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• Count Partinuplés : ACT ONE Scene One , ACT TWO Scene Two

Count Partinuplés, translated by Harley Erdman

ACT ONE Scene One

Sample text

[Constantinople.](Sound of drums and bugles. Enter ARCENIO and CLAUSO, with swords drawn, followed by EMILIO [an old man], holding them back.)

ARCENIO:

The matter is urgent. Our empire
Must have a successor right now!

EMILIO:

Gentlemen, reign in the fury
That drives you to this passion.

CLAUSO:

She marries or loses the kingdom!

EMILIO:

Patience. Your anger is justified—

ARCENIO:

If our anger is justified
Then let her marry or relinquish
This empire which she governs.

EMILIO:

Rosaura is your rightful lady.

ARCENIO:

No man denies it. Sound the alarm!

CLAUSO:

Sound the alarm!

(The alarm. Enter ROSAURA and ALDORA. All are disturbed to see her.)

ROSAURA:

Stop this unjust insurrection!

CLAUSO:

My lady..?

ARCENIO:

But I…

ROSAURA:

You fail to speak? You can’t reply?
What stirs such great commotion?
What undoes your accustomed calm,
And puts an end to peace? To profane
The sanctity of this oasis,
To bring such turmoil to this palace,
And trample on its sacred laws!
What is the cause, my vassals?
Do enemies now assault
Our coasts? Do Persian barbarians,
Envious of my glory,
Mean to harm our harmony?
Tell me what spurs this great uproar,
For I am fervent, I am fearless
And like the famous Amazons
Will battle fiercely to defend
Our kingdom’s crown, even if
It means my life, so you may live
In peace and joy. Don’t stand idly,
Hiding why you’re so displeased,
I have the right to know. So speak.

ARCENIO:

How beautiful!

EMILIO:

How wise!

ROSAURA:

I want the truth.

ARCENIO:

My great lady, beautiful Empress:
Pardon our crime. You are the cause.

ROSAURA:

If love provokes this great distress—
Of which you say I am the cause—
Vassals, then, you’ve earned my trust
For this heroic, loyal act.
But good intentions count for naught
If you keep me in the dark. Answer!

EMILIO:

Beautiful lady, here’s why they come:
Hear me out and grant me pardon.
You know the debt of obligation
That comes with ruling this great kingdom,
And so you must consent to make
A match. You’re aware your empire asks
That you agree to give your hand.
The princes of Cyprus and Poland,
Of England and Transylvania,
And Scotland too, have all proposed.
So marry. You shouldn’t let
The dawn of this, your tender age,
Pass by waiting for your sun to set.
This is inviolate. This is law.
And, given your youth, could have
The most costly effect. They say
Your crown could be divided
Among competing factions, and
Your life itself be put at risk.
So choose a husband, soon, before
They break the oaths they’ve sworn to you.
If you don’t, then be forewarned,
You’ll find yourself before a mob
That seeks to forward its own cause.
This, Empress, is my advice.
These, my words of honor:
Is freedom from marriage worth the price
Of your kingdom’s freedom?

ROSAURA: (Aside.)

How can I answer? My anger drowns me,
My eyes drink poison from the well
Of my heart. What audacity!
What shameless madness! To shatter
All decorum! To stand against me!
But I can see no remedy,
For once these thankless men deny
The duty that they owe the crown,
And take up arms, how can I,
A woman, alone, defend myself
Against so many men? Besides,
What they say is not untrue.
If only I had listened to you,
Aldora! What do I do?

ALDORA:

Answer with love, and ask them for
One more year in which to choose,
And if at the end of that one year
You’re still unwed, grant them then
The right to choose whichever man
They decide they want for you.

ROSAURA: (Aside.)

Why must I give in to treachery?
And why, with flattery, must I ply them?

EMILIO:

Great lady, what is your response?

ROSAURA:

I appreciate your support,
A doubtful heart has blocked my choosing.
But now, vassals, hear me out:
I will make known for once and all,
The cause that works against our hopes.
You remember how this stunning empire,
Munificent splendor of the hemisphere,
Rendered obedience to its sovereign lord,
Aureliano, a remarkable ruler—
And my father—whose regal lineage
Was traced to ancient times. You know as well,
My beautiful mother went many years
Without the good fortune of bearing an heir,
Despite a thousand sleepless nights’ devotion
In which they pled their case before the heavens.
(How well they pled, and full of emotion!)
It’s clear that heaven finally heard
The fervent call of their desire and
Whether through duty or whether through love,
Blessed the couple with the fruit they sought,
But what a price they paid, unhappy fate:
The untimely death of Rosimunda,
The aurora of Puzol, as she was known.
And so the dawning of my life became
A mortal darkness as the sun set on her soul—
You know these feelings well. But listen now.
The emperor, my father, could not absorb
The blow. From that sad day all happiness
Became a distant thing, and far away.
Yet on the verge of giving in to this
Destructive pain, he choose to give his woes
A Christian truce, knowing it would be in vain
To die at his own hand. Would such a death
Revive the dead? He suspended his state
Of pain, and turned to my uncertain fate,
Seeking to determine my fortune.
He consulted stars, considered the impact
Of their gorgeous light. He sized up the kindness,
Or the cruelty, of Venus and Mars,
And the moon, these tapers of our sovereign sphere,
That cast their glow upon our turquoise globe.
Astrologers arose. To a man they said
The same: A thousand fatal blows shall fall!
One and all, they gave it out as utter truth
(I tremble to speak the words to you now):
A man, they said, destructive and cruel,
Would requite my truth with lies and break his oath.
They said if I were negligent, my crown
Would be at risk, and so would I. This man
Would use our solemn vows to break all faith
And take my life. I heard this from my father’s lips:
All the adversity that lay in store for me,
All the misery stretching before me.
And, vassals, so as not to lose you, and
So as not to lose myself, I resolved
Never to take a lord. But now you put me
Through this trial—just or unjust, as it may—
And so I will adjust and do just as you say.
I’ll give you a King,
Whether from Cyprus or Albania,
Scotland, Poland, or Transylvania.
I surrender to you, but not in battle.
Such sweet conquest must be garnered on the field
Of favor. Constancy, gentility,
Pleasure, and requited love must be
The measures that finally take the day.
Let them woo me with all their gallantry.
Let them move me with the finest language.
They can write sweet letters, court me, serve me,
Let them come and see if they deserve me,
Let them test my proud indifference,
It may surrender to their persistence.
I am vigilant, keen. I stand well-warned.
I intend to flee the fate that’s been foreseen.
By finding the most constant, faithful man,
If forced to submit to Hymen’s yoke—
That burden I desire, that blessing I fear.
Yes, I’ll assuage all your concerns and cares.
I ask just this: Give me one year, no more, no less,
And I will marry or I will die. And should you
At the end of such time, find me still unwilling,
Then force me to marry the man you will
Or find a foreign king. Noble vassals,
Help me defeat the cruel caprice of my
Inhuman fate. I am your sovereign still.
Help me uncover the ungrateful one
Who with perjurous words would seek to deceive.
Let us search out every path so we can flee
The brutal, cruel, destructive fate that makes
A coward of our heart. This is my intention.
This is my terror, and all my attention.
This is the fortune facing Rosaura,
And these are the plans that may restore her.

EMILIO:

Beautiful Empress, your distress is just.
Take a year, Your Majesty, if you must,
To test for loyalty and faith. Your vassals
Will wait. We bow before you and serve your cause.
I offer this as my true word.
Your Highness, we wait upon yours.

ROSAURA:

It’s as you just heard.

EMILIO:

Your word brings joy.
Our empire is restored!
Long live the Empress! Long live Rosaura!
May time write her name on bronze forever!

(Exit EMILIO and the others.)

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Count Partinuplés by Harley Erdman is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

ACT TWO Scene Two

Sample text

TRANSLATION COPYRIGHT HARLEY ERDMAN

The COUNT and his servant, GAULIN, enter the castle [out of view]; Enter ALDORA and ROSAURA.

ALDORA:

Now that you have them in the castle,
what do you intend to do?

ROSAURA:

You should be congratulating me, Aldora,
on how skilfully I’ve steered the course of action.

ALDORA:

So, tomorrow you will have to
receive the princes, your suitors?

ROSAURA:

Yes, although they will make the trip in vain,
for I love only the Count.

ALDORA:

Well, there he goes!

She looks at the right-hand door.

ROSAURA:

Ensure that they do not see us.

ALDORA:

It’s too late; here they come.

The women exit and the COUNT and GAULIN enter, trembling.

GAULIN:

Take heart, sir, for this is all
part of the adventure.
Although I’m not sure if I’m going to
look as though I’ve fully recovered from the last one,
for I have not yet forgotten
the lion we met in the forest.

COUNT:

This is a beautiful room, Gaulín,
and elegantly appointed.

He looks at the walls.

GAULIN:

Yes, but we have not seen anyone
in the entryway nor in the closets,
on the patio, dining room or in the kitchen,
and if in this beautiful place
there isn’t even one edible morsel,
I’ll be even more worried.

COUNT:

You’re hungry?

GAULIN:

Obviously; and it’s a difficult enemy to vanquish.
Do I have such a strong body as you, sir?
but I...

A table appears, seemingly without human help, and it is set with a banquet, with one chair which is moving closer to the table.

cannot see nor hear who is setting this up,
here we have the chairs and table all prepared;
this is the most exciting adventure
that Fortune has blessed us with yet.

COUNT:

These are things, Gaulín,
with which the mind cannot grapple,
nor can anything be said about it,
this will all play out as it is supposed to.
I can see several things here
which if I even try to conjecture how it is happening
it will throw my whole soul into confusion.

GAULIN:

The best thing to do is to just sit down.
All of the wonders you have seen here
have been guiding you to this one test.
Eat, do not be rude to the host of this house,
for Christ’s sake. Be thankful for the hospitality,
as if it is all part of the adventure.

COUNT:

I do not understand what this omen can mean.

GAULIN:

Eat, for the life of my ancestors!

COUNT:

Dear God, if only my heart were stronger!

GAULIN:

Do not be impertinent;
the food is waiting for you.

COUNT:

So that I do not appear ungrateful,
I’ll show that I am thankful. But, by God...

GAULIN:

I’ve already eaten the whole feast
just with my eyes.

Guitars play out of view.

COUNT:

Shh ... let me hear it.

GAULIN:

If they’d just let us eat in peace,
that would be the greatest gift of all.

Voices sing, and the COUNT continues to eat from the plates which appear from underneath the table.

COUNT:

My sweet enchantress, where are you?
for I cannot see where to find you, my love.

Singing.

If you seek me, you shall find me.

COUNT:

‘If you seek me, you shall find me?’
that final verse has shot straight through my soul.

GAULIN:

Pay attention; they’re singing again.

TRANSLATION COPYRIGHT HARLEY ERDMAN

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Count Partinuplés by Harley Erdman is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Entry written by Kathleen Jeffs. Last updated on 4 October 2010.

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