Three Major Plays
Page 25
And so can properly complain
That you claim me entirely.
If I am thus deprived as much
Of you as of myself, my state 975
Can only be described as one
Of utter helplessness, for I
Can neither you nor self possess.
CASANDRA. When I consider first the Duke,
Then God, I tremble at the thought 980
That punishment both human and divine
Will be for our excess soon brought
To bear on both of us.
And yet, if it is true the world
Considers love excusable, 985
My part in this affair will seem
To most forgivable;
And if my wrong is judged the lesser,
How can my guilt be thought the greater?
I know of others who, because 990
They really wanted to do wrong,
Have sought their inspiration not in those
Who then repented of their sins
But those who most enjoyed wrongdoing.
If there is any remedy 995
For this, it is for you to flee
And never speak to me again,
Thus making sure we shall die,
And never in each other's arms now lie.
I beg you leave me. I prefer 1000
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To die than have to turn away
From you.
FEDERICO. And I, my lady, seek
In death the only favour I
Now wish upon myself. This life
Is meaningless; this body has 1005
No soul; I seek my death, convinced
That it is not a source of fear;
Rather, my one remaining pleasure.
I only ask you let me kiss
This hand, so I may taste the poison that 1010
Now ends my life.
CASANDRA. To do so is to put
A spark to powder. Leave me now.
FEDERICO. To do so would be treachery.
CASANDRA. If I could only speak more firmly than
I do. I feel this poison spread 1015
From hand to heart.
FEDERICO. You were the siren* who
Beguiled me on this fatal sea,
And sweetly lured me to my
Own death.
CASANDRA. As I, if I go on,
Am certain to destroy myself. 1020
Oh, will not name and honour teach
Me greater prudence, greater sense?
FEDERICO. I seem to have no strength.
CASANDRA. And I
No consciousness of what I think
Or do.
FEDERICO. Such strange infirmity! 1025
CASANDRA. I die for you.
FEDERICO. I cannot die,
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Since I am long since dead.
CASANDRA. Sweet Count,
You bring about my death.
FEDERICO. Then I,
Though dead, am happy that my soul
Enjoys such immortality 1030
As will allow me to possess
Your love for all eternity.
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ACT THREE
AURORAand the MARQUIS.
AURORA. I swear that what I say is true.
MARQUIS. I can't believe it possible,
But if it is, you must take care
That no one overhears.*
AURORA. I had
To tell you what I know so you 5
Can best advise me what to do.
MARQUIS. First tell me how it was you saw
The two of them.
AURORA. As you well know,
My lord, I loved the Count most dearly,
And suffered at his hands the kind 10
Of treachery once practised by
The cunning Ulysses. The years
Had nurtured our love, and by
The time they went to bring Casandra here
From Italy, our plans were firmly made, 15
If anyone believes a man
Will ever keep the word he gave.
As soon as Federico met
Casandra, he began to treat
Me differently, and when the Duke 20
Proposed we marry soon, said he
Could not, through jealousy of you.
That's why, since it is often said
That love gone cold is best revived
By favouring someone else, I tried 25
To make him think that I loved you.
It had as much effect as if
I'd tried to make a mark upon
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A diamond: for where there is
No love, how can you make a person fond 30
Of you? I could not understand
Why I, who had been loved, should now
Be so despised by him, and so began,
Now driven by my lynx-eyed jealousy,
To watch him carefully. Casandra has 35
A dressing-room containing two
Recesses,* and on the walls not tapestries,
But mirrors, portraits, glasses of
All kinds. It must have been suspicion led
Me there one day, for as I went 40
In quietly, I looked into a mirror
And saw Federico slip as silently
Into the opposite recess,
And straight away begin to pick
The blood-red roses of Casandra's lips. 45
I watched them horrified and then
Could watch no more. I turned and ran,
And when I'd found some quiet place,
Began to weep for my misfortune.
I wept for theirs too, that they 50
Could be so blind as to believe
That, while the Duke was still away,
They could behave so brazenly,
And publicize a love that in
Its infamy was worse than anything 55
We normally attribute to
The lust and savagery of animals.
The mirror, I'm convinced, in order not
To show such hideous love as this,
Assumed a dark and cloudy face, 60
While I, as if transfixed, observed
How they lasciviously indulged
Themselves and took such sweet
Delight in every manner of embrace.
They say the Duke returns triumphantly, 65
And laurel wreaths adorn his brow
To celebrate his victories
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Against the Holy Pontiff's enemies.
I beg you, tell me what I am
To do. I am pursued by thoughts 70
That you, in speaking of your love
For me, may not have spoken as
Sincerely as I would like,
And therefore, like the Count, you too
May now be planning to deceive 75
And in the end abandon me.
MARQUIS. Aurora, in this life the only thing
That has no remedy is death.
Though many in the course of time
Are, like the Phoenix, born again 80
And live once more through their fame.
Inform the Duke you wish to marry me.
As soon as he agrees to it,
We'll go to Mantua, and all
The danger that you fear now 85
Will soon be over. The tiger, so
They say, grieves for its poor cubs
That have become the hunter's prey;
Is so distraught it rushes to the sea
And lets itself be swept away 90
Unto its death. If that is so,
What will Ferrara's new Achilles do
In order to avenge his name
And tarnished honour? Who can believe
That such a stain as this can now 95
Be cleansed unless it be by spilling blood,
And thus engraving what they did
Upon our memory, assuming that
&nbs
p; The heavens do not seek vengeance first,
And send down bolts to blast their infamy? 100
I give you the advice you asked of me.
AURORA. And I, in my distress, accept
It gratefully.
MARQUIS. The mirror that
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Reflected her will be Medusa's glass
For this new Circe.* 105
Enter FEDERICO and BATÍN
FEDERICO. You mean he would not wait until
They went to welcome him?
BATÍN. He would
Not wait for anything, my lord.
No sooner did he see the frontier,
Than he, more eager than the rest 110
Of them, rode off, not bothering
To give you proper warning of
His coming. Such is his love of you,
He cannot wait to see you once
Again, and though he wants to see 115
The Duchess too, there's nothing else
Can match his love for you. For him
You are the sun itself, and four
Months absence like the moon's eclipse.
He'll be here soon. You'd best prepare 120
A triumph fit to please a king.
The troops he leads will enter here.
The spoils of war all held aloft,
And golden banners greeting him.
FEDERICO.
Aurora, why is it I find 125
You always in the Marquis's company?
AURORA. Am I to think you jest with me,
My lord?
FEDERICO. Is that all you can say
To justify such infidelity?
AURORA. I can't believe the Marquis has 130
Awakened your jealousy,
My lord. You seem to be awake
When you have been four months asleep.
MARQUIS. Believe me, Count, I did not know
You felt what you now claim to feel 135
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For her. I served Aurora in
Good faith, believing I had no
Competitor, and least of all
Yourself. Such is my loyalty,
Whatever else you'd asked of me 140
I would have given you except
My love for her, for then it was
Not known to me you loved her too
As honestly as I. But since
You say you do and are more worthy of 145
Her love than I can ever be,
I think it proper to withdraw.
[Exit the MARQUIS
AURORA. You see what you have done! What kind
Of madness makes you talk like this
When any thought of love has flown? 150
How many times have you set eyes
On me in conversation with
The Marquis since this strange attack
Of melancholy* first began?
You've never looked at me! But now 155
I plan to marry him, why, all
At once, this great display of jealousy!
Believe me, Count, I know full well
What you have planned. If I am not
Allowed to marry him, I'd rather kill 160
Myself than have a hand in it.
I think it best by far if you
Embrace not me but rather that
Sweet melancholy you so obviously
Prefer. Of one thing be quite sure. 165
I'll not forget the pain that you
Cause me. Do not, then, be surprised
If I inflict the same on you.
I only ask that God protect
Me from such lies as yours. I shall 170
Not help you, be quite sure.
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[Exit AURORA
BATÍN. Whatever have you done to her?
FEDERICO. Who knows, Batín? I've no idea.
BATÍN. If you ask me, my lord, I'd say
It's really pretty serious this, 175
And brings to mind the Emperor,
Tiberius.* He'd had his missus recently
Snuffed out, no fuss, but then forgets
That she's a gonner, so shouts out:
'It's time for dinner.' Then there was 180
Messala,* just the same, the one
That constantly forgot his name.
FEDERICO. I have forgotten I'm a man!
BATÍN. And then there was this peasant too,
Got married, oh, two years ago. 185
One day he gave his wife a shock
He realized her eyes were black.
FEDERICO. I do not know, BatÍn, what I
Should do.
BATÍN. I am reminded too,
My lord, of one peculiar fellow from 190
Biscay.* He was a fool, you see;
He'd gone and left the bridle on
His horse and found it wouldn't eat
Its hay. You've no idea how dismayed
He was, and so he thought he'd better call 195
A horse-doctor to find out what
Was wrong with her. He saw at once,
Of course, the problem with the horse
Was just the bit, so chucked the owner out
And then removed it. The horse went mad; 200
He gobbled up the hay, and when
He'd finished it, the manger too,
So when his owner saw what he'd
Chewed through, he was amazed, and poured
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Upon the horse-doctor much lavish praise. 205
'By God,' he said, 'you've done the trick.
I'll come to you when I am sick.
You've dealt with him most skilfully.
In future you can see to me.'
I fancy you too, sir, have such 210
A bit that will not let you eat.
I'll be your doctor, if you wish.
Believe me, I'll soon cure it.
FEDERICO. I cannot tell you what is wrong.
BATÍN. Then I can only say to you, 215
You'd better leave the oats alone.
Enter CASANDRAand LUCRECIA.
CASANDRA. He's coming then?
LUCRECIA. He is, madam.
CASANDRA. And not a single word of warning!
LUCRECIA. They say he's left the rest behind
Because he longs to see you once 220
Again.
CASANDRA. And you believe it of
A man like him? As far as I'm
Concerned, I'd rather die. Convince
Me, Count, the story is a lie.
FEDERICO. They say
the Duke will soon be here: 225
Proof that his love for you is sure.
CASANDRA. If I see you no more, I know
That I shall die of sorrow.
FEDERICO [aside].* I know
That, now the Duke is here, this love
Shall never see tomorrow.
CASANDRA. I know 230
I shall go mad.
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FEDERICO. Not I, for I
Am mad already.
CASANDRA. My soul consumed
With pain.
FEDERICO. My life as if destroyed
By flames.
CASANDRA. What can we do?
FEDERICO. What else
Is there to do but die?
CASANDRA. Is there 235
No other way?
FEDERICO. If what we do
Means losing you, why should I live
Another day?
CASANDRA. The remedy
Is not to lose me.
FEDERICO. It would be best,
I think, if from today I served 240
Aurora once again, invented love,
And asked the Duke to let me marry her.
It is the obvious way to keep
Us clear of suspicion, before
The gossip in the palace harms 245
Our reputation.
CASANDRA. There is no way
I'll let you marry her. To do so adds
An insult to this injury.
FEDERICO. The danger we now face obliges me.
CASANDRA. I swear that if you contemplate 250
Such treachery when you are most
To blame for this, the world shall hear
Me voice aloud both my own guilt
And your infamy.
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FEDERICO. My lady, please.
CASANDRA. You'll not dissuade me.
FEDERICO. Everyone 255
Will hear.
CASANDRA. I do not care. The Duke
Can take away my life, but you,
I swear, will never marry her.
Enter FLORO, FEBO, RICARDO, ALBANO,
LUCINDO, and the DUKE, handsomely
dressed as a soldier.
RICARDO. It seems they are not ready yet
To welcome you, my lord.
DUKE. It is 260
Because my love has brought me here
More swiftly than they thought.
CASANDRA. My dear husband, you have caught
Us unprepared to greet you as
We should.
FEDERICO. The Duchess is aggrieved 265
Without good cause. The fault is mine
Entirely, my lord.
DUKE. My son,
A father's love can never cease
To love his flesh and blood. It made
My journey short and guaranteed 270
The longing and the weariness I felt
Should be transformed into this final good.
And you, my lady, are most worthy of
A love that is at least its rival.
Do not, I beg, feel slighted if 275
I speak to both of you as equals.
CASANDRA. Your blood and Federico's goodness, sir,
Demand you favour him; I therefore must
Be pleased you treat me just the same.
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DUKE. I know that I am favoured by 280
You both and truly cannot say
How much such love as this is worth
To me. I also know that Federico has
Administered the state most prudently
While I have been away, and not 285
A single vassal disagrees.