tamburlaine the great, pt 1-第11节
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Pray thee; tell why art thou so sad? if thou wilt have a song;
the Turk shall strain his voice: but why is it?
ZENOCRATE。 My lord; to see my father's town besieg'd;
The country wasted where myself was born;
How can it but afflict my very soul?
If any love remain in you; my lord;
Or if my love unto your majesty
May merit favour at your highness' hands;
Then raise your siege from fair Damascus' walls;
And with my father take a friendly truce。
TAMBURLAINE。 Zenocrate; were Egypt Jove's own land;
Yet would I with my sword make Jove to stoop。
I will confute those blind geographers
That make a triple region in the world;
Excluding regions which I mean to trace;
And with this pen reduce them to a map;
Calling the provinces; cities; and towns;
After my name and thine; Zenocrate:
Here at Damascus will I make the point
That shall begin the perpendicular:
And wouldst thou have me buy thy father's love
With such a loss? tell me; Zenocrate。
ZENOCRATE。 Honour still wait on happy Tamburlaine!
Yet give me leave to plead for him; my lord。
TAMBURLAINE。 Content thyself: his person shall be safe;
And all the friends of fair Zenocrate;
If with their lives they will be pleas'd to yield;
Or may be forc'd to make me emperor;
For Egypt and Arabia must be mine。
Feed; you slave; thou mayst think thyself happy to be fed from
my trencher。
BAJAZETH。 My empty stomach; full of idle heat;
Draws bloody humours from my feeble parts;
Preserving life by hastening cruel death。
My veins are pale; my sinews hard and dry;
My joints benumb'd; unless I eat; I die。
ZABINA。 Eat; Bajazeth; let us live in spite of them; looking
some happy power will pity and enlarge us。
TAMBURLAINE。 Here; Turk; wilt thou have a clean trencher?
BAJAZETH。 Ay; tyrant; and more meat。
TAMBURLAINE。 Soft; sir! you must be dieted; too much eating
will make you surfeit。
THERIDAMAS。 So it would; my lord; 'specially having so small
a walk and so little exercise。
'A second course is brought in of crowns。'
TAMBURLAINE。 Theridamas; Techelles; and Casane; here are the
cates you desire to finger; are they not?
THERIDAMAS。 Ay; my lord: but none save kings must feed with
these。
TECHELLES。 'Tis enough for us to see them; and for Tamburlaine
only to enjoy them。
TAMBURLAINE。 Well; here is now to the Soldan of Egypt; the King
of Arabia; and the Governor of Damascus。 Now; take these three
crowns; and pledge me; my contributory kings。 I crown you here;
Theridamas; king of Argier; Techelles; king of Fez; and
Usumcasane;
king of Morocco。How say you to this; Turk? these are
not your contributory kings。
BAJAZETH。 Nor shall they long be thine; I warrant them。
TAMBURLAINE。 Kings of Argier; Morocco; and of Fez;
You that have march'd with happy Tamburlaine
As far as from the frozen plage of heaven
Unto the watery Morning's ruddy bower;
And thence by land unto the torrid zone;
Deserve these titles I endow you with
By valour and by magnanimity。
Your births shall be no blemish to your fame;
For virtue is the fount whence honour springs;
And they are worthy she investeth kings。
THERIDAMAS。 And; since your highness hath so well vouchsaf'd;
If we deserve them not with higher meeds
Than erst our states and actions have retain'd;
Take them away again; and make us slaves。
TAMBURLAINE。 Well said; Theridamas: when holy Fates
Shall stablish me in strong Aegyptia;
We mean to travel to th' antarctic pole;
Conquering the people underneath our feet;
And be renowm'd as never emperors were。
Zenocrate; I will not crown thee yet;
Until with greater honours I be grac'd。
'Exeunt。'
ACT V。
SCENE I。
Enter the GOVERNOR OF DAMASCUS with three or four
CITIZENS; and four VIRGINS with branches of laurel in
their hands。
GOVERNOR。 Still doth this man; or rather god of war;
Batter our walls and beat our turrets down;
And to resist with longer stubbornness;
Or hope of rescue from the Soldan's power;
Were but to bring our wilful overthrow;
And make us desperate of our threaten'd lives。
We see his tents have now been altered
With terrors to the last and cruel'st hue;
His coal…black colours; every where advanc'd;
Threaten our city with a general spoil;
And; if we should with common rites of arms
Offer our safeties to his clemency;
I fear the custom proper to his sword;
Which he observes as parcel of his fame;
Intending so to terrify the world;
By any innovation or remorse
Will never be dispens'd with till our deaths。
Therefore; for these our harmless virgins' sakes;
Whose honours and whose lives rely on him;
Let us have hope that their unspotted prayers;
Their blubber'd cheeks; and hearty humble moans;
Will melt his fury into some remorse;
And use us like a loving conqueror。
FIRST VIRGIN。 If humble suite or imprecations
(Utter'd with tears of wretchedness and blood
Shed from the heads and hearts of all our sex;
Some made your wives; and some your children;)
Might have entreated your obdurate breasts
To entertain some care of our securities
Whiles only danger beat upon our walls;
These more than dangerous warrants of our death
Had never been erected as they be;
Nor you depend on such weak helps as we。
GOVERNOR。 Well; lovely virgins; think our country's care;
Our love of honour; loath to be enthrall'd
To foreign powers and rough imperious yokes;
Would not with too much cowardice or fear;
Before all hope of rescue were denied;
Submit yourselves and us to servitude。
Therefore; in that your safeties and our own;
Your honours; liberties; and lives were weigh'd
In equal care and balance with our own;
Endure as we the malice of our stars;
The wrath of Tamburlaine and power of wars;
Or be the means the overweighing heavens
Have kept to qualify these hot extremes;
And bring us pardon in your cheerful looks。
SECOND VIRGIN。 Then here; before the Majesty of Heaven
And holy patrons of Aegyptia;
With knees and hearts submissive we entreat
Grace to our words and pity to our looks;
That this device may prove propitious;
And through the eyes and ears of Tamburlaine
Convey events of mercy to his heart;
Grant that these signs of victory we yield
May bind the temples of his conquering head;
To hide the folded furrows of his brows;
And shadow his displeased countenance
With happy looks of ruth and lenity。
Leave us; my lord; and loving countrymen:
What simple virgins may persuade; we will。
GOVERNOR。 Farewell; sweet virgins; on whose safe return
Depends our city; liberty; and lives。
'Exeunt all except the VIRGINS。'
Enter TAMBURLAINE; all in black and very melancholy;
TECHELLES; THERIDAMAS; USUMCASANE; with others。
TAMBURLAINE。 What; are the turtles fray'd out of their nests?
Alas; poor fools; must you be first shall feel
The sworn destruction of Damascus?
They knew my custom; could they not as well
Have sent ye out when first my milk…white flags;
Through which sweet Mercy threw her gentle beams;
Reflexed them on their disdainful eyes;
As now when fury and incensed hate
Flings slaughtering terror from my coal…black tents;
And tells for truth submission comes too late?
FIRST VIRGIN。 Most happy king and emperor of the earth;
Image of honour and nobility;
For whom the powers divine have made the world;
And on whose throne the holy Graces sit;
In whose sweet person is compris'd the sum
Of Nature's skill and heavenly majesty;
Pity our plights! O; pity poor Damascus!
Pity old age; within whose silver hairs
Honour and reverence evermore have reign'd!
Pity the marriage…bed; where many a lord;
In prime and glory of his loving joy;
Embraceth now with tears of ruth and blood
The jealous body of his fearful wife;
Whose cheeks and hearts; so punish'd with conceit;
To think thy puissant never…stayed arm
Will part their bodies; and prevent their souls
From heavens of comfort yet their age might bear;
Now wax all pale and wither'd to the death;
As well for grief our ruthless governor
Hath thus refus'd the mercy of thy hand;
(Whose sceptre angels kiss and Furies dread;)
As for their liberties; their loves; or lives!
O; then; for these; and such as we ourselves;
For us; for infants; and for all our bloods;
That never nourish'd thought against thy rule;
Pity; O; pity; sacred emperor;
The prostrate service of this wretched town;
And take in sign thereof this gilded wreath;
Whereto each man of rule hath given his hand;
And wish'd; as worthy subjects; happy means
To be investers of thy royal brows
Even with the true Egyptian diadem!
TAMBURLAINE。 Virgins; in vain you labour to prevent
That which mine honour sw