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第6章

life is a dream-第6章

小说: life is a dream 字数: 每页4000字

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CLO。

Courage; my liege! The curtain is undrawn;

And each must play his part out manfully;

Leaving the rest to heaven。



KING。

Whose written words

If I should misinterpret or transgress!

But as you say

(To the Lord; who exit。)

You; back to him at once;

Clotaldo; you; when he is somewhat used

To the new world of which they call him Prince;

Where place and face; and all; is strange to him;

With your known features and familiar garb

Shall then; as chorus to the scene; accost him;

And by such earnest of that old and too

Familiar world; assure him of the new。

Last in the strange procession; I myself

Will by one full and last development

Complete the plot for that catastrophe

That he must put to all; God grant it be

The crown of Poland on his brows!Hark! hark!

Was that his voice within!Now louderOh;

Clotaldo; what! so soon begun to roar!

Again! above the music But betide

What may; until the moment; we must hide。



(Exeunt King and Clotaldo。)



SEGISMUND (within)。

Forbear! I stifle with your perfume! Cease

Your crazy salutations! peace; I say

Begone; or let me go; ere I go mad

With all this babble; mummery; and glare;

For I am growing dangerousAir! room! air!

(He rushes in。 Music ceases。)

Oh but to save the reeling brain from wreck

With its bewilder'd senses!

(He covers his eyes for a while。)

What! E'en now

That Babel left behind me; but my eyes

Pursued by the same glamour; thatunless

Alike bewitch'd toothe confederate sense

Vouches for palpable: bright…shining floors

That ring hard answer back to the stamp'd heel;

And shoot up airy columns marble…cold;

That; as they climb; break into golden leaf

And capital; till they embrace aloft

In clustering flower and fruitage over walls

Hung with such purple curtain as the West

Fringes with such a gold; or over…laid

With sanguine…glowing semblances of men;

Each in his all but living action busied;

Or from the wall they look from; with fix'd eyes

Pursuing me; and one most strange of all

That; as I pass'd the crystal on the wall;

Look'd from itleft itand as I return;

Returns; and looks me face to face again

Unless some false reflection of my brain;

The outward semblance of myselfMyself?

How know that tawdry shadow for myself;

But that it moves as I move; lifts his hand

With mine; each motion echoing so close

The immediate suggestion of the will

In which myself I recognizeMyself!

What; this fantastic Segismund the same

Who last night; as for all his nights before;

Lay down to sleep in wolf…skin on the ground

In a black turret which the wolf howl'd round;

And woke again upon a golden bed;

Round which as clouds about a rising sun;

In scarce less glittering caparison;

Gather'd gay shapes that; underneath a breeze

Of music; handed him upon their knees

The wine of heaven in a cup of gold;

And still in soft melodious under…song

Hailing me Prince of Poland!'Segismund;'

They said; 'Our Prince! The Prince of Poland!' and

Again; 'Oh; welcome; welcome; to his own;

'Our own Prince Segismund'

Oh; but a blast

One blast of the rough mountain air! one look

At the grim features

(He goes to the window。)

What they disvizor'd also! shatter'd chaos

Cast into stately shape and masonry;

Between whose channel'd and perspective sides

Compact with rooted towers; and flourishing

To heaven with gilded pinnacle and spire;

Flows the live current ever to and fro

With open aspect and free step!Clotaldo!

Clotaldo!calling as one scarce dares call

For him who suddenly might break the spell

One fears to walk without himWhy; that I;

With unencumber'd step as any there;

Go stumbling through my gloryfeeling for

That iron leading…stringay; for myself

For that fast…anchor'd self of yesterday;

Of yesterday; and all my life before;

Ere drifted clean from self…identity

Upon the fluctuation of to…day's

Mad whirling circumstance!And; fool; why not?

If reason; sense; and self…identity

Obliterated from a worn…out brain;

Art thou not maddest striving to be sane;

And catching at that Self of yesterday

That; like a leper's rags; best flung away!

Or if not mad; then dreamingdreaming?well

Dreaming thenOr; if self to self be true;

Not mock'd by that; but as poor souls have been

By those who wrong'd them; to give wrong new relish?

Or have those stars indeed they told me of

As masters of my wretched life of old;

Into some happier constellation roll'd;

And brought my better fortune out on earth

Clear as themselves in heaven!Prince Segismund

They call'd meand at will I shook them off

Will they return again at my command

Again to call me so?Within there! You!

Segismund callsPrince Segismund



(He has seated himself on the throne。 Enter Chamberlain; with lords in

waiting。)



CHAMB。

I rejoice

That unadvised of any but the voice

Of royal instinct in the blood; your Highness

Has ta'en the chair that you were born to fill。



SEG。

The chair?



CHAMB。

The royal throne of Poland; Sir;

Which may your Royal Highness keep as long

As he that now rules from it shall have ruled

When heaven has call'd him to itself。



SEG。

When he?



CHAMB。

Your royal father; King Basilio; Sir。



SEG。

My royal fatherKing Basilio。

You see I answer but as Echo does;

Not knowing what she listens or repeats。

This is my thronethis is my palaceOh;

But this out of the window?



CHAMB。

Warsaw; Sir;

Your capital



SEG。

And all the moving people?



CHAMB。

Your subjects and your vassals like ourselves。



SEG。

Ay; aymy subjectsin my capital

Warsawand I am Prince of itYou see

It needs much iteration to strike sense

Into the human echo。



CHAMB。

Left awhile

In the quick brain; the word will quickly to

Full meaning blow。



SEG。

You think so?



CHAMB。

And meanwhile

Lest our obsequiousness; which means no worse

Than customary honour to the Prince

We most rejoice to welcome; trouble you;

Should we retire again? or stand apart?

Or would your Highness have the music play

Again; which meditation; as they say;

So often loves to float upon?



SEG。

The music?

Noyesperhaps the trumpet

(Aside)

Yet if that

Brought back the troop!



A LORD。

The trumpet! There again

How trumpet…like spoke out the blood of Poland!



CHAMB。

Before the morning is far up; your Highness

Will have the trumpet marshalling your soldiers

Under the Palace windows。



SEG。

Ah; my soldiers

My soldiersnot black…vizor'd?



CHAMB。

Sir?



SEG。

No matter。

Butone thingfor a momentin your ear

Do you know one Clotaldo?



CHAMB。

Oh; my Lord;

He and myself together; I may say;

Although in different vocations;

Have silver'd in your royal father's service;

And; as I trust; with both of us a few

White hairs to fall in yours。



SEG。

Well said; well said!

Basilio; my fatherwellClotaldo

Is he my kinsman too?



CHAMB。

Oh; my good Lord;

A General simply in your Highness' service;

Than whom your Highness has no trustier。



SEG。

Ay; so you said before; I think。 And you

With that white wand of yours

Why; now I think on't; I have read of such

A silver…hair'd magician with a wand;

Who in a moment; with a wave of it;

Turn'd rags to jewels; clowns to emperors;

By some benigner magic than the stars

Spirited poor good people out of hand

From all their woes; in some enchanted sleep

Carried them off on cloud or dragon…back

Over the mountains; over the wide Deep;

And set them down to wake in Fairyland。



CHAMB。

Oh; my good Lord; you laugh at meand I

Right glad to make you laugh at such a price:

You know me no enchanter: if I were;

I and my wand as much as your Highness';

As now your chamberlain



SEG。

My chamberlain?

And these that follow you?



CHAMB。

On you; my Lord;

Your Highness' lords in waiting。



SEG。

Lords in waiting。

Wel

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