Blanca

“ In the more poignant relationships of human life there is a point beyond which men and women do not quite truthfully analyse their feelings—they feel too much. It was Blanca's fortune, too, to be endowed to excess with that quality which, of all others, most obscures the real significance of human issues. Her pride had kept her back from Hilary, till she had felt herself a failure. ”

“ The Count of Tolosa had a beautiful daughter called Blanca, and he had promised her in marriage to the son of the Count of Barcelona. Both were young, and rich, and noble; and all the people from both provinces gathered together to celebrate the wedding with every testimony of interest in their happiness. But Blanca was very self-willed; she had always had every thing her own way—a noble palace in the midst of an enchanting country, plenty of servitors to do her bidding, many knights to contend for her favour ”

“ Blanca cries out.
Blan. Ho! brother, brother! help against a madman!
Enter Don Julio.
Don J. Peace, Blanca, peace, you know not what you say:
Don Pedro is master here.
Blan. I know not your Don Pedro; but I'm sure
One to be tied in chains could do no more,
That he has done.
Don J. Have patience, sister: 'tis Elvira's father,
With cares enough upon him to justify
Any distemper.
Blan. Precious! Elvira's father?—
Nay, then I leave you. ”

“ The struggles which I endure are gradually undermining my existence; the passion, with which thou hast inspired me, will not always support this feeble frame. Remember, oh Moor, to speak to thee in thy own language, that the flame which lights the torch is also the fire which consumes it.”
Blanca entered the church, and left Aben-Hamet confounded with her last words.
The struggle is ended; the Abencerrage is vanquished; he is about to renounce the errors of his faith; he has struggled long enough; the dread of seeing Blanca perish triumphs over every other feeling in the breast of Aben-Hamet. ”

“ The nightingale sang in a cypress which pierced the domes of a ruined mosque, and the echoes repeated her plaintive strains. By the light of the moon, Aben-Hamet wrote the name of Blanca on the marble of the Hall of the Two Sisters; he traced it in Arabic characters, in order that the traveller might find an additional mystery for the exercise of his conjectures in this palace of mysteries.
“Moor,” said Blanca, “these amusements are cruel; let us quit this spot. The destiny of my life is fixed for ever. ”

“ And these noble lovers departed from this dangerous palace.
The passion of Blanca increased every day, and that of Aben-Hamet became equally violent. He was so transported at the idea of being loved for his own sake, and of owing the sentiments which he had inspired to no foreign cause, that he did not disclose the secret of his birth to the daughter of the Duke of Santa Fé: he pictured to himself a delicate pleasure in giving her the information that he bore an illustrious name, on the very day when she consented to give him her hand. But he was suddenly recalled to Tunis. ”

“ Yes, I was madly in love with her; accustomed as I am to analyze my own sensations, I knew that my passion could only end in the greatest happiness or the deepest suffering. However, at the end of the three days I went to her apartment and spent the evening there. She told me that her name was Blanca, that she was born in Madrid, and that she was a widow. She played and sang for me and asked me a thousand questions about myself, my profession, my family, and every word she said increased my love for her. From that night my soul was the slave of her soul; yes, and it will be forever. ”

“ The hearts of all present are suffering deeply; you will learn from us to bear the ills of life.”
Blanca wished to constrain the three knights to shake each other’s hands; all three refused to do so. “I hate Aben-Hamet,” exclaimed Don Carlos. “I envy him,” said Lautrec. “And I,” said the Abencerrage, “I esteem Don Carlos, and I pity Lautrec; but I can love neither of them.”
“Let us continue to see each other,” said Blanca, “and sooner or later friendship will follow esteem. Let the fatal event which has brought us here be for ever unknown at Granada.” ”

“ Aaben-Haamet kirjoitti kuun valossa Blancan nimen Kahden sisarensalin marmoriin arapialaisilla kirjaimilla, jotta tässä salaisuuksien palatsissa olisi entisten lisäksi vielä yksi, jota matkustaja itsekseen saisi arvotella.
"Maurilainen", Blanca sanoi, "tämä leikki on kauhistuttavaa. Jättäkäämme tämä paikka! Nyt on elämäni kohtalo ikipäiviksi ratkaistu. Pane mieleesi sanani: Jos moslemilaiseksi jäät, olen sinun toivoton rakastajasi, jos kristityksi tulet, niin olen sinun onnellinen puolisosi." ”

“ Make your account that 'tis already done,
Here you will find me halting in the street. [Exit Chichon.
Scene changes to Donna Blanca's antechamber. Enter Blanca.
Blan. How true it is that nature cheats mankind,
And makes us think ourselves the only tasters
Of pure delight and bliss; when as indeed,
Oppressing us with pains and griefs, she makes
Deliv'rance from them pass for solid pleasure!
Witness in me those images of joy,
Wherewith she flatters now my expectation:
What will its highest satisfaction be
At most, but ease from what tormented me?
[Pg 70]
Enter FRANCISCA hastily. ”

“ They came out into barren, rolling country, where clumps of cactus and euphorbia grew in fantastic shapes. The track led upward, and it was obvious that Blanca was getting tired. Unless they are the wives of peons, Spanish-American women do not lead an active life and, as a rule, limit their walks to an evening stroll in the plaza. ”

“ Enter Blanca and Francisca; Blanca with a gay air, as in her antechamber.
Blan. Say, my Francisca, can romances equal
Our last night's adventure? was there ever
Such a come-off! Our sex has us'd to boast
Presence of mind in exigents of love;
But I believe none of us ever match'd
Don Zancho's readiness in an occasion
So sudden and so critical.
Fran. Ever give me the man of ready parts.
Blan. But prythee, whilst we give Don Zancho 's dues,
Let us be just, too, to poor Silvia's merit ”

“ Blanca, during her father’s absence, had been unable to quit a brother whom she loved, a brother who intended to divest himself of all his property in her favour, and whom she saw again after seven years’ absence. Don Carlos possessed all the courage and all the pride of his nation: terrible as the conquerors of the New World, in whose ranks he had first carried arms; religious like the Spanish knights who conquered the Moors, he cherished in his heart that hatred of the infidels which he inherited from the blood of the Cid. ”

“ Blanca, Don Carlos and Lautrec all three lifted up their hands to heaven, and exclaimed, “The last of the Abencerrages!”
There was a moment of silence; fear, hope, hatred, love, astonishment and jealousy agitated their different hearts: Blanca shortly fell upon her knees: “Gracious [Pg 53] God!” she said, “thou hast justified my choice; I could only love the descendant of heroes!”
“Sister!” said the irritated Don Carlos, “you forget that you are here in the presence of Lautrec.”
“Don Carlos,” said Aben-Hamet, “suspend thy wrath: it is my business to restore thee to repose.” ”

“ He had never really deserted her, but knowing that he could not save her, his deep-rooted dread of firearms had been too much for him when he saw us approaching. All that day we heard him wailing as he roamed in his quest, and I remarked at length to one of the boys, "Now, indeed, I truly know that Blanca was his mate."
As evening fell he seemed to be coming toward the home cañon, for his voice sounded continually nearer. There was an unmistakable note of sorrow in it now. It was no longer the loud, defiant howl, but a long, plaintive wail: "Blanca! Blanca!" he seemed to call. ”

“ You can still see, on the marble, the stain of the blood of the unhappy men who were [Pg 29] sacrificed to Boabdil’s suspicions. It is thus that, in your country, men who seduce credulous women are treated.”
Aben-Hamet had ceased to listen to Blanca; he had prostrated himself, and kissed respectfully the mark of the blood of his ancestors. Then rising he exclaimed: “O Blanca! I swear, by the blood of these knights, to love thee with the constancy, the fidelity and the ardour of an Abencerrage!” ”

“ I'll make thee see, and false Don Zancho feel,
That Blanca's not a dame to be so treated.
But who are those I hear without? Whoe'er
They be, they come at an unwelcome hour. [Francisca looks out.
Fran. Madam, it is a page of Violante's,
Ushering [in] a handsome maid.
[Pg 19]
Enter a Page with a letter, and Elvira. The Page presents the letter to Blanca; she addresses herself to Elvira, and she throws up her veil. ”

“ Elvira having stayed awhile behind, as she is going to follow Blanca, enter her father Don Pedro and Fulvio: she starts, and stands confounded; he, seeing her, draws out his dagger, and makes at her.
Don P. Vile stainer of my blood, have I here found thee? ”

“ When the dueña found she could make no impression on him she ran off at last to call Blanca, who was not yet out of bed, crying long before she got within hearing, “Infantina, Infantina4! get up and come down quickly, for here in your gardens is a shepherd who is weaving a stuff which cannot be matched in all the world, and cannot be bartered for cloth of gold; for whoever puts on a garment made of it will instantly appear young, how old soever they may have been before; and if they are already young and beautiful, it will make them much more so.” ”

“ I'm going to marry the Duke of Carmona.”
After all, she had proved herself a docile daughter. She had seen what the house of a grandee of Spain can be like. She had seen the Blanca Laguna pearl. Poor child of eighteen years, brought up to know poverty and to loathe it; was I to let my love turn to hate because she was not an angel, but a woman like others? ”

“ Blanca displayed not the slightest embarrassment: her soul was completely exhibited in her eyes; the ingenuous Spaniard made no attempt to conceal the secret of her heart. After a silence of a few moments, Aben-Hamet rose, made his bow to the daughter of Don Rodrigo, and retired. Astonished at the behaviour of the Moor, and at the looks of Blanca, Lautrec left the apartment, with a suspicion which was speedily changed into certainty.
Don Carlos remained alone with his sister. “Blanca,” said he, “explain yourself. ”

“ How vell you know men! But not me, Blanca—not a Peruvian. I know it ees better for you, as vell as for myself, dthat you marry me. You haf nefer been so gentle and so gude as since I hold you near dthat baranca. But you did not like it! You loaf me, but you air like a vild deer; you air so easy startle, and so hard to hold. But I vill be zo gude to Blanca, I vill make her glad I vas so strong not to let her haf her own way. If you keess me and zay before God you marry me, I take you back to Casa 47—if not, Madame Steele go alone to San Miguel. ”

“ A Spaniard, who passes the day without speaking, who has seen nothing, and cares not for seeing anything, who has read nothing, studied nothing, compared nothing, will yet discover, in the greatness of his resolutions, the necessary resources at the moment of adversity.
It was Don Rodrigo’s birthday, and Blanca was giving her father a tertulia, or little entertainment, in this delightful solitude. The Duke invited Aben-Hamet to seat himself amidst the young ladies, who were amused at the turban and robe of the stranger. ”

“ Don Pedro in his aims, and to comply
With what I owe the duke, I see as little;
And less conceive, how to behave myself,
As ought a gentleman towards a lady,
With whose protection he hath charg'd himself,
And brought her to his house on that assurance;
Whom to expose cannot consist with honour,
However she may have expos'd her own;
And (least of all) how to repair to Blanca
The injury I have done her, whose high spirit,
I fear, will be implacable. O heavens! ”

“ Of his dimensions; but I see no care
For me, your pretty, not your proper man,
Who does abhor feats of activity. [To her.
Fran. I'll help you—with a halter!
[Exit Francisca, and Chichon retires.
[Pg 33]
Scene changes to Blanca's Bed-chamber. Enter Blanca and Elvira; and soon after Francisca, as in Blanca's chamber, she sitting at her toilet undressing. ”

“ The appearance of the fair sex in this character was chiefly after the siege of Zaragoza, when the renown won by Manuela Sanchez caused heroines to spring up in several places, who wore for the most part a half-military attire. Blanca’s use of the guitar is strictly in character, for the talent of the improvvisatore is pretty general in Spain, the language readily adapting itself to extemporaneous recitation in verse, and the ardent temperament of the nation favouring a rapid exercise of the imagination. ”

“ We each threw a lasso over the neck of the doomed wolf, and strained our horses in opposite directions until the blood burst from her mouth, her eyes glazed, her limbs stiffened and then fell limp. Homeward then we rode, carrying the dead wolf, and exulting over this, the first death-blow we had been able to inflict on the Currumpaw pack.
At intervals during the tragedy, and afterward as we rode homeward, we heard the roar of Lobo as he wandered about on the distant mesas, where he seemed to be searching for Blanca. ”

“ Poor Blanche!—her bright little head, encircled with the regal diadem—let her enjoy her brief moment of triumph. Little by little her heart is yielding to the fascinations of Don Pedro, the most brilliant cavalier she could have conjured up even in her dreams, and she feels that if he would{54} but take her to his arms, she would tell him all her tale; how every one has frightened her, and that now she is ready to love him for ever and aye. ”