Maria. I have put aside
 The customs and the terrors of a woman,
 To work out thy escape. Stranger! begone, 230
 And only tell me what thou know'st of Albert.

[Albert takes her portrait from his neck, and gives it her with unutterable tenderness.

[593]Albert. Maria! my Maria!
Maria. Do not mock me.
 This is my face—and thou—ha! who art thou?
 Nay, I will call thee Albert!

[She falls upon his neck. Osorio leaps out from the nook with frantic wildness, and rushes towards Albert with his sword. Maria gapes at him, as one helpless with terror, then leaves Albert, and flings herself upon Osorio, arresting his arm.

Maria. Madman, stop!
Albert (with majesty and tenderness). Does then this thin disguise impenetrably 235
 Hide Albert from thee? Toil and painful wounds,
 And long imprisonment in unwholesome dungeons,
 Have marr'd perhaps all trace and lineament
 Of what I was! But chiefly, chiefly, brother!
 My anguish for thy guilt. Spotless Maria, 240
 I thought thee guilty too! Osorio, brother!
 Nay, nay, thou shalt embrace me!
Osorio (drawing back and gazing at Albert with a countenance expressive at once of awe and terror). Touch me not!
 Touch not pollution, Albert!—I will die!

[He attempts to fall on his sword. Albert and Maria struggle with him.

Albert. We will invent some tale to save your honour.
 Live, live, Osorio!
Maria. You may yet be happy. 245
Osorio (looking at Maria). O horror! Not a thousand years in heaven
 Could recompose this miserable heart,
 Or make it capable of one brief joy.
 Live! live!—why yes! 'Twere well to live with you—
 [594] For is it fit a villain should be proud? 250
 My brother! I will kneel to you, my brother! [Throws himself at Albert's feet.
 Forgive me, Albert!—Curse me with forgiveness!
Albert. Call back thy soul, my brother! and look round thee.
 Now is the time for greatness. Think that Heaven——
Maria. O mark his eye! he hears not what you say. 255
Osorio (pointing at vacancy). Yes, mark his eye! there's fascination in it.
 Thou said'st thou didst not know him. That is he!
 He comes upon me!
Albert (lifting his eye to heaven). Heal, O heal him, Heaven!
Osorio. Nearer and nearer! And I cannot stir!
 Will no one hear these stifled groans, and wake me? 260
 He would have died to save me, and I kill'd him—
 A husband and a father!
Maria. Some secret poison
 Drinks up his spirit!
Osorio (fiercely recollecting himself). Let the eternal Justice
 Prepare my punishment in the obscure world.
 I will not bear to live—to live! O agony! 265
 And be myself alone, my own sore torment!

[The doors of the dungeon are burst open with a crash. Alhadra, Maurice, and the band of Morescoes enter.

Alhadra (pointing at Osorio). Seize first that man!

[The Moors press round.

Albert (rushing in among them). Draw thy sword, Maurice, and defend my brother.

[A scuffle, during which they disarm Maurice.

Osorio. Off, ruffians! I have flung away my sword.
 Woman, my life is thine! to thee I give it. 270
 Off! he that touches me with his hand of flesh,
 I'll rend his limbs asunder! I have strength
 With this bare arm to scatter you like ashes!
[595]Alhadra. My husband——
Osorio. Yes! I murder'd him most foully.
Albert (throws himself on the earth). O horrible!
Alhadra. Why didst thou leave his children? 275
 Demon! thou shouldst have sent thy dogs of hell
 To lap their blood. Then, then, I might have harden'd
 My soul in misery, and have had comfort.
 I would have stood far off, quiet tho' dark,
 And bade the race of men raise up a mourning 280
 For the deep horror of a desolation
 Too great to be one soul's particular lot!
 Brother of Zagri! let me lean upon thee. [Struggling to suppress her anguish.
 The time is not yet come for woman's anguish—
 I have not seen his blood. Within an hour 285
 Those little ones will crowd around and ask me,
 Where is our father? [Looks at Osorio.
 I shall curse thee then!
 Wert thou in heaven, my curse would pluck thee thence!
Maria. See—see! he doth repent. I kneel to thee.
 Be merciful! [Maria kneels to her. Alhadra regards her face wistfully.
Alhadra. Thou art young and innocent; 290
 'Twere merciful to kill thee! Yet I will not.
 And for thy sake none of this house shall perish,
 [596] Save only he.
Maria. That aged man, his father!
Alhadra (sternly). Why had he such a son?

[The Moors press on.

Maria (still kneeling, and wild with affright). Yet spare his life!
 They must not murder him!
Alhadra. And is it then 295
 An enviable lot to waste away
 With inward wounds, and like the spirit of chaos
 To wander on disquietly thro' the earth,
 Cursing all lovely things? to let him live—
 It were a deep revenge!
All the band cry out—No mercy! no mercy! 300

[Naomi advances with the sword towards Osorio.

Alhadra. Nay, bear him forth! Why should this innocent maid
 Behold the ugliness of death?
Osorio (with great majesty). O woman!
 I have stood silent like a slave[596:1] before thee,
 That I might taste the wormwood and the gall,
 And satiate this self-accusing spirit 305
 With bitterer agonies than death can give.

[The Moors gather round him in a crowd, and pass off the stage.

Alhadra. I thank thee, Heaven! thou hast ordain'd it wisely,
 That still extremes bring their own cure. That point
 In misery which makes the oppressed man
 Regardless of his own life, makes him too 310
 Lord of the oppressor's! Knew I an hundred men
 Despairing, but not palsied by despair,
 This arm should shake the kingdoms of this world;
 [597] The deep foundations of iniquity
 Should sink away, earth groaning from beneath them; 315
 The strong holds of the cruel men should fall,
 Their temples and their mountainous towers should fall;
 Till desolation seem'd a beautiful thing,
 And all that were and had the spirit of life
 Sang a new song to him who had gone forth 320
 Conquering and still to conquer!

THE END[597:1]

FOOTNOTES:

[596:1] In MS. II 'worm' has the place of 'slave', which is the word in MS. I.

[597:1] On a blank page of MS. III some one, probably Bowles, has written:—'Upon the whole a very masterly production, and with judicious contractments might be rendered an interesting Drama on the stage.'

LINENOTES:

[1-106]

om. Remorse.

[39]

The hanging] Yon pendent Corr. in MS. III.

[41]
hanging]
 
 
pendent
flowerlike Corr. in MS. III.
[45]

that] this Corr. in MS. III.

Affixed to 57] Naomi, the second in command to Isidore, enters in haste. MS. III erased.

After 61 stage-direction erased MS. III.

[62]

Moorish Seaman] Naomi Corr. in MS. III.

[100-106]

Erased MS. III.

[107]

foll.] vide ante, 'The Dungeon,' p. 185.

[121]

steaming] steam and Corr. in MS. III, Remorse.

[125]

ever more] evermore Remorse.

After 136

I am chill and weary! Yon rude bench of stone,
 In that dark angle, the sole resting-place!
 But the self-approving mind is its own light,
 And Life's best warmth still radiates from the heart
 Where love sits brooding, and an honest purpose.

Enter Teresa. [Retires out of sight.

Corr. in MS. III, Remorse.

Stage-direction affixed to 136 and 136-9 erased in MS. III: om. Remorse.

Between 136 and 137:

I am chill and weary, &c. . . . honest purpose.

Enter Teresa with a taper.

Teresa. It has chilled my very life—my own voice scares me;
 Yet when I hear it not I seem to lose
 The substance of my being—my strongest grasp
 Sends inwards but weak witness that I am.
 I seek to cheat the echo.—How the half sounds
 Blend with this strangled light! Is he not here— [Looking round.
 O for one human face here—but to see
 One human face here to sustain me.—Courage!
 It is but my own fear! The life within me,
 It sinks and wavers like this cone of flame,
 Beyond which I scarce dare look onward! Oh!
 If I faint? If this inhuman den should be
 At once my death-bed and my burial vault? [Faintly screams as Alvar emerges from the recess.
Alvar (rushes towards her, and catches her as she is falling). O gracious heaven! it is, it is Teresa!
 Shall I reveal myself? The sudden shock
 Of rapture will blow out this spark of life,
 And joy complete what terror has begun.
 O ye impetuous beatings here, be still!
 Teresa, best beloved! pale, pale, and cold!
 Her pulse doth flutter! Teresa! my Teresa!
Teresa (recovering). I heard a voice; but often in my dreams
 I hear that voice! and wake and try—and try—
 To hear it waking! but I never could—
 And 'tis so now—even so! Well! he is dead—
 Murdered perhaps! And I am faint, and feel
 As if it were no painful thing to die!
Alvar. Believe it not, sweet maid! Believe it not,
 Beloved woman! 'Twas a low imposture
 Framed by a guilty wretch.
Teresa. Ha! Who art thou?
Alvar. Suborned by his brother—
Teresa. Didst thou murder him?
 And dost thou now repent? Poor troubled man,
 I do forgive thee, and may Heaven forgive thee!
Alvar. Ordonio—he——
Teresa. If thou didst murder him—
 His spirit ever at the throne of God
 Asks mercy for thee: prays for mercy for thee,
 With tears in Heaven!
Alvar. Alvar was not murdered.
 Be calm! be calm, sweet maid!
Teresa. Nay, nay, but tell me! [A pause.
 O 'tis lost again!
 This dull confused pain— [A pause.
 Mysterious man!
 Methinks I can not fear thee: for thine eye
 Doth swim with love and pity—Well! Ordonio—
 Oh my foreboding heart! And he suborned thee,
 And thou didst spare his life? Blessings shower on thee,
 As many as the drops twice counted o'er
 In the fond faithful heart of his Teresa!
Alvar. I can endure no more. The Moorish sorcerer
 Exists but in the stain upon his face.
 That picture——
Teresa. Ha! speak on!
Alvar. Beloved Teresa!
 It told but half the truth. O let this portrait
 Tell all—that Alvar lives—that he is here!
 Thy much deceived but ever faithful Alvar. [Takes her portrait from his neck, and gives it her.
Teresa (receiving the portrait). The same—it is the same. Ah! Who art thou?
 Nay, I will call thee, Alvar! [She falls on his neck.
Alvar. O joy unutterable!
 But hark! a sound as of removing bars
 At the dungeon's outer door. A brief, brief while
 Conceal thyself, my love! It is Ordonio.
 For the honour of our race, for our dear father;
 O for himself too (he is still my brother)
 Let me recall him to his nobler nature,
 That he may wake as from a dream of murder!
 O let me reconcile him to himself,
 Open the sacred source of penitent tears,
 And be once more his own beloved Alvar.
Teresa. O my all virtuous love! I fear to leave thee
 With that obdurate man.
Alvar. Thou dost not leave me!
 But a brief while retire into the darkness:
 O that my joy could spread its sunshine round thee!
Teresa. The sound of thy voice shall be my music!
 Alvar! my Alvar! am I sure I hold thee?
 Is it no dream? thee in my arms, my Alvar! [Exit.

[A noise at the dungeon door. It opens, and Ordonio enters, with a goblet in his hand.

Remorse.

[139]

of] on Remorse.

[140-1]

and stage-direction before 142 om. Remorse.

[145]

'Tis but a pool amid a storm of rain Remorse.

[148]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[149]

lesser must needs] weaker needs must Remorse.

[151-2]
Inly-tortured man,
 This is the revelry of a drunken anguish

Remorse.

Before 160 [Ordonio proffers the goblet. Remorse.

[160]

Friendship and wine om. Remorse.

[161]

legs] limbs Remorse.

[164]

life and thought] life, enjoyment Remorse.

[168]

brink] brim Remorse.

[169]

I would remove it with an anxious pity Remorse.

[171-2]
Thou hast guessed right; there's poison in the wine.
 There's poison in't—which of us two shall drink it?

Remorse.

Between 174 and 176:

Alvar. I know him not.
 And yet methinks, I have heard the name but lately.
 Means he the husband of the Moorish woman?
 Isidore? Isidore?

Remorse.

[175]

om. Remorse.

[180]

Stage-direction [Alvar takes the goblet, and throws it to the ground. Remorse.

My] My Remorse.

[196]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[198]

babe] babes Remorse.

[207]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[223]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[224]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[225-35]

om. Remorse.

Between 225 and 235

Teresa (rushing out and falling on Alvar's neck). Ordonio! 'tis thy brother!

[Ordonio runs upon Alvar with his sword. Teresa flings herself on Ordonio and arrests his arm.

Stop, madman, stop!

Remorse.

[235]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[238]

trace] trial corr. in MS. III; trait Remorse.

[240-41]

Spotless . . . guilty too om. Remorse.

[242]

shalt] shalt Remorse.

After 242 stage-direction (Drawing back and gazing at Alvar) Remorse.

Between 243 and 245

Alvar. We will find means to save your honour. Live,
 Oh live, Ordonio! for our father's sake!
 Spare his gray hairs!
Teresa. And you may yet be happy
Ordonio. O horror, &c.

Remorse.

After 243 struggle with] prevent Remorse.

After 251 [Throws himself, &c.] Kneeling Remorse.

[252]

Curse] Curse Remorse.

[253]

my brother] Ordonio Remorse.

[256]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[258]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[263]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

After 266

[The doors of the dungeon are broken open, and in rush Alhadra, and the band of Morescoes.

Alh. Seize first that man!

[Alvar presses onward to defend Ordonio.

Ord. Off, &c.

Remorse.

[274]

Alvar and Teresa. O horrible Remorse.

[277]

their] their Remorse.

[283]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

[287]

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

Between 288 and 304:

Teresa. He doth repent! See, see, I kneel to thee!
 O let him live! That aged man, his father——
Alhadra. Why had he such a son?

[Shouts from the distance of, Rescue! Rescue! Alvar! Alvar! and the voice of Valdez heard.

Rescue?—and Isidore's spirit unavenged?—
 The deed be mine! [Suddenly stabs Ordonio.
 Now take my Life!
Ordonio (staggering from the wound). Atonement!
Alvar (while with Teresa supporting Ordonio). Arm of avenging Heaven
 Thou hast snatched from me my most cherished hope—
 But go! my word was pledged to thee.
Ordonio. Away!
 Brave not my father's rage! I thank thee! Thou— [Then turning his eyes languidly to Alvar.
 She hath avenged the blood of Isidore!
 I stood in silence like a slave before her

Remorse.

[290-303]

om. Remorse.

Affixed to 300 Alhadra snatches it from him and suddenly stabs Ordonio. Alvar rushes towards him through the Moors, and catches him in his arms, &c. MS. III.

[303-4]
'Tis well! thou hast avenged thyself
 I have stood in silence like a slave before thee

Corr. in MS. III.

[305]

spirit] heart Remorse.

After 306

Forgive me, Alvar! O couldst thou forgive thyself.

Corr. in MS. III.

Forgive me, Alvar!
 Oh!—couldst thou forget me! [Dies.

[Alvar and Teresa bend over the body of Ordonio.

Alh. (to the Moors). I thank thee, Heaven! &c.

Remorse.

Shouts of Alvar! Alvar! Noises heard; a Moor rushes in.

Moor. We are surprised, away! away! the instant—
 The country is in arms. The old man heads them
 And still cries out, 'My son! My son is living'
 Haste to the shore! They come the opposite road.

Alhadra (to Alvar).

Thou then art Alvar! to my aid and safety
 Thy word stands pledged.
Alvar. Arm of avenging Heaven!
 My word stands pledged nor shall it be retracted.

(The Moors surround Alhadra) and force her off. The stage fills with armed peasants. Ali and Valdez at their head. Valdez rushes into Alvar's arms and the Curtain drops.

[Alternative ending in S. T. C.'s handwriting affixed to lines 307-21, MS. III]

[320]

him] her Remorse.

After 321

[Alhadra hurries off with the Moors; the stage fills with armed Peasants and Servants, Zulimez and Valdez at their head. Valdez rushes into Alvar's arms.

Alvar. Turn not thy face that way, my father! hide,
 Oh hide it from his eye! Oh let thy joy
 Flow in unmingled stream through thy first blessing. [both kneel to Valdez.
Valdez. My Son! My Alvar! bless, Oh bless him, heaven!
Teresa. Me too, my Father?
Valdez. Bless, Oh, bless my children! [both rise.
Alvar. Delights so full, if unalloyed with grief,
 Were ominous. In these strange dread events
 Just Heaven instructs us with an awful voice,
 That Conscience rules us e'en against our choice.
 Our inward monitress to guide or warn,
 If listened to; but if repelled with scorn,
 At length as dire Remorse, she reappears,
 Works in our guilty hopes, and selfish fears!
 Still bids, Remember! and still cries, Too late!
 And while she scares us, goads us to our fate.

Remorse.

THE PICCOLOMINI[598:1]

OR, THE FIRST PART OF WALLENSTEIN

 

A DRAMA

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF SCHILLER

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

It was my intention to have prefixed a Life of Wallenstein to this translation; but I found that it must either have occupied a space wholly disproportionate to the nature of the publication, or have been merely a meagre catalogue of events narrated not more fully than they already are in the Play itself. The recent translation, likewise, of Schiller's History of the Thirty Years' War diminished the motives thereto. In the translation I endeavoured to render my Author literally wherever I was not prevented by absolute differences of idiom; but I am conscious that in two or three short passages I have been guilty of dilating the original; and, from anxiety to give the full meaning, have weakened the force. In the metre I have availed myself of no other liberties than those which Schiller had permitted to himself, except the occasional breaking-up of the line by the substitution of a trochee for an iambus; of which liberty, so frequent in our tragedies, I find no instance in these dramas.

S. T. Coleridge.

FOOTNOTES: