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life is a dream-第4部分

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Suffused in blood upon each other fell

In such a raging duel of eclipse

As hath not terrified the universe

Since that which wept in blood the death of Christ:

When the dead walk'd; the waters turn'd to blood;

Earth and her cities totter'd; and the world

Seem'd shaken to its last paralysis。

In such a paroxysm of dissolution

That son of mine was born; by that first act

Heading the monstrous catalogue of crime;

I found fore…written in his horoscope;

As great a monster in man's history

As was in nature his nativity;

So savage; bloody; terrible; and impious;

Who; should he live; would tear his country's entrails;

As by his birth his mother's; with which crime

Beginning; he should clench the dreadful tale

By trampling on his father's silver head。

All which fore…reading; and his act of birth

Fate's warrant that I read his life aright;

To save his country from his mother's fate;

I gave abroad that he had died with her

His being slew; with midnight secrecy

I had him carried to a lonely tower

Hewn from the mountain…barriers of the realm;

And under strict anathema of death

Guarded from men's inquisitive approach;

Save from the trusty few one needs must trust;

Who while his fasten'd body they provide

With salutary garb and nourishment;

Instruct his soul in what no soul may miss

Of holy faith; and in such other lore

As may solace his life…imprisonment;

And tame perhaps the Savage prophesied

Toward such a trial as I aim at now;

And now demand your special hearing to。

What in this fearful business I have done;

Judge whether lightly or maliciously;

I; with my own and only flesh and blood;

And proper lineal inheritor!

I swear; had his foretold atrocities

Touch'd me alone。 I had not saved myself

At such a cost to him; but as a king;

A Christian king;I say; advisedly;

Who would devote his people to a tyrant

Worse than Caligula fore…chronicled?

But even this not without grave mis…giving;

Lest by some chance mis…reading of the stars;

Or mis…direction of what rightly read;

I wrong my son of his prerogative;

And Poland of her rightful sovereign。

For; sure and certain prophets as the stars;

Although they err not; he who reads them may;

Or rightly readingseeing there is One

Who governs them; as; under Him; they us;

We are not sure if the rough diagram

They draw in heaven and we interpret here;

Be sure of operation; if the Will

Supreme; that sometimes for some special end

The course of providential nature breaks

By miracle; may not of these same stars

Cancel his own first draft; or overrule

What else fore…written all else overrules。

As; for example; should the Will Almighty

Permit the Free…will of particular man

To break the meshes of else strangling fate

Which Free…will; fearful of foretold abuse;

I have myself from my own son fore…closed

From ever possible self…extrication;

A terrible responsibility;

Not to the conscience to be reconciled

Unless opposing almost certain evil

Against so slight contingency of good。

Wellthus perplex'd; I have resolved at last

To bring the thing to trial: whereunto

Here have I summon'd you; my Peers; and you

Whom I more dearly look to; failing him;

As witnesses to that which I propose;

And thus propose the doing it。 Clotaldo;

Who guards my son with old fidelity;

Shall bring him hither from his tower by night

Lockt in a sleep so fast as by my art

I rivet to within a link of death;

But yet from death so far; that next day's dawn

Shall wake him up upon the royal bed;

Complete in consciousness and faculty;

When with all princely pomp and retinue

My loyal Peers with due obeisance

Shall hail him Segismund; the Prince of Poland。

Then if with any show of human kindness

He fling discredit; not upon the stars;

But upon me; their misinterpreter;

With all apology mistaken age

Can make to youth it never meant to harm;

To my son's forehead will I shift the crown

I long have wish'd upon a younger brow;

And in religious humiliation;

For what of worn…out age remains to me;

Entreat my pardon both of Heaven and him

For tempting destinies beyond my reach。

But if; as I misdoubt; at his first step

The hoof of the predicted savage shows;

Before predicted mischief can be done;

The self…same sleep that loosed him from the chain

Shall re…consign him; not to loose again。

Then shall I; having lost that heir direct;

Look solely to my sisters' children twain

Each of a claim so equal as divides

The voice of Poland to their several sides;

But; as I trust; to be entwined ere long

Into one single wreath so fair and strong

As shall at once all difference atone;

And cease the realm's division with their own。

Cousins and Princes; Peers and Councillors;

Such is the purport of this invitation;

And such is my design。 Whose furtherance

If not as Sovereign; if not as Seer;

Yet one whom these white locks; if nothing else;

to patient acquiescence consecrate;

I now demand and even supplicate。



AST。

Such news; and from such lips; may well suspend

The tongue to loyal answer most attuned;

But if to me as spokesman of my faction

Your Highness looks for answer; I reply

For one and allLet Segismund; whom now

We first hear tell of as your living heir;

Appear; and but in your sufficient eye

Approve himself worthy to be your son;

Then we will hail him Poland's rightful heir。

What says my cousin?



EST。

Ay; with all my heart。

But if my youth and sex upbraid me not

That I should dare ask of so wise a king



KING。

Ask; ask; fair cousin! Nothing; I am sure;

Not well consider'd; nay; if 'twere; yet nothing

But pardonable from such lips as those。



EST。

Then; with your pardon; Sirif Segismund;

My cousin; whom I shall rejoice to hail

As Prince of Poland too; as you propose;

Be to a trial coming upon which

More; as I think; than life itself depends;

Why; Sir; with sleep…disorder'd senses brought

To this uncertain contest with his stars?



KING。

Well ask'd indeed! As wisely be it answer'd!

/Because/ it is uncertain; see you not?

For as I think I can discern between

The sudden flaws of a sleep…startled man;

And of the savage thing we have to dread;

If but bewilder'd; dazzled; and uncouth;

As might the sanest and the civilest

In circumstance so strangenay; more than that;

If moved to any out…break short of blood;

All shall be well with him; and how much more;

If 'mid the magic turmoil of the change;

He shall so calm a resolution show

As scarce to reel beneath so great a blow!

But if with savage passion uncontroll'd

He lay about him like the brute foretold;

And must as suddenly be caged again;

Then what redoubled anguish and despair;

From that brief flash of blissful liberty

Remittedand for everto his chain!

Which so much less; if on the stage of glory

Enter'd and exited through such a door

Of sleep as makes a dream of all between。



EST。

Oh kindly answer; Sir; to question that

To charitable courtesy less wise

Might call for pardon rather! I shall now

Gladly; what; uninstructed; loyally

I should have waited。



AST。

Your Highness doubts not me;

Nor how my heart follows my cousin's lips;

Whatever way the doubtful balance fall;

Still loyal to your bidding。



OMNES。

So say all。



KING。

I hoped; and did expect; of all no less

And sure no sovereign ever needed more

From all who owe him love or loyalty。

For what a strait of time I stand upon;

When to this issue not alone I bring

My son your Prince; but e'en myself your King:

And; whichsoever way for him it turn;

Of less than little honour to myself。

For if this coming trial justify

My thus withholding from my son his right;

Is not the judge himself justified in

The father's shame? And if the judge proved wrong;

My son withholding from his right thus long;

Shame and remorse to judge and father both:

Unless remorse and shame together drown'd

In having what I flung for worthless found。

But comealready weary with your travel;

And ill refresh'd by this strange history;

Until the hours that draw the sun from heaven

Unite us at the customary board;

Each to his several chamber: you to rest;

I to contrive with old Clotaldo best

The method of a stranger thing than old

Time has a yet among his records told。



Exeunt。







ACT II







SCENE IA Throne…room in the Palace。 Music within。





(Enter King and Clotaldo; meeting a Lord in waiting)



KING。

You; for a moment beckon'd from your office;

Tell me thus far how goes it。 In due time

The potion left him?



LORD。

At the very hour

To which your Highness temper'd it。 Yet not

So wholly but some lingering mist still hung

About his dawning senseswhich to clear;

We fill'd and handed him a morning drink

With sleep's specific antidote suffused;

And while with princely raiment we invested

What nature surely modell'd for a Prince

All but the swordas you directed



KING。

Ay



LORD。

If not too loudly; yet emphatically

Still with the title of a Prince address'd him。



KING。

How bore he that?



LORD。

With all the rest; my liege;

I will not say so like one in a dream

As one himself misdoubting that he dream'd。



KING。

So far so well; Clotaldo; either way;

And best of all if tow'rd the worse I dread。

But yet no violence?



LORD。

At most; impatience;

Wearied perhaps with importunities

We yet were bound to offer。



KING。

Oh; Clotaldo!

Though thus far well; yet would myself had drunk

The potion he revives from! such suspense

Crowds all the pulses of life's residue

Into the present moment; and; I think;

Whichever way the trembling scale may turn;

Will leave the crown of Poland for some one

To wait no longer than the setting sun!



CLO。

Courage; my liege! The curtain is undrawn;

And each must play his part out manfully;

Leaving
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