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第7章

life is a dream-第7章

小说: life is a dream 字数: 每页4000字

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CHAMB。

On you; my Lord;

Your Highness' lords in waiting。



SEG。

Lords in waiting。

Well; I have now learn'd to repeat; I think;

If only but by roteThis is my palace;

And this my thronewhich unadvisedAnd that

Out of the window there my Capital;

And all the people moving up and down

My subjects and my vassals like yourselves;

My chamberlainand lords in waitingand

Clotaldoand Clotaldo?

You are an aged; and seem a reverend man

You do notthough his fellow…officer

You do not mean to mock me?



CHAMB。

Oh; my Lord!



SEG。

Well thenIf no magician; as you say;

Yet setting me a riddle; that my brain;

With all its senses whirling; cannot solve;

Yourself or one of these with you must answer

How Ithat only last night fell asleep

Not knowing that the very soil of earth

I lay downchain'dto sleep upon was Poland

Awake to find myself the Lord of it;

With Lords; and Generals; and Chamberlains;

And ev'n my very Gaoler; for my vassals!



Enter suddenly Clotaldo



CLOTALDO。

Stand all aside

That I may put into his hand the clue

To lead him out of this amazement。 Sir;

Vouchsafe your Highness from my bended knee

Receive my homage first。



SEG。

Clotaldo! What;

At lasthis old selfundisguised where all

Is masqueradeto end it!You kneeling too!

What! have the stars you told me long ago

Laid that old work upon you; added this;

That; having chain'd your prisoner so long;

You loose his body now to slay his wits;

Dragging himhow I know notwhither scarce

I understanddressing him up in all

This frippery; with your dumb familiars

Disvizor'd; and their lips unlock'd to lie;

Calling him Prince and King; and; madman…like;

Setting a crown of straw upon his head?



CLO。

Would but your Highness; as indeed I now

Must call youand upon his bended knee

Never bent Subject more devotedly

However all about you; and perhaps

You to yourself incomprehensiblest;

But rest in the assurance of your own

Sane waking senses; by these witnesses

Attested; till the story of it all;

Of which I bring a chapter; be reveal'd;

Assured of all you see and hear as neither

Madness nor mockery



SEG。

What then?



CLO。

All it seems:

This palace with its royal garniture;

This capital of which it is the eye;

With all its temples; marts; and arsenals;

This realm of which this city is the head;

With all its cities; villages; and tilth;

Its armies; fleets; and commerce; all your own;

And all the living souls that make them up;

From those who now; and those who shall; salute you;

Down to the poorest peasant of the realm;

Your subjectsWho; though now their mighty voice

Sleeps in the general body unapprized;

Wait but a word from those about you now

To hail you Prince of Poland; Segismund。



SEG。

All this is so?



CLO。

As sure as anything

Is; or can be。



SEG。

You swear it on the faith

You taught meelsewhere?



CLO (kissing the hilt of his sword)。

Swear it upon this Symbol;

and champion of the holy faith

I wear it to defend。



SEG (to himself)。

My eyes have not deceived me; nor my ears;

With this transfiguration; nor the strain

Of royal welcome that arose and blew;

Breathed from no lying lips; along with it。

For here Clotaldo comes; his own old self;

Who; if not Lie and phantom with the rest

(Aloud)

Well; then; all this is thus。

For have not these fine people told me so;

And you; Clotaldo; sworn it? And the Why

And Wherefore are to follow by and bye!

And yetand yetwhy wait for that which you

Who take your oath on it can answerand

Indeed it presses hard upon my brain

What I was asking of these gentlemen

When you came in upon us; how it is

That Ithe Segismund you know so long

No longer than the sun that rose to…day

Roseand from what you know

Rose to be Prince of Poland?



CLO。

So to be

Acknowledged and entreated; Sir。



SEG。

So be

Acknowledged and entreated

WellBut if now by all; by some at least

So knownif not entreatedheretofore

Though not by youFor; now I think again;

Of what should be your attestation worth;

You that of all my questionable subjects

Who knowing what; yet left me where I was;

You least of all; Clotaldo; till the dawn

Of this first day that told it to myself?



CLO。

Oh; let your Highness draw the line across

Fore…written sorrow; and in this new dawn

Bury that long sad night。



SEG。

Not ev'n the Dead;

Call'd to the resurrection of the blest;

Shall so directly drop all memory

Of woes and wrongs foregone!



CLO。

But not resent

Purged by the trial of that sorrow past

For full fruition of their present bliss。



SEG。

But leaving with the Judge what; till this earth

Be cancell'd in the burning heavens; He leaves

His earthly delegates to execute;

Of retribution in reward to them

And woe to those who wrong'd themNot as you;

Not you; Clotaldo; knowing notAnd yet

Ev'n to the guiltiest wretch in all the realm;

Of any treason guilty short of that;

Stern usagebut assuredly not knowing;

Not knowing 'twas your sovereign lord; Clotaldo;

You used so sternly。



CLO。

Ay; sir; with the same

Devotion and fidelity that now

Does homage to him for my sovereign。



SEG。

Fidelity that held his Prince in chains!



CLO。

Fidelity more fast than had it loosed him



SEG。

Ev'n from the very dawn of consciousness

Down at the bottom of the barren rocks;

Where scarce a ray of sunshine found him out;

In which the poorest beggar of my realm

At least to human…full proportion grows

Me! Mewhose station was the kingdom's top

To flourish in; reaching my head to heaven;

And with my branches overshadowing

The meaner growth below!



CLO。

Still with the same

Fidelity



SEG。

To me!



CLO。

Ay; sir; to you;

Through that divine allegiance upon which

All Order and Authority is based;

Which to revolt against



SEG。

Were to revolt

Against the stars; belike!



CLO。

And him who reads them;

And by that right; and by the sovereignty

He wears as you shall wear it after him;

Ay; one to whom yourself

Yourself; ev'n more than any subject here;

Are bound by yet another and more strong

AllegianceKing Basilioyour Father



SEG。

BasilioKingmy father!



CLO。

Oh; my Lord;

Let me beseech you on my bended knee;

For your own sakefor Poland'sand for his;

Who; looking up for counsel to the skies;

Did what he did under authority

To which the kings of earth themselves are subject;

And whose behest not only he that suffers;

But he that executes; not comprehends;

But only He that orders it



SEG。

The King

My father!Either I am mad already;

Or that way driving fastor I should know

That fathers do not use their children so;

Or men were loosed from all allegiance

To fathers; kings; and heaven that order'd all。

But; mad or not; my hour is come; and I

Will have my reckoningEither you lie;

Under the skirt of sinless majesty

Shrouding your treason; or if /that/ indeed;

Guilty itself; take refuge in the stars

That cannot hear the charge; or disavow

You; whether doer or deviser; who

Come first to hand; shall pay the penalty

By the same hand you owe it to

(Seizing Clotaldo's sword and about to strike him。)



(Enter Rosaura suddenly。)



ROSAURA。

Fie; my Lordforbear;

What! a young hand raised against silver hair!



(She retreats through the crowd。)



SEG。

Stay! stay! What come and vanish'd as before

I scarce remember howbut



(Voices within。 Room for Astolfo; Duke of Muscovy!)



(Enter Astolfo)



ASTOLFO。

Welcome; thrice welcome; the auspicious day;

When from the mountain where he darkling lay;

The Polish sun into the firmament

Sprung all the brighter for his late ascent;

And in meridian glory



SEG。

Where is he?

Why must I ask this twice?



A LORD。

The Page; my Lord?

I wonder at his boldness



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