Three Major Plays (27 page)

And such assistance as you've given me

Is worthy of my warmest thanks.

400

I am obliged to you, as are
The Marquis and my father too.

FEDERICO.
Before I tell you who I am, madam,
Please let me kiss your hand.

CASANDRA. You kneel to me? Why this is silliness

405

Indeed! I am the one in your debt.

FEDERICO.
It is correct and proper, madam.
I am your son.

CASANDRA.
I must confess,
It was extremely foolish of me not

To guess the truth. Who else

410

Would rescue me in my distress?
Let me embrace you!*

FEDERICO.
It honours me
Sufficiently to kiss your hand.

CASANDRA.
Not so. Count Federico, my arms
Repay my debt.

FEDERICO.
I bid my soul 415
Sincerely acknowledge it.
I am at your service, madam.

[They engage in conversation

BATÍN.
Now that by luck we've found her here,
And there's no further need to go

To Mantua, I have to know

420

If you are just plain lady or
Your excellency* -- so I can match
The things I say to your quality.

LUCRECIA.
The truth is, friend, I've served

The Duchess since I was a child.

425

I help her both to dress and undress.
I cannot properly be called a lady,
More your lady-in-waiting.

-184-

BATÍN.
Are you in charge?
LUCRECIA. Oh, no.

BATÍN.
That means

You'll still be waiting, then. I know

430

A good few noblemen with girls
Like you. It's difficult to tell
If they are maids or just old-maids.
So what's your name?

LUCRECIA.
Lucrecia.

BATÍN.
What?
Not her from Rome?*

LUCRECIA. Oh no, from Mantua.

435

BATÍN.
Thank God! The thing is, ever since
I read her history, my head's
Been stuffed with thoughts of chastity
And other kinds of painful purgatory.

Ever heard of Tarquin, have you?

440

Now there's a feller greatly fancied*
By Lucrecia.

LUCRECIA.
I fancy you. . .

BATÍN.
Oh, good!

LUCRECIA.
. . . have got a wife already.

BATÍN.
Hey, steady on! Why would you want
To know?

LUCRECIA. So I, my friend, can go

445

And ask her if she thinks you trustworthy.

BATÍN.
I'd never have believed you'd play
A dirty trick like that on me.
I suppose you know just who I am.

LUCRECIA.
I've no idea.

BATÍN. Do you mean to say

450

BatÍn's great fame has never spread

-185-

As far as Mantua?

LUCRECIA.
What are
You famous for? You must be one
Of those who always boast of big

Accomplishments and great, outstanding

455

Qualities, but when examined close
At hand, are best described as small,
Or even worse, extremely puny.

BATÍN.
Come on, I'm never one of those,

Nor would I ever criticize

460

Another man's outstanding virtues.
It was a joke, a bit of fun.
You musn't think I'm someone likes
To boast and brag. I'm just a bloke

Who longs to have his name well known

465

And toasted by celebrities
In all the sciences and arts.
For lesser folk than me, you see, true fame
Is but a harvest reaped by fools

From seeds once sown by silly farts.

470

CASANDRA.
I cannot say what meeting you
Like this has meant to me, except
To say that all I've heard of you
Falls short of actual reality.

Your speech and manner are the proof,

475

My son and lord, of noble personage;
Your words and deeds the sign that true
Heroic acts speak of a soul
Whose hallmark is its boundless courage.

I am convinced my straying from

480

My chosen path was luck indeed:
A timely error* so designed
To make us meet with greater speed
Than otherwise seemed possible.

As sometimes happens when a storm

485

Breaks out at sea, and in the dark
Of night St Elmo's fire* burns

-186-

And flashes brilliantly, so was
My own predicament the night,

The river sea, my coach a ship,

490

Myself its captain, you the brightest star
In my dark firmament. From this
Day forth I'll be a mother to you,
Federico, and you shall have respect

For me, as any boy must have

495

For his dear mother. You please me so,
You fill my heart with so much joy,
I think I'd rather have you as my son
Than now become the Duchess of Ferrara.

FEDERICO. To have set eyes on you fills me

500

With fear, lovely lady, and so
Much flattery prevents my saying
What I must. I think my father now
Divides in two my very being,

For if I owe my origin to him,

505

Which is to say my flesh and blood,
To you I owe my very soul,
Which is to say that I am born again.
For these two births the victory

Is yours, for if man's soul comes down

510

To him from God, I cannot say
I knew until today where my
Soul was; and so, if I now owe
To you this sudden recognition of

My soul, then **** you alone can claim

515

You have achieved my resurrection.
Consider too that if, as I
Now claim, you give me life, the Duke
Must see me as his first-born son

When you, my lady, are his wife.

520

And if you think it strange that I,
A full-grown man, can thus be born
Again, I offer you as my excuse
That brilliant star we call the sun,

Which, having lived so many thousand years,

525

-187-

Must witness its new birth with every dawn.

Enter the
MARQUIS GONZAGA, RUTILIO,
and
SERVANTS.

RUTILIO. I can't think where they are, my lord.
I left them here.

MARQUIS. It would have been
A great misfortune if the man

You speak of had not seen and rescued her.

530

RUTILIO. I swear, she wanted me to leave
Her there. No doubt she thought her feet
Could turn the happy stream to snow,
^*
Or where the water froths and swirls,

Transform it into gleaming pearls,

535

Such is these modern girls' conception of
Their beauty! And so I couldn't get
To her as quickly as necessity
Would have me do, now could I?

Instead, she suddenly appeared in

540

The arms of the aforsesaid gentleman,
And I, since they were safe and sound,
Rushed here, to give you this account
Of what I saw, exactly as it happened.

MARQUIS. The coach stands there between

545

The water and the sand. Was there
No sign of her?

RUTILIO. The willow-trees
Were in my way. I couldn't really see
Her properly. Hey, there she is,

His servants as her company.

550

CASANDRA. My people seem to be coming.

MARQUIS. My dear lady!

CASANDRA. My dear Marquis!

MARQUIS. Concern for your ladyship
Has kept us in a state of deep

-188-

And constant anguish. We give our thanks

555

To God we've found you safe and sound
At last.

CASANDRA. After God you'd better thank
This brave young man. His arms
And courtesy were quite enough

To carry me to perfect safety.

560

MARQUIS. My noble Count, who better than
Yourself could give assistance to
A lady who shall soon be justly known
To you as your mother!

FEDERICO. Marquis,

I'd be like Jupiter * himself

565

And turn into an eagle, king
Of birds, and dare to burn my wings
Close to the sun, in imitation of
Bold Phaethon's pride.
^*
I'd hold her tightly in

These claws, a golden fleece, * and fly

570

With her to where my father waits,
To place her gently at his side.

MARQUIS. My lord, I do believe that Heaven
Abets what we have seen today,

So that Casandra owes to you

575

A debt of constant gratitude,
And never more can people say
That those adversaries of old --
A stepson and his mother -- cannot live

As one in perfect love and harmony.

580

This most unusual and rare
Event shall be acclaimed by all of Italy.

[
They speak together.
CASANDRA
and
LUCRECIA
also converse

CASANDRA. While they are talking, Lucrecia,
What's your opinion of Federico?

LUCRECIA. With your permission, my lady,

585

I'll give you my opinion.

-189-

CASANDRA. In that case,
Reluctantly, you have it.

LUCRECIA. I think . . .

CASANDRA. Yes?

LUCRECIA. If he changed places with his father,
You'd be happier.

CASANDRA. I think you may

Be right, Lucrecia. My fortune goes

590

Against me. But it is settled now.
If I go home to Mantua
And try to fool my father with
Some story, he'll most likely kill me.

My foolishness would soon become

595

A topic for the idle tongues
^*
Of Italy. Besides, it would
Not mean that I could then expect
To marry Federico; and so

There is no reason to go back

600

To Mantua. I shall go on
To where the Duke awaits me in
Ferrara; though if the stories I
Have heard about his wayward life

Are true, they are for any wife-to-be

605

A source of some anxiety.

MARQUIS. If everyone is now assembled here,
It's best we leave this wood before
Some other accident occurs.

Rutilio, you shall go ahead

610

Of us and let Ferrara know
Of our good news, unless the news
Arrives ahead of you; though it's
More likely only bad news travels fast,

And good news last of all. My lady,

615

Come. See to it a horse is ready for
The Count.

CASANDRA. I think you'll find, my lord,

-190-

My coach provides a smoother ride
By far.

FEDERICO. Then I agree, so that

It can't be said I ever willingly

620

Refused a lady.

[
The
MARQUIS
takes
CASANDRA
by the hand.
FEDERICO
and
BATÍN
alone

BATÍN. I think this Duchess is
Astonishing!

FEDERICO. So you approve, Batín?

BATÍN. I'd say she is a lily
^*
that,
As gentle dawn arrives, sticks out

Its snow-white stamens, begging it

625

To let it have, in fair exchange
For golden pollen, dewy pearls;
Which means to say I think she is
A pretty girl. On top of that,

My lord -- but now she's getting in

630

Her coach, you can't delay her more --
There's something else that I could say
To you.

FEDERICO. In that case, say no more,
Batín. The sharpness of your eyes

Perceives the darkest thoughts within

635

My soul and so awakens and deceives
My appetites.

BATÍN. But wouldn't it
Be right for you to have her for
Yourself, my lord? This fresh carnation?

This lovely orange-blossom? This piece

640

Of tasty decoration sweet
As sugar? This Venus? This Helen?
^*
Why should the sodding custom of
The world give her to him?

FEDERICO. Let's go, before suspicion falls

645

-191-