
Our Brother Vicente Ferrer.* He's long
Demanded it.
CONSTABLE. A holy and learned man.
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KING. I saw him yesterday, and we 590
Agreed that where both Jews and Moors
Are found together in my kingdom,
The Jews must wear a tabard with
A sign on it, the Moors* a cloak
And hood green in colour. By such 595
A measure shall all Christians be
Forewarned and keep that distance which
Prevents contamination.
CONSTABLE. This second one
Concerns the habit* you bestow
On Don Alonso, the man they call 600
The Knight of Olmedo.
KING. A man
Of singular fame and reputation.
I saw him here, on the occasion of
My sister's marriage.*
CONSTABLE. He comes to
The fiesta, I believe, intent 605
On serving you.
KING. Advise him to
Gain greater fame in military arts.
For I intend to honour him
By making him a Knight Commander.*
[Exit the KING and the CONSTABLE
Enter Don Alonso.
Alonso. Oh, absence, this is hard indeed!* 610
You are the cruel enemy
Who splits my soul in two yet does
Not take away my life! How right
Are those who have described you as
A living death, for you give life 615
To our desires, then put an end
To us once we have seen what we
Love most! You would be merciful indeed
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If, when I left Medina, you would take
Away my life just as you take 620
Away my soul. Medina, home
To lovely Inés, the glory of
That town, the honour of the Court.
The flowing streams all sing her praises;
The birds all listen to her songs; 625
The flowers imitate her perfect beauty.
She is so lovely she is envious of
Herself, and certain that the sun
Is envious of her. For neither when
It reaches Spain, nor when it winds 630
Its golden ribbon round the far-
Off Indies, does it see a sight
More beautiful than she. I know
That I deserved to love her! Oh,
Fortunate in my audacity! 635
For if I suffer now, it teaches me
To know when I am truly happy.
I long to see, to serve, to worship her.
And yet the need for secrecy
Deprives me of that joy. Such love, 640
It's true, is not as pure or honest* as
It ought to be, but still the pearls
Her eyes produce attempt my death.
She wept as I was leaving, her tears
&nbs
p; The proof she meant what she had said. 645
That night confirmed she could be mine.
Oh, cowardly love! Why wait? Why hesitate?
Oh, God! What misery to split
A soul, divide a life in two!
Enter TELLO.
TELLO. So aren't you glad to see me then? 650
Alonso. I cannot say. You've been away So long, I've ceased to be myself.
TELLO. But if it's for your benefit,
How can you blame me?
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Alonso. No one else
Can help me but Inés. Is there 655
No letter?
TELLO. I've got it here.
Alonso. Then you
Can tell me afterwards what you
Achieved.
[Reads 'My lord,* when you had gone I ceased to live. You are so
cruel, leaving me lifeless when you depart.' 660
TELLO. Not reading more? Alonso. No.
TELLO. Why not?
Alonso. Because such appetizing food
Is better finished afterwards.
Tell me about Inés.
TELLO. I wore
My gown and gloves, so I would look 665
Exactly like those students whose
Pretentiousness goes hand in hand
With their collars. I uttered a greeting,
A string of meaningless verbosity,
To make them think that my degree 670
Contained at least a jot of wisdom.
Then I looked around and there was FABIA.
Alonso. A moment, TELLO. I need to read
A little more, such is the strength
Of my desire. 675
[Reads
'Everything that you commanded, I have done. One thing I
have not done, which is to live without you, for this is
something you did not command.'
TELLO. Much food for thought, sir?
-134-
Alonso. So tell me, how did FABIA proceed? 680
TELLO. You should have seen her. She is so wise And cunning, sir, so full of sweet
And flattering hypocrisy,
I fear for the jobs of those
Who spend their lives, heads bowed in prayer. 685
In future I'll beware of everything
I'm told by fawning women or
By clerics who aren't what they seem.
You should have seen me, sir. Such piety!
The very image of a Moslem. 690
And old Don PEDRO taken in
Completely, even though he seems
As wise and sensible as Cato.*
Alonso. Wait, TELLO. The letter calls once more.
[Reads
'Do not be long in coming back, so you may see exactly 695
how I am when you depart, and how I am when you return.'
TELLO. Are you stopping again?
Alonso. And so
You managed to get in and speak
To her?
TELLO. Her studies were yourself, sir.
You were her Latin and her other lessons. 700
Alonso. And LEONOR?
TELLO. Oh, full of envy.
It's clear she thinks you worthy of
Being loved. You see, sir, lots of women love
Because they see a person loved,
And when a man is passionately loved 705
By someone else, they seem to think
He has some great big hidden secret.
How foolish women are! We all
Know love is written in one's star!
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Alonso. Excuse me once again. I have to read 710
The last line written by those lovely hands.
[Reads
'They say the King is coming to Medina,
And quite right too, for you will come,
And you are my king.'
The letter ends.
TELLO. As all things must. 715
Alonso. How fleeting are our joys! TELLO. It seems
To me a letter in three acts.*
Alonso. No, wait. A few more words, written in
The margin.
[Reads
'Wear the ribbon* around your neck. 720
If only I could be that ribbon!'
TELLO. A fine sight, sir! You in
The ring and Inés hanging around
Your neck!
Alonso. Where is the ribbon, TELLO?
TELLO. They gave me nothing.
Alonso. What are you saying? 725
TELLO. I mean, you've given me nothing either, sir.
Alonso. I see. Then take whatever suit* of mine
You fancy.
TELLO. Oh, look, the ribbon!
Alonso. Quite exquisite!
TELLO. As are the hands
Which have embroidered it!
Alonso. Inform 730
The servants that we leave at once.
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Oh, Tello!
TELLO. What now?
ALONSO. I meant to tell you, I had a dream.
TELLO. You mean you put Your faith in dreams?
ALONSO. I don't believe them,
And yet they give me cause to be 735
Afraid.
TELLO. Stuff and nonsense!
ALONSO. And some Would say they are reflections of The soul.
TELLO. But what could happen, sir, If all you have in mind is marriage?
ALONSO. Last night* my sleep was constantly 740
Disturbed by dreams, and so I rose
At dawn, opening my window wide.
I gazed upon the fountains and
The flowers which there outside were such
A happy sight, and then I saw 745
A goldfinch land upon a bush,
The yellow of its lovely wings
Like flowers, bright against dark green.
It stayed there, and from its tiny throat
There came untrained and beautiful 750
Complaints of love, when suddenly
A hawk* appeared from its hiding-place,
Swooped on the goldfinch from above, and since
The two were so unequal in their strength,
The air was quickly filled with feathers, 755
The flowers stained bright red with blood.
The poor bird's dying cries were echoed by
The dawn, and there, not far away,
A second bird, companion to the first,
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Observed, forlorn, that terrible event. 760
As for myself, it seemed a warning which,
Combined with what I dreamed last night,
Filled me with sudden fear. I know
Such things are meaningless, and yet
I lack the will to live, such is 765
My sense of hopelessness.*
TELLO. Is this
How you repay Inés when she
Has shown such courage in the face
Of fortune's blows? Go to Medina.
Forget these dreams and auguries. 770
Be bold as you are wont to be.
Think just of horses, lances, how you look.
Kill all those men with envy of your deeds.
Slay all the women with your looks.
Doña Inés will soon be yours, no matter what! 775
ALONSO. You make good sense, Tello. She waits
For me. Let's go to Medina. They say
That sorrows thought of in advance
Are doubly sorrowful. Only Inés
Can cause me sorrow, but she is my 780
Eternal joy.
TELLO. Let's go then, sir.
I'll have those bulls on their knees to her,
Beneath her window.
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ACT THREE
The sound of drums. Enter DON RODRIGO and
DON FERNANDO, with SERVANTS and lances.
RODRIGO. No luck at all!
FERNANDO. It couldn't be worse!
RODRIGO. Such disappointment!
FERNANDO. What's to be done?
RODRIGO. This sword of mine, quite useless in
The service of Inés!
FERNANDO. I feel ashamed.
RODRIGO. And I embarrassed.
FERNANDO. Let's try once more. 5
RODRIGO. A waste of time for someone out
Of luck. It seems that fortune smiles
On this one from Olmedo.
FERNANDO. He hasn't put
A foot wrong.
RODRIGO. I promise you he shall.
FERNANDO. When someone has a run of luck, 10
Everything he touches turns to gold.
RODRIGO. Love opened its door to him and made
Quite sure her heart was cold to me.
Besides, a stranger is always attractive
To women.
FERNANDO. Your anger is quite justified. 15
Although he is a gallant knight,
What right has he to outshine Medina's best?*
-139-
RODRIGO. This town is driving me mad. Just like
A woman, it despises what it knows,
And finds appealing what is unfamiliar. 20
FERNANDO. Nothing changes. Such was the case
In Greek and Roman times.*
[Off-stage, shouting, the jingle of harnesses
FIRST VOICE. Bravo! Bravo!
SECOND VOICE. The lance* is broken!
Bravo!
FERNANDO. Let's wait no longer!
RODRIGO. Let's go!
FIRST VOICE. Who else can equal him?
FERNANDO. Listen! 25
RODRIGO. I cannot stand it!
SECOND VOICE. All hail the Knight
From Olmedo!
RODRIGO. Fernando, how
Can I endure this?
FERNANDO. The praise
Of ignoramuses, the common herd!
FIRST VOICE. May God protect you! God protect you! 30
RODRIGO. The King himself would not receive
Much greater praise. But let them shout,
Let them lavish praise and do their worst!