Three Major Plays (21 page)

PEDRO. Whoever saw
Such humility!

LEONOR. Her virtue is written in
Her face.

FABIA. Such grace, such perfect beauty!
Oh, may your qualities be blessed

With all that I desire on your behalf!

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Is there a chapel here?

INÉS. Mother,
I feel more virtuous already.

FABIA. Sinner that I am, I am afraid
Your father might obstruct our plans.

PEDRO. I'll not oppose a calling as

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Divine as this.

FABIA. In vain, oh Satan, did
You seek to bring about this girl's
Destruction! There's to be no marriage in
Medina; rather a convent in

Olmedo. Domine ad juvandum me

490

Festina.
^*

PEDRO. The woman is an angel!

Enter
TELLO
wearing a scholar's cap.
^*

TELLO. If he's at home, he'll be glad to know
I've come to offer my assistance.
The teacher you seek is here, Don Pedro.

For Latin and for other things

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Whose benefits will soon become
Apparent. I understand your daughter is
Intended for the Church, and so
You need an expert in religious matters.

Look no further, sir. I am a stranger, true,

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But a student of the things she needs
To know.

PEDRO. It seems that everything

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Is falling into place miraculously.
The will of God, no doubt. Good mother, you

Shall live with us, and you, young man,

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Instruct my daughter. I'll leave you to
Arrange things here. Where are you from,
Young man?

TELLO. Calahorra,
^*
sir.
PEDRO. Your name?
TELLO. Martín Peláez.
^*
PEDRO. Related to

The Cid, no doubt. Where did you study?

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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

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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,

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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

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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

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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:

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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Not soon be like your sister?
LEONOR. No doubt
I shall, good mother. It's only right
That I should follow her example.

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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

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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

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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

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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

-132-

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;

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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

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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,

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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

The proof she meant what she had said.

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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?

-133-

Alonso. No one else

Can help me but Inés. Is there

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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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