Three Major Plays (19 page)

Don Alonso saw you at the
feria,
A peasant-girl as Venus, those
Fair eye-brows Cupid's bow,
^*
your eyes

Themselves his fatal arrows. And so

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He followed you, for wise men say
That beauty dwells within the eyes
And in the meanings they convey.
As far as he's concerned, his eyes

Became the victims of the ribbons on

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Your shoes -- these days, it seems, it's not
A woman's hair men lose their souls to!
And so, he serves you, you like him;
He worships you, and you destroy him;

He writes to you, you write to him.

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Who can blame a love that is so honest?
He will inherit, as the only heir,
Ten thousand ducats.
^*
And though he is
So young, his parents are already old.

So love him and be served by one

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Who is the noblest and most prudent man
In all Castile! And well-proportioned too!
And clever! In Valladolid the King
Has greatly favoured him, for honouring

The royal wedding. * In the bull-ring

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He was as brave as Hector,
^*
parrying
And thrusting with his sword. He gave
The ladies thirty prizes, including rings,
For all the victories he won. He was

Achilles * in his armour, gazing at

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The walls of Troy; Adonis
^*
in
His finery . . . though may his fate
Prove better than the two of them!
A prudent husband's something to treasure;

Marry a fool, and it's a disaster.

710

INÉS. Good mother, you are driving me mad!
Oh, how can I become his wife
If father offers me to Don Rodrigo?
Even now he and Fernando discuss

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The matter.

FABIA. You and your young man

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Will overturn the sentence.

INÉS. How can
We with Rodrigo here?

FABIA. But he is just
A witness, not the judge!

INÉS. Leonor, can't
You advise me?

LEONOR. You would ignore me if
I did.

INÉS. Perhaps. Let's not discuss

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These things in public.

FABIA. Leave these matters in
My hands. Don Alonso shall be yours!
Happy ever after with the man
Who is in all Castile the jewel of

Medina, the flower of Olmedo! *

725

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Enter
TELLO
and
DON ALONSO.

ALONSO. Tello, I think it better that
I die than live, not seeing her.

TELLO. Master, what bothers me is that
This secret love will soon be known

To everyone, what with you travelling

5

Between Olmedo and Medina.
Such eagerness could cause us trouble,
As well as giving food to wagging tongues.

ALONSO. How can I not attempt to see

InÉs if I adore her?

TELLO. You need

10

To come and go and speak to her
With more discretion.
^*
It's only been
Three days and you're on fire. It must
Be what they call love's three-day fever!
^*

ALONSO. My love does not grow cool. It burns!

15

It does not need encouragement.
It has a lion's strength, its force
Is irresistible. And if, on this
Fourth day, the fever seems much less,

It is because I am away from her.

20

If I were where I always saw Inés,
My soul would be a salamander!
^*

TELLO. But doesn't this coming and going get
You down?

ALONSO. Olmedo to Medina is
As nothing, Tello.

Leander * crossed

25

An ocean every night, and yet
That great expanse of water failed

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To cool his passion. There is no sea
Between Olmedo and Medina, and so

My sacrifice is insignificant.

30

TELLO. The man who faces danger such
As this sets out upon a different sea
From your Leander. Don Rodrigo knows,
As well as I, of your love.

I didn't know whose cloak it was,

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You see, and so one day I put
It on . . .

ALONSO. You fool!

TELLO. . . . as if it were
My own. Rodrigo spoke to me:
'Tell me, sir, who gave you the cloak?

It's rather familiar.' I said to him:

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'If I can be of service, sir,
I'll give it to one of your servants.'
At that his colour went. He said:
'It's just that a servant of mine lost it

A few nights back. In any case,

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It suits you. Keep it!' And off he went,
In angry mood, his hand gripped tight
Upon his sword. He knows I serve you,
And knows as well we found the cloak.

Remember, sir, how dangerous

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These people are. What's more, we're on
Their patch, and, as you know, each cock
Crows best upon its dunghill.
^*
It scares
Me too to see this love of yours

Begin with witchcraft. I can't believe

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That magic spells are best if you
Intend to court her honestly.
I tell you, sir, I went with Fabia -
If only I'd said 'no'! -- to draw

A tooth from the man they'd hanged.

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Like Harlequin
^*
I placed the ladder,
Which Fabia climbed while I stood there

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Below. And then it was the dead
Man spoke: ' Tello,' he said, 'no need

To be afraid. You come up here,

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Or else I'll come to you.' Believe
Me, sir, the lights went out, I fell
Down in a faint and hit the ground
So hard, the only wonder is

My senses were restored to me.

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Fabia reached me just as I came round,
Still terrified and so upset
That, though it hadn't rained at all,
I found that I was soaking wet.
^*

ALONSO. Tello, a love that's true ignores

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The greatest danger. It is my fate
That I should have a rival who
Has fallen for Inés and therefore seeks
To marry her. So what am I

To do if, on account of this,

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I am both desperate and jealous?
I don't believe in spells and witchcraft.
What is the point of it if someone else
Can only be persuaded by

One's merits and affection? Inés

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Loves me. I worship her, I live
In her, and everything that is
Not her I hate, despise, and scorn.
Inés is my well-being. I am

Her slave, * I cannot live without her.

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I come and go between Olmedo and
Medina because Inés is mistress of
My soul, regardless of whether I live
Or die.

TELLO. Then you have to say 'I love

You, Inés'. And let's hope some good

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Will come of it.

ALONSO. Go knock on the door.
It's time.

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TELLO. Right, here we go.

ANA. Who's there?

TELLO. God, that was quick. It's me. Is
Melibea
^*
in? Calisto's come to call
On her.

ANA. A moment, Sempronio.

TELLO. Now

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All we need is old Celestina!

Enter
DOÑA INÉS.

INÉS. He's here in person?

ANA. He is, señora.

INÉS. My dear sir!

ALONSO. Most lovely Inés!
This is to be alive at last!

TELLO.

Go to it, sir! Strike the iron while

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It's hot!

INÉS. Friend Tello!

TELLO. My lovely queen!

INÉS. My dearest Alonso. Rodrigo has
Been here this afternoon. I am
Annoyed by his insistent claims,

And so consoled by your presence.

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ALONSO. Obedience to your father means
That you might marry him. But I
Shall not abandon hope until
That sentence has been passed.

I knew within my heart -- indeed,

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I spoke of it to Tello as
He saddled our horses at
The break of day -- that something new
And fateful had occurred. And now

That I am here, you yourself confirm

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The truth of it. If this is so,
What will become of me?

INÉS. Do not
Believe it. I shall say 'no' to everyone
If I've said 'yes' to you. You alone

Shall be the master of my life,

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My will. And nothing on this earth,
I promise you, shall stop our marriage.
I walked in the garden yesterday,
Alone -- the business with Fernando still

Annoys Leonor -- and spoke of love

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To the fountains and the flowers.
I wept because their life is full
Of joy and, though night comes, they know
That with each day they'll see

The sun in their heaven. I swear

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A lily spoke to me -- such are
The tricks love plays on us -- and said:
'The sun which you adore, Inés,
Appears at night, but why complain?
The other sun has set.'

TELLO. That's what

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A certain Greek once told a man
Who'd lost his sight. 'Stop moaning, man,'
He said. 'We always have more fun
At night, so why complain?'
^*

INÉS. And at

Such hours do I, as if I were

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A moth, seek your light. No, not
A moth!
^*
A phoenix, yes, for in
That sweet and lovely light I die
And then am born again.

ALONSO. God bless

The coral * of those lips, from whose

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Sweet petals tender words of love
Come forth and seek to comfort me.
Believe me, when I cannot speak

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With Tello, the flowers are a witness to

My love, my fears, my jealousy.

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TELLO. I've even seen him speak of love
To radishes.
^*
All lovers seem
To want the stones, the wind to be
Their witnesses.

ALONSO. My thoughts are never alone,

Inés, nor can I keep them to myself.

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They are with you, they speak of you,
They feel for you. Oh, if I could speak
Those words I speak when I'm alone!
But when I stand before you now,

I even forget that I'm alive.

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Along the road, Tello hears of all
Your attributes. We celebrate
Your quality of mind. And in
Your name I find such joy, I gave

Employment to a girl who shares

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Your name, and every day I take
Delight in calling out to her,
Because I think I'm calling you.

TELLO. Believe me, my dear Inés, you have

Such power over both of us.

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You've given him much greater wit,
And made of me a first-class poet.
Now here's a piece my master wrote:
A very clever working of

A single stanza. It takes each line,

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Repeats it later, somewhat like
The prayer we say in church for those
Who've died -- if such things can be spoken by
A man who's dead but still alive.

' Inés,

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In the valley, laughing.
If you see her, Andrés,
I beg you to tell her
I'm dying.'
^*

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INÉS. Did you say Alonso wrote it?

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TELLO. It's not at all bad for a poet from
Olmedo.

ALONSO. But inspired by love!

TELLO. 'Andrés, when Inés's lovely feet
^*
Had touched the valley's flowers,

They grew in such profusion,

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The heavens exchanged their stars for them.
And so the valley is now heaven,
With everything in springtime bloom,
And he will see true heaven in this,

Who sees, for she is heaven,

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Inés.

'With fear and true respect I place
My feet where hers have left their mark.
For what greater beauty could we wish

To make Medina's fields now flourish?

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I saw her flee from love
And everything she gazed on die.
Her harsh disdain so chilling,
I left her, while I was weeping,

In the valley, laughing.

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'Tell her, Andrés, I long to see
Her perfect beauty once again;
Though by the time you speak to her,
I think my life may well be over.

And you, once you've set eyes on her,

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Cannot expect a happy future.

For anyone who sees Inés
Is doomed to die, as you will be,
If you see her, Andrés.

'But should she omit to destroy you

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Because she's simply ignored you,
Then ask her why she murders me,

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