Pierre Corneille

“ But if this proud honor, always inexorable, cannot be appeased without the death of the guilty [offender] , arm no more against me the power of mortals; mine head is at thy feet, avenge thyself by thine own hands; thine hands alone have the right to vanquish the invincible. Take thou a vengeance to all others impossible. But at least let my death suffice to punish me; banish me not from thy remembrance, and, since my doom preserves your honor, to recompense yourself for this, preserve my memory, and say sometimes, when deploring my fate: "Had he not loved me, he would not have died."
Chimène. ”

“ Time has often rendered lawful that which at first seemed impossible, without being a crime. Rodrigo has won thee, and thou art justly his. But, although his valor has by conquest obtained thee to-day, it would need that I should become the enemy of thy self-respect, to give him so soon the reward of his victory. This bridal deferred does not break a law, which, without specifying the time, devotes thy faith to him. Take a year, if thou wilt, to dry thy tears; Rodrigo, in the mean time, must take up arms. ”

“ What annoyance can the approving shouts of the people cause
thee? This youthful Mars whom they praise has hitherto been able to
please thee; he possessed thy heart; he lived under thy law; and to
praise his valor is to honor thy choice.
Chimène.
Every one [else] can praise it with some justice; but for me
his praise is a new punishment. They aggravate my grief by raising him
so high. I see what I lose, when I see what he is worth. Ah! cruel
tortures to the mind of a lover! The more I understand his worth, the
more my passion increases ”

“ Sacrifice, I say, sire, to the good of the state, all those whom such a daring deed would inflate with pride.
Don Fernando. Don Diego, reply.
Don Diego. How worthy of envy is he who, in losing [life's] vigor, loses life also! And how a long life brings to nobly minded men, at the close of their career, an unhappy destiny! I, whose long labors have gained such great renown—I, whom hitherto everywhere victory has followed—I see myself to-day, in consequence of having lived too long, receiving an insult, and living vanquished. ”

“ Sire, do not permit that, under your sway, such license should reign before your [very] eyes; that the most valiant with impunity should be exposed to the thrusts of rashness; that a presumptuous youth should triumph over their glory, should imbrue himself with their blood, and scoff at their memory! If the valiant warrior who has just been torn from you be not avenged, the ardor for serving you becomes extinguished. In fine, my father is dead, and I demand vengeance more for your interest than for my consolation. You are a loser in the death of a man of his position. ”

“ Chimène. Far rather take part in the universal rejoicings, and taste the happiness which heaven sends you, dear lady; no one but myself has a right to sigh. The danger from which Rodrigo has been able to rescue you, and the public safety which his arms restore to you, to me alone to-day still permit tears; he has saved the city, he has served his King, and his valiant arm is destructive only to myself. ”

“ To die for one's country is not a sorrowful doom; it is to immortalize one's self by a glorious death! I love then his victory, and I can do so without criminality; it [the victory] secures the kingdom and yields to me my victim. But ennobled, but illustrious amongst all warriors, the chief crowned with laurels instead of flowers—and to say in a word what I think—worthy of being sacrificed to the shade of my father. Alas! by what [vain] hope do I allow myself to be carried away? Rodrigo has nothing to dread from me; what can tears which are despised avail against him? ”

“ Sire, if compassion can influence a king, for mercy's
sake revoke a law so severe. As the reward of a victory by which I lose
that which I love, I leave him my possessions; let him leave me to
myself, that in a sacred cloister I may weep continually, even to my
last sigh, for my father and my lover.
Don Diego.
In brief, she loves, sire, and no longer believes it a
crime to acknowledge with her own lips a lawful affection.
Don Fernando
Chimène, be undeceived [_lit._ come out from thine
error] ; thy lover is not dead, and the vanquished Don Sancho has given
thee a false report. ”

“ Chimène.
What, then! Is Rodrigo dead?
Don Fernando
No, no, he still lives [_lit._ he sees the day] ; and he
still preserves for you an unalterable affection; calm this sorrow which
takes such an interest in his favor.
Chimène.
Sire, we swoon from joy, as well as from grief; an excess of
pleasure renders us completely exhausted, and when it takes the mind by
surprise, it overpowers the senses.
Don Fernando
Dost thou wish that in thy favor we should believe in
impossibilities? Chimène, thy grief appeared too clearly visible. ”

“ Count.
Dost thou know well who I am?
Don Rodrigo
Yes! Any other man except myself, at the mere mention of
thy name, might tremble with terror. The laurels with which I see thine
head so covered seem to bear written [upon them] the prediction of my
fall. I attack, like a rash man, an arm always victorious; but by
courage I shall overcome you [_lit._ I shall have too much strength in
possessing sufficient courage] . To him who avenges his father nothing is
impossible. Thine arm is unconquered, but not invincible. ”

“ What dost thou fear? Is it the impotent weakness of an old
man?
Chimène.
Rodrigo has courage.
Infanta.
He is too young.
Chimène.
Courageous men become so [i.e. courageous] at once.
Infanta.
You ought not, however, to dread him much. He is too much
enamored to wish to displease you, and two words from thy lips would
arrest his rage.
Chimène.
If he does not obey me, what a consummation of my sorrow!
And, if he can obey me, what will men say of him? being of such noble
birth, to endure such an insult! ”

“ Limit not thy glory to the avenging of an insult; advance that glory still further; urge by thy valor this monarch to pardon, and Chimène to peace. If thou lovest her, learn that to return as a conqueror is the sole means of regaining her heart. But time is too precious to waste in words; I stop thee in thine attempted answer, and desire that thou fly [to the rescue] . Come, follow me; go to the combat, and show the King that what he loses in the Count he regains in thee. ”

“ I know it only too well; but if my pride yields, learn how love flatters a heart which it possesses. If Rodrigo once [or, only] comes forth from the combat as a conqueror, if this great warrior falls beneath his valor, I may consider him worthy of me, and I may love him without shame. What may he not do, if he can conquer the Count? I dare to imagine that, as the least of his exploits, entire kingdoms will fall beneath his laws; and my fond love is already persuaded that I behold him seated on the throne of Granada, the vanquished Moors trembling while paying him homage ”

“ Granada and Arragon tremble when this sword flashes; my name serves as a rampart to all Castile; without me you would soon pass under other laws, and you would soon have your enemies as [lit. for] kings. Each day, each moment, to increase my glory, adds laurels to laurels, victory to victory. The prince, by my side, would make the trial of his courage in the wars under the shadow of my arm; he would learn to conquer by seeing me do so; and, to prove speedily worthy of his high character, he would see——
Don Diego. I know it; you serve the king well. ”

“ Scene V.--DON SANCHO, CHIMÈNE, and ELVIRA.
Don Sancho.
Compelled to bring this sword to thy feet----
Chimène.
What! still [all] reeking with the blood of Rodrigo! Traitor,
dost thou dare to show thyself before mine eyes, after having taken from
me that [being] whom I love the best? Declare thyself my love, and thou
hast no more to fear. My father is satisfied; cease to restrain thyself.
The same [death] stroke has placed my honor in safety, my soul in
despair, and my passion at liberty!
Don Sancho.
With a mind more calmly collected----
Chimène. ”

“ I
admire thy courage, and I pity thy youth. Seek not to make thy first
attempt [_or_, maiden-stroke] fatal. Release my valor from an unequal
conflict; too little honor for me would attend this victory. In
conquering without danger we triumph without glory. Men would always
believe that thou wert overpowered without an effort, and I should have
only regret for thy death. ”

“ If the displaying of courage and resentment, if the avenging of a blow
deserves chastisement, upon me alone should fall the fury of the storm.
When the arm has failed, the head is punished for it. Whether men call
this a crime or not requires no discussion. Sire, I am the head, he is
the arm only. If Chimène complains that he has slain her father, he
never would have done that [deed] if I could have done it [myself] .
Sacrifice, then, this head, which years will soon remove, and preserve
for yourself the arm which can serve you. At the cost of my blood
satisfy Chimène. ”

“ Go, think of thy
defence, to overcome my sense of duty, to impose on me silence; and if
thou feelest thine heart still enamored for me, come forth, as a
conqueror, from a combat of which Chimène is the reward. Adieu; this
thoughtlessly uttered [_lit._ let slip] word causes me to blush for
shame!
[_Exit Chimène._]
Don Rodrigo
Where is the foe I could not now subdue? Come forth,
[warriors] of Navarre, Morocco, and Castile! and all the heroes that
Spain has produced; unite together and form an army, to contend against
one hand thus nerved [to action] . ”

“ Poor princess! to
which of the two oughtest thou to yield obedience? Rodrigo, thy valor
renders thee worthy of me; but although thou art valiant, thou art not
the son of a king.
Pitiless fate, whose severity separates my glory and my desires! Is it
decreed [_lit._ said] , that the choice of [a warrior of] such rare merit
should cost my passion such great anguish? O heaven! for how many
sorrows [_lit._ sighs] must my heart prepare itself, if, after such a
long, painful struggle, it never succeeds in either extinguishing the
love, or accepting the lover! ”

“ The Moor sees his loss and loses courage suddenly, and, seeing a reinforcement which had come to assist us, the ardor for conquest yields to the dread of death. They gain their ships, they cut their cables, they utter even to heaven terrific cries, they make their retreat in confusion and without reflecting whether their kings can escape with them. ”

“ The Moors are going to make a descent, and the tide and the night may, within an hour, bring them noiselessly to our walls. The court is in disorder, the people in dismay; we hear only cries, we see only tears. In this public calamity, my good fortune has so willed it that I have found [thronging] to my house five hundred of my friends, who, knowing the insult offered to me, impelled by a similar zeal, came all to offer themselves to avenge my quarrel. Thou hast anticipated them; but their valiant hands will be more nobly steeped in the blood of Africans. ”

“ Father, mistress, honor, love—noble and severe restraint—a bondage still to be beloved [lit. beloved tyranny] , all my pleasures are dead, or my glory is sullied. The one renders me unhappy; the other unworthy of life. Dear and cruel hope of a soul noble but still enamored, worthy enemy of my greatest happiness, thou sword which causest my painful anxiety, hast thou been given to me to avenge my honor? Hast thou been given to me to lose Chimène?
It is better to rush [lit. run] to death. I owe [a duty] to my mistress as well as to my father. I draw, in avenging myself, her hatred and her rage ”

“ Chimène.
Ah, Rodrigo, it is true, although thine enemy, I cannot blame
thee for having shunned disgrace; and in whatever manner my griefs burst
forth I do not accuse [thee] , I [only] lament my misfortunes. I know
what honor after such an insult demanded with ardor of a generous
courage; thou hast only done the duty of a man of honor, but also in
doing that [duty] thou hast taught me mine. Thy fatal valor has
instructed me by thy victory--it has avenged thy father and maintained
thy glory. ”

“ Thy father has been slain, he was the aggressor; and justice
itself commands me [to have] mercy. Before accusing that [degree of
clemency] which I show, consult well thine heart; Rodrigo is master of
it; and thy love in secret returns thanks to thy King, whose favor
preserves such a lover for thee.
Chimène.
For me! my enemy! the object of my wrath! the author of my
misfortunes? the slayer of my father! To my just pursuit [of vengeance]
they pay so little attention, that they believe that they are conferring
a favor on me by not listening to it. ”

“ Be then no longer surprised if my troubled soul with impatience awaits their bridal; thou seest that my happiness [lit. repose] this day depends upon it. If love lives by hope, it perishes with it; it is a fire which becomes extinguished for want of fuel; and, in spite of the severity of my sad lot, if Chimène ever has Rodrigo for a husband, my hope is dead and my spirit, is healed. Meanwhile, I endure an incredible torture; even up to this bridal. Rodrigo is dear to me ”

“ At the mere name of Cid they will tremble with dismay. They have named thee lord! they will desire thee as their king! But, amidst thy brilliant [lit. high] achievements, be thou to her always faithful; return, if it be possible, still more worthy of her, and by thy great exploits acquire such renown, that it may be glorious for her to espouse thee then.
Don Rodrigo. To gain Chimène, and for your service, what command can be issued to me that mine arm cannot accomplish? Yet, though absent from her [dear] eyes, I must suffer grief, sire, I have too much happiness in being able—to hope! ”