Samuel Coleridge - The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

discovered, and having remained a few seconds is

then hidden by ascending flames.

Ordonio (starting). Duped! duped! duped! — the traitor Isidore!

[At this instant the doors are forced open, MONVIEDRO

and the Familiars of the Inquisition, Servants,

&c., enter and fill the stage.

Monviedro. First seize the sorcerer! suffer him not to speak!

The holy judges of the Inquisition

Shall hear his first words. — Look you pale, Lord Valdez?

Plain evidence have we here of most foul sorcery. 140

There is a dungeon underneath this castle,

And as you hope for mild interpretation,

Surrender instantly the keys and charge of it.

Ordonio (recovering himself as from stupor, to Servants). Why

haste you not? Off with him to the dungeon!

[All rush out in tumult.

[After 49] [Music expressive of the movements and images that follow.

Editions 1, 2, 3, 1829.

Table of Contents

Interior of a Chapel, with painted Windows.

Enter TERESA.

Teresa. When first I entered this pure spot, forebodings

Press’d heavy on my heart: but as I knelt,

Such calm unwonted bliss possess’d my spirit,

A trance so cloudless, that those sounds, hard by,

Of trampling uproar fell upon mine ear 5

As alien and unnoticed as the rainstorm

Beats on the roof of some fair banquet-room,

While sweetest melodies are warbling ——

Enter VALDEZ.

Valdez. Ye pitying saints, forgive a father’s blindness,

And extricate us from this net of peril! 10

Teresa. Who wakes anew my fears, and speaks of peril?

Valdez. O best Teresa, wisely wert thou prompted!

This was no feat of mortal agency!

That picture — Oh, that picture tells me all!

With a flash of light it came, in flames it vanished, 15

Self-kindled, self-consum’d: bright as thy life,

Sudden and unexpected as thy fate,

Alvar! My son! My son! — The Inquisitor —

Teresa. Torture me not! But Alvar — Oh of Alvar?

Valdez. How often would he plead for these Morescoes! 20

The brood accurst! remorseless, coward murderers!

Teresa. So? so? — I comprehend you — He is ——

Valdez. He is no more!

Teresa. O sorrow! that a father’s voice should say this,

A Father’s Heart believe it!

Valdez. A worse sorrow

Are fancy’s wild hopes to a heart despairing! 25

Teresa. These rays that slant in through those gorgeous windows,

From yon bright orb — though coloured as they pass,

Are they not light? — Even so that voice, Lord Valdez!

Which whispers to my soul, though haply varied

By many a fancy, many a wishful hope, 30

Speaks yet the truth: and Alvar lives for me!

Valdez. Yes, for three wasting years, thus and no other,

He has lived for thee — a spirit for thy spirit!

My child, we must not give religious faith

To every voice which makes the heart a listener 35

To its own wish.

Teresa. I breath’d to the Unerring

Permitted prayers. Must those remain unanswer’d,

Yet impious sorcery, that holds no commune

Save with the lying spirit, claim belief?

Valdez. O not to-day, not now for the first time 40

Was Alvar lost to thee —

Accurst assassins!

Disarmed, o’erpowered, despairing of defence,

At his bared breast he seem’d to grasp some relique

More dear than was his life ——

Teresa. O Heavens! my portrait!

And he did grasp it in his death pang!

Off, false demon, 45

That beat’st thy black wings close above my head!

[ORDONIO enters with the keys of the dungeon in his

hand.

Hush! who comes here? The wizard Moor’s employer!

Moors were his murderers, you say? Saints shield us

From wicked thoughts ——

[VALDEZ moves towards the back of the stage to meet

ORDONIO, and during the concluding lines of

TERESA’S speech appears as eagerly conversing

with him.

Is Alvar dead? what then?

The nuptial rites and funeral shall be one! 50

Here’s no abiding-place for thee, Teresa. —

Away! they see me not — Thou seest me, Alvar!

To thee I bend my course. — But first one question,

One question to Ordonio. — My limbs tremble —

There I may sit unmark’d — a moment will restore me. 55

[Retires out of sight.

Ordonio (as he advances with Valdez). These are the dungeon keys.

Monviedro knew not,

That I too had received the wizard’s message,

‘He that can bring the dead to life again.’

But now he is satisfied, I plann’d this scheme

To work a full conviction on the culprit, 60

And he entrusts him wholly to my keeping.

Valdez. ‘Tis well, my son! But have you yet discovered

(Where is Teresa?) what those speeches meant —

Pride, and hypocrisy, and guilt, and cunning?

Then when the wizard fix’d his eye on you, 65

And you, I know not why, look’d pale and trembled —

Why — why, what ails you now? —

Ordonio. Me? what ails me?

A pricking of the blood — It might have happen’d

At any other time. — Why scan you me?

Valdez. His speech about the corse, and stabs and murderers, 70

Bore reference to the assassins ——

Ordonio. Dup’d! dup’d! dup’d!

The traitor, Isidore! [A pause, then wildly.

I tell thee, my dear father!

I am most glad of this.

Valdez. True — sorcery

Merits its doom; and this perchance may guide us

To the discovery of the murderers. 75

I have their statures and their several faces

So present to me, that but once to meet them

Would be to recognize.

Ordonio. Yes! yes! we recognize them.

I was benumb’d, and staggered up and down

Through darkness without light — dark — dark — dark! 80

My flesh crept chill, my limbs felt manacled

As had a snake coil’d round them! — Now ‘tis sunshine,

And the blood dances freely through its channels!

[Then to himself.

This is my virtuous, grateful Isidore!

[Then mimicking ISIDORE’S manner and voice.

‘A common trick of gratitude, my lord!’ 85

Old Gratitude! a dagger would dissect

His ‘own full heart’—’twere good to see its colour.

Valdez. These magic sights! O that I ne’er had yielded

To your entreaties! Neither had I yielded,

But that in spite of your own seeming faith 90

I held it for some innocent stratagem,

Which love had prompted, to remove the doubts

Of wild Teresa — by fancies quelling fancies!

Ordonio. Love! love! and then we hate! and what? and wherefore?

Hatred and love! fancies opposed by fancies! 95

What? if one reptile sting another reptile?

Where is the crime? The goodly face of nature

Hath one disfeaturing stain the less upon it.

Are we not all predestined transiency,

And cold dishonour? Grant it, that this hand 100

Had given a morsel to the hungry worms

Somewhat too early — Where’s the crime of this?

That this must needs bring on the idiotcy

Of moist-eyed penitence—’tis like a dream!

Valdez. Wild talk, my son! But thy excess of feeling —— 105

Almost I fear it hath unhinged his brain.

Ordonio (Teresa reappears and advances slowly). Say, I had laid

a body in the sun!

Well! in a month there swarm forth from the corse

A thousand, nay, ten thousand sentient beings

In place of that one man. — Say, I had kill’d him! 110

[TERESA stops listening.

Yet who shall tell me, that each one and all

Of these ten thousand lives is not as happy,

As that one life, which being push’d aside,