Ma lasciamo, per Dio, Signore, ormai
Di parlar d’ ira, e di cantar di morte.
“Orlando Furioso,” Canto1 xvii. xvii.
(But leave me, I solemnly conjure2 thee, signor, to speak of wrath3, and to sing of death.)
The young actress was led to, and left alone in a chamber4 adorned5 with all the luxurious6 and half-Eastern taste that at one time characterised the palaces of the great seigneurs of Italy. Her first thought was for Zanoni. Was he yet living? Had he escaped unscathed the blades of the foe,— her new treasure, the new light of her life, her lord, at last her lover?
She had short time for reflection. She heard steps approaching the chamber; she drew back, but trembled not. A courage not of herself, never known before, sparkled in her eyes, and dilated7 her stature8. Living or dead, she would be faithful still to Zanoni! There was a new motive9 to the preservation10 of honour. The door opened, and the prince entered in the gorgeous and gaudy11 custume still worn at that time in Naples.
“Fair and cruel one,” said he, advancing with a half-sneer upon his lip, “thou wilt12 not too harshly blame the violence of love.” He attempted to take her hand as he spoke13.
“Nay,” said he, as she recoiled14, “reflect that thou art now in the power of one that never faltered15 in the pursuit of an object less dear to him than thou art. Thy lover, presumptuous16 though he be, is not by to save thee. Mine thou art; but instead of thy master, suffer me to be thy slave.”
“Prince,” said Viola, with a stern gravity, “your boast is in vain. Your power! I am NOT in your power. Life and death are in my own hands. I will not defy; but I do not fear you. I feel — and in some feelings,” added Viola, with a solemnity almost thrilling, “there is all the strength, and all the divinity of knowledge — I feel that I am safe even here; but you — you, Prince di —, have brought danger to your home and hearth17!”
The Neapolitan seemed startled by an earnestness and boldness he was but little prepared for. He was not, however, a man easily intimidated18 or deterred19 from any purpose he had formed; and, approaching Viola, he was about to reply with much warmth, real or affected20, when a knock was heard at the door of the chamber. The sound was repeated, and the prince, chafed21 at the interruption, opened the door and demanded impatiently who had ventured to disobey his orders, and invade his leisure. Mascari presented himself, pale and agitated22: “My lord,” said he, in a whisper, “pardon me; but a stranger is below, who insists on seeing you; and, from some words he let fall, I judged it advisable even to infringe23 your commands.”
“A stranger!— and at this hour! What business can he pretend? Why was he even admitted?”
“He asserts that your life is in imminent24 danger. The source whence it proceeds he will relate to your Excellency alone.”
The prince frowned; but his colour changed. He mused25 a moment, and then, reentering the chamber and advancing towards Viola, he said,—
“Believe me, fair creature, I have no wish to take advantage of my power. I would fain trust alone to the gentler authorities of affection. Hold yourself queen within these walls more absolutely than you have ever enacted27 that part on the stage. To-night, farewell! May your sleep be calm, and your dreams propitious28 to my hopes.”
With these words he retired29, and in a few moments Viola was surrounded by officious attendants, whom she at length, with some difficulty, dismissed; and, refusing to retire to rest, she spent the night in examining the chamber, which she found was secured, and in thoughts of Zanoni, in whose power she felt an almost preternatural confidence.
Meanwhile the prince descended30 the stairs and sought the room into which the stranger had been shown.
He found the visitor wrapped from head to foot in a long robe, half-gown, half-mantle, such as was sometimes worn by ecclesiastics31. The face of this stranger was remarkable32. So sunburnt and swarthy were his hues33, that he must, apparently34, have derived35 his origin amongst the races of the farthest East. His forehead was lofty, and his eyes so penetrating36 yet so calm in their gaze that the prince shrank from them as we shrink from a questioner who is drawing forth37 the guiltiest secret of our hearts.
“What would you with me?” asked the prince, motioning his visitor to a seat.
“Prince of —,” said the stranger, in a voice deep and sweet, but foreign in its accent,—“son of the most energetic and masculine race that ever applied38 godlike genius to the service of Human Will, with its winding40 wickedness and its stubborn grandeur41; descendant of the great Visconti in whose chronicles lies the history of Italy in her palmy day, and in whose rise was the development of the mightiest42 intellect, ripened43 by the most restless ambition,— I come to gaze upon the last star in a darkening firmament44. By this hour tomorrow space shall know it not. Man, unless thy whole nature change, thy days are numbered!”
“What means this jargon45?” said the prince, in visible astonishment46 and secret awe47. “Comest thou to menace me in my own halls, or wouldst thou warn me of a danger? Art thou some itinerant48 mountebank49, or some unguessed-of friend? Speak out, and plainly. What danger threatens me?”
“Zanoni and thy ancestor’s sword,” replied the stranger.
“Ha! ha!” said the prince, laughing scournfully; “I half-suspected thee from the first. Thou art then the accomplice50 or the tool of that most dexterous51, but, at present, defeated charlatan52? And I suppose thou wilt tell me that if I were to release a certain captive I have made, the danger would vanish, and the hand of the dial would be put back?”
“Judge of me as thou wilt, Prince di —. I confess my knowledge of Zanoni. Thou, too, wilt know his power, but not till it consume thee. I would save, therefore I warn thee. Dost thou ask me why? I will tell thee. Canst thou remember to have heard wild tales of thy grandsire; of his desire for a knowledge that passes that of the schools and cloisters53; of a strange man from the East who was his familiar and master in lore54 against which the Vatican has, from age to age, launched its mimic55 thunder? Dost thou call to mind the fortunes of thy ancestor?— how he succeeded in youth to little but a name; how, after a career wild and dissolute as thine, he disappeared from Milan, a pauper56, and a self-exile; how, after years spent, none knew in what climes or in what pursuits, he again revisited the city where his progenitors57 had reigned58; how with him came the wise man of the East, the mystic Mejnour; how they who beheld59 him, beheld with amaze and fear that time had ploughed no furrow60 on his brow; that youth seemed fixed61, as by a spell, upon his face and form? Dost thou not know that from that hour his fortunes rose? Kinsmen62 the most remote died; estate upon estate fell into the hands of the ruined noble. He became the guide of princes, the first magnate of Italy. He founded anew the house of which thou art the last lineal upholder, and transferred his splendour from Milan to the Sicilian realms. Visions of high ambition were then present with him nightly and daily. Had he lived, Italy would have known a new dynasty, and the Visconti would have reigned over Magna–Graecia. He was a man such as the world rarely sees; but his ends, too earthly, were at war with the means he sought. Had his ambition been more or less, he had been worthy63 of a realm mightier64 than the Caesars swayed; worthy of our solemn order; worthy of the fellowship of Mejnour, whom you now behold65 before you.”
The prince, who had listened with deep and breathless attention to the words of his singular guest, started from his seat at his last words. “Imposter!” he cried, “can you dare thus to play with my credulity? Sixty years have flown since my grandsire died; were he living, he had passed his hundred and twentieth year; and you, whose old age is erect66 and vigorous, have the assurance to pretend to have been his contemporary! But you have imperfectly learned your tale. You know not, it seems, that my grandsire, wise and illustrious indeed, in all save his faith in a charlatan, was found dead in his bed, in the very hour when his colossal67 plans were ripe for execution, and that Mejnour was guilty of his murder.”
“Alas!” answered the stranger, in a voice of great sadness, “had he but listened to Mejnour,— had he but delayed the last and most perilous68 ordeal69 of daring wisdom until the requisite70 training and initiation71 had been completed,— your ancestor would have stood with me upon an eminence72 which the waters of Death itself wash everlastingly73, but cannot overflow74. Your grandsire resisted my fervent75 prayers, disobeyed my most absolute commands, and in the sublime76 rashness of a soul that panted for secrets, which he who desires orbs77 and sceptres never can obtain, perished, the victim of his own frenzy78.”
“He was poisoned, and Mejnour fled.”
“Mejnour fled not,” answered the stranger, proudly —“Mejnour could not fly from danger; for to him danger is a thing long left behind. It was the day before the duke took the fatal draft which he believed was to confer on the mortal the immortal79 boon80, that, finding my power over him was gone, I abandoned him to his doom81. But a truce82 with this: I loved your grandsire! I would save the last of his race. Oppose not thyself to Zanoni. Yield not thy soul to thine evil passions. Draw back from the precipice83 while there is yet time. In thy front, and in thine eyes, I detect some of that diviner glory which belonged to thy race. Thou hast in thee some germs of their hereditary84 genius, but they are choked up by worse than thy hereditary vices85. Recollect86 that by genius thy house rose; by vice39 it ever failed to perpetuate87 its power. In the laws which regulate the universe, it is decreed that nothing wicked can long endure. Be wise, and let history warn thee. Thou standest on the verge88 of two worlds, the past and the future; and voices from either shriek89 omen26 in thy ear. I have done. I bid thee farewell!”
“Not so; thou shalt not quit these walls. I will make experiment of thy boasted power. What, ho there!— ho!”
The prince shouted; the room was filled with his minions90.
“Seize that man!” he cried, pointing to the spot which had been filled by the form of Mejnour. To his inconceivable amaze and horror, the spot was vacant. The mysterious stranger had vanished like a dream; but a thin and fragrant91 mist undulated, in pale volumes, round the walls of the chamber. “Look to my lord,” cried Mascari. The prince had fallen to the floor insensible. For many hours he seemed in a kind of trance. When he recovered, he dismissed his attendants, and his step was heard in his chamber, pacing to and fro, with heavy and disordered strides. Not till an hour before his banquet the next day did he seem restored to his wonted self.
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1
canto
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| n.长篇诗的章 | |
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conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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presumptuous
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| adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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intimidated
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| v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的 | |
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deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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infringe
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| v.违反，触犯，侵害 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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ecclesiastics
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| n.神职者，教会，牧师( ecclesiastic的名词复数 ) | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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mightiest
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| adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的 | |
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ripened
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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itinerant
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| adj.巡回的；流动的 | |
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mountebank
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| n.江湖郎中；骗子 | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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charlatan
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| n.骗子；江湖医生；假内行 | |
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cloisters
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| n.（学院、修道院、教堂等建筑的）走廊( cloister的名词复数 )；回廊；修道院的生活；隐居v.隐退，使与世隔绝( cloister的第三人称单数 ) | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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pauper
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| n.贫民，被救济者，穷人 | |
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progenitors
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| n.祖先( progenitor的名词复数 )；先驱；前辈；原本 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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mightier
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| adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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initiation
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| n.开始 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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everlastingly
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| 永久地，持久地 | |
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overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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86
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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87
perpetuate
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| v.使永存，使永记不忘 | |
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88
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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89
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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90
minions
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| n.奴颜婢膝的仆从( minion的名词复数 )；走狗；宠儿；受人崇拜者 | |
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91
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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