L'Aiglon Part 66

What's this? I never knew he had one like-- Ah! the Archd.u.c.h.ess must have sent him this; So there thou art, thou legendary hat!

'Tis many years--Good day!--What sayst thou? What?

No, from thy little sable pyramid Twelve years of splendor gaze on me in vain, I do not fear thee now.

The leathern tag With which he constantly could take thee off, And so win cheers yet leave thy shape unharmed.

With thee he fanned himself after each victory; Thou couldst not fall from his unheeding fingers, But straight a king would stoop to pick thee up.

To-day, my friend, thou art a reach-me-down, And if I tossed thee through the cas.e.m.e.nt yonder Where wouldst thou end thy days?

FLAMBEAU.

[_To himself._] In a museum!

METTERNICH.

The famous little hat--how very ugly!

They called it little--is it really little?

No; it is big; enormous; it's the hat A little man puts on to increase his inches.

For 'twas a hatter set the legend going: The real Napoleon, after all, was Poupart.

Ah, never think my hatred of thee slumbers!

'Twas for thy shape's sake first I hated thee, Thou vampire-bat of b.l.o.o.d.y battle-fields, Hat that seemed fashioned out of raven's wings.

I hated thee for pitilessly soaring Above the fields which witnessed our defeats, Half-circle, seeming on the ruddy sky The orb half-risen of some sable sun!

And for thy crown wherein the devil lurks, Thou juggler's hat, laid with a sudden hand Upon a throne, an army, or a nation-- When thou wert lifted all had disappeared.

I hated thee for the salutes I gave thee, For thy simplicity--mere affectation-- Thy insolent joy, thou piece of common beaver Amid the glittering diadems of gold; For staying firmly on his haughty head When I sought flattering epithets to please thee.

Conqueror, new, acclaimed, I hated thee!

I hate thee now, old, conquered and betrayed!

I hate thee for thy haughty shadow, cast Forever on the wall of history; I hate thee for thy Jacobin c.o.c.kade, Staring upon me like a bloodshot eye; For all the murmurs sounding in thy sh.e.l.l, That huge black sh.e.l.l the waves have left behind Wherein the shuddering listener may hear The rumor of a nation on the march.

I hate thee for the pride of France, whose bounds Thou hast enlarged until she scorns the world; For Beranger I hate thee, and Raffet, For all the songs and all the pasquinades, And for the halo of Saint Helena.

I hate thee, hate thee. I shall not be happy Until thy clumsy triangle of cloth, Despoiled of its traditions, is again What it should ne'er have ceased to be in France-- The headgear of a village constable.

I hate--but suddenly--how strange!--the present Sometimes with impish glee will ape the past!-- Seeing thy well-known shape before me thus Carries my mind back to a distant day, For it was here he always put thee down When twenty years ago he sojourned here.

This room was then the ante-chamber; here, Waiting till graciously he showed himself, Dukes, Princes, Magyars, huddling in a corner, Fixed from afar their humbled eyes upon thee, Like lions, dreading with a helpless fury The tamer's hat forgotten in the cage.

'Twas thus he placed thee, and here lay, as now, Weapons and papers. One might say 'twas he Had tossed thee carelessly upon the map, That this were still his home, this Bonaparte!

And that by turning, on the threshold--there-- I should behold the Grenadier on--

[_He starts on seeing_ FLAMBEAU _standing rigid before the_ DUKE'S _door; he rubs his eyes._]

Ha!

No! no! I'm feverish; my _tete-a-tete_ With the old hat plays havoc with my nerves!

[_He looks and draws near._ FLAMBEAU _does not move._]

Or have the moonbeams conjured up a spectre?

What is it, then? Let's see--let's see--let's see!

[_He strides furiously toward_ FLAMBEAU.]

Who are you, fellow?

FLAMBEAU.

[_Presenting his bayonet._]

Who goes there?

METTERNICH.

[_Recoiling._]

The devil!

FLAMBEAU.

[_Coldly._]

Pa.s.s, devil.

METTERNICH.

[_With a forced laugh, coming toward him again._]

Yes,--a very clever jest, But--

FLAMBEAU.

[_Presenting his bayonet again._]

Who goes there?

METTERNICH.

[_Recoiling._]

But--

FLAMBEAU.

Move and you are dead.

METTERNICH.

But--I--

FLAMBEAU.

Quiet!

METTERNICH.

Let me pa.s.s!

FLAMBEAU.