The Dramas of Victor Hugo: Mary Tudor, Marion de Lorme, Esmeralda. Виктор Мари Гюго

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СКАЧАТЬ you sleep, calm and pure, love,

       In shadow, 'neath my eyes,

       And your soft breathing gives my heart

       Its tenderest replies,

       On your sweet form my eyes can feast,

       Oh, beauty's priceless store!

       Then sleep, my beauty, sleep, my love,

       Sleep on for evermore!

      And when you say, "I love you,"

       In truth it seems to be

       As if God's heaven were opening

       Especially for me.

       I see dreams hidden in your eyes

       That we've not dreamed before;

       Then love me, oh, my beauty,

       Love me for evermore!

      You see, the whole of life, dear,

       Lies in those words, just four—

       All things that people envy,

       All things that men adore,

       All things that are seductive,

       On which our heart sets store.

       To sing, to laugh, my beauty,

       To sleep, to love, no more!

      THE MAN.

      He lands! Good! He sends off the boatmen. Excellent!

      [Comes back to the front of the stage.

      Here he comes.

      [Fabiano Fabiani enters, enveloped in a cloak; he goes toward the door of the house.

      SCENE VI

      The Man, Fabiano Fabiani

      THE MAN (stopping Fabiani).

      A word with you, if you please.

      FABIANI.

      I believe some one is speaking to me. Who is this knave? Who are you?

      THE MAN.

      Whatever you wish me to be.

      FABIANI.

      This lantern is not very bright, but you wear a yellow cap, it seems to me—a Jew's cap. Are you a Jew?

      THE MAN.

      Yes, a Jew. I have something to tell you.

      FABIANI.

      What is your name?

      THE MAN.

      I know your name, and you don't know mine. I have the advantage. Permit me to keep it.

      FABIANI.

      You know my name? That isn't true.

      THE MAN.

      I know your name. At Naples you were called Signor Fabiani; at Madrid, Don Fabiano; at London you are called Lord Fabiano Fabiani, Earl of Clanbrassil.

      FABIANI.

      The devil take you!

      THE MAN.

      God keep you!

      FABIANI.

      I will have you cudgeled. I do not wish my name to be known when I go abroad by night.

      THE MAN.

      Especially when you go where you are going.

      FABIANI.

      What do you mean?

      THE MAN.

      If the Queen knew!

      FABIANI.

      I am going nowhere in particular.

      THE MAN.

      Oh, yes, my lord! You are going to see the fair Jane, the betrothed of Gilbert the engraver.

      FABIANI (aside).

      The devil! This is a dangerous man.

      THE MAN.

      Shall I tell you more? You have seduced this girl, and during the last month she has received you twice in her house at night. This is the third time. The beauty is waiting for you.

      FABIANI.

      Keep still. Do you want hush-money? How much do you want?

      THE MAN.

      We will see about that by-and-by. Now, my lord, shall I tell you why you have seduced this girl?

      FABIANI.

      By my faith! because I was in love with her.

      THE MAN.

      No. You were not in love with her.

      FABIANI.

      I wasn't in love with Jane.

      THE MAN.

      No more than with the Queen! Love, oh, no! calculation, yes.

      FABIANI.

      Why, fool, you are no man at all! You are my conscience dressed up like a Jew.

      THE MAN.

      I will speak to you as if I were your conscience. This is your plan. You are the Queen's favorite. The Queen has given you the garter, an earldom, and a lordship—empty things, all of them. The garter is a rag; the earldom is a word; the lordship is the right to have your head cut off. You wanted something more. You wanted fine lands, fine bailiwicks, fine castles, fine revenues in fine English pounds. Well, King Henry VIII. confiscated the estates of Lord Talbot, who was beheaded sixteen years ago. You got Queen Mary to give you Lord Talbot's estates. But, to make the gift valid, it is necessary that Lord Talbot should have died without heirs. And since Lord Talbot died for Queen Mary and for her mother, Catherine of Aragon, since Lord Talbot was a Papist, and since the Queen is a Papist, it is not at all doubtful, if there existed such an heir or an heiress, that Queen Mary would take back the estates from you, great favorite though you are, and out of duty, gratitude and religion, return them to the heir or heiress. You were quite easy on that score, for Lord Talbot had never had but one little daughter; she disappeared СКАЧАТЬ