Molière

“ MARIANE
Who'd have dared to hope it?
ORGON (to Tartuffe, who is being led by the officer)
There traitor! Now you're ...
SCENE VIII MADAME PERNELLE, ORGON, ELMIRE, MARIANE, CLEANTE, VALERE, DAMIS, DORINE CLEANTE
Brother, hold!—and don't
Descend to such indignities, I beg you.
Leave the poor wretch to his unhappy fate,
And let remorse oppress him, but not you.
Hope rather that his heart may now return
To virtue, hate his vice, reform his ways,
And win the pardon of our glorious prince ”

“ ORGON
Brother, your language smacks of atheism;
And I suspect your soul's a little tainted
Therewith. I've preached to you a score of times
That you'll draw down some judgment on your head.
CLEANTE
That is the usual strain of all your kind;
They must have every one as blind as they.
They call you atheist if you have good eyes;
And if you don't adore their vain grimaces,
You've neither faith nor care for sacred things.
No, no; such talk can't frighten me; I know
What I am saying; heaven sees my heart.
We're not the dupes of all your canting mummers ”

“ ORGON
Stop there, good brother,
You do not know the man you're speaking of.
CLEANTE
Since you will have it so, I do not know him;
But after all, to tell what sort of man
He is ...
ORGON
Dear brother, you'd be charmed to know him;
Your raptures over him would have no end.
He is a man ... who ... ah! ... in fact ...a man
Whoever does his will, knows perfect peace,
And counts the whole world else, as so much dung.
His converse has transformed me quite; he weans
My heart from every friendship, teaches me
To have no love for anything on earth ”

“ May somewhat change the friendship which he bears you?
TARTUFFE
I know that you're too good and generous,
That you will pardon my temerity,
Excuse, upon the score of human frailty,
The violence of passion that offends you,
And not forget, when you consult your mirror,
That I'm not blind, and man is made of flesh.
ELMIRE
Some women might do otherwise, perhaps,
But I am willing to employ discretion,
And not repeat the matter to my husband;
But in return, I'll ask one thing of you:
That you urge forward, frankly and sincerely,
The marriage of Valere to Mariane ”

“ Yes, I believe a wife should never trouble
Her husband's peace of mind with such vain gossip;
A woman's honour does not hang on telling;
It is enough if she defend herself;
Or so I think; Damis, you'd not have spoken,
If you would but have heeded my advice.
SCENE VI ORGON, DAMIS, TARTUFFE ORGON
Just Heaven! Can what I hear be credited?
TARTUFFE
Yes, brother, I am wicked, I am guilty,
A miserable sinner, steeped in evil,
The greatest criminal that ever lived.
Each moment of my life is stained with soilures;
And all is but a mass of crime and filth ”

“ Dorine. Poor man!
Madame Pernelle. Son, I don't believe he'd allow
Himself to take part in actions so foul.
Orgon. How's that?
Madame Pernelle. People always resent holy men.
Orgon. Mother, what were you trying to say just then?
Madame Pernelle. That in your home one sees the strangest things;
Among them is the hate that envy brings.
Orgon. How is it hate when I've told you the truth?
Madame Pernelle. I warned you often when you were a youth:
In this world virtue is oppressed forever;
The envious may die, but envy never. ”

“ Mister Tartuffe! Oh ho! No mean proposal!
Mister Tartuffe, sure, take it all in all,
Is not a man to sneeze at—oh, by no means!
'Tis no small luck to be his happy spouse.
The whole world joins to sing his praise already;
He's noble—in his parish; handsome too;
Red ears and high complexion—oh, my lud!
You'll be too happy, sure, with him for husband.
MARIANE
Oh dear! ...
DORINE
What joy and pride will fill your heart
To be the bride of such a handsome fellow! ”

“ They say my husband means to break his word.
And marry Mariane to you. Is't so?
TARTUFFE
He did hint some such thing; but truly, madam,
That's not the happiness I'm yearning after;
I see elsewhere the sweet compelling charms
Of such a joy as fills my every wish.
ELMIRE
You mean you cannot love terrestrial things.
TARTUFFE
The heart within my bosom is not stone.
ELMIRE
I well believe your sighs all tend to Heaven,
And nothing here below can stay your thoughts.
TARTUFFE
Love for the beauty of eternal things
Cannot destroy our love for earthly beauty ”

“ MARIANE
To do so is the height of my ambition.
ORGON
Excellent well. What say you of—Tartuffe?
MARIANE
Who? I?
ORGON
Yes, you. Look to it how you answer.
MARIANE
Why! I'll say of him—anything you please.
SCENE II ORGON, MARIANE, DORINE (coming in quietly and standing behind
Orgon, so that he does not see her)
ORGON
Well spoken. A good girl. Say then, my daughter,
That all his person shines with noble merit,
That he has won your heart, and you would like
To have him, by my choice, become your husband. ”

“ Without cease you teach your rules and mottos
Which decent people should never follow.
I now speak frankly, but it is my part;
I never spare the words that stir my heart.
Damis. Your man Tartuffe is satisfied, no fear . . .
Mme. Pernelle. He is a holy man whom all should hear,
And I cannot bear, without great rue,
To hear him mocked by a fool like you.
Damis. What? Am I myself to bear a carping critic,
A base usurper with a power tyrannic,
Such that we can do nothing for diversion
Without hearing about that creep's aversion?
Dorine. ”

“ Elmire. Then all your earthly love has been overthrown?
Tartuffe. My breast does not hold a heart made of stone.
Elmire. I'm sure that all your thoughts are on salvation,
And nothing less holds any fascination.
Tartuffe. The love that attracts us to what's eternal
Does not stop our love for the merely temporal.
Our senses can be quite easily charmed
By the perfect Earthly works that God has formed. ”

“ Calm yourself, sir, after passions of such heat.
We're ruled by a Prince who's a foe to deceit,
A Prince whose eyes can read what the soul has writ,
And who can't be fooled by a hypocrite.
Blessed with a fine discernment, his great heart
Always sees the whole picture, not just each part.
Nothing can drive him to exaggeration;
His firm reason clings to moderation.
He confers on men of worth immortal glory;
But that zeal is not blind or peremptory,
And his love for what's true does not turn his eye
From the power of falseness to horrify. ”

“ My husband can have no suspicion of you,
And even insists, to spite the scandal-mongers,
That we shall be together constantly;
So that is how, without the risk of blame,
I can be here locked up with you alone,
And can reveal to you my heart, perhaps
Only too ready to allow your passion.
TARTUFFE
Your words are somewhat hard to understand,
Madam; just now you used a different style.
ELMIRE
If that refusal has offended you,
How little do you know a woman's heart! ”

“ Dorine. Must he be there the same moment you pass
Like those who attend only to be seen?
Orgon. Your advice isn't wanted. Don't intervene.
Tartuffe is on the path to salvation,
And that is a treasure past calculation.
This wedding will bring blessings beyond measure,
And be crowned with great sweetness and pleasure.
Together you will live, thriving on love
Like new-born babes, or a pair of turtledoves.
You will never be found in angry debate
For you will find all that you wish in this mate.
Dorine. She'll only make him a cuckold, I'm sure.
Orgon. What?
Dorine. ”

“ ELMIRE (coughing to draw her husband's attention)
What! Must you go so fast?—and all at once
Exhaust the whole love of a woman's heart?
She does herself the violence to make
This dear confession of her love, and you
Are not yet satisfied, and will not be
Without the granting of her utmost favours?
TARTUFFE
The less a blessing is deserved, the less
We dare to hope for it; and words alone
Can ill assuage our love's desires. A fate
Too full of happiness, seems doubtful still ”

“ DORINE
I wouldn't trust him,
Nor yet his Lawrence, without bonds and surety.
MADAME PERNELLE
I don't know what the servant's character
May be; but I can guarantee the master
A holy man. You hate him and reject him
Because he tells home truths to all of you.
'Tis sin alone that moves his heart to anger,
And heaven's interest is his only motive.
DORINE
Of course. But why, especially of late,
Can he let nobody come near the house? ”

“ Orgon. With what a fair appearance and touching zeal
He hides a wicked soul and a heart of steel!
And I, who received him begging and broke . . .
That's it, I renounce all such pious folk.
Henceforth, I will hold them as wholly evil
And do my best to send them to the devil.
Cleante. It's just like you to get carried away!
You can never stick to the middle way.
To reason rightly is too much bother;
You always rush from one excess to another. ”

“ And for less cause than this, a strong cabal
Can make one's life a labyrinth of troubles.
I tell you once again: armed as he is
You never should have pushed him quite so far.
ORGON
True; yet what could I do? The rascal's pride
Made me lose all control of my resentment.
CLEANTE
I wish with all my heart that some pretence
Of peace could be patched up between you two
ELMIRE
If I had known what weapons he was armed with,
I never should have raised such an alarm,
And my ...
ORGON (to Dorine, seeing Mr. Loyal come in)
Who's coming now? Go quick, find out. ”

“ ORGON
Amen! I take you at your word. We'll see
What tricks you have, and how you'll keep your promise.
ELMIRE (to Dorine)
Send him to me.
DORINE (to Elmire)
The man's a crafty codger,
Perhaps you'll find it difficult to catch him.
ELMIRE (to Dorine)
Oh no! A lover's never hard to cheat,
And self-conceit leads straight to self-deceit.
Bid him come down to me.
(To Cleante and Mariane)
And you, withdraw.
SCENE IV ELMIRE, ORGON ELMIRE
Bring up this table, and get under it.
ORGON
What?
ELMIRE
One essential is to hide you well.
ORGON
Why under there? ”

“ ORGON
What! Can a soul so base, a heart so false,
Hide neath the semblance of such touching fervour?
I took him in, a vagabond, a beggar! ...
'Tis too much! No more pious folk for me!
I shall abhor them utterly forever,
And henceforth treat them worse than any devil.
CLEANTE
So! There you go again, quite off the handle!
In nothing do you keep an even temper.
You never know what reason is, but always
Jump first to one extreme, and then the other. ”

“ TARTUFFE
By why to prison?
THE OFFICER
You
Are not the one to whom I owe account.
You, sir (to Orgon) , recover from your hot alarm.
Our prince is not a friend to double dealing,
His eyes can read men's inmost hearts, and all
The art of hypocrites cannot deceive him.
His sharp discernment sees things clear and true;
His mind cannot too easily be swayed,
For reason always holds the balance even. ”

“ The best intent to live an honest woman
Depends upon the husband's being human,
And men whose brows are pointed at afar
May thank themselves their wives are what they are.
For to be true is more than woman can,
With husbands built upon a certain plan;
And he who weds his child against her will
Owes heaven account for it, if she do ill.
Think then what perils wait on your design.
ORGON (to Mariane)
So! I must learn what's what from her, you see!
DORINE
You might do worse than follow my advice.
ORGON
Daughter, we can't waste time upon this nonsense ”

“ Orgon. Without being smug, I'll
Say Tartuffe's face . . .
Dorine. Yes, he has a fine muzzle!
Orgon. Is so fine that even if you forgot
His other traits . . .
Dorine [aside] . And they're a sorry lot!
[Orgon turns toward Dorine and, with his arms folded, listens while staring in her face.]
If I were in her place, most assuredly
No man would wed me with impunity,
And I'd prove to him right after the wedding
That a wife's vengeance lies in the bedding!
Orgon [to Dorine] . So you refuse to obey me, is that true?
Dorine. What's your beef, sir? I'm not speaking to you.
Orgon. ”

“ Tartuffe. Yes, madame, I agree and that is fine . . .
Elmire. Peek out of the door and see, I beg you,
If my spouse is spying on our rendezvous.
Tartuffe. Why do you care what he sees or where he goes?
He's a man who loves to be led by the nose.
Our trysts are something he's proud of achieving,
And he'd watch us go to it without believing.
Elmire. No matter. Please, go have a look outside;
I'd hate to think he's found some place to hide.
SCENE VI
Orgon, Elmire
Orgon [coming out from under the table] . There, I swear, is an abominable man! ”

“ I may be present at this interview.
DORINE
No, no! They must be left alone.
DAMIS
I won't
So much as speak to him.
DORINE
Go on! We know you
And your high tantrums. Just the way to spoil things!
Be off.
DAMIS
No, I must see—I'll keep my temper.
DORINE
Out on you, what a plague! He's coming. Hide!
(Damis goes and hides in the closet at the back of the stage.)
SCENE II TARTUFFE, DORINE TARTUFFE (speaking to his valet, off the stage, as soon as he sees
Dorine is there)
Lawrence, put up my hair-cloth shirt and scourge,
And pray that Heaven may shed its light upon you. ”

“ These court gallants, that women are so fond of,
Are boastful of their acts, and vain in speech;
They always brag in public of their progress;
Soon as a favour's granted, they'll divulge it;
Their tattling tongues, if you but trust to them,
Will foul the altar where their hearts have worshipped.
But men like me are so discreet in love,
That you may trust their lasting secrecy.
The care we take to guard our own good name
May fully guarantee the one we love;
So you may find, with hearts like ours sincere,
Love without scandal, pleasure without fear. ”

“ Attempt to stop something so advantageous?
Tartuffe! Oh! Isn't he something to behold?
Surely Tartuffe is not made from such a mold,
If rightly viewed, as to make a person laugh;
'Twould be an honor to be his better half.
The whole world already crowns him with glory;--
Both in physique and character he's laudatory;
He has red ears and a florid, flushing face
With him for a mate you'd live in joyful grace.
Mariane. Dear God!
Dorine. What delight you will feel within
To know that you're wed to a man like him.
Mariane. Oh! ”

“ They cannot marry you to anyone
Without your saying yes. But now, methinks,
They mustn't find you chattering together.
(To Valere)
You, go at once and set your friends at work
To make him keep his word to you; while we
Will bring the brother's influence to bear,
And get the step-mother on our side, too.
Good-bye.
VALERE (to Mariane)
Whatever efforts we may make,
My greatest hope, be sure, must rest on you.
MARIANE (to Valere)
I cannot answer for my father's whims;
But no one save Valere shall ever have me.
VALERE
You thrill me through with joy! Whatever comes ... ”

“ Dorine. For heaven's sake, control your displeasure.
Your father has merely mentioned this measure.
No one does everything he proposes.
How something opens may not be how it closes.
Damis. I need to stop this vulgar coxcomb's plot
And in two little words tell him what's what.
Dorine. Whoa now! Why don't you let your stepmother
Manage him just as she does your father.
Over Tartuffe she has her own little ways
Of making him welcome all that she says,
And perhaps she makes his heart go pitter-patter. ”

“ Valere [to Dorine] . But what's your plan?
Mariane [to Dorine] . What do you wish to do?
Dorine. To patch things up a bit between you two.
[To Valere] . Are you out of your mind to fight in this way?
Valere. Did you hear her treat me like a popinjay?
Dorine [to Mariane] . Are you mad to have gotten so enraged?
Mariane. Did you see what happened? It can't be assuaged.
Dorine. You're both dunces. [To Valere] She wants nothing more
Than to be the one woman you adore.
[To Mariane] He loves you alone, and to make you his wife
Is his only desire--I swear on my life!
Mariane [to Valere] . ”

“ Elmire. Yes, it's a torment.
Tartuffe [offering Elmire a piece of candy] .
Would it help to have a licorice or mint?
Elmire. It's an obstinate illness, and I see
That all the mints in the world won't help me
Tartuffe. It's certainly troublesome.
Elmire. That's for sure!
Tartuffe. Your scruples at least are easy to cure:
You can be sure that I will keep things quiet--
A deed is evil only if men spy it.
The noise of scandal is the source of offense;
There is no sin if one sins in silence.
Elmire [after having coughed and knocked on the table] . ”