 | Count Julian |  |
THIRD SCENE.
Egilona enters.Abdalazis.
Advance, O queen.
Now let the turbulence of faction cease.
Muza.
Whate'er thy purpose, speak, and be composed.
Egilona.
He goes; he is afar; he follows her;
He leads her to the altar, to the throne;
For, calm in vengeance, wise in wickedness,
The traitor hath prevail'd, o'er him, o'er me,
O'er you, the slaves, the dupes, the scorn of Julian.
What have I heard! what have I seen!
Muza.
Proceed.
Abdalazis.
And I swear vengeance on his guilty head
Who intercepts from thee the golden rays
Of sovranty, who dares rescind thy rights,
Who steals upon thy rest, and breathes around
Empoison'd damps o'er that serenity
Which leaves the world, and faintly lingers here.
Muza.
Who shuns thee ..
Abdalazis.
Whose desertion interdicts
Homage, authority, precedency ..
Muza.
Till war shall rescue them ..
Abdalazis.
And love restored.
Egilona.
O generous Abdalazis! never! never!
My enemies .. Julian alone remains ..
The worst in safety, far beyond my reach,
Breathe freely on the summit of their hopes,
Because they never stopt, because they sprang
From crime to crime, and trampled down remorse.
Oh! if her heart knew tenderness like mine!
Grant vengeance on the guilty; grant but that,
I ask no more; my hand, my crown is thine.
56
Assert the sacred rights of royalty,
Come not in vain, crush the rebellious crew,
Crush, I implore, the indifferent and supine.
Muza.
Roderigo thus escaped from Julian's tent?
Egilona.
No, not escaped, escorted, like a king.
The base Covilla first pursued her way
On foot; but after her the royal car,
Which bore me from San Pablo's to the throne,
Empty indeed, yet ready at her voice,
Roll'd o'er the plain amid the carcases
Of those who fell in battle or in flight:
She, a deceiver still, to whate'er speed
The moment might incite her, often stopt
To mingle prayers with the departing breath,
Improvident! and those with heavy wounds
Groan'd bitterly beneath her tottering knee.
Tarik.
Now, by the clement and the merciful!
The girl did well. When I breathe out my soul,
Oh! if compassion give one pang the more,
That pang be mine; here be it, in this land:
Such women are they in this land alone.
Egilona.
Insulting man!
Muza.
We shall confound him yet.
Say, and speak quickly, whither went the king?
Thou knewest where was Julian.
Abdalazis.
I will tell
Without his answer: yes, my friends! yes, Tarik,
Now will I speak, nor thou for once reply.
There is, I hear, a poor half-ruined cell
In Xeres, whither few indeed resort,
Green are the walls within, green is the floor
And slippery from disuse; for Christian feet
Avoid it, as half-holy, half-accurst.
Still in its dark recess fanatic Sin
Abases to the ground his tangled hair,
And servile scourges and reluctant groans
Roll o'er the vault uninterruptedly,
Till (such the natural stillness of the place)
57
Drops audible, and the heart's throb replies.
There is the idol maid of Christian creed,
And taller images whose history
I know not nor inquired. A scene of blood,
Of resignation amid mortal pangs,
And other things exceeding all belief.
Hither the aged Opas of Seville
Walkt slowly, and behind him was a man
Barefooted, bruised, dejected, comfortless,
In sackcloth; the white ashes on his head
Dropt as he smote his breast; he gather'd up,
Replaced them all, groan'd deeply, lookt to heaven,
And held them like a treasure with claspt hands.
Egilona.
O! was Roderigo so abased?
Muza.
'Twas he.
Now, Egilona, judge between your friends
And enemies: behold what wretches brought
The king, thy lord, Roderigo, to disgrace.
Egilona.
He merited .. but not from them .. from me
This, and much worse: had I inflicted it,
I had rejoiced .. at what I ill endure.
Muza.
For thee, for thee alone, we wisht him here,
But other hands releast him.
Abdalazis.
With what aim
Will soon appear to those discerning eyes.
Egilona.
I pray thee, tell what past until that hour.
Abdalazis.
Few words, and indistinct: repentant sobs
Fill'd the whole space; the taper in his hand,
Lighting two small dim lamps before the altar,
He gave to Opas; at the idol's feet
He laid his crown, and wiped his tears away.
The crown reverts not, but the tears return.
Egilona.
Yes, Abdalazis! soon, abundantly.
If he had only call'd upon my name,
Seeking my pardon e'er he lookt to heaven's,
I could have .. no! he thought not once on me!
Never shall he find peace or confidence;
I will rely on fortune and on thee,
58
A fall so great can never happen twice,
Nor man again be faithless, like Roderigo.
Abdalazis.
Faithless he may be still, never so faithless.
Fainter must be the charms, remote the days,
When memory and dread example die,
When love and terror thrill the heart no more,
And Egilona is herself forgotten.
| Count Julian | |