3 Scene 3

 

(The characters exit. Hunting noises are heard. Enter the King of France, Lisbella, Count of Partinuplés, Gaulín, and hunting servants.)

OFFSTAGE
They’re moving quickly towards the stream.

OTHER
Enrico, Julio, Fabio, and Ludovico are going that way.

COUNT
To the valley, hunters!

KING
What remarkable speed! They must be children of the wind or the breath of fire.

COUNT
Rest, Your Highness. Let that be enough hunting for today.

KING
Are you tired, Lisbella?

LISBELLA
As much as if I were chasing the sun that I am looking at.

KING
What a pleasant compliment… Is that sun me or your cousin?

LISBELLA
You, for in your light, I bring life, my Lord.

GAULÍN
(What do you think of these compliments in front of the one who hopes to become her husband? What surprises me if it’s logical?)

KING
Speak to your wife, as you have permission, Partinuplés.

COUNT
As she knows that I am hers, I avoid loving words, my Lord. In my understanding, there is no greater fault in a wise lover than to lack respect by speaking too much. He who speaks of his love without restraint denies the truth because he feels wrong what he says and says well what he feels. I, who adore the sunlight of Lisbella, out of respect, speak to her in silence; it would be foolish to repeat with clumsy words what my eyes have already said.

KING
Well expressed, nephew, your feelings.

LISBELLA
And I, cousin, am also happy to hear you. My silence will be a mute language, which I hope pleases you.

(Two fishermen enter struggling over a box.)

FISHERMAN 1
It’s mine!

FISHERMAN 2
I saw it first and showed it to you! The box, Pinardo, is mine.

FISHERMAN 1
Let’s end this quarrel. Since His Highness is there, let’s give it to him.

FISHERMAN 2
Sounds good to me.

KING
What is this?

FISHERMAN 1
This fisherman and I found this box from a shipwreck in this foamy sea; Perhaps to save itself, it lightened its load, and though we both found it and both want it, we gladly offer it to you, my Lord.

KING
God bless you.

COUNT
Open it quickly; let’s see what it is.

(They open the box and take out a portrait of Rosaura.)

FISHERMAN 1
There’s only a portrait.

GAULÍN
What a canvas!

COUNT
Heaven has put all its beauty into the portrait.

FISHERMAN 2
Pinardo, there was no treasure inside.

FISHERMAN 1
Quiet, I’m boiling with anger.

KING
What extraordinary brushwork!

COUNT
By God, what rare beauty. Oh, heavens!

GAULÍN
Very unique, if the brush doesn’t deceive.

LISBELLA
Unusual beauty.

COUNT
Divine; who could this woman be?

LISBELLA
Is it pleasure or curiosity, Partinuplés?

COUNT
Such a goddess! It could be curiosity, as I want no other pleasure than to see you.

LISBELLA
How flattering it sounds! I want to believe you, cousin. My Lord, I see an R and an A here; I don’t know what it means.

GAULÍN
Listen to me, please.

KING
Do you know?

GAULÍN
Of course.

LISBELLA
If the portrait speaks for itself. The R must mean queen, and the A…

COUNT
Queen in Souls.

LISBELLA
Of Asia or Africa.

COUNT
Alas! I imagine it is a proper name. It could be…

GAULÍN
Hear my talent and rare ingenuity for two moments.

KING
Speak, then.

GAULÍN
It could mean Roman, or shorn or slicked, striped, broken or worn, rounded thief or frog, respondent or Rafaela; Ramira, hoarse or lustful, blunt, scraped or fox, raffle, raspy or rafuela, or hustler or rat. And if it’s a graver riddle, the A means bird, and the R, of prey.

KING
Your interpretation of the riddle matches your ingenuity.

GAULÍN
Could Radomonte of Aragón solve it with more elegance?

LISBELLA
(The ungrateful count is making me jealous, so distracted he is with the portrait.)

COUNT
(What have I seen, heavens? My senses are mesmerized by the beauty of that painting.)

GAULÍN
Our fishing friends have brought great riches; you can reward them well, Lisbella, for what they have found.

COUNT
Gaulín, from today Lisbella will know that I am the shadow of this beautiful image.

GAULÍN
Look, it’s driving you mad.

COUNT
(What severity! Let us disguise, love, the fire that consumes me.)

LISBELLA
(May the Count pay for my love in this way! What will I do, heavens? I will pretend not to have noticed.)

OFFSTAGE
Beware of the beast!

KING
That voice invites me… Come with me, nephews.

LISBELLA
I’m coming.

COUNT
My Lord, I follow you.

KING
Give the portrait to someone to guard it. You will have your deserved reward later.

(They exit.)

FISHERMAN
The greatest reward is knowing you like the portrait.

(He exits.)

COUNT
From my arm and breath, you will not escape. Not even if the earth hides you; wait, beast.

GAULÍN
Do not wait.

(The Count exits, chasing a beast dressed in furs. Rosaura appears on a pulley as painted in the portrait.)

COUNT
Wait, monster of Circe.

GAULÍN
My Lord, it’s a great folly! Man, you rush to die!

COUNT
Cowardly fear. That must be it. May heaven help me!

GAULÍN
What a strange case that my master seeks a beast and finds a beauty! There’s no greater luck! And I never find more than one who lies to me, four who deceive me, forty who beat me, four hundred who cheat me! Surely, this depends on one’s spirit: I want to cheer up and seek my fortune. It might happen that I find not a girl but a snake. And instead of money, a miser. But, what’s that? My master. He seems to be in ecstasy, like a Jew amazed at the “Christ is risen.” I want to see how this trance ends. If I’m not mistaken, he seems about to speak.

COUNT
When I followed you as a beast, monster, woman, or goddess, ignoring your cruelty, I only exposed myself to one danger. But my weakness reveals more dangers in you, for if I freely tasted the severity of your fierceness, I will not be able, as I am dying of love, to escape your beauty. Your beauty and your aloofness ally against me. One dresses in deceit and the other treats me with fierceness. Not in vain does fear advise me not to take risks after seeing you, for one way or another you are my killer. And if, cruel beast, you give me life, as a merciful beauty, you give me death. Are you the goddess of this valley? Are you the nymph of this mountain? What is the sacred horizon of your miraculous dawn? Silent beast, beautiful enigma of that portrait, which exceeds art, where do you live, exist, reside?

ROSAURA
If you seek me, you will find me.

(Rosaura disappears.)

COUNT
I go with my soul to find you. Why do you flee from my eyes, beautiful enchantment, lovely serpent?

GAULÍN
(By Christ, it seems my master has found a day of bad luck.)

COUNT
Why do you hide and mock my constant faith? “If you seek me, you will find me,” you said, and when I want to seek you, you scorn my loving hopes. What will I do, heavens? What must I do? Answer me or kill me.

(He exits.)

GAULÍN
While the count is casting his sighs to the air, I must seek my fortune, if only to imitate him. Come on, with God’s help, let’s overcome the difficulties of fear, in case happiness awaits that can cheer me, as it is possible because fortune smiles upon the bold. I want to see: there’s nothing here.

(He searches, looks around the stage, and the Count enters.)

COUNT
These green myrtles were the carpet for her feet, the feathers of the field. By God, I am mad!

GAULÍN
I bet someone says this is beating around the bush, but between those two willows, I see the shadow of a sun, without clouds and with omens.

(Aldora appears on the other side, among some trees.)

GAULÍN
By God, I found it! The whole heaven falls on me, raining glories. This is like a hand of good cards. A pearl without a shell, an almond without a husk, or garments of deceit and fierceness. The girl is like an angel. Oh, animal, the most beautiful of all animals!

COUNT
Here I have lost my treasure, and here, heavens, I must find it. Forests, beasts, thickets, fields, meadows, mountains, valleys, rivers, plants, birds, fountains, streams, crystals, tell me, where is my treasure?

(He exits.)

GAULÍN
Furious Orlando, stop. Every madman with his theme.

(He goes to grab the girl, who flies away, and a lion appears and grabs Gaulín. The Count enters.)

COUNT
Where will I go?

GAULÍN
Heavens, free me, as my master doesn’t want to.

COUNT
What is this?

GAULÍN
It’s for the afternoon.

(As he goes to attack him, the lion disappears.)

COUNT
Oh, fierce lion, wait! He disappeared in an instant.

GAULÍN
Oh, God! I am all vinegar. Look, Lord, if he has wounded me; for by these suburbs, it seems that I am sweating, though not fragrant aromas.

COUNT
You are not wounded, calm down.

GAULÍN
Really?

COUNT
Would I deceive you?

GAULÍN
No, but it’s possible that your sight deceives you, but not my smell. I can’t stop making the sign of the cross; Jesus, a thousand times, Jesus! What land of a thousand demons is this where we only find beasts and animals that deceive and hit us!

COUNT
I am confused.

(Thunder is heard.)

GAULÍN
Am I a coward? Is this Thessaly or the deceptive Circe? What a pleasant stay. Let’s leave quickly, Lord, as the air is covered with clouds and lightning.

COUNT
How can I leave this place if I leave almost all my soul here?

GAULÍN
Leave it all and let’s go; they won’t touch a hair of the soul’s garment. These miserable bodies need to find refuge. Though the king, your uncle, and your wife will be looking for you and losing their minds after how you left them. A lightning bolt! Saint Prisca, Saint Barbara, Saint Angel! Let’s get out of here quickly.

COUNT
Where will you hide from the bad weather?

GAULÍN
From the weather, nowhere; because everything is open to the sky. But, to escape the beasts of these mountains tonight, there’s a ship winking at us, anchored in that spot. The storms must have left it there, and though it’s destroyed, without rigging and sails to navigate, at least it can shelter us tonight from the beasts.

COUNT
Your fears will lose me.

GAULÍN
Come on, my lord, it’s for your own good.

COUNT
Let’s go, if it’s for my good.

GAULÍN
Come, I want to hold on to you.

COUNT
Beautiful beast, though I leave, I will soon return to seek you.

(They exit.)