Obrázky stránek
PDF
ePub

Re-enter ARIEL invisible, playing and singing;

FERDINAND following him.

ARIEL'S SONG.

Come unto these yellow sands,
And then take hands :

Court'sied when you have, and kiss'd,

(The wild waves whist1)

Foot it featly here and there;

And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.

Hark, hark!

BUR. Bowgh, wowgh.

The watch-dogs bark:

BUR. Bowgh, wowgh.

Hark, hark! I hear

The strain of strutting chanticlere

Cry, Cock-a-doodle-doo.

[dispersedly

[dispersedly

Fer. Where should this music be? i̇' the air, or

the earth?

It sounds no more :—and sure, it waits upon
Some god of the island. Sitting on a bank,
Weeping again the king my father's wreck,
This music crept by me upon the waters;
Allaying both their fury, and my passion,
With its sweet air: thence I have follow'd it,
Or it hath drawn me rather :-But 'tis gone.
No, it begins again.

ARIEL sings.

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,

The wild waves being silent.

But doth suffer a sea-change

Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell :

[BUR. ding-dong.

Hark! now I hear them,-ding-dong, bell.

Fer. The ditty does remember my drown'd father:

This is no mortal business, nor no sound

That the earth owes: 1-I hear it now above me. Pro. The fringed curtains of thine eye advance, And say, what thou seest yond'.

Mir.

Lord, how it looks about!

What is 't? a spirit?

Believe me, sir,

It carries a brave form :-But 'tis a spirit.

Pro. No, wench; it eats and sleeps, and hath

such senses

As we have, such: This gallant, which thou seest, Was in the wreck; and, but he's something stain'd With grief, that's beauty's canker, thou mightst

call him

A goodly person: he hath lost his fellows,
And strays about to find them.

Mir.

A thing divine; for nothing natural

I might call him

It goes on, I see,

[aside.

I ever saw so noble.

Pro.

As my soul prompts it:-Spirit, fine spirit! I'll

free thee

Within two days for this.

Fer.

Most sure, the goddess

î Owns.

On whom these airs attend! -Vouchsafe, my

prayer

May know,

if you

remain upon this island; And that you will some good instruction give, How I may bear me here: My prime request, Which I do last pronounce, is, O you wonder! If you be made, or no?

Mir.

No wonder, sir;

But, certainly a maid.

Fer.

My language! heavens!

I am the best of them that speak this speech,
Were I but where 'tis spoken.

Pro.
How! the best?
What wert thou, if the king of Naples heard thee?
Fer. A single thing, as I am now, that wonders
To hear thee speak of Naples. He does hear me;
And, that he does, I weep: myself am Naples;
Who with mine eyes, ne'er since at ebb, beheld
The king my father wreck'd.

Mir.

Alack, for mercy!

Fer. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the duke of

Milan,

And his brave son, being twain.

Pro.

The duke of Milan,

And his more braver daughter, could control1 thee. If now 'twere fit to do 't:-At the first sight. [aside. They have changed eyes :-Delicate Ariel,

I'll set thee free for this!-A word, good sir;

1 Confute.

I fear, you have done yourself some wrong: &

word.

Mir. Why speaks my father so ungently? This Is the third man that e'er I saw; the first

That e'er I sigh'd for: pity move my father
To be inclined my way!

Fer.

O, if a virgin,

And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you
The queen of Naples.

Pro.

Soft, sir; one word more.

They are both in either's powers: but this swift

business

I must uneasy make, lest too light winning

[aside.

Make the prize light.-One word more; I charge

thee,

That thou attend me: thou dost here usurp
The name thou owest1 not; and hast put thyself
Upon this island, as a spy, to win it

From me, the lord on 't.

Fer.

No, as I am a man.

Mir. There's nothing ill can dwell in such a

temple :

If the ill spirit have so fair a house,

Good things will strive to dwell with 't.

Pro.

Follow me.-[to Fer. Speak not you for him he's a traitor.-Come.

:

I'll manacle thy neck and feet together:

Sea-water shalt thou drink; thy food shall be
The fresh-brook muscles, wither'd roots, and husks

1 Possessest.

Wherein the acorn cradled.

Fer.

Follow.

No;

[he draws.

O dear father,

I will resist such entertainment, till

Mine enemy has more power.

Mir.

Make not too rash a trial of him, for

He's gentle, and not fearful.1

Pro.

What, I say,

My foot my tutor!-Put thy sword up, traitor; Who makest a show, but darest not strike, thy

conscience

Is so possess'd with guilt: come from thy ward;
For I can here disarm thee with this stick,
And make thy weapon drop.

Mir.

Pro. Hence! hang not on my garments.

Mir.

2

'Beseech you, father!

Sir, have pity;

Silence: one word more

I'll be his surety.

Pro.

Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What!

An advocate for an impostor? hush!

Thou think'st there are no more such shapes as he, Having seen but him and Caliban: foolish wench! To the most of men this is a Caliban,

And they to him are angels.

Mir.

My affections

Are then most humble: I have no ambition

1 Formidable.

2 Desist from any hope of awing me by that posture of defence.

« PředchozíPokračovat »