友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
合租小说网 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

life is a dream-第9部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!



With sentinels a…pacing up and down;

Crying All's well when all is far from well;

All the day long; and all the night; until

I dreamif what is dreaming be not waking

Of bells a…tolling and processions rolling

With candles; crosses; banners; San…benitos;

Of which I wear the flamy…finingest;

Through streets and places throng'd with fiery faces

To some back platform

Oh; I shall take a fire into my hand

With thinking of my own dear Muscovy

Only just over that Sierra there;

By which we tumbled headlong intoNo…land。

Now; if without a bullet after me;

I could but get a peep of my old home

Perhaps of my own mule to take me there

All's stillperhaps the gentlemen within

Are dreaming it is night behind their masks

God send 'em a good nightmare!Now thenHark!

Voicesand up the rocksand armed men

Climbing like catsPuss in the corner then。



(He hides。)



(Enter Soldiers cautiously up the rocks。)



CAPTAIN。

This is the frontier pass; at any rate;

Where Poland ends and Muscovy begins。



SOLDIER。

We must be close upon the tower; I know;

That half way up the mountain lies ensconced。



CAPT。

How know you that?



SOL。

He told me sothe Page

Who put us on the scent。



SOL。 2。

And; as I think;

Will soon be here to run it down with us。



CAPT。

Meantime; our horses on these ugly rocks

Useless; and worse than useless with their clatter

Leave them behind; with one or two in charge;

And softly; softly; softly。



SOLDIERS。

There it is!

There what?

The towerthe fortress

That the tower!

That mouse…trap! We could pitch it down the rocks

With our own hands。

The rocks it hangs among

Dwarf its proportions and conceal its strength;

Larger and stronger than you think。

No matter;

No place for Poland's Prince to be shut up in。

At it at once!



CAPT。

NonoI tell you wait

Till those within give signal。 For as yet

We know not who side with us; and the fort

Is strong in man and musket。



SOL。

Shame to wait

For odds with such a cause at stake。



CAPT。

Because

Of such a cause at stake we wait for odds

For if not won at once; for ever lost:

For any long resistance on their part

Would bring Basilio's force to succour them

Ere we had rescued him we come to rescue。

So softly; softly; softly; still



A SOLDIER (discovering Fife)。

Hilloa!



SOLDIERS。

Hilloa! Here's some one skulking

Seize and gag him!

Stab him at once; say I: the only way

To make all sure。

Hold; every man of you!

And down upon your knees!Why; 'tis the Prince!

The Prince!

Oh; I should know him anywhere;

And anyhow disguised。

But the Prince is chain'd。

And of a loftier presence

'Tis he; I tell you;

Only bewilder'd as he was before。

God save your Royal Highness! On our knees

Beseech you answer us!



FIFE。

Just as you please。

Well'tis this country's custom; I suppose;

To take a poor man every now and then

And set him ON the throne; just for the fun

Of tumbling him again into the dirt。

And now my turn is come。 'Tis very pretty。



SOL。

His wits have been distemper'd with their drugs。

But do you ask him; Captain。



CAPT。

On my knees;

And in the name of all who kneel with me;

I do beseech your Highness answer to

Your royal title。



FIFE。

Still; just as you please。

In my own poor opinion of myself

But that may all be dreaming; which it seems

Is very much the fashion in this country

No Polish prince at all; but a poor lad

From Muscovy; where only help me back;

I promise never to contest the crown

Of Poland with whatever gentleman

You fancy to set up。



SOLDIERS。

From Muscovy?

A spy then

Of Astolfo's

Spy! a spy

Hang him at once!



FIFE。

No; pray don't dream of that!



SOL。

How dared you then set yourself up for our Prince Segismund?



FIFE。

/I/ set up!/I/ like that

When 'twas yourselves be…siegesmunded me。



CAPT。

No matterLook!The signal from the tower。

Prince Segismund!



SOL。 (from the tower)。

Prince Segismund!



CAPT。

All's well。 Clotaldo safe secured?



SOL。 (from the tower)。

Noby ill luck;

Instead of coming in; as we had look'd for;

He sprang on horse at once; and off at gallop。



CAPT。

To Court; no doubta blunder thatAnd yet

Perchance a blunder that may work as well

As better forethought。 Having no suspicion

So will he carry none where his not going

Were of itself suspicious。 But of those

Within; who side with us?



SOL。

Oh; one and all

To the last man; persuaded or compell'd。



CAPT。

Enough: whatever be to be retrieved

No moment to be lost。 For though Clotaldo

Have no revolt to tell of in the tower;

The capital will soon awake to ours;

And the King's force come blazing after us。

Where is the Prince?



SOL。

Within; so fast asleep

We woke him not ev'n striking off the chain

We had so cursedly help bind him with;

Not knowing what we did; but too ashamed

Not to undo ourselves what we had done。



CAPT。

No matter; nor by whosesoever hands;

Provided done。 Come; we will bring him forth

Out of that stony darkness here abroad;

Where air and sunshine sooner shall disperse

The sleepy fume which they have drugg'd him with。



(They enter the tower; and thence bring out Segismund asleep on a

pallet; and set him in the middle of the stage。)



CAPT。

Still; still so dead asleep; the very noise

And motion that we make in carrying him

Stirs not a leaf in all the living tree。



SOLDIERS。

If livingBut if by some inward blow

For ever and irrevocably fell'd

By what strikes deeper to the root than sleep?

He's dead! He's dead! They've kill'd him

Nohe breathes

And the heart beatsand now he breathes again

Deeply; as one about to shake away

The load of sleep。



CAPT。

Come; let us all kneel round;

And with a blast of warlike instruments;

And acclamation of all loyal hearts;

Rouse and restore him to his royal right;

From which no royal wrong shall drive him more。



(They all kneel round his bed: trumpets; drums; etc。)



SOLDIERS。

Segismund! Segismund! Prince Segismund!

King Segismund! Down with Basilio!

Down with Astolfo! Segismund our King! etc。

He stares upon us wildly。 He cannot speak。

I said sodriv'n him mad。

Speak to him; Captain。



CAPTAIN。

Oh Royal Segismund; our Prince and King;

Look on uslisten to usanswer us;

Your faithful soldiery and subjects; now

About you kneeling; but on fire to rise

And cleave a passage through your enemies;

Until we seat you on your lawful throne。

For though your father; King Basilio;

Now King of Poland; jealous of the stars

That prophesy his setting with your rise;

Here holds you ignominiously eclipsed;

And would Astolfo; Duke of Muscovy;

Mount to the throne of Poland after him;

So will not we; your loyal soldiery

And subjects; neither those of us now first

Apprised of your existence and your right:

Nor those that hitherto deluded by

Allegiance false; their vizors now fling down;

And craving pardon on their knees with us

For that unconscious disloyalty;

Offer with us the service of their blood;

Not only we and they; but at our heels

The heart; if not the bulk; of Poland follows

To join their voices and their arms with ours;

In vindicating with our lives our own

Prince Segismund to Poland and her throne。



SOLDIERS。

Segismund; Segismund; Prince Segismund!

Our own King Segismund; etc。

(They all rise。)



SEG。

Again? So soon?What; not yet done with me?

The sun is little higher up; I think;

Than when I last lay down;

To bury in the depth of your own sea

You that infest its shallows。



CAPT。

Sir!



SEG。

And now;

Not in a palace; not in the fine clothes

We all were in; but here; in the old place;

And in our old accoutrement

Only your vizors off; and lips unlock'd

To mock me with that idle title



CAPT。

Nay;

Indeed no idle title; but your own;

Then; now; and now for ever。 For; behold;

Ev'n as I speak; the mountain passes fill

And bristle with the advancing soldiery

That glitters in your rising glory; sir;

And; at our signal; echo to our cry;

'Segismund; King of Poland!' etc。



(Shouts; trumpets; etc。)



SEG。

Oh; how cheap

The muster of a countless host of shadows;

As impotent to do with as to keep!

All this they said beforeto softer music。



CAPT。

Soft music; sir; to what indeed were shadows;

That; following the sunshine of a Court;

Shall back be brought with itif shadows still;

Yet to substantial reckoning。



SEG。

They shall?

The white…hair'd and white…wanded chamberlain;

So busy with his wand toothe old King

That I was somewhat hard onhe had been

Hard upon meand the fine feather'd Prince

Who crow'd so loudmy cousin;and another;

Another cousin; we will not bear hard on

AndBut Clotaldo?



CAPT。

Fled; my lord; but close

Pursued; and then



SEG。

Then; as he fled before;

And after he had sworn it on his knees;

Came back to take mewhere I am!No more;

No more of this! Away with you! Begone!

Whether but visions of ambitious night

That morning ought to scatter; or grown out

Of night's proportions you invade the day

To scare me from my little wits yet left;

Begone! I know I must be near awake;

Knowing I dream; or; if not at my voice;

Then vanish at the clapping of my hands;

Or take this foolish fellow for your sport:

Dressing me up in visionary glories;

Which the first air of waking consciousness

Scatters as fast as from the almander

That; waking one fine morning in full flower;

One rougher insurrection of the breeze

Of all her sudden honour disadorns

To the last blossom; and she stands again

The winter…naked scare…crow that she was!



CAPT。

I know not what to do; nor what to say;

With all this dreaming; I begin to doubt

They have driv'n him mad indeed; and he and we
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!