Alvar.What! you kill'd him? hey?105Ordonio.I'll dash thee to the earth, if thou but think'st it!Insolent slave! how dar'dst thou—[Turns abruptly fromAlvar, and then to himself.Why! what's this?'Twas idiotcy! I'll tie myself to an aspen,And wear a fool's cap—Alvar.Fare thee well—[845:1]I pity thee, Ordonio, even to anguish.[Alvaris retiring.Ordonio.Ho![Calling toAlvar.110Alvar.Be brief, what wish you?Ordonio.You are deep at bartering—You charge yourselfAt a round sum. Come, come, I spake unwisely.Alvar.I listen to you.Ordonio.In a sudden tempestDid Alvar perish—he, I mean—the lover—115The fellow——Alvar.Nay, speak out! 'twill ease your heartTo call him villain!—Why stand'st thou aghast?Men think it natural to hate their rivals.Ordonio.Now, till she knows him dead, she will not wed me.Alvar.Are you not wedded, then? Merciful Heaven!120Not wedded to Teresa?Ordonio.Why, what ails thee?What, art thou mad? why look'st thou upward so?Dost pray to Lucifer, Prince of the Air?Alvar.Proceed. I shall be silent.Ordonio.To Teresa?Politic wizard! ere you sent that message,125You had conn'd your lesson, made yourself proficientIn all my fortunes. Hah! you prophesiedA golden crop! Well, you have not mistaken—[846]Be faithful to me and I'll pay thee nobly.Alvar.Well! and this lady!130Ordonio.If we could make her certain of his death,She needs must wed me. Ere her lover left her,She tied a little portrait round his neck,Entreating him to wear it.Alvar.Yes! he did so!Ordonio.Why no: he was afraid of accidents,135Of robberies, and shipwrecks, and the like.In secrecy he gave it me to keep,Till his return.Alvar.What! he was your friend then?Ordonio.I was his friend.—Now that he gave it me,140This lady knows not. You are a mighty wizard—Can call the dead man up—he will not come.—He is in heaven then—there you have no influence.Still there are tokens—and your imps may bring youSomething he wore about him when he died.145And when the smoke of the incense on the altarIs pass'd, your spirits will have left this picture.What say you now?Alvar.Ordonio, I will do it.Ordonio.We'll hazard no delay. Be it to-night,In the early evening. Ask for the Lord Valdez.150I will prepare him. Music too, and incense,(For I have arranged it—music, altar, incense)All shall be ready. Here is this same picture,And here, what you will value more, a purse.Come early for your magic ceremonies.155Alvar.I will not fail to meet you.Ordonio.Till next we meet, farewell![ExitOrdonio.Alvar (alone, indignantly flings the purse away and gazes passionatelyat the portrait).And I did curse thee!At midnight! on my knees! and I believedThee perjur'd, thee a traitress! thee dishonour'd!O blind and credulous fool! O guilt of folly!160Should not thy inarticulate fondnesses,[847]Thy infant loves—should not thy maiden vowsHave come upon my heart? And this sweet ImageTied round my neck with many a chaste endearment,And thrilling hands, that made me weep and tremble—165Ah, coward dupe! to yield it to the miscreant,Who spake pollution of thee! barter for lifeThis farewell pledge, which with impassioned vowI had sworn that I would grasp—ev'n in my Death-pang!I am unworthy of thy love, Teresa,170Of that unearthly smile upon those lips,Which ever smiled on me! Yet do not scorn me—I lisp'd thy name, ere I had learnt my mother's.Dear portrait! rescued from a traitor's keeping,I will not now profane thee, holy image,175To a dark trick. That worst bad man shall findA picture, which will wake the hell within him,And rouse a fiery whirlwind in his conscience.
Alvar.What! you kill'd him? hey?105
Ordonio.I'll dash thee to the earth, if thou but think'st it!Insolent slave! how dar'dst thou—[Turns abruptly fromAlvar, and then to himself.Why! what's this?'Twas idiotcy! I'll tie myself to an aspen,And wear a fool's cap—
Alvar.Fare thee well—[845:1]I pity thee, Ordonio, even to anguish.[Alvaris retiring.
Ordonio.Ho![Calling toAlvar.110
Alvar.Be brief, what wish you?
Ordonio.You are deep at bartering—You charge yourselfAt a round sum. Come, come, I spake unwisely.
Alvar.I listen to you.
Ordonio.In a sudden tempestDid Alvar perish—he, I mean—the lover—115The fellow——
Alvar.Nay, speak out! 'twill ease your heartTo call him villain!—Why stand'st thou aghast?Men think it natural to hate their rivals.
Ordonio.Now, till she knows him dead, she will not wed me.
Alvar.Are you not wedded, then? Merciful Heaven!120Not wedded to Teresa?
Ordonio.Why, what ails thee?What, art thou mad? why look'st thou upward so?Dost pray to Lucifer, Prince of the Air?
Alvar.Proceed. I shall be silent.
Ordonio.To Teresa?Politic wizard! ere you sent that message,125You had conn'd your lesson, made yourself proficientIn all my fortunes. Hah! you prophesiedA golden crop! Well, you have not mistaken—[846]Be faithful to me and I'll pay thee nobly.
Alvar.Well! and this lady!130
Ordonio.If we could make her certain of his death,She needs must wed me. Ere her lover left her,She tied a little portrait round his neck,Entreating him to wear it.
Alvar.Yes! he did so!
Ordonio.Why no: he was afraid of accidents,135Of robberies, and shipwrecks, and the like.In secrecy he gave it me to keep,Till his return.
Alvar.What! he was your friend then?
Ordonio.I was his friend.—Now that he gave it me,140This lady knows not. You are a mighty wizard—Can call the dead man up—he will not come.—He is in heaven then—there you have no influence.Still there are tokens—and your imps may bring youSomething he wore about him when he died.145And when the smoke of the incense on the altarIs pass'd, your spirits will have left this picture.What say you now?
Alvar.Ordonio, I will do it.
Ordonio.We'll hazard no delay. Be it to-night,In the early evening. Ask for the Lord Valdez.150I will prepare him. Music too, and incense,(For I have arranged it—music, altar, incense)All shall be ready. Here is this same picture,And here, what you will value more, a purse.Come early for your magic ceremonies.155
Alvar.I will not fail to meet you.
Ordonio.Till next we meet, farewell![ExitOrdonio.
Alvar (alone, indignantly flings the purse away and gazes passionatelyat the portrait).And I did curse thee!At midnight! on my knees! and I believedThee perjur'd, thee a traitress! thee dishonour'd!O blind and credulous fool! O guilt of folly!160Should not thy inarticulate fondnesses,[847]Thy infant loves—should not thy maiden vowsHave come upon my heart? And this sweet ImageTied round my neck with many a chaste endearment,And thrilling hands, that made me weep and tremble—165Ah, coward dupe! to yield it to the miscreant,Who spake pollution of thee! barter for lifeThis farewell pledge, which with impassioned vowI had sworn that I would grasp—ev'n in my Death-pang!
I am unworthy of thy love, Teresa,170Of that unearthly smile upon those lips,Which ever smiled on me! Yet do not scorn me—I lisp'd thy name, ere I had learnt my mother's.
Dear portrait! rescued from a traitor's keeping,I will not now profane thee, holy image,175To a dark trick. That worst bad man shall findA picture, which will wake the hell within him,And rouse a fiery whirlwind in his conscience.
[842:1]The following lines I have preserved in this place, not so much as explanatory of the picture of the assassination, as (if I may say so without disrespect to the Public) to gratify my own feelings, the passage being no merefancyportrait; but a slight, yet not unfaithful, profile of one[842:A], who still lives, nobilitate felix, arte clarior, vitâ colendissimus.Zulimez (speaking of Alvar in the third person).Such was the noble Spaniard's own relation.He told me, too, how in his early youth,And his first travels, 'twas his choice or chanceTo make long sojourn in sea-wedded Venice;There won the love of that divine old man,Courted by mightiest kings, the famous Titian!Who, like a second and more lovely Nature,By the sweet mystery of lines and coloursChanged the blank canvas to a magic mirror,That made the absent present; and to shadowsGave light, depth, substance, bloom, yea, thought and motion.He loved the old man, and revered his art:And though of noblest birth and ample fortune,The young enthusiast thought it no scornBut this inalienable ornament,To be his pupil, and with filial zealBy practice to appropriate the sage lessons,Which the gay, smiling old man gladly gave.The art, he honoured thus, requited him:And in the following and calamitous yearsBeguiled the hours of his captivity.Alhadra.And then he framed this picture? and unaidedBy arts unlawful, spell, or talisman!Alvar.A potent spell, a mighty talisman!The imperishable memory of the deed,Sustained by love, and grief, and indignation!So vivid were the forms within his brain,His very eyes, when shut, made pictures of them![Note in Appendix to the second and later editions ofRemorse.]
[842:1]The following lines I have preserved in this place, not so much as explanatory of the picture of the assassination, as (if I may say so without disrespect to the Public) to gratify my own feelings, the passage being no merefancyportrait; but a slight, yet not unfaithful, profile of one[842:A], who still lives, nobilitate felix, arte clarior, vitâ colendissimus.
Zulimez (speaking of Alvar in the third person).Such was the noble Spaniard's own relation.He told me, too, how in his early youth,And his first travels, 'twas his choice or chanceTo make long sojourn in sea-wedded Venice;There won the love of that divine old man,Courted by mightiest kings, the famous Titian!Who, like a second and more lovely Nature,By the sweet mystery of lines and coloursChanged the blank canvas to a magic mirror,That made the absent present; and to shadowsGave light, depth, substance, bloom, yea, thought and motion.He loved the old man, and revered his art:And though of noblest birth and ample fortune,The young enthusiast thought it no scornBut this inalienable ornament,To be his pupil, and with filial zealBy practice to appropriate the sage lessons,Which the gay, smiling old man gladly gave.The art, he honoured thus, requited him:And in the following and calamitous yearsBeguiled the hours of his captivity.Alhadra.And then he framed this picture? and unaidedBy arts unlawful, spell, or talisman!Alvar.A potent spell, a mighty talisman!The imperishable memory of the deed,Sustained by love, and grief, and indignation!So vivid were the forms within his brain,His very eyes, when shut, made pictures of them!
Zulimez (speaking of Alvar in the third person).Such was the noble Spaniard's own relation.He told me, too, how in his early youth,And his first travels, 'twas his choice or chanceTo make long sojourn in sea-wedded Venice;There won the love of that divine old man,Courted by mightiest kings, the famous Titian!Who, like a second and more lovely Nature,By the sweet mystery of lines and coloursChanged the blank canvas to a magic mirror,That made the absent present; and to shadowsGave light, depth, substance, bloom, yea, thought and motion.He loved the old man, and revered his art:And though of noblest birth and ample fortune,The young enthusiast thought it no scornBut this inalienable ornament,To be his pupil, and with filial zealBy practice to appropriate the sage lessons,Which the gay, smiling old man gladly gave.The art, he honoured thus, requited him:And in the following and calamitous yearsBeguiled the hours of his captivity.
Alhadra.And then he framed this picture? and unaidedBy arts unlawful, spell, or talisman!
Alvar.A potent spell, a mighty talisman!The imperishable memory of the deed,Sustained by love, and grief, and indignation!So vivid were the forms within his brain,His very eyes, when shut, made pictures of them!
[Note in Appendix to the second and later editions ofRemorse.]
[842:A]Sir George Beaumont. [Written 1814.]Editions 1828, 1829.
[842:A]Sir George Beaumont. [Written 1814.]Editions 1828, 1829.
[845:1]The line should run thus:And wear a fool's cap.Alvar.Fare thee well!(Oh! Brother!) (aside)Then aloud]I pity thee, Ordonio, even to anguish.MS. H.
[845:1]The line should run thus:
And wear a fool's cap.Alvar.Fare thee well!(Oh! Brother!) (aside)Then aloud]I pity thee, Ordonio, even to anguish.
And wear a fool's cap.
Alvar.Fare thee well!(Oh! Brother!) (aside)Then aloud]I pity thee, Ordonio, even to anguish.
MS. H.
[9]Time]TimeEditions 2, 3, 1829.
Time]TimeEditions 2, 3, 1829.
[10]future]FutureEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
future]FutureEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[13]past]PastEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
past]PastEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[36]her]herEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
her]herEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[37]His]HisEditions 2, 3, 1829.
His]HisEditions 2, 3, 1829.
[40]Zulimez (much affected).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Zulimez (much affected).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[49]Alvar (starting).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (starting).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[58]Alvar (with deep emotion).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (with deep emotion).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[66]lurks] worksEdition 1.
lurks] worksEdition 1.
[68]Hath] WhoEdition 1.
Hath] WhoEdition 1.
[89]Alvar (solemnly).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (solemnly).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
After94[Then with great bitterness.Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
After94[Then with great bitterness.Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[109]Alvar (watching his agitation).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (watching his agitation).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
After110[Alvar retires to the back of the stage.Edition 1.
After110[Alvar retires to the back of the stage.Edition 1.
[111]Ordonio (having recovered himself).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Ordonio (having recovered himself).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[119]Ordonio (hesitating).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Ordonio (hesitating).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[120]Alvar (with eager vehemence).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (with eager vehemence).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[121]Teresa]TeresaEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Teresa]TeresaEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[124]Alvar (recollecting himself).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.Teresa]TeresaEditions 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (recollecting himself).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Teresa]TeresaEditions 2, 3, 1829.
After124[Alvarsits, and leaning on the table, hides his face.Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
After124[Alvarsits, and leaning on the table, hides his face.Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[130]Alvar (lifting up his head).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (lifting up his head).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[134]Alvar (sighing).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (sighing).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[140]Ordonio (wounded and embarrassed).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Ordonio (wounded and embarrassed).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[147]will] canEdition 1.
will] canEdition 1.
[148]Alvar (after a pause).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (after a pause).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[159]Theeperjur'd,theea traitressEdition 1.Theeperjur'd,theea traitress!TheedishonouredEditions 2, 3, 1829.
Theeperjur'd,theea traitressEdition 1.Theeperjur'd,theea traitress!TheedishonouredEditions 2, 3, 1829.
[161]inarticulate]inarticulateEditions 2, 3, 1829.
inarticulate]inarticulateEditions 2, 3, 1829.
[162]infant . . . maiden]Infant . . . MaidenEditions 2, 3, 1829.
infant . . . maiden]Infant . . . MaidenEditions 2, 3, 1829.
[167-9]barter . . . Death-pangom. Edition 1.
barter . . . Death-pangom. Edition 1.
[168]which with] with whichEditions 2, 3.
which with] with whichEditions 2, 3.
[174]portrait] ImageEdition 1.
portrait] ImageEdition 1.
After178End of the Second Act.Editions 1, 2, 3.
After178End of the Second Act.Editions 1, 2, 3.
A Hall of Armory, with an Altar at the back of the Stage. Soft Music from an instrument of Glass or Steel.
Valdez, Ordonio, andAlvarin a Sorcerer's robe, are discovered.
Ordonio.This was too melancholy, Father.Valdez.Nay,My Alvar lov'd sad music from a child.Once he was lost; and after weary searchWe found him in an open place in the wood.To which spot he had followed a blind boy,5Who breath'd into a pipe of sycamoreSome strangely moving notes: and these, he said,Were taught him in a dream. Him we first sawStretch'd on the broad top of a sunny heath-bank:And lower down poor Alvar, fast asleep,10His head upon the blind boy's dog. It pleas'd meTo mark how he had fasten'd round the pipeA silver toy his grandam had late given him.Methinks I see him now as he then look'd—[848]Even so!—He had outgrown his infant dress,15Yet still he wore it.Alvar (aside).My tears must not flow!I must not clasp his knees, and cry, My father!
Ordonio.This was too melancholy, Father.
Valdez.Nay,My Alvar lov'd sad music from a child.Once he was lost; and after weary searchWe found him in an open place in the wood.To which spot he had followed a blind boy,5Who breath'd into a pipe of sycamoreSome strangely moving notes: and these, he said,Were taught him in a dream. Him we first sawStretch'd on the broad top of a sunny heath-bank:And lower down poor Alvar, fast asleep,10His head upon the blind boy's dog. It pleas'd meTo mark how he had fasten'd round the pipeA silver toy his grandam had late given him.Methinks I see him now as he then look'd—[848]Even so!—He had outgrown his infant dress,15Yet still he wore it.
Alvar (aside).My tears must not flow!I must not clasp his knees, and cry, My father!
EnterTeresaandAttendants.
Teresa.Lord Valdez, you have asked my presence here,And I submit; but (Heaven bear witness for me)My heart approves it not! 'tis mockery.20Ordonio.Believe you then no preternatural influence:Believe you not that spirits throng around us?Teresa.Say rather that I have imagined itA possible thing: and it has sooth'd my soulAs other fancies have; but ne'er seduced me25To traffic with the black and frenzied hopeThat the dead hear the voice of witch or wizard.[ToAlvar.Stranger, I mourn and blush to see you here,On such employment! With far other thoughtsI left you.30Ordonio (aside).Ha! he has been tampering with her?Alvar.O high-soul'd Maiden! and more dear to meThan suits the stranger's name!—I swear to theeI will uncover all concealéd guilt.Doubt, but decide not! Stand ye from the altar.35
Teresa.Lord Valdez, you have asked my presence here,And I submit; but (Heaven bear witness for me)My heart approves it not! 'tis mockery.20
Ordonio.Believe you then no preternatural influence:Believe you not that spirits throng around us?
Teresa.Say rather that I have imagined itA possible thing: and it has sooth'd my soulAs other fancies have; but ne'er seduced me25To traffic with the black and frenzied hopeThat the dead hear the voice of witch or wizard.[ToAlvar.Stranger, I mourn and blush to see you here,On such employment! With far other thoughtsI left you.30
Ordonio (aside).Ha! he has been tampering with her?
Alvar.O high-soul'd Maiden! and more dear to meThan suits the stranger's name!—I swear to theeI will uncover all concealéd guilt.Doubt, but decide not! Stand ye from the altar.35
[Here a strain of music is heard from behind the scene.
Alvar.With no irreverent voice or uncouth charmI call up the departed!Soul of Alvar!Hear our soft suit, and heed my milder spell:So may the gates of Paradise, unbarr'd,Cease thy swift toils! Since haply thou art one40Of that innumerable companyWho in broad circle, lovelier than the rainbow,Girdle this round earth in a dizzy motion,With noise too vast and constant to be heard:Fitliest unheard! For oh, ye numberless,45And rapid travellers! what ear unstunn'd,What sense unmadden'd, might bear up againstThe rushing of your congregated wings?[Music.Even now your living wheel turns o'er my head![849]Ye, as ye pass, toss high the desart sands,50That roar and whiten, like a burst of waters,A sweet appearance, but a dread illusionTo the parch'd caravan that roams by night!And ye upbuild on the becalmed wavesThat whirling pillar, which from earth to heaven55Stands vast, and moves in blackness! Ye too splitThe ice mount! and with fragments many and hugeTempest the new-thaw'd sea, whose sudden gulfsSuck in, perchance, some Lapland wizard's skiff!Then round and round the whirlpool's marge ye dance,60Till from the blue swoln corse the soul toils out,And joins your mighty army.[Here behind the scenes a voice sings the three words, 'Hear, Sweet Spirit.'Soul of Alvar!Hear the mild spell, and tempt no blacker charm!By sighs unquiet, and the sickly pangOf a half-dead, yet still undying hope,65Pass visible before our mortal sense!So shall the Church's cleansing rites be thine,Her knells and masses that redeem the dead!
Alvar.With no irreverent voice or uncouth charmI call up the departed!Soul of Alvar!Hear our soft suit, and heed my milder spell:So may the gates of Paradise, unbarr'd,Cease thy swift toils! Since haply thou art one40Of that innumerable companyWho in broad circle, lovelier than the rainbow,Girdle this round earth in a dizzy motion,With noise too vast and constant to be heard:Fitliest unheard! For oh, ye numberless,45And rapid travellers! what ear unstunn'd,What sense unmadden'd, might bear up againstThe rushing of your congregated wings?[Music.Even now your living wheel turns o'er my head![849]Ye, as ye pass, toss high the desart sands,50That roar and whiten, like a burst of waters,A sweet appearance, but a dread illusionTo the parch'd caravan that roams by night!And ye upbuild on the becalmed wavesThat whirling pillar, which from earth to heaven55Stands vast, and moves in blackness! Ye too splitThe ice mount! and with fragments many and hugeTempest the new-thaw'd sea, whose sudden gulfsSuck in, perchance, some Lapland wizard's skiff!Then round and round the whirlpool's marge ye dance,60Till from the blue swoln corse the soul toils out,And joins your mighty army.[Here behind the scenes a voice sings the three words, 'Hear, Sweet Spirit.'Soul of Alvar!Hear the mild spell, and tempt no blacker charm!By sighs unquiet, and the sickly pangOf a half-dead, yet still undying hope,65Pass visible before our mortal sense!So shall the Church's cleansing rites be thine,Her knells and masses that redeem the dead!
SONG
SONG
Behind the Scenes, accompanied by the same Instrument as before.
Hear, sweet spirit, hear the spell,Lest a blacker charm compel!70So shall the midnight breezes swellWith thy deep long-lingering knell.And at evening evermore,In a chapel on the shore,Shall the chaunter, sad and saintly,75Yellow tapers burning faintly,Doleful masses chaunt for thee,Miserere Domine!Hark! the cadence dies awayOn the quiet moonlight sea:80The boatmen rest their oars and say,Miserere Domine![A long pause.
Hear, sweet spirit, hear the spell,Lest a blacker charm compel!70So shall the midnight breezes swellWith thy deep long-lingering knell.
And at evening evermore,In a chapel on the shore,Shall the chaunter, sad and saintly,75Yellow tapers burning faintly,Doleful masses chaunt for thee,Miserere Domine!
Hark! the cadence dies awayOn the quiet moonlight sea:80The boatmen rest their oars and say,Miserere Domine![A long pause.
Ordonio.The innocent obey nor charm nor spell!My brother is in heaven. Thou sainted spirit,Burst on our sight, a passing visitant!85Once more to hear thy voice, once more to see thee,O 'twere a joy to me!Alvar.A joy to thee!What if thou heard'st him now? What if his spiritRe-enter'd its cold corse, and came upon theeWith many a stab from many a murderer's poniard?90Whatif (hisstedfast eye still beaming pityAnd brother's love) he turn'd his head aside,Lest he should look at thee, and with one lookHurl thee beyond all power of penitence?Valdez.These are unholy fancies!Ordonio.Yes, my father,95He is in Heaven!Alvar (still to Ordonio).But what if he had a brother,Who had lived even so, that at his dying hour,The name of Heaven would have convulsed his face,More than the death-pang?Valdez.Idly prating man!Thou hast guess'd ill: Don Alvar's only brother100Stands here before thee—a father's blessing on him!He is most virtuous.Alvar (still to Ordonio).What, if his very virtuesHad pampered his swoln heart and made him proud?And what if pride had duped him into guilt?Yet still he stalked a self-created god,105Not very bold, but exquisitely cunning;And one that at his mother's looking-glassWould force his features to a frowning sternness?Young Lord! I tell thee, that there are such beings—Yea, and it gives fierce merriment to the damn'd,110To see these most proud men, that loath mankind,At every stir and buzz of coward conscience,Trick, cant, and lie, most whining hypocrites!Away, away! Now let me hear more music.[Music again.Teresa.'Tis strange, I tremble at my own conjectures!115But whatsoe'er it mean, I dare no longerBe present at these lawless mysteries,This dark provoking of the hidden Powers![851]Already I affront—if not high Heaven—Yet Alvar's memory!—Hark! I make appeal120Against the unholy rite, and hasten henceTo bend before a lawful shrine, and seekThat voice which whispers, when the still heart listens,Comfort and faithful hope! Let us retire.Alvar (to Teresa).O full of faith and guileless love, thy Spirit125Still prompts thee wisely. Let the pangs of guiltSurprise the guilty: thou art innocent![ExeuntTeresaandAttendant.Music as before.The spell is mutter'd—Come, thou wandering shape,Who own'st no master in a human eye,Whate'er be this man's doom, fair be it, or foul,130If he be dead, O come! and bring with theeThat which he grasp'd in death! But if he live,Some token of his obscure perilous life.[The whole Music dashes into a Chorus.
Ordonio.The innocent obey nor charm nor spell!My brother is in heaven. Thou sainted spirit,Burst on our sight, a passing visitant!85Once more to hear thy voice, once more to see thee,O 'twere a joy to me!
Alvar.A joy to thee!What if thou heard'st him now? What if his spiritRe-enter'd its cold corse, and came upon theeWith many a stab from many a murderer's poniard?90Whatif (hisstedfast eye still beaming pityAnd brother's love) he turn'd his head aside,Lest he should look at thee, and with one lookHurl thee beyond all power of penitence?
Valdez.These are unholy fancies!
Ordonio.Yes, my father,95He is in Heaven!
Alvar (still to Ordonio).But what if he had a brother,Who had lived even so, that at his dying hour,The name of Heaven would have convulsed his face,More than the death-pang?
Valdez.Idly prating man!Thou hast guess'd ill: Don Alvar's only brother100Stands here before thee—a father's blessing on him!He is most virtuous.
Alvar (still to Ordonio).What, if his very virtuesHad pampered his swoln heart and made him proud?And what if pride had duped him into guilt?Yet still he stalked a self-created god,105Not very bold, but exquisitely cunning;And one that at his mother's looking-glassWould force his features to a frowning sternness?Young Lord! I tell thee, that there are such beings—Yea, and it gives fierce merriment to the damn'd,110To see these most proud men, that loath mankind,At every stir and buzz of coward conscience,Trick, cant, and lie, most whining hypocrites!Away, away! Now let me hear more music.[Music again.
Teresa.'Tis strange, I tremble at my own conjectures!115But whatsoe'er it mean, I dare no longerBe present at these lawless mysteries,This dark provoking of the hidden Powers![851]Already I affront—if not high Heaven—Yet Alvar's memory!—Hark! I make appeal120Against the unholy rite, and hasten henceTo bend before a lawful shrine, and seekThat voice which whispers, when the still heart listens,Comfort and faithful hope! Let us retire.
Alvar (to Teresa).O full of faith and guileless love, thy Spirit125Still prompts thee wisely. Let the pangs of guiltSurprise the guilty: thou art innocent![ExeuntTeresaandAttendant.Music as before.The spell is mutter'd—Come, thou wandering shape,Who own'st no master in a human eye,Whate'er be this man's doom, fair be it, or foul,130If he be dead, O come! and bring with theeThat which he grasp'd in death! But if he live,Some token of his obscure perilous life.[The whole Music dashes into a Chorus.
CHORUSWandering demons, hear the spell!Lest a blacker charm compel—135
CHORUS
Wandering demons, hear the spell!Lest a blacker charm compel—135
[The incense on the altar takes fire suddenly, and an illuminated picture ofAlvar'sassassination is discovered, and having remained a few seconds is then hidden by ascending flames.
Ordonio (starting).Duped! duped! duped!—the traitor Isidore!
Ordonio (starting).Duped! duped! duped!—the traitor Isidore!
[At this instant the doors are forced open,Monviedroand theFamiliars of the Inquisition, Servants,&c., enter and fill the stage.
Monviedro.First seize the sorcerer! suffer him not to speak!The holy judges of the InquisitionShall hear his first words.—Look you pale, Lord Valdez?Plain evidence have we here of most foul sorcery.140There is a dungeon underneath this castle,And as you hope for mild interpretation,Surrender instantly the keys and charge of it.Ordonio (recovering himself as from stupor, to Servants).Whyhaste you not? Off with him to the dungeon!
Monviedro.First seize the sorcerer! suffer him not to speak!The holy judges of the InquisitionShall hear his first words.—Look you pale, Lord Valdez?Plain evidence have we here of most foul sorcery.140There is a dungeon underneath this castle,And as you hope for mild interpretation,Surrender instantly the keys and charge of it.
Ordonio (recovering himself as from stupor, to Servants).Whyhaste you not? Off with him to the dungeon!
[All rush out in tumult.
[16]Alvar (aside).Stage-directionom. Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (aside).Stage-directionom. Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[33]stranger's]Stranger'sEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
stranger's]Stranger'sEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[35]Doubt, but decide not! Stand from off the altar.Edition 1.
Doubt, but decide not! Stand from off the altar.Edition 1.
After49[Music expressive of the movements and images that follow.Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
After49[Music expressive of the movements and images that follow.Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[54]upbuild] build upEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
upbuild] build upEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[62]Stage-direction [Here behind, &c.om. Edition 1.
Stage-direction [Here behind, &c.om. Edition 1.
[75]chaunter] ChauntersEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
chaunter] ChauntersEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[80]quiet] yellowEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
quiet] yellowEditions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[95]Ordonio (struggling with his feelings).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Ordonio (struggling with his feelings).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[122]bend] kneelEdition 1.
bend] kneelEdition 1.
[125]Alvar (to Teresa anxiously).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Alvar (to Teresa anxiously).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[129]a human eye] an eye of fleshEdition 1.
a human eye] an eye of fleshEdition 1.
[134]demons] demonEdition 1.
demons] demonEdition 1.
[136]Ordonio (starting in great agitation).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
Ordonio (starting in great agitation).Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.
[141]this] theEdition 1.
this] theEdition 1.
Interior of a Chapel, with painted Windows.
EnterTeresa.
Teresa.When first I entered this pure spot, forebodingsPress'd heavy on my heart: but as I knelt,Such calm unwonted bliss possess'd my spirit,A trance so cloudless, that those sounds, hard by,Of trampling uproar fell upon mine ear5As alien and unnoticed as the rain-stormBeats on the roof of some fair banquet-room,While sweetest melodies are warbling——
Teresa.When first I entered this pure spot, forebodingsPress'd heavy on my heart: but as I knelt,Such calm unwonted bliss possess'd my spirit,A trance so cloudless, that those sounds, hard by,Of trampling uproar fell upon mine ear5As alien and unnoticed as the rain-stormBeats on the roof of some fair banquet-room,While sweetest melodies are warbling——
EnterValdez.
Valdez.Ye pitying saints, forgive a father's blindness,And extricate us from this net of peril!10Teresa.Who wakes anew my fears, and speaks of peril?Valdez.O best Teresa, wisely wert thou prompted!This was no feat of mortal agency!That picture—Oh, that picture tells me all!With a flash of light it came, in flames it vanished,15Self-kindled, self-consum'd: bright as thy life,Sudden and unexpected as thy fate,Alvar! My son! My son!—The Inquisitor—Teresa.Torture me not! But Alvar—Oh of Alvar?Valdez.How often would he plead for these Morescoes!20The brood accurst! remorseless, coward murderers!Teresa.So? so?—I comprehend you—He is——Valdez.He is no more!Teresa.O sorrow! that a father's voice should say this,A Father's Heart believe it!Valdez.A worse sorrowAre fancy's wild hopes to a heart despairing!25Teresa.These rays that slant in through those gorgeous windows,From yon bright orb—though coloured as they pass,Are they not light?—Even so that voice, Lord Valdez!Which whispers to my soul, though haply variedBy many a fancy, many a wishful hope,30[853]Speaks yet the truth: and Alvar lives for me!Valdez.Yes, for three wasting years, thus and no other,He has lived for thee—a spirit for thy spirit!My child, we must not give religious faithTo every voice which makes the heart a listener35To its own wish.Teresa.I breath'd to the UnerringPermitted prayers. Must those remain unanswer'd,Yet impious sorcery, that holds no communeSave with the lying spirit, claim belief?Valdez.O not to-day, not now for the first time40Was Alvar lost to thee—Accurst assassins!Disarmed, o'erpowered, despairing of defence,At his bared breast he seem'd to grasp some reliqueMore dear than was his life——Teresa.O Heavens! my portrait!And he did grasp it in his death pang!Off, false demon,45That beat'st thy black wings close above my head![853:1][Ordonioenters with the keys of the dungeon in his hand.Hush! who comes here? The wizard Moor's employer!Moors were his murderers, you say? Saints shield usFrom wicked thoughts——
Valdez.Ye pitying saints, forgive a father's blindness,And extricate us from this net of peril!10
Teresa.Who wakes anew my fears, and speaks of peril?
Valdez.O best Teresa, wisely wert thou prompted!This was no feat of mortal agency!That picture—Oh, that picture tells me all!With a flash of light it came, in flames it vanished,15Self-kindled, self-consum'd: bright as thy life,Sudden and unexpected as thy fate,Alvar! My son! My son!—The Inquisitor—
Teresa.Torture me not! But Alvar—Oh of Alvar?
Valdez.How often would he plead for these Morescoes!20The brood accurst! remorseless, coward murderers!
Teresa.So? so?—I comprehend you—He is——
Valdez.He is no more!
Teresa.O sorrow! that a father's voice should say this,A Father's Heart believe it!
Valdez.A worse sorrowAre fancy's wild hopes to a heart despairing!25
Teresa.These rays that slant in through those gorgeous windows,From yon bright orb—though coloured as they pass,Are they not light?—Even so that voice, Lord Valdez!Which whispers to my soul, though haply variedBy many a fancy, many a wishful hope,30[853]Speaks yet the truth: and Alvar lives for me!
Valdez.Yes, for three wasting years, thus and no other,He has lived for thee—a spirit for thy spirit!My child, we must not give religious faithTo every voice which makes the heart a listener35To its own wish.
Teresa.I breath'd to the UnerringPermitted prayers. Must those remain unanswer'd,Yet impious sorcery, that holds no communeSave with the lying spirit, claim belief?
Valdez.O not to-day, not now for the first time40Was Alvar lost to thee—Accurst assassins!Disarmed, o'erpowered, despairing of defence,At his bared breast he seem'd to grasp some reliqueMore dear than was his life——
Teresa.O Heavens! my portrait!And he did grasp it in his death pang!Off, false demon,45That beat'st thy black wings close above my head![853:1][Ordonioenters with the keys of the dungeon in his hand.Hush! who comes here? The wizard Moor's employer!Moors were his murderers, you say? Saints shield usFrom wicked thoughts——
[Valdezmoves towards the back of the stage to meetOrdonio, and during the concluding lines ofTeresa'sspeech appears as eagerly conversing with him.