 | The sons of Usna |  |
SCENE I.
A Private Apartment in the Palace of the King of Duntrone. Enter Eogan Mor to the King.EOGAN MOR.
Great King! we have most joyful news for you.
KING.
What news?
EOGAN MOR.
We have just captured that rare queen—
Naisa's wife.
KING.
Naisa's wife?
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His wife.
[Aside.
Now will I take revenge upon them all!
KING.
How was it done? In battle?
EOGAN MOR.
No—at sea.
KING.
At sea?
EOGAN MOR.
At sea—far out upon the waves.
It seems she had grown jealous of her lord,
For kissing your own daughter, so she says.
KING.
My daughter?
EOGAN MOR.
Your Darthula, so she says;
And so had started back for Erin's Isle.
KING.
My daughter, did she say?
EOGAN MOR.
Thine own fair child.
KING.
Why jealous of my daughter? Bring her forth.
But stay; relate to me the circumstance.
EOGAN MOR.
It seems she had grown jealous of her lord,
And, growing weary of her outdoor life,
Had started back for Erin's eastern shore—
Perhaps to soothe King Conor with her charms;
So, when she rowed out far upon the waves,
She looked like Thetis, in her Nautilus Shell,
Going to marry Peleus in her Halls
Of Pearl—the Tritons, with their trumps marine—
Heralds of her felicity—blowing so loud,
Old Neptune, in his chariot of pure gold,
Reined in his great Sea-Horses, where he paused,
Listening, entranced, to their immortal strains
Poured forth in salutation to their queen;
While Nereus rode upon his spouting whales,
Driving his Ships of Dolphins on to join
Old Proteus herding his Sea-Bulls, until
They came where Doris with her daughters stood
On the bare sands, solacing the sorrows of the Sea—
Making such heavenly music, that the souls
Of all who heard were ravished with the bliss of Heaven.
Like an Egyptian Pharos, seen far out
At sea, translucent all along the coast
Of Alexandria, towered she to our eyes,
Sailing along, soothing the troubled waves
To quiet with her beauty, as she went.
KING.
Then bring her forth to me.
EOGAN MOR.
I will, great King.
[Exit.
KING.
So she is caught at last. Being so full
Of jealousy, can I not win her now
With ease? She shall be mine. But here she comes.
Re-enter Eogan Mor, bringing in Daidra.
Come, my Atlanta! Apples of pure gold,
In pitchers of rich silver, shall be thine.
DAIDRA.
Would you make me a Goldfinch?
KING.
No, my love;
A Bird of Paradise, whose golden tones
Shall ravish Angels' ears with heavenly songs;
For who has gold has power, as heavenly thoughts.
Thy face is like the full-orbed Moon, seen when
There are no clouds in Heaven.
DAIDRA.
It may be fair,
But it resembles her in nothing else—
I never change.
KING.
But thou art always full—
Yet, ever new.
DAIDRA.
Yet, always old to all
Except my husband.
KING.
Ever new in love;
In beauty never old. But then the Moon
Is never full till farthest from the Sun.
DAIDRA.
Then I am not like her, for I do shine
The brightest nearest to my lord—the spring
And fountain-head of all my light.
KING.
Then you
Are not his Moon—he, therefore, not your Sun;
As you resemble her in nought but light,
And he in nothing—
DAIDRA.
More than Majesty.
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Silence is golden.
DAIDRA.
Silver speech is praise
Sweeter than golden silence to the good,
Whose ear can only hear immortal songs.
KING.
Therefore so rare.
DAIDRA.
Costly as rare; therefore
Called golden.
KING.
Woman's tongue was never charmed.
DAIDRA.
Never to silence—(Sirens were not men,
But women)—only when her lord is nigh—
When golden adoration speaks his praise,
Louder than silver speech.
KING.
But still it charms.
Thou art, indeed, the Gift of God.
DAIDRA.
Unbought—
Unsold—but given away of God—to Heaven.
KING.
A perfect saint.
DAIDRA.
Married forever more;
Dead to the world, but still alive to Heaven.
KING.
Where thou wert born to live—the Heaven of Heaven.
When Jupiter wooed Danae with his shower,
It was an Emblem of his purity—
His love being like an April rain, poured out
In bounty on her.
DAIDRA.
Jupiter was false—
A God-chameleon—who took all shapes
To gain the object of his love.
KING.
Because
His love was only equalled by his will.
DAIDRA.
Kings can command gold, but not love. That which
Is not the slave of will, cannot be willed.
KING.
I, who can command gold, can give thee love
No gold can buy—two of the greatest things
On earth—Emblems of highest things in Heaven—
The City of God being built of pure gold;
Therefore, is full of love—God being love.
DAIDRA.
Having all I want, I wish no more—my want
Ending where it begins.
KING.
But I will put
A Diadem upon your brow, whose gems
Shall sparkle like the Pleiades on some
Dark night.
DAIDRA.
I cannot wear two crowns—the one
Now glorifying it, being my husband's love;
This starred with brilliants of immortal deeds—
His mind being a mine of glories.
KING.
Well,
You speak his praises well!
DAIDRA.
The good should be
Well praised—blown through a trump of virgin gold—
Touched by the Altar-coal of Heaven.
KING.
Thy lips
Are gold enough—thy breath Apollo's lute—
Sweeter than perfumes from the fairest flowers—
As Hybla bees had made thy mouth their hive—
The rosiest Rose that ever bloomed on earth—
Blowing thy praises through the world to Heaven.
DAIDRA.
You Kings have nothing else to do but love.
KING.
We know better than Plebeians how to love;
Therefore, the more deserving of the fair.
Cupid they teach to sport with Venus' Doves,
As once Adonis did in Paphian Bowers—
Feeding rich Beauty on the Bread of Heaven.
Thy voice has stolen the music of the skies—
Making melodious all my thoughts; thy tongue,
Striking the rosy bell of thy sweet mouth
Jewelled with priceless pearls, to heavenly tones,
Above all music, save the Saints in Heaven.
But what is your Naisa, my dear queen?
DAIDRA.
An evergreen—green as the eternal Spring
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A living Paradise.
KING.
Does this green tree
Bear yellow fruit?
DAIDRA.
It is the Angels' food;
His leaves are medicine that can heal the world.
KING.
'Tis Angels' food if thou dost eat the fruit.
DAIDRA.
Would you make flowerless Winter Lord of May?
KING.
No! but sumptuous Summer husband Spring.
DAIDRA.
Why, thou art old enough to be my sire!
KING.
Yet young enough to take good care of thee.
DAIDRA.
I fear your age would cause me too much care.
KING.
I will make thee the happiest queen on earth.
Glorious as the Sun—bright as the Moon!
The Heralds of thy felicity shall be
Bright-shining Pleiades of fairest Maids;
Thy Servitors, like rich Orion's bands,
Princes of noblest blood.
DAIDRA.
But what are these
To the bright Constellations of pure thought
Which people the cloudless Heaven of my true soul,
Of which Naisa is the god? Mere nought.
KING.
What is this powerless God compared with me?
DAIDRA.
A Cedar Tree standing on Lebanon—
On whose ambrosial boughs grow that sweet fruit,
Which mortals, feeding on, shall turn to Gods—
Adding new Æons to the Angels' lives.
Give me the crystal waters of his love,
Melted from snows on the Aonian Mount,
And you may have the Ruby Springs you vaunt.
While you drink wine, he drinks from Helicon.
KING.
A Hell-I-Co-ny-an drink, no doubt.
DAIDRA.
Such waters flow out of the throne of God;
But never wine—which flows from thrones of Kings;
Therefore, the difference between you two.
As wine to water, so are you to him.
KING.
Which is the better, pray?
DAIDRA.
The wine for you—
Water for him.
KING.
Which costs the most?
DAIDRA.
The wine—
Therefore the worse. That which is really good,
Costs nothing—being above all price.
KING.
Most true—
Applied to you—but not to wine.
DAIDRA.
All things;
For what is really good, we cannot buy,
Because essential to our being; this
We give away as God does life to man—
Freely—unasked—because we love—for love
Is giving—born not of the will, but lives
Whether we will or not—just as we do.
Who loves will give, as he who gives will love.
KING.
Most true; therefore, I give myself to thee.
DAIDRA.
For whom I cannot now exchange myself,
Because I am not mine to give—but his.
KING.
Thou art more beautiful than that fair queen
Who won the Apple prized on Ida's Mount—
The heavenly Queen of Beauty, as of Love.
I am the Paris who will crown thy head
With diadems of conquered worlds. Be mine,
And thou shalt be the Queen of Scotland's King.
DAIDRA.
I am Naisa's queen—who is thy King,
Because, by Nature, greater than thou art.
KING.
Alas! “Non omnia possimus omnes;”
Not all who possess, can possess all things.
My name is Capricorn.
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Not Capricornia mine.
KING.
Thou art my Tree of Heaven, on whose white boughs
Sit Angel-thoughts, like heavenly Nightingales,
Singing immortal songs.
DAIDRA.
None but my mate
Can rightly understand; for they are couched
In Love's celestial tongue—golden with truth.
KING.
A heavenly Tree must bring forth heavenly fruit—
Like the rich Orange flowering while it bears.
Let me but taste those bursting buds through which
Thy perfumed breath doth waft thy sighs of love,
Like prayers of Saints exhaled with joy to Heaven—
Edening my soul!
[Attempting to kiss her.
DAIDRA.
Take care! Art thou a King?
KING.
Therefore I wish to kiss my queen.
DAIDRA.
If so,
Then show the dignity of a King. You know
A true King will protect his subjects; do
So now to me—thrown suddenly in your power.
I am a woman—as you truly know—
A married woman, who does love her lord.
The courtesy that you would have him show your wife,
Were she alone, as I am now, show me,
And I will bless you in my grave.
KING.
Fear not;
But then your beauty tempted me.
DAIDRA.
Be not
Thus tempted—like poor silly Eve, who brought,
Thereby, such woe upon the world; but live
Above temptation. Kings, who have the power
To conquer others, should subdue themselves.
He who can do this is the only king.
KING.
Have I not done so, that I stand thus far,
Seeing the heavenly fruit, yet touch it not?
DAIDRA.
You do, great King—you do. Had Eve but done
As you do now, looked at the fruit, not touched,
The world would have been saved from Death by Sin—
And Christ would not have died upon the Cross!
Your fortitude is worthy of all praise.
Were I Daidra—not Naisa's wife—
Seeing thee this majestic thing thou art—
I would not husband this Forbidden Tree,
But let thee taste one apple from its boughs.
KING.
Would it were so. Indeed it must be so.
DAIDRA.
For the Forbidden Tree in Paradise,
What was it, but an emblem of myself?
As it belonged to God, so I to him.
As he forbade the eating of its fruit,
Because it had been planted there by Him,
So does he every man from touching me;
Therefore, because of thy great fortitude,
Who, being tempted, yet refused to sin,
After thy death—if thou shouldst ever die—
I will have graven upon thy tombstone—King!
KING.
The richest Epitaph that ever graced
A Tomb, or sung the virtues of a King.
The more I see of thee, the more I love,
Which, loving, only makes me long the more
For thy sweet Beauty, which to me is Heaven!
DAIDRA.
Thus does the Christian diadem the King—
Towering above the valley-lands of Time,
Like the twin peaks of Ararat above
The Deluge that destroyed the world—the first
And last resting-place of the light of Heaven.
KING.
Thou art the Incarnation of God's love—
Meeker than Mercy—gentler than sweet Sleep—
And sinless as Religion.
DAIDRA.
Thou the Alps,
Above the Oberlands of other men.
KING.
Thy feet are here on earth—thy head in Heaven
Among the stars—too high for me to reach—
Beside whose golden throne the Angels sit,
Singing eternal praises on thy name.
Nothing can make me happy but thy love;
I would be Adam—thou my Eve with me
In Paradise, didst thou but only love.
[Exeunt
| The sons of Usna | |