The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: 150+ Titles in One Edition. Oscar Wilde

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СКАЧАТЬ Who now lies in his coffin.

      MAFFIO

      By Saint James,

       This is the Duke of Parma’s rightful heir.

      JEPPO

      I always thought him noble.

      GUIDO

      I confess

       That with the purport of a just revenge,

       A most just vengeance on a man of blood,

       I entered the Duke’s household, served his will,

       Sat at his board, drank of his wine, and was

       His intimate: so much I will confess,

       And this too, that I waited till he grew

       To give the fondest secrets of his life

       Into my keeping, till he fawned on me,

       And trusted me in every private matter

       Even as my noble father trusted him;

       That for this thing I waited.

       [To the Headsman.] Thou man of blood!

       Turn not thine axe on me before the time:

       Who knows if it be time for me to die?

       Is there no other neck in court but mine?

      LORD JUSTICE

      The sand within the time-glass flows apace.

       Come quickly to the murder of the Duke.

      GUIDO

      I will be brief: Last night at twelve o’ the clock,

       By a strong rope I scaled the palace wall,

       With purport to revenge my father’s murder -

       Ay! with that purport I confess, my lord.

       This much I will acknowledge, and this also,

       That as with stealthy feet I climbed the stair

       Which led unto the chamber of the Duke,

       And reached my hand out for the scarlet cloth

       Which shook and shivered in the gusty door,

       Lo! the white moon that sailed in the great heaven

       Flooded with silver light the darkened room,

       Night lit her candles for me, and I saw

       The man I hated, cursing in his sleep;

       And thinking of a most dear father murdered,

       Sold to the scaffold, bartered to the block,

       I smote the treacherous villain to the heart

       With this same dagger, which by chance I found

       Within the chamber.

      DUCHESS

      [rising from her seat]

       Oh!

      GUIDO

      [hurriedly]

       I killed the Duke.

       Now, my Lord Justice, if I may crave a boon,

       Suffer me not to see another sun

       Light up the misery of this loathsome world.

      LORD JUSTICE

      Thy boon is granted, thou shalt die tonight.

       Lead him away. Come, Madam

       [GUIDO is led off; as he goes the DUCHESS stretches out her arms and rushes down the stage.]

      DUCHESS

      Guido! Guido!

       [Faints.]

      Tableau

      END OF ACT IV.

      ACT V

      SCENE

      A dungeon in the public prison of Padua; Guido lies asleep on a pallet (L.C.); a table with a goblet on it is set (L.C.); five soldiers are drinking and playing dice in the corner on a stone table; one of them has a lantern hung to his halbert; a torch is set in the wall over Guido’s head. Two grated windows behind, one on each side of the door which is (C.), look out into the passage; the stage is rather dark.

      FIRST SOLDIER

      [throws dice]

       Sixes again! good Pietro.

      SECOND SOLDIER

      I’ faith, lieutenant, I will play with thee no more. I will lose everything.

      THIRD SOLDIER

      Except thy wits; thou art safe there!

      SECOND SOLDIER

      Ay, ay, he cannot take them from me.

      THIRD SOLDIER

      No; for thou hast no wits to give him.

      THE SOLDIERS

      [loudly]

       Ha! ha! ha!

      FIRST SOLDIER

      Silence! You will wake the prisoner; he is asleep.

      SECOND SOLDIER

      What matter? He will get sleep enough when he is buried. I warrant he’d be glad if we could wake him when he’s in the grave.

      THIRD SOLDIER

      Nay! for when he wakes there it will be judgment day.

      SECOND SOLDIER

      Ay, and he has done a grievous thing; for, look you, to murder one of us who are but flesh and blood is a sin, and to kill a Duke goes being near against the law.

      FIRST SOLDIER

      Well, well, he was a wicked Duke.

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