Three Major Plays (31 page)

CASANDRA. Who, then, can
She be?

FEDERICO. The very sun itself;

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For though Aurora is as perfect as
The dawn, we see such beauty every day,
But when we gaze upon the sun,
We know that it is incomparable
In every way.

CASANDRA. Then it is not

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Aurora?

FEDERICO. My thoughts fly higher still.

CASANDRA. You mean there is a woman you
Have spoken to, who knows of your love
For her, and she is still incapable

Of feeling love for you? I'd say

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That such a thing is quite impossible,
Or else that everything you say
Is just not true.

FEDERICO. If only I
Could tell you how impossible

It is, you'd say that either I

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Am cold and hard as marble, or
The fact that I am still alive
Must be regarded as a miracle.
Consider Phaethon, how he seized

The golden chariot of the sun;

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Or Icarus,
^*
who thought that wax
And wings would help him overcome
The challenge of the heavens until,
His feathers scattered by the wind,

We saw him plunge straight down into

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The sea. Think of Bellerophon,
^*
Who rode the winged horse Pegasus,
And from his vantage-point on high
Surveyed the world as if it were

But one more star fixed in the sky.

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And then the Greek called Sinon,
^*
who,
No sooner did he place the horse
Within the walls of Troy, saw men
Burst forth and in their rage destroy

The city. Again, bold Jason, * he

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Who from the cloth and giant trees
Of Argos fashioned that great craft
In which to sail the seas and oceans of
The world. They all could boast how great

Was their temerity, but none

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Of them could claim to be as foolish or
As bold as me.

CASANDRA. It sounds, then, Count,
As if you are in love with some
Bronze image, nymph, or alabaster goddess.

A woman's soul does not disguise

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What she in general would willingly
Confess. The contrary is true:
Her thoughts so lightly covered by
A veil that rarely does true love

Assail her soul but she will prove

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Herself both kind and merciful.
Confess your love to her, whoever she
May be. Consider Venus, how
The Greeks portrayed her in the arms

Of faun and satyr. Consider too

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The moon, and how Diana from
Above came down so many times
To earth, attracted by Endymion's love.
^*
Sweet Count, take my advice. The building that

Seems strong is often soonest to

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Fall down. The passion spoken's far
Less dangerous than that still hidden.

FEDERICO. To catch the Indian pelican,
A hunter thinks the most successful plan's

To start a fire by his nest.

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The bird, perched in a tree, is forced
To think what it must do to save

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Its family, flies down, and in
An effort to safeguard them,
^*
burns

Its wings and so, unable to escape,

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Becomes the hunter's easy prey.
And so it is, when you encourage me,
I burn and yearn the more; when you
Advise me, I'm confused; when you

Now urge me on, I am disturbed.

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When you would guide me, I am lost;
When you would free me, I am caught;
When you persuade me, I am trapped;
When you would teach me, I'm distraught.

Such is the danger I now face,

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I think that, though eventually we
Must die, it is a lesser evil if
I suffer silently what little life
Is left to me.

[
Exit
FEDERICO

CASANDRA. Of all the things heaven's made on earth,

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Imagination causes in
The minds of men the most confusion.
It has the power to turn the frost
To fire, to give material form

To our desire, and so provoke in us

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Both war and peace, both storm and calm.
It is, in short, that place within
Men's souls where all our dreams are born,
And yet the pictures it invents

Deceive us more than they inform.

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At first I saw in Federico's words
A clear statement of intention,
But now what seemed so clear then
Is nothing less than my confusion.

What storm, attracting to itself

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The winds that rush from all directions, can
Be said to be the equal of
Those storms that, raging uncontrollably
In man's imaginations, are

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The greatest storms of all?

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No sooner do I think I am
The object of Federico's dreams,
Than that same thought advises me
That things aren't always what they seem,

And then reminds me too that I

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Am married now, and therefore must,
For good or ill, accept my marriage vow.
The truth is we all dream of things
Beyond our grasp, and thus are made

To think achieving them's an easy task.

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I seem to see so many things
That would, if I could grasp them, make
Me glad, but then the thought I am
The wife of such a husband drives

Me mad. The things I thought impossible

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Now seem much easier and make
Me start to think of sweet revenge,
But simultaneously I see
My husband's sword stained by my blood,

His precious honour soon avenged.

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Who can deny the fact the Count
Has many pleasing qualities?
But none of them so great, I think,
That it would match the measure of

My folly if I were to let

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Myself become too pleased
By them. I'll think of this no more.
Heaven help me banish thoughts that are
So dangerous, yet so enticing.

And yet no harm can come from just

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Imagining, for if it did,
Then just to think of tarnished honour is
To tarnish it, and this would be
A world from which unblemished honour had

Quite vanished. No one can say

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Of me that I have so far compromised
My honour when the most I've done
Is paint a picture in my mind,

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Dictated by imagination.

They say that God considers it

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A sin if we on earth are guilty of
Imagining the things we want. But what is true of God cannot
Be true of honour if, as we

All know, God sees our very thoughts

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But honour clearly does not.
^*

Enter
AURORA.

AURORA. You've spoken with the Count at length,
My lady. Did he speak of me?

CASANDRA. He says he is most grateful for

Your love. His only wish is that

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You do not give him cause for jealousy.

[
Exit
CASANDRA

AURORA. Her words do nothing to dispel
My fears. How can the man that I
Adored become so deeply flawed

By rank ambition that my love

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Means less to him than acquisition of
These lands? But it is also true
That love is powerful, that neither wealth
Nor life nor honour can withstand

Its influence. He loved me once

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Undoubtedly, and now that love
Has been destroyed because he fears
Casandra's presence here, he thinks
He can pretend the real cause

Is jealousy. But two can play

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That game, and by pretending love
For someone else I could perhaps
Awaken Federico's love for me
Again. I shall pretend I love

The Marquis of Gonzaga -- most

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Convincingly.

Enter the
MARQUIS
and
RUTILIO.

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RUTILIO. How can you hope
To win her heart? You know it is
Already given to another.

MARQUIS. Rutilio, leave me now. Here comes
Aurora.

RUTILIO. My lord, I do not think

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That you command yourself when you
Are resolute in this and nothing else.

MARQUIS. Aurora, lovely as the dawn;
^*
No sooner do I set these eyes

On you than I am born again.

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Aurora, province of the sun,
No sooner do you come than this
Dark burden of my night is banished by
The loveliness of your vision.

Since I arrived from Mantua,

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My only wish has been to have
You welcome me as your suitor, sworn
To serve you well and sacrifice
Myself as you desire. But now

I know how much I have deceived

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Myself when that same soul that in
Your worship always proves so bold,
Has in the end awakened not
The warmth of love but only cold

Disdain; discovered not the brightness of

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Your day but only this my endless night.
The sadness that I feel stems not
From seeing you -- who would be sad
To see such brightness? -- rather from

The fact it's been the cause of your

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Forgetfulness. With that in mind,
The only remedy that I
Can find is to depart, and so
Provide this heavy heart with some

Relief from your cruelty.

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I'll seek my cure in that miracle

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Prescribed by absence, now that love
Extracts this cruel vengeance. I kiss
Your hand, my lady, and take my leave
Of you.

AURORA. Before you do, I would

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Remind you that the lover who
Cannot withstand the first rebuff
Of love, cannot be said to feel
True sorrow when that love has gone.

No honest lady's love is ever won

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By any man who thinks that in
Such matters he can run before
He walks. I think that if you do
Not love enough, you cannot talk

Of how you suffer. But since you seek

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My leave to go away, I'll do
The opposite and bid you stay.

MARQUIS. My lady, this most precious favour, though
It may be seen as cruelty,

Obliges me to stay not merely ten

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Short years, as did the Greeks when they
Laid siege to Troy, nor seven, as did
The shepherd, Jacob,
^*
waiting to enjoy
Laban's most precious jewel. I shall,

I promise, wait for centuries,

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And be, like wretched Tantalus,
^*
Devoured constantly by doubt
And certainty. I shall be happy to
Allow my hope to feed my love.

AURORA. Until a man achieves his goal,

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Suffering improves his soul.

Enter the DUKE, FEDERICO, and BATÍN.

DUKE. I have received this letter from
The Pope. He bids me leave for Rome.

FEDERICO. He does not tell you why?

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DUKE. I think

The best reply is for me now

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To leave at once.

FEDERICO. Then you should go,
My lord. I shall not try to learn
What I am not supposed to know.

DUKE. If I knew why, my boy, you too

Should know. I can but think that, with

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The wars in Italy,
^*
the Pope intends
I should be made commander of
The great and mighty army of
The Church. No doubt, to guarantee

Election, he will want from me

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A good supply of money and
Provisions too.

FEDERICO. My lord, I would
Not have you go alone and leave
Me here. What would they say of me?

Besides, you would not find a braver or

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More loyal soldier.

DUKE. That cannot be.
You have to stay behind and, while
I am away, administer
My lands and valued property.

It is my wish. I have no more

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To say.

FEDERICO. Nor do I wish, my lord,
To disobey, but they will think
Me cowardly in Italy.

DUKE. They will consider we behave

Most prudently, and realize

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The son who guards his father's house
Cannot expect to keep him company.

FEDERICO. Then my obedience, sir, shall be
Exemplary.

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