Delphi Complete Works of George Eliot (Illustrated) (665 page)

They have sore sickened at the loss of one.

Silva sat lonely in her chamber, leaned

Where she had leaned to feel the evening breath

Shed from the orange-trees ; when suddenly

His grief was echoed in a sad young voice

Far and yet near, brought by aerial wings.

The world is great: the birds all fly from me,

The stars are golden fruit upon a tree

All out of reach : my little sister went,

And I am lonely.

The world is great: I tried to mount the hill

Above the pines, where the light lies so still,

But it rose higher : little Lisa went,

And I am lonely

The world is great: the wind comes rushing by,

I wonder where it comes from ; sea-birds cry

And hurt my heart: my little sister went,

And I am lonely.

The world is great; the people laugh and talk,

And make loud holiday: how fast they walk !

I’m lame, they push me: little Lisa went,

And I am lonely.

‘T was Pablo, like the wounded spirit of song

Pouring melodious pain to cheat the hour

For idle soldiers in the castle court.

Dreamily Silva heard and hardly felt

The song was outward, rather felt it part

Of his own aching, like the lingering day,

Or slow and mournful cadence of the bell.

But when the voice had ceased he longed for it,

And fretted at the pause, as memory frets

When words that made its body fall away

And leave it yearning dumbly. Silva then

Bethought him whence the voice came, framed perforce

Some outward image of a life not his

That made a sorrowful centre to the world, —

A boy lame, melancholy-eyed, who bore

A viol, — yes, that very child he saw

This morning eating roots by the gateway, — saw

As one fresh-ruined sees and spells a name

And knows not what he does, yet finds it writ

Full in the inner record. Hark, again !

The voice and viol. Silva called his thought

To guide his ear and track the travelling sound.

O bird that used to press

Thy head against my cheek

With touch that seemed to speak

And ask a tender “yes,” —

Ay de mi my bird!

O tender downy breast

And warmly beating heart,

That beating seemed a part

Of me who gave it rest, —

Ay de mi, my bird!

The western court ! The singer might be seen

From the upper gallery : quick the Duke was there

Looking upon the court as on a stage.

Men eased of armor, stretched upon the ground,

Gambling by snatches ; shepherds from the hills

Who brought their bleating friends for slaughter; grooms

Shouldering loose harness ; leather-aproned smiths,

Traders with wares, green-suited serving-men,

Made a round audience ; and in their midst

Stood little Pablo, pouring forth his song,

Just as the Duke had pictured. But the song

Was strangely companied by Roldan’s play

With the swift-gleaming balls, and now was crushed

By peals of laughter at grave Annibal,

Who carrying stick and purse o’erturned the pence,

Making mistake by rule. Silva had thought

To melt hard bitter grief by fellowship

With the world-sorrow trembling in his ear

In Pablo’s voice ; had meant to give command

For the boy’s presence ; but this company,

This mountebank and monkey, must be — stay !

Not be excepted — must be ordered too

Into his private presence ; they had brought

Suggestion of a ready shapen tool

To cut a path between his helpless wish

And what it imaged. A ready shapen tool !

A spy, an envoy whom he might despatch

In unsuspected secrecy, to search him out

The Gypsies’. refuge so that none beside

Might learn it . And this juggler could be bribed,

Would have no fear of Moors, — for who would kill

Dancers and monkeys ? — could pretend a journey

Back to his home, living his boy the while

To please the Duke with song. Without such chance, —

An envoy cheap and secret as a mole

Who could go scathless, come back for his pay

And vanish straight, tied by no neighborhood, —

Without such chance as this poor juggler brought,

Finding Fedalma was betraying her.

Short interval betwixt the thought and deed.

Roldan was called to private audience

With Annibal and Pablo. All the world

(By which I mean their score or two who heard)

Shrugged high their shoulders, and supposed the Duke

Would fain beguile the evening and replace

His lacking happiness, as was the right

Of nobles, who could pay for any cure,

And wore naught broken, save a broken limb.

In truth, at first, the Duke bade Pablo sing,

But, while he sang, called Roldan wide apart,

And told him of a mission secret, brief, —

A quest which well performed might earn much gold.

But, if betrayed, another sort of wages.

Roldan was ready; “wished above all for gold

And never wished to speak ; had worked enough

At wagging his old tongue and chiming jokes ;

Thought it was others’ turn to play the fool.

Give him but pence enough, no rabbit, sirs,

Would eat and stare and be more dumb than he.

Give him his orders.”

They were given straight ;

Gold for the journey, and to buy a mule

Outside the gates through which he was to pass

Afoot and carelessly. The boy would stay

Within the castle, at the Duke’s command,

And must have naught but ignorance to betray

For threats or coaxing. Once the quest performed,

The news delivered with some pledge of truth

Safe to the Duke, the juggler should go forth,

A fortune in his girdle, take his boy

And settle firm as any planted tree

In fair Valencia never more to roam.

“Good ! good ! most worthy of a great hidalgo !

And Roldan was the man ! But Annibal, —

A monkey like no other, though morose

In private character, yet fall of tricks, —

‘T were hard to carry him, yet harder still

To leave the boy and him in company

And free to slip away. The boy was wild.

And shy as mountain kid ; once hid himself

And tried to run away ; and Annibal,

Who always took the lad’s side (he was small,

And they were nearer of a size, and, sirs,

Your monkey has a spite against us men

For being bigger), — Annibal went too.

Would hardly know himself, were he to lose

Both boy and monkey, — and ‘t was property,

The trouble he had put in Annibal.

He didn’t choose another man should beat

His boy and monkey. If they ran away

Some man would snap them up, and square himself

And say they were his goods, — he’d taught them, — no !

He Roldan had no mind another man

Should fatten by his monkey, and the boy

Should not be kicked by any pair of sticks

Calling himself a juggler.”

But the Duke,

Tired of that hammering, signed that it should cease ;

Bade Roldan quit all fears, — the boy and ape

Should be safe lodged in Abderahman’s tower,

In keeping of the great physician there,

The Duke’s most special confidant and friend,

One skilled in taming brutes, and always kind.

The Duke himself this eve would see them lodged.

Roldan must go, — spend no more words, — but go.

A room high up in Abderahman’s tower,

A window open to the still warm eve,

And the bright disc of royal Jupiter.

Lamps burning low make little atmospheres

Of light amid the dimness ; here and there

Show books and phials, stones and instruments.