Samuel Coleridge - The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Suffered — oh, more than e’er man feigned of friendship?

Raab Kiuprili. Yet be thou comforted! What! had’st thou faith 40

When I turned back incredulous? ‘Twas thy light

That kindled mine. And shall it now go out,

And leave thy soul in darkness? Yet look up,

And think thou see’st thy sainted lord commissioned

And on his way to aid us! Whence those late dreams, 45

Which after such long interval of hopeless

And silent resignation all at once

Night after night commanded thy return

Hither? and still presented in clear vision

This wood as in a scene? this very cavern? 50

Thou darest not doubt that Heaven’s especial hand

Worked in those signs. The hour of thy deliverance

Is on the stroke: — for misery can not add

Grief to thy griefs, or patience to thy sufferance!

Zapolya. Can not! Oh, what if thou wert taken from me? 55

Nay, thou said’st well: for that and death were one.

Life’s grief is at its height indeed; the hard

Necessity of this inhuman state

Hath made our deeds inhuman as our vestments.

Housed in this wild wood, with wild usages, 60

Danger our guest, and famine at our portal —

Wolf-like to prowl in the shepherd’s fold by night!

At once for food and safety to affrighten

The traveller from his road —

[GLYCINE is heard singing without.

Raab Kiuprili. Hark! heard you not

A distant chaunt? 65

SONG

By GLYCINE

A sunny shaft did I behold,

From sky to earth it slanted:

And poised therein a bird so bold —

Sweet bird, thou wert enchanted!

He sank, he rose, he twinkled, he trolled 70

Within that shaft of sunny mist;

His eyes of fire, his beak of gold,

All else of amethyst!

And thus he sang: ‘Adieu! adieu!

Love’s dreams prove seldom true. 75

The blossoms, they make no delay:

The sparkling dewdrops will not stay.

Sweet month of May,

We must away;

Far, far away! 80

To-day! to-day!’

Zapolya. Sure ‘tis some blest spirit!

For since thou slew’st the usurper’s emissary

That plunged upon us, a more than mortal fear

Is as a wall, that wards off the beleaguerer 85

And starves the poor besieged. [Song again.

Raab Kiuprili. It is a maiden’s voice! quick to the cave!

Zapolya. Hark! her voice falters! [Exit ZAPOLYA.

Raab Kiuprili. She must not enter

The cavern, else I will remain unseen!

[KIUPRILI retires to one side of the stage. GLYCINE

enters singing.

Glycine. A savage place! saints shield me! Bethlen! Bethlen! 90

Not here? — There’s no one here! I’ll sing again!

[Sings again.

If I do not hear my own voice, I shall fancy

Voices in all chance sounds! [Starts.

‘Twas some dry branch

Dropt of itself! Oh, he went forth so rashly,

Took no food with him — only his arms and boar-spear! 95

What if I leave these cakes, this cruse of wine,

Here by this cave, and seek him with the rest?

Raab Kiuprili (unseen). Leave them and flee!

Glycine (shrieks, then recovering.) Where are you?

Raab Kiuprili (still unseen.) Leave them!

Glycine. ‘Tis Glycine!

Speak to me, Bethlen! speak in your own voice! 100

All silent! — If this were the war-wolf’s den!

‘Twas not his voice! —

[GLYCINE leaves the provisions, and exit. KIUPRILI comes

forward, seizes them and carries them into the

cavern. GLYCINE returns.

Glycine. Shame! Nothing hurt me!

If some fierce beast have gored him, he must needs

Speak with a strange voice. Wounds cause thirst and hoarseness!

Speak, Bethlen! or but moan. St — St —— No — Bethlen! 105

If I turn back and he should be found dead here,

[She creeps nearer and nearer to the cavern.

I should go mad! — Again!—’Twas my own heart!

Hush, coward heart! better beat loud with fear,

Than break with shame and anguish!

[As she approaches to enter the cavern, KIUPRILI stops

her. GLYCINE shrieks.

Saints protect me!

Raab Kiuprili. Swear then by all thy hopes, by all thy fears — 110

Glycine. Save me!

Raab Kiuprili. Swear secrecy and silence!

Glycine. I swear!

Raab Kiuprili. Tell what thou art, and what thou seekest?

Glycine. Only

A harmless orphan youth, to bring him food —

Raab Kiuprili. Wherefore in this wood?

Glycine. Alas! it was his purpose —

Raab Kiuprili. With what intention came he? Would’st thou save

him, 115

Hide nothing!

Glycine. Save him! O forgive his rashness!

He is good, and did not know that thou wert human!

Raab Kiuprili. Human?

With what design?

Glycine. To kill thee, or

If that thou wert a spirit, to compel thee

By prayers, and with the shedding of his blood, 120

To make disclosure of his parentage.

But most of all —

Zapolya (rushing out from the cavern). Heaven’s blessing on thee!

Speak!

Glycine. Whether his mother live, or perished here!

Zapolya. Angel of mercy, I was perishing

And thou did’st bring me food: and now thou bring’st 125

The sweet, sweet food of hope and consolation

To a mother’s famished heart! His name, sweet maiden!

Glycine. E’en till this morning we were wont to name him

Bethlen Bathory!

Zapolya. Even till this morning?

This morning? when my weak faith failed me wholly! 130

Pardon, O thou that portion’st out our sufferance,

And fill’st again the widow’s empty cruse!

Say on!

Glycine. The false ones charged the valiant youth

With treasonous words of Emerick —

Zapolya. Ha! my son!

Glycine. And of Lord Casimir —

Raab Kiuprili (aside). O agony! my son! 135

Glycine. But my dear lady —

Zapolya and Raab Kiuprili. Who?

Glycine. Lady Sarolta

Frowned and discharged these bad men.

Raab Kiuprili (to himself). Righteous Heaven

Sent me a daughter once, and I repined

That it was not a son. A son was given me.

My daughter died, and I scarce shed a tear: 140

And lo! that son became my curse and infamy.

Zapolya (embraces Glycine). Sweet innocent! and you came here to

seek him,

And bring him food. Alas! thou fear’st?

Glycine. Not much!

My own dear lady, when I was a child,

Embraced me oft, but her heart never beat so. 145

For I too am an orphan, motherless!

Raab Kiuprili (to Zapolya). O yet beware, lest hope’s brief flash

but deepen

The after gloom, and make the darkness stormy!

In that last conflict, following our escape,

The usurper’s cruelty had clogged our flight 150

With many a babe and many a childing mother.

This maid herself is one of numberless

Planks from the same vast wreck. [Then to GLYCINE again.

Well! Casimir’s wife —

Glycine. She is always gracious, and so praised the old man

That his heart o’erflowed, and made discovery 155

That in this wood —

Zapolya. O speak!

Glycine. A wounded lady —

[ZAPOLYA faints — they both support her.

Glycine. Is this his mother?

Raab Kiuprili. She would fain believe it,

Weak though the proofs be. Hope draws towards itself

The flame with which it kindles. [Horn heard without.

To the cavern!

Quick! quick!

Glycine. Perchance some huntsmen of the king’s. 160

Raab Kiuprili. Emerick?

Glycine. He came this morning —

[They retire to the cavern, bearing ZAPOLYA. Then enter

BETHLEN, armed with a boar-spear.

Bethlen. I had a glimpse

Of some fierce shape; and but that Fancy often

Is Nature’s intermeddler, and cries halves