Three Major Plays (18 page)

Condemned to all Hell's torments to raise
You up to Paradise!

FABIA. Oh, pity Fabia!

TELLO. So who were the wicked sacristans who made

450

A pulpit of your back?
^*

FABIA. Two lackeys and
Three pages. I lost my hood. My dress
Was torn to shreds.

ALONSO. What matters most,
Good mother, is that your blessed face

Is still intact. Oh, what a fool

455

I was to put my faith in those
Two treacherous eyes, those diamonds
Which offered me encouragement
And now have led me to my death!

My punishment is just. Accept

460

This purse, good lady. Tello, saddle up!
Tonight we leave for Olmedo.

TELLO. But why? It's getting dark.

ALONSO. If I
Stay here, I know I'll die.

FABIA. My boy,

Don't get excited. Courage! Fabia brings

465

Your remedy.

ALONSO. A note!

FABIA. A note indeed!

ALONSO. Is this a trick?

FABIA. It's from the girl
Herself, replying to your lovely poem.

ALONSO. Tello, kneel before this saint!

TELLO. I think You'd better read it first. Who knows?

470

-99-

It might contain some savage blows,
Disguised as toothpicks!

ALONSO [
reads
]. 'Eager to know
^*
if you are who I think
you are, and hoping that you prove to be so, I suggest you

come tonight to the garden gate of this house. There

475

you shall find a green ribbon from my shoe. Wear it on
your hat tomorrow, so I may know you.'

FABIA. So what's she say?

ALONSO. I can't pay you
Enough or say how overjoyed
I am.

TELLO. It's obvious, then. No need

480

To saddle up tonight. Hear that, my beauties?
Calm yourselves! We're staying in
Medina.

ALONSO. Night falls, advancing coldly where
The day begins to take its leave.

To appear at the garden gate I need

485

To look my best. It could well be
That she, inspired by love, will want
To see who takes the ribbon. I'll go
And change my clothes.

[
Exit
ALONSO

TELLO. I have to go

As well, Fabia; to get him dressed

490

For these night-watchman's duties.
^*

FABIA. No, wait.

TELLO. But he can't dress himself without
My help, not in the state he's in.

FABIA. Just leave him to it. You have to come
With me.

TELLO. With you?

FABIA. With me!

-100-

TELLO. What, me?

495

FABIA. Yes, you! It has to do with your master.

TELLO. So what d'you want me for?

FABIA. You'll be
My bodyguard. A woman feels
Much safer with a man around.

I need a tooth, * from a highwayman

500

Hanged yesterday.

TELLO. You mean he's not
Been buried?

FABIA. Right.

TELLO. So what's your plan?

FABIA. I need to pull the tooth. And you'll
Accompany me.

TELLO. I think I'd rather stay
At home. Have you gone mad?

FABIA. Don't be

505

A coward! Wherever I go, you have
To follow.

TELLO. But you have dealings with
The Devil!

FABIA. Move yourself!

TELLO. I would
If you instructed me to kill

A dozen men, but messing with

510

The dead . . .!

FABIA. If you don't come,
I'll get the Devil himself to come
And visit you.

TELLO. All right! I'll do it!
Are you a woman or a demon?

-101-

FABIA. You'll carry the ladder. You've no

515

Experience of such matters.

TELLO. That's true.
And yet I know that he who climbs
Too high may come a cropper!

Enter
DON RODRIGO and DON FERNANDO,
dressed in dark clothing.

FERNANDO. Why come here merely to see the house?
It seems so pointless.

RODRIGO. This gate provides

520

At least some consolation. Perhaps
Her lovely hands have touched its bars.
Each day her hands caress them, each night
I offer them my soul. The more

Her cruel disdain attempts to kill

525

My love, the more it burns. Her coldness sets
My heart on fire. See how these bars
Are softened by my sorrow, and yet
That lovely angel is unmoved

By someone who can melt the hardest iron! 530

See there! What is it?

FERNANDO. A ribbon tied
To the gate.

RODRIGO. No doubt the souls of those
Who foolishly declared their love
For her are fixed here as their punishment.

FERNANDO. I think it a favour from Leonor.

535

We often meet here.

RODRIGO. My lack of faith
Persuades me it is not Inés;
And yet the possibility
Remains that those ungrateful hands

Have placed it there. Give me the ribbon.

540

FERNANDO. Impossible. If it belongs

-102-

To Leonor, I am obliged to wear it.
If I do not, she will believe
I do not care for her.

RODRIGO. A suggestion, then.

FERNANDO. Which is?

RODRIGO. We shall divide it.

FERNANDO. To what

545

Effect?

RODRIGO. If both of us are seen
Displaying it, the women will
Believe we came together.

FERNANDO. Listen!
There's someone in the street!

Enter
DON ALONSO
and
TELLO,
in dark clothing.

TELLO. The gate,

Sir, quickly. Fabia's waiting. We have

550

Important business to attend to.

ALONSO. You have business tonight with Fabia?

TELLO. An elevated matter.

ALONSO. Really?

TELLO. Hence the ladder, sir.

ALONSO. And Fabia?

TELLO. A pair of pincers.

ALONSO. But what do you intend

555

To do?

TELLO. Extract a little lady from
Her dwelling.

ALONSO. Be careful, Tello. Don't get
Involved in anything from which
There's no escape.

-103-

TELLO. It's nothing, sir.

ALONSO. You think a lady nothing?

TELLO. It's just

560

A tooth, from a highwayman they strung
Up yesterday.

ALONSO. Look there. Two men
Are standing at the gate.

TELLO. Maybe they're
On guard.

ALONSO. So how am I to get
The ribbon?

TELLO. She may be teaching you

565

A lesson, sir.

ALONSO. If I was over-bold,
She'd surely find some other way.
In any case, she is mistaken.
Little does she know Alonso, praised

For his courage as the Knight of Olmedo.

570

I'll teach her to find some other way
To punish those who serve her!

TELLO. Don't
Do anything stupid!

ALONSO. Gentlemen! No one's
Allowed to wait outside the gate!

RODRIGO. Who's that?

FERNANDO. Can't say I recognize

575

His person or his voice.

RODRIGO. Who is
It dares to speak with such effrontery?

ALONSO. Someone, my friend, whose sword will do
His talking for him.

RODRIGO. Then he shall find

-104-

Someone who'll punish him for arrogance.

580

TELLO. Go to it, master. Much better than
Extracting teeth from corpses!

[ RODRIGO
and
FERNANDO
withdraw

ALONSO. Let
Them go!

TELLO. Look! Someone's left his cloak
Behind!

ALONSO. Let's take it over there.

The windows give more light.*

585

[
Exit
DON ALONSO
and
TELLO

Enter
DOÑA LEONOR
and
DOÑA INÉS.

INÉS. Leonor, I lay awake all night,
And barely had the dawn begun
To place its feet of ivory
Upon bright April's flowers,
^*
than I

Went out to see the ribbon. I found,

590

With trembling hand, that it had gone.

LEONOR. He must have acted with discretion.

INÉS. Much more than do these thoughts
Which fill my head.

LEONOR. I can't believe

That someone who was ice itself

595

Has changed so much, and in so short
A time.

INÉS. It must be punishment
From Heaven, or else Love's sweet revenge.
No sooner do I think of him,

My heart's ablaze. Oh, what am I to do?

600

Enter
DON RODRIGO
with a ribbon in his hat.

RODRIGO. Oh, never did I truly think
My love would be destroyed by fear.

-105-

And now I live and hope again!
Ah, here's Inés! I've come to see
Don Pedro.

INÉS. It's far too early in

605

The morning. He's still asleep.

RODRIGO. The matter is
Important.

INÉS. Whoever saw a suitor quite
So foolish?

LEONOR. The man you love will always seem
Discreet, the man you hate a fool.

RODRIGO. What must I do to pacify 610

This cruel woman, to occupy
In some degree her thoughts?

INÉS. Leonor,
Rodrigo's here because he thinks
The ribbon was for him. Perhaps
He read my note.

LEONOR.

Fabia's deceived you.

615

INÉS. I shall destroy Alonso's poem, take
Revenge on it for keeping it close
To my heart!

Enter
DON PEDRO
and
DON FERNANDO.

FERNANDO. I come on his behalf.
^*

PEDRO. Then you and I had best discuss
The matter.

FERNANDO. Ah, here he is! Love is a clock

620

That always runs ahead of time.

PEDRO. So has Inés offered him some hope?

FERNANDO. I'm afraid, the contrary.

PEDRO. Don Rodrigo!

-106-

RODRIGO. At your service.

INÉS.
^*
It's all a trick
Of Fabia's.

LEONOR. What do you mean?

625

INÉS. But don't you see? Fernando wears
The ribbon too.

LEONOR. It could well be
That both of them are now in love
With you!

INÉS. That's all I need -- you jealous when
I'm going mad!

LEONOR. What can they be

630

Discussing?

INÉS. Have you forgotten what
My father said just yesterday
About me getting married?

LEONOR. Perhaps
That means I should forget Fernando.

INÉS. I rather think that both of them

635

Intend to marry. That's why they share
The ribbon!

PEDRO. The matter requires privacy
And more discussion. Come inside.

RODRIGO. There's little more to say, except

My hope is to become your son-in-law.

640

PEDRO. I welcome you as husband to Inés,
But, even so, respect for me
Demands we speak a little further.

[Exit
DON PEDRO, DON RODRIGO,
and
DON FERNANDO

INÉS. My hopes were all in vain, my thoughts

Quite mad! That Don Rodrigo should

645

Have read my note, and Don Fernando give

-107-

You cause for jealousy! Oh, how
I hate that handsome stranger!

Enter
FABIA.

How

I curse that treacherous Fabia!

FABIA. Oh, come along, my dear! How can

650

You say such things?

INÉS. You attempted to
Deceive us!

FABIA. Oh, no! The cunning trick was yours.
The note you sent the gentleman
Instructed him to turn up at

The garden gate, so he might find

655

The ribbon you had left, but you,
My dear, told two men to wait
For him, no doubt to put an end
To him for good. The fact is, if

They'd not withdrawn, he would have left

660

Them both for dead.

INÉS. Oh, Fabia! The secrets of
My heart are yours to know, although
It puts at risk my own good name,
My father's reputation.
^*
It seems

The two men took the ribbon for

665

Themselves and now display it as
An indication that I favour them.
Oh, what am I to do! I find
Some consolation only when
I think . . . of him!

FABIA. * My charms and spells

670

Have worked a treat! The victory
Is mine. My dear, don't lose heart!
I promise you, you'll soon be married to
The noblest gentleman in all

Castile: the one who for his qualities

675

They call the Knight of Olmedo.

-108-