University of Virginia Library

Act II

Scene I.

The same apartment in Don Carlos' palace. Enter Leoni attended by Elvira.
Elvira
Ah, Leoni, why should sorrow weigh
So heavily upon thy heart? Come, speak.

Leoni
If an unbroken trust in human truth,
Prompt the pure soul to its idolatry;
And if the heart in its fond, gushing love,
Pour out itself to one no less than self,
And in its trusting innocence become
The victim of that villain's power—should it
Be called the harlot of that man? By Heaven!
And by the heart that he has broken—he
Shall die!

Elvira
Would not repentance urge thee on
To some forgiveness, if upon the depths
Of his great sacrilege be poured the balm
Of penitence!

Leoni
No, that can never be.
There is no stream of mercy in my soul.
But now, from out the fountains of my heart,
A tide of indignation rushes up,
And mounting to my brain forever drowns,
Beneath the wide oblivion of its roar,
The voice of all persuasion. He shall die!

Elvira
The bird that soars the highest into Heaven,
If once its wing is broken in its flight,
Is only bruised the greater by its fall.
And like the Angels that once were so pure,
Will mourn the humbleness of its descent,
Just in proportion to its flight above.

Leoni
I now remember when Alvino loved
Me first, the first time that we ever met.
The day was very beautiful. No cloud
Was seen in all the vastness of the sky,
But Nature seemed so much in love with Heaven,
That she forbade the rustling of the boughs
To wake the silence of her noontide joy!

Elvira
Oh, still this sorrow of thy gentle heart,
And like the priceless diamond in the mine,
Tossed by the earthquake into purity,
Suffer the ills of life but now to add
New particles of beauty to thy soul.

Leoni
Let not the tears of pity cease to flow
Upon the wasting sands of this poor life!
But let them fall upon each golden grain,
As softly as an Angel's sighs upon
The soul of Virtue dying by the hands
Of enemies!

Elvira
Methinks that Nature heard,
The awful sadness of that prayer.

Leoni
She did;
And God has registered each word in Heaven.

Elvira
If that be so, why should the God of Heaven
Not punish him for guilt?

Leoni
He will—through us. (Exeunt severally.)


Enter Don Carlos and Alvino, as in conversation.
Don Carlos
Before High Heaven, Alvino, it is true!
I could divulge to thee the foulest news
That ever hung upon the lips of truth.

Alvino
What news is that? Come, let me hear it now!

Don Carlos
Since thy return thou hast not heard the news
Which float about like chaff upon the wind,
Whichever way it choses to blow?

Alvino
No, Gods,
You speak as if some devilish deed had come
To light again! What is the matter now?

Don Carlos
True—if some devilish deed had not been brought
To light, these hands had not been proffered in
The cause. You know Count Alvar, do you not?

Alvino
He was the guardian of my youth. In Spain—

Don Carlos
He traveled in disguise, and still he was
The guardian of thy youth! Then watch the dog,
And show the villain thou art old enough
To teach him honesty!

Alvino
Thou wouldst impugn
Him with thy very wrath!

Don Carlos
I would, by Heaven,
And cut the rascal's throat besides. You know,
Leoni, do you not?

Alvino
Leoni? she
Who was the playmate jewel of my heart?
Thou hast beheld the straying Hart, with wild
Exultant bound, leap from the azure hills,
And rushing with impatient speed, dash where
The silver Swan lay sleeping on the lake,
And frighten her to Heaven?

Don Carlos
Ay, watched the Fawn,
Bounding along the river bank at noon,
Pause on the margin of the mossy brink
To sip the cool, delicious wave that curled
In dimpled eddyings near the shore, take fright
At its own picture in the limpid stream,
And dash away with wild, delirious bound,
To where its mother watched it from the hill,
As if it were too lovely for this world.

Alvino
So did Leoni look upon herself,
And see too bright an object for this world.

Don Carlos
But now her cheeks are furrowed down with tears.

Alvino
With tears? Leoni has no tears!

Don Carlos
She has,
And needs the strength of such an honest arm,
To crush the wretch who made them flow!

Alvino
Why so?

Don Carlos
She is deceived!

Alvino
Deceived?

Don Carlos
Yes, by heavens,
And by Count Alvar!

Alvino
The hound!
She was the orphan cousin of our house.
By Jove, he must have used some violent means!

Don Carlos
And if he did—which thou shalt seek to know—
Not only tear the wolf-skin from his back—

Alvino
But draining every life-blood from his veins,
Winters of death shall blow upon his soul,
And freeze up his existence into ice!
The eagle that has roosted on the pine,
Will shake his pinions on the pensive bough,
And rising on the dewy breath of morn,
Will speed him to the sun's eye gloriously,
Nor heed the frozen armor that has weighed
All night upon his snowy wings!

Don Carlos
Then shake
Him from the altitude whereon he roosts,
And let the clamor of his mighty wings
Strike terror to the ear of Night!

Alvino
Night! night!
Thou wouldst not have me kill him in the night?

Don Carlos
I would—secure him in the dead of night,
Then balance consequence with insult given!
Pluck out the thorn that wounds Leoni's heart—
Stamping the adder underneath thy feet!

Alvino
(Seriously.)
I would not wound the feelings of his slave;
But if the chalice of my hopes, so full
Of pure and perfect love be drained to the dregs,
And I am forced to drink the wormwood left—
By Heavens, my run-mad heart will quench its fire!
For there are crimes which, when committed, call
For aid which, when bestowed, would be but crime
Itself wer't not for this—the shedding blood,
As sacrifice, for orphan honor stolen.

Don Carlos
Then let the vengeance of thy burning heart,
But cheer impatience on to swifter speed,
Till grasping hold the dagger by its hilt,
And seeing how its face will shine—thou'lt sheathe
It in the foulest heart that ever beat!
For such an absolution sweeps away
The guilt that dyed the name of innocence!

Alvino
Till then, farewell! We may not meet again,
Until Leoni listens to my voice.

Don Carlos
Farewell! May all the Gods defend thy steps!

(Exeunt severally.)

Scene II

A magnificent apartment in Count Alvar's palace.
Enter Count Alvar and Don Pedro.
Count Alvar
Then answer me, who was the greatest friend
That ever helped thee in the hour of need?

Don Pedro
I swear, my lord, Count Alvar, is the man.

Count Alvar
Do you believe this from your very heart?

Don Pedro
I do, if ever words came from my heart.

Count Alvar
Knowing that all thy words come from thy heart,
I would divulge to thee the secretest thing
That ever came from out the soul of man,
And have thee keep it secret as thy own.

Don Pedro
I will, my lord.

Count Alvar
Then listen to me now.
I have been taunted by the vilest foe,
That ever mocked the royalty of pride,
And I would have thee whisper in his ear
The loudest vengeance that the voice of man
Hath ever uttered to the soul. Be firm!
I would not have thee suffer in thy heart
A single sympathy to dwell. His blood—

Don Pedro
His blood, my lord? Whose blood?

Count Alvar
Thy face is pale.
Now promise me before the Gods, whose frown
Is darker than clouds above Olympus,
That Carlos shall not live!

Don Pedro
What, must he die?

Count Alvar
And by thy hand!

Don Pedro
What, murdered by my hand?

Count Alvar
Thy hand!

Don Pedro
What for, my lord?

Count Alvar
The foulest blot
That ever stained the dignity of man
Will then be wiped away!

Don Pedro
Then he must die!

Count Alvar
Yes, plunge thy dagger in his cursed heart,
And send him to the river of the dead!
Be thou thyself revenged!

Don Pedro
Revenged, my lord?

Count Alvar
Ay, who has kept thee from Elvira's arms?

Don Pedro
Elvira? Carlos!—damned as he is—
I cannot slay Elvira's friend.

Count Alvar
Her friend?
What, cannot take the life of him who robbed
Thee of the sweetest joys on earth? Oh, fool!

Don Pedro
The sweetest spirit ever sent from Heaven,
But will the death of Carlos make her mine?

Count Alvar
It will. She would be with thee even tonight,
If it were not for him.

Don Pedro
Then he must die!

Count Alvar
Swear, then, that thou wilt take his life!

Don Pedro
I swear!

Count Alvar
Remember that his destiny is death!

Don Pedro
It shall be done, my lord, farewell!

Count Alvar
Adieu!
(Exit Don Pedro.)
Now, if he is the soldier that he seems,
And loves Elvira as he says he does,
And only serves the wishes of his heart,
And he has served the prompter of its ire;
The savage that has prowled along my path,
Will find the depths of my revenge so deep,
He will not seek to lavish out his own!

(Exit.)

Scene III

The same apartment in Don Carlos' palace.
Enter Leoni meeting Alvino.
Alvino
Leoni!

Leoni
(Embracing him.)
Oh, Alvino!

Alvino
Speak again!
I love to see thee shed such anxious tears.
They speak the language of thy virgin soul,
Shed lofty fervour round expectant joy,
And make the pathway of my purpose bright.

Leoni
(Weeping.)
Alvino!

Alvino
Speak, my love, tell me thy grief!

Leoni
There have been strange vicissitudes to damp
The ardor of my spirit, since we met.
I have no resting place beneath the sun.

Alvino
What, cannot he who loved thee in thy youth,
Find recompense enough for thee? Say, love!

Leoni
Alas, Alvino!

Alvino
Carlos told me all!
I would not have you name it for the world!
I only want the whispers of revenge!

Leoni
Revenge? The sweetest music to my soul
That ever calmed the discord of my heart!
Then you have sworn—

Alvino
Destruction to his soul!

Leoni
And thou wilt keep that promise to the last?

Alvino
The latest moment of my life, if thou
Wilt only promise to be mine!

Leoni
Not thine,
Nor to bestow this hand on mortal man,
Until my woes are baptized in his blood,
And this poor life redeemed by loss of his!

Alvino
The mighty Gods have registered that oath
Upon the shining Adamant of Heaven!

Leoni
And thou wilt dip thy dagger in his blood,
And send him with the legacy to Hell!

Alvino
As sure as yonder sun will ever set!

Leoni
Let not reluctance weigh upon thy purpose,
Be buoyant as the Turtle on the wing!
Take thou this Dove into thy bosom's Ark,
Who brings the Olive-leaf of peace to thee—
And let her sorrows make thee more than bold!

Alvino
But will the crystal mirror of the lake,
Enbosomed in the forest-girdled vale,
Be wreathed the less by the tempestuous wind,
Because the rosy-scented breath of morn
Has settled on its pinions? No, my love!

Leoni
And lest one breath should blow him back his soul,
And kindle life again, be sure to tramp
The embers into ashes. Be not rash—
The thing should be well done. Tonight! tonight!

Alvino
This night shall be his soul's eternity!

Leoni
When it is done, return to me again.
I'll wash thy bloody hands with tears of joy.
Swear now before we part, that he shall die!

Alvino
(Kneeling.)
Ye silver lamps, which hang tonight in Heaven,
Ye auditors to God, whose beauty lights
The glorious dome that canopies the world,
I call upon ye from the dim abodes
Of everlasting ether, to behold me now!
In reverential awe, upon my knees,
I offer up to you the holy vow
That ever shall as sacrifice ascend
From off the altar of my soul to Heaven!
And now in the allotted duty which
I owe myself, to nature and the world;
I do devote the remnant of my days
But to the shedding of that villain's blood! (Rising.)

And now that his suspicion may not prompt
Him to the coming of that dread hour;
I must mature the purpose of my plans
Amid the grandeur of the mighty hills,
Whereon the thunders of the roaring winds
Shall make dolorous music to my soul!

(Exeunt omnes.)

Scene IV

A chamber in Don Carlos' palace. Don Carlos is lying asleep on his couch. Enter Don Pedro with a knife in his hand.
Don Pedro
(Approaching him.)
Now then, he dies! He sleeps! Still as the dead!
As if the silence of the grave were all
That reigned around such sweet repose. Now then—
But he should not be murdered in his sleep!
For then his eyes will not behold whose hand
It is that takes revenge upon him for
His dear Elvira's sake! No, he must rise!
Awake! thou murderer of my happiness,
Arise!

Don Carlos
(Waking and rising.)
What, Pedro! Villain that thou art!
Who set thee on to this foul deed? (Wresting the dagger from his hand.)


Don Pedro
Hold! hold!
And thou shalt hear!

Don Carlos
(Grasping him by the throat.)
No, thou shalt die, with all
The multitude of sins upon thy head!
If thou hast any prayers to offer up
To God's offended majesty, 'tis time
The voice of penitence had cried aloud
For mercy!

Don Pedro
Carlos, spare my life!

Don Carlos
To die
A thousand deaths for every day you live!

Don Pedro
No, you shall hear it all!

Don Carlos
Then speak the truth!

Don Pedro
Count Alvar—

Don Carlos
Devil that he is! Now die! (Raising the dagger.)


Don Pedro
Oh, Carlos, spare me for Elvira's sake!

Don Carlos
Elvira? Villain, call that name again,
And thou shalt strangle in thy cursed blood!

Don Pedro
Count Alvar—

Don Carlos
Pedro, utter not that name again
Or all the elements that shake my soul,
Will in consuming me destroy thee too!
What is thy destiny? (Letting go his throat.)


Don Pedro
To do thy wish.

Don Carlos
Well, that will be to drown thee in the sea!

Don Pedro
But thou wilt hear the truth?

Don Carlos
Speak, then, the truth!

Don Pedro
I did not come to murder thee in sleep,
But frighten thy compassion for the soul
That loves Elvira.

Don Carlos
(Contemptuously.)
Murderer for the Count!

Don Pedro
I would convey thy vengeance to his soul.

Don Carlos
That is, that you will kill the Count for me!

Don Pedro
If killing him would make Elvira mine.

Don Carlos
(Raising his dagger.)
Then swear before this bright, uplifted steel,
That should descend upon thee in revenge—
That thou wilt never serve Count Alvar more!

Don Pedro
I swear it from my heart, my lord, if you
Will promise that Elvira shall be mine

Don Carlos
That choice is with herself.

Don Pedro
Then promise me
That we shall see each other once again.

Don Carlos
It may be so.

Don Pedro
Then, by yon heavenly light,
Whose beauty is the image of her eyes—
I swear to dedicate my life to thee!

(Exeunt omnes.)
Curtain falls.