The Two Lovers of Heaven: Chrysanthus and Daria Part 19

DARIA (aside).

He is here, and though already Even to see him, to have parley With him, lights a living fire In my breast, which burns yet glads me, Yet he must confess my G.o.ds, Ere I own that I am vanquished.

CHRYSANTHUS (aside).

She comes. .h.i.ther, and though I By her beauty am distracted, Still she must become a Christian Ere a wife's dear name I grant her.

DARIA (aside).

Venus, to my beauty give Power to make of him my va.s.sal.

CHRYSANTHUS (aside).

Grant, O Lord, unto my tongue Words that may dispel her darkness.

DARIA (aside).

To come near him makes me tremble.

CHRYSANTHUS (aside).

To address her, quite unmans me:-- Not in vain, O fair Daria, (aloud.

Does the verdure of this garden, When it sees thee pa.s.s, grow young As beneath spring's dewy spangles; Not in vain, since though 't is evening, Thou a new Aurora dazzleth, That the birds in public concert Hail thee with a joyous anthem; Not in vain the streams and fountains, As their crystal current pa.s.ses, Keep melodious time and tune With the bent boughs of the alders; The light movement of the zephyrs As athwart the flowers they 're wafted, Bends their heads to see thee coming, Then uplifts them to look after.

DARIA.

These fine flatteries, these fine phrases Make me doubt of thee, Chrysanthus.

He who gilds the false so well, Must mere truth find unattractive.

CHRYSANTHUS.

Hast thou then such little faith In my love?

DARIA.

Thou needst not marvel.

CHRYSANTHUS.

Why?

DARIA.

Because no more of faith Doth a love deserve that acteth Such deceptions.

CHRYSANTHUS.

What deceptions?

DARIA.

Are not those enough, Chrysanthus, That thou usest to convince me Of thy love, of thy attachment, When my first and well-known wishes Thou perversely disregardest?

Is it possible a man So distinguished for his talents, So ill.u.s.trious in his blood, Such a favourite from his manners, Would desire to ruin all By an error so unhappy, And for some delusive dream See himself abhorred and branded?

CHRYSANTHUS.

I nor talents, manners, blood, Would be worthy of, if madly I denied a Great First Cause, Who made all things, mind and matter, Time, heaven, earth, air, water, fire, Sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, beasts, Man then.

DARIA.

Did not Jupiter, then, make heaven, Where we hear his thunders rattle?

CHRYSANTHUS.

No, for if he could have made Heaven, he had no need to grasp it For himself at the part.i.tion, When to Neptune's rule he granted The great sea, and h.e.l.l to Pluto;-- Then they were ere all this happened.[12]

DARIA.

Is not Ceres the earth, then?

CHRYSANTHUS.

No.

Since she lets the plough and harrow Tear its bosom, and a G.o.ddess Would not have her frame so mangled.

DARIA.

Tell me, is not Saturn time?

CHRYSANTHUS.

He is not, though he dispatcheth All the children he gives birth to; To a G.o.d no crimes should happen.

DARIA.

Is not Venus the air?

CHRYSANTHUS.

Much less, Since they say that she was fashioned From the foam, and foam, we know, Cannot from the air be gathered.

DARIA.

Is not Neptune the sea?

CHRYSANTHUS.

As little, For inconstancy were G.o.d's mark then.

DARIA.

Is not the sun Apollo?

CHRYSANTHUS.

No.

DARIA.

The moon Diana?

CHRYSANTHUS.

All mere babble.

They are but two shining orbs Placed in heaven, and there commanded To obey fixed laws of motion Which thy mind need not embarra.s.s.

How can these be called the G.o.ds-- G.o.ds adulterers and a.s.sa.s.sins!

G.o.ds who pride themselves for thefts, And a thousand forms of badness, If the ideas G.o.d and Sin Are opposed as light to darkness?-- With another argument I would further sift the matter.

Let then Jupiter be a G.o.d, In his own sphere lord and master: Let Apollo be one also: Should Jove wish to hurl in anger Down his red bolts on the world, And Apollo would not grant them, He the so-called G.o.d of fire; From the independent action Of the two does it not follow One of them must be the vanquished?

Then they cannot be called G.o.ds, G.o.ds whose wills are counteracted.

One is G.o.d whom I adore . . .

And He is, in fine, that martyr Who has died for love of thee!-- Since then, thou hast said, so adverse Was thy proud disdain, one only Thou couldst love with love as ardent Almost as his own, was he Who would . . .

DARIA.

Oh! proceed no farther, Hold, delay thee, listen, stay, Do not drive my brain distracted, Nor confound my wildered senses, Nor convulse my speech, my language, Since at hearing such a mystery All my strength appears departed.

I do not desire to argue With thee, for, I own it frankly, I am but an ignorant woman, Little skilled in such deep matters.

In this law have I been born, In it have been bred: the chances Are that in it I shall die: And since change in me can hardly Be expected, for I never At thy bidding will disparage My own G.o.ds, here stay in peace.

Never do I wish to hearken To thy words again, or see thee, For even falsehood, when apparelled In the garb of truth, exerteth Too much power to be disregarded. [Exit.