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life is a dream-第6部分

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Sane waking senses; by these witnesses

Attested; till the story of it all;

Of which I bring a chapter; be reveal'd;

Assured of all you see and hear as neither

Madness nor mockery



SEG。

What then?



CLO。

All it seems:

This palace with its royal garniture;

This capital of which it is the eye;

With all its temples; marts; and arsenals;

This realm of which this city is the head;

With all its cities; villages; and tilth;

Its armies; fleets; and commerce; all your own;

And all the living souls that make them up;

From those who now; and those who shall; salute you;

Down to the poorest peasant of the realm;

Your subjectsWho; though now their mighty voice

Sleeps in the general body unapprized;

Wait but a word from those about you now

To hail you Prince of Poland; Segismund。



SEG。

All this is so?



CLO。

As sure as anything

Is; or can be。



SEG。

You swear it on the faith

You taught meelsewhere?



CLO (kissing the hilt of his sword)。

Swear it upon this Symbol;

and champion of the holy faith

I wear it to defend。



SEG (to himself)。

My eyes have not deceived me; nor my ears;

With this transfiguration; nor the strain

Of royal welcome that arose and blew;

Breathed from no lying lips; along with it。

For here Clotaldo comes; his own old self;

Who; if not Lie and phantom with the rest

(Aloud)

Well; then; all this is thus。

For have not these fine people told me so;

And you; Clotaldo; sworn it? And the Why

And Wherefore are to follow by and bye!

And yetand yetwhy wait for that which you

Who take your oath on it can answerand

Indeed it presses hard upon my brain

What I was asking of these gentlemen

When you came in upon us; how it is

That Ithe Segismund you know so long

No longer than the sun that rose to…day

Roseand from what you know

Rose to be Prince of Poland?



CLO。

So to be

Acknowledged and entreated; Sir。



SEG。

So be

Acknowledged and entreated

WellBut if now by all; by some at least

So knownif not entreatedheretofore

Though not by youFor; now I think again;

Of what should be your attestation worth;

You that of all my questionable subjects

Who knowing what; yet left me where I was;

You least of all; Clotaldo; till the dawn

Of this first day that told it to myself?



CLO。

Oh; let your Highness draw the line across

Fore…written sorrow; and in this new dawn

Bury that long sad night。



SEG。

Not ev'n the Dead;

Call'd to the resurrection of the blest;

Shall so directly drop all memory

Of woes and wrongs foregone!



CLO。

But not resent

Purged by the trial of that sorrow past

For full fruition of their present bliss。



SEG。

But leaving with the Judge what; till this earth

Be cancell'd in the burning heavens; He leaves

His earthly delegates to execute;

Of retribution in reward to them

And woe to those who wrong'd themNot as you;

Not you; Clotaldo; knowing notAnd yet

Ev'n to the guiltiest wretch in all the realm;

Of any treason guilty short of that;

Stern usagebut assuredly not knowing;

Not knowing 'twas your sovereign lord; Clotaldo;

You used so sternly。



CLO。

Ay; sir; with the same

Devotion and fidelity that now

Does homage to him for my sovereign。



SEG。

Fidelity that held his Prince in chains!



CLO。

Fidelity more fast than had it loosed him



SEG。

Ev'n from the very dawn of consciousness

Down at the bottom of the barren rocks;

Where scarce a ray of sunshine found him out;

In which the poorest beggar of my realm

At least to human…full proportion grows

Me! Mewhose station was the kingdom's top

To flourish in; reaching my head to heaven;

And with my branches overshadowing

The meaner growth below!



CLO。

Still with the same

Fidelity



SEG。

To me!



CLO。

Ay; sir; to you;

Through that divine allegiance upon which

All Order and Authority is based;

Which to revolt against



SEG。

Were to revolt

Against the stars; belike!



CLO。

And him who reads them;

And by that right; and by the sovereignty

He wears as you shall wear it after him;

Ay; one to whom yourself

Yourself; ev'n more than any subject here;

Are bound by yet another and more strong

AllegianceKing Basilioyour Father



SEG。

BasilioKingmy father!



CLO。

Oh; my Lord;

Let me beseech you on my bended knee;

For your own sakefor Poland'sand for his;

Who; looking up for counsel to the skies;

Did what he did under authority

To which the kings of earth themselves are subject;

And whose behest not only he that suffers;

But he that executes; not comprehends;

But only He that orders it



SEG。

The King

My father!Either I am mad already;

Or that way driving fastor I should know

That fathers do not use their children so;

Or men were loosed from all allegiance

To fathers; kings; and heaven that order'd all。

But; mad or not; my hour is come; and I

Will have my reckoningEither you lie;

Under the skirt of sinless majesty

Shrouding your treason; or if /that/ indeed;

Guilty itself; take refuge in the stars

That cannot hear the charge; or disavow

You; whether doer or deviser; who

Come first to hand; shall pay the penalty

By the same hand you owe it to

(Seizing Clotaldo's sword and about to strike him。)



(Enter Rosaura suddenly。)



ROSAURA。

Fie; my Lordforbear;

What! a young hand raised against silver hair!



(She retreats through the crowd。)



SEG。

Stay! stay! What come and vanish'd as before

I scarce remember howbut



(Voices within。 Room for Astolfo; Duke of Muscovy!)



(Enter Astolfo)



ASTOLFO。

Welcome; thrice welcome; the auspicious day;

When from the mountain where he darkling lay;

The Polish sun into the firmament

Sprung all the brighter for his late ascent;

And in meridian glory



SEG。

Where is he?

Why must I ask this twice?



A LORD。

The Page; my Lord?

I wonder at his boldness



SEG。

But I tell you

He came with Angel written in his face

As now it is; when all was black as hell

About; and none of you who nowhe came;

And Angel…like flung me a shining sword

To cut my way through darkness; and again

Angel…like wrests it from me in behalf

Of onewhom I will spare for sparing him:

But he must come and plead with that same voice

That pray'd for mein vain。



CHAMB。

He is gone for;

And shall attend your pleasure; sir。 Meanwhile;

Will not your Highness; as in courtesy;

Return your royal cousin's greeting?



SEG。

Whose?



CHAMB。

Astolfo; Duke of Muscovy; my Lord;

Saluted; and with gallant compliment

Welcomed you to your royal title。



SEG。 (to Astolfo)。

Oh

You knew of this then?



AST。

Knew of what; my Lord?



SEG。

That I was Prince of Poland all the while;

And you my subject?



AST。

Pardon me; my Lord;

But some few hours ago myself I learn'd

Your dignity; but; knowing it; no more

Than when I knew it not; your subject。



SEG。

What then?



AST。

Your Highness' chamberlain ev'n now has told you;

Astolfo; Duke of Muscovy;

Your father's sister's son; your cousin; sir:

And who as such; and in his own right Prince;

Expects from you the courtesy he shows。



CHAMB。

His Highness is as yet unused to Court;

And to the ceremonious interchange

Of compliment; especially to those

Who draw their blood from the same royal fountain。



SEG。

Where is the lad? I weary of all this

Prince; cousins; chamberlains; and compliments

Where are my soldiers? Blow the trumpet; and

With one sharp blast scatter these butterflies

And bring the men of iron to my side;

With whom a king feels like a king indeed!



(Voices within。 Within there! room for the Princess Estrella!)



(Enter Estrella with Ladies。)



ESTRELLA。

Welcome; my Lord; right welcome to the throne

That much too long has waited for your coming:

And; in the general voice of Poland; hear

A kinswoman and cousin's no less sincere。



SEG。

Ay; this is welcome…worth indeed;

And cousin cousin…worth! Oh; I have thus

Over the threshold of the mountain seen;

Leading a bevy of fair stars; the moon

Enter the court of heavenMy kinswoman!

My cousin! But my subject?



EST。

If you please

To count your cousin for your subject; sir;

You shall not find her a disloyal。



SEG。

Oh;

But there are twin stars in that heavenly face;

That now I know for having over…ruled

Those evil ones that darken'd all my past

And brought me forth from that captivity

To be the slave of her who set me free。



EST。

Indeed; my Lord; these eyes have no such power

Over the past or present: but perhaps

They brighten at your welcome to supply

The little that a lady's speech commends;

And in the hope that; let whichever be

The other's subject; we may both be friends。



SEG。

Your hand to thatBut why does this warm hand

Shoot a cold shudder through me?



EST。

In revenge

For likening me to that cold moon; perhaps。



SEG。

Oh; but the lip whose music tells me so

Breathes of a warmer planet; and that lip

Shall remedy the treason of the hand!

(He catches to embrace her。)



EST。

Release me; sir!



CHAMB。

And pardon me; my Lord。

This lady is a Princess absolute;

As Prince he is who just saluted you;

And claims her by affiance。



SEG。

Hence; old fool;

For ever thrusting that white stick of yours

Between me and my pleasure!



AST。

This cause is mine。

Forbear; sir



SEG。

What; sir mouth…piece; you again?



AST。

My Lord; I waive your insult to myself

In recognition of the dignity

You yet are new to; and that greater still

You look in time to wear。 But for this lady

Whom; if my cousin now; I hope to claim

Henceforth by yet a nearer; dearer name



SEG。

And what care I? She is my cousin too:

And if you be a Princewell; am not I

Lord of the ve
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