221
O wretchedness !
O wretchedness !
Krasinski - The Undivine Comedy
Yankcl, take charge
of them. {Exit Leonard and Neophyte. )
THE UNDIVINE COMEDY. 217
CHORUS OF NEOPHYTES.
Ye ropes and daggers, clubs and hatchets, swords,
Works of our hands, ye only will appear
When needed to destroy our deadly foes !
The nobles will be strangled in the fields,
Hung in the forests, gardens, by the people.
And when their work is done, our turn will come :
Then we will hang the hangers ; strangle those
Who strangled, murder those who murdered !
The scorned will rise in judgment on the scorner,
Array themselves in thunder of Jehovah !
His word is life : His love is ours alone ;
Destruction, wrath. He pours upon our foes;
He is our refuge, blasts our enemies.
We three times spew them forth to sudden ruin !
Our threefold curses be upon their heads !
SCENE II. A tent. Flasks, cups, flagons, and bottles
scattered in confusion. Pancras alone.
Pancras. Hundreds of brutes howled here an hour
ago.
Ending with shouts thefr orgies. At each word
I uttered they would cry : Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Vivats at every gesture, — worthless praise !
Is there a single man among them all
Who really understands the aim and end
Oi that inaugurated here with such loud joy ?
Oh ! fervide iniitatorum pccus !
{Enter Leonard and the Neophyte. )
{To Neophyte'). Know you Count Henry?
Neophyte. Citizen, by sight
I well remember that I met him once.
On Corpus Christi, as I went to mass ;
He cried, " Out of my way ! " and glared at me
With that proud look peculiar to the nobles, —
For which I in my soul vowed him a rope !
Pancras. Seek him to-morrow at the break of day ;
Tell him I wish to visit him at night, alone.
Neophyte. How many men are to accomi)any me?
19*
2i8 THE UNDIVINE COMEDY.
Without an escort, 'twould be dangerous !
Pancras. The mission secret, you must go alone ;
My name will be an all-sufficient escort.
The lantern post to which you yesterday
Hung up the Baron, doubtless will support you.
Neophyte. A'i ! Ai !
Pancras. Tell him that two days hence I'll leave my
camp,
To visit him at midnight, and alone.
Neophyte. And if he keeps me bound — and tortures
me?
Pancras. A martyr in the people's cause you'd die !
Neophyte. All for the people, yes ! {Aside. ) A'i! Ai !
Pancras. Good-night ! and tarry not upon the way !
(^Exit Neophyte. )
Leonard. Why, Pancras, these half-measures, inter-
views ?
Mark, when I swore to honor and obey you,
I deemed you hero in extremities,
An eagle flying straight unto his aim,
A man who stakes upon one throw his fate
And that of others; stout of heart and brain !
Pancras. Hush, child !
Leonard. All things are ready. Sturdy arms
Have forged our weapons, spun our ropes ; our men
Are drilled, the eager millions but await
The lightning of your word to burst in flame.
Consume our enemies.
Paticras. You're very young,
And through your brain the heated blood pours fire,
But when the hour of combat comes, will you
Be found more resolute than I? Restraint
You've never known ; — rashness is not true courage !
Leonard. Think what you do ! The exhausted nobles
now
Are driven for refuge to their last stronghold.
The Fortress of the Holy Trinity,
Where they await us as men wait the rope
Or guillotine suspended o'er their heads.
Attack without delay — and they are yours !
Paficras. Of what importance is the hour we strike?
THE UNDIVINE COMEDY. 219
They've lost their corporal strength in luxury ;
Wasted their mental powers in idleness ;
To-morrow, or the next day, they imist fall !
Leonard. Whom do you fear ? What can arrest your
force ?
Pancras. No one and nothing. My own will alone.
Leona? -d. Must I obey it blindly ?
Pancras. You have said it :
Blindly.
Leonard. Should you betray us ?
Pancras. Betrayal winds
Up all your sentences, like quaint refrain
Of some old song. Lower ! for one might hear us. . . .
Leonard. Here are no spies. What if I should be heard ?
Pancras. Nothing, . . . save perhaps a dozen balls
Fired at your heart for having raised your voice
Too high when in my presence !
( Coming close to Leonard. ^ Cease to torment yourself, and
trust me, Leonard.
Leonard. I will, I do ; I've been too hasty, Pancras.
But I've no fear of punishment ; and if
My death avails to serve our cause — then take my life !
Pancras {aside). He is so full of life, of faith, of hope ;
The happiest of men, he loves and trusts !
I do not wish his death.
Leonard. What do you say ?
Pancras. Think more ; speak less ; in time you'll un-
derstand me !
Have you the powder for the cartridges?
Leonard. Deyitz conveys the stores, his escort's strong.
Pancras. The contribution from the shoemakers.
Has it been yet collected ?
Leonard. Yes. They gave
With right good will, — one hundred thousand florins.
Pancras. I will invite them to our feast to-morrow.
Have you heard nothing new about Count Henry?
Leonard. Nay, I despise the nobles far too much
To credit what I hear of him. I know
It is impossible the dying race
Should summon energy to cope with us.
Pancras. Yet it is true that he collects and trains
220 THE UNDIVINE COMEDY.
Friends, peasants, serfs, and drills them for the fight ;
And trusting their devotion to himself,
Will lead them to the very jaws of death.
He has intrenched himself within the walls
Of the old fortress, " Holy Trinity. "
Leonard. Who can resist us, when incarnate live
In us the ideas of our century?
Pancras. I am resolved to see him, read his eyes,
And penetrate the secrets of his soul, —
Win him to join our cause !
Leonard. A born aristocrat !
Pancras. True, but a poet still ! Leonard, good-night.
Leonard. Have you forgiven me ?
Pancras. Go ! rest in peace !
If you were not forgiven, you would sleep
Ere this the eternal sleep I
Leonard. To-morrow, — nothing ?
Paticras. Good-night, and pleasant dreams !
(^Exit Leonard. ^ Ho! Leonard, ho !
L eonard (re-entering) . Chief Citizen?
Pancras. When comes the appointed hour
You'll go with me to seek Count Henry's camp.
Leonard. My chief shall be obeyed. (Pxit. )
Pancras (a/one). Why does the boldness of this haughty
Count
Still trouble me? Me, ruler of the millions !
Compared with mine, his force is but a shadow.
'Tis true, indeed, some hundreds of his serfs
Cling round him as the dog stays by his master
In trusting confidence. That is sheer folly ! . . .
But why do I so long to see this Count,
To subjugate him, wi«-hi-m"tDT5iir^icle ?
Has my clear "spTrit for the-first time met
An equal ? Does he bar its onward flight ?
Arrest it in its full development?
The only obstacle before me now
Is his resistance ; that I must o'ercome !
And then . . . and afterwards . . . and then . . .
O cunning intellect, canst thou deceive
Thyself as thou dost others ? . . . Canst not ? — No ? . . .
THE UNDIVINE COMEDY.
221
O wretchedness ! . . . Why dost thou doubt thyself?
Shame ! . . . thou should' st know thy power ! Thou art
the thought,
The reason of the people ; Sovereign Lord !
Thou canst control the millions, make their wills,
With all their giant forces, one with thine !
The might of rt:// incarnate is in thee;
Thou art authority and government !
What would be crime in others, is in thee
Glory and fame ! Thou givest name and place
To men unknown ; a voice, a faith to brutes
Almost deprived of mental, moral worth !
In thine own image thou hast made a world,
An age created, — art thyself its god !
And yet thou hesitatest, — doubt' st thyself?
No, no ! a hundred times ! . . . Thou art sublime !
{Absorbed in his reflections, he sinks in his chair. ')
SCENE III. A forest with a cleared plain in its midst,
upon ivhich sta? ids a gallows, surrounded by huts, tents,
watchfires, casks, barrels, tables, a? id throngs of men
and women.
Count Henry, disguised in a dark cloak and liberty cap,
enters, holding the Neophyte by the hand.
Count Hen7y. Remember !
Neophyte {in a whisper). On my honor I will lead
Your Excellency right ! I'll not betray you.
Count Henry. Give one suspicious wink ; raise but a
finger ;
And I will blow your brains out like a dog's !
You may imagine that I can attach
But little value Vo your worthless life,
When I, thus lightly, risk my cum with you.
Neophyte. You press my hand as in a vice of steel.
A'i ! A'i ! What would you have me do?
Cotmt Heiiry. To treat me as a comrade just arrived,
And so mislead the crowd. What is this curious dance ?
Neophyte. The merry dance of a free People, Count.
{Men and women leap, dance, and sing around the gallows. )
222 THE UNDIVINE COMEDY.
CHORUS.
Bread, meat, and work! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Wood for the winter ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Rest for the summer ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
God had no pity upon us ! Hurrah !
Kings had no pity upon us ! Hurrah !
Our lords had no pity upon us ! Hurrah !
We give up God, kings, nobles ! Hurrah !
Had enough of them all ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Count He7iry (Jo a girl). I'm glad to see you look so
fresh and gay.
Girl. I'm sure we've waited long enough for such
A day as this ! I've scrubbed, and washed the dishes,
Cleaned knives and forks for many a weary year,
And never heard a good word said to me,
'Tis high time now I should begin to eat
When I am hungry, drink when I am dry.
And dance when I am merry.
Count Hoiry. Dance, citizeness, dance !
Neophyte {in a whisper). For God's sake, Count, be
careful, or you will
Be recognized !
Count Henry. Should they discover me,
'Tisjiw/ shall die ! We'll mingle with the throng.
Neophyte. The Club of Lackeys sits beneath that oak.
Count. We will draw nearer ; hear what they are say-
ing.
First Lackey. I've killed my master.
Second Lackey. And I seek my Count.
I drink to the health of the club !
Valet de Chambre. In the sweat of our brows,
Whether blacking the boots, or licking the dust from the
feet
Of our arrogant lords, we have never forgotten our rights ;
We have felt we were citizens, equals, and jiowerful men.
Let us drink to the health of our present society !
CHORUS OF LACKEYS.
Let us drink the good health of our President !
One of ourselves, he ascends
THE UN DIVINE COMEDY. 223
On the pathway of honor; 'tis evident
He will conduct us to fame : —
All hail to his glorious name !
Valet de Chambre. Citizens, Brothers, my very best
thanks are your due !
CHORUS OF LACKEYS.
From dressing-rooms and antechambers,
Kitchens, parlors, full of strife, —
Prisons where they held us captive, —
We are rushing into life !
We have been behind the curtains,
Know how brilliant shams may be.
We've read all our masters' follies.
Vices, crimes, perversity :
All their falsehood, cunning, meanness,
We have suffered one by one \
We are rushing into freedom.
Now our shameful work is done ;
Brothers, drink in the light of the sun !
Count Henry. Whose are the voices harsher than the
rest,
More savage, from the mound upon our left ?
Neophyte. The Butchers meet, and sing their chorus
there.
CHORUS OF BUTCHERS.
The cleaver and axe are our weapons ;
In the slaughter-house pass we our lives;
We love the blood-hue, and we care not
What we strike with our keen-bladed knives :
Aristocrats, calves, lambs, or cattle.
All die when our blade slits the throat.
The children of slaughter and vigor.
To cut quickly the whole of our knowledge ; —
He who has need of us has us ;
We can kill without going through college !
For the nobles, we'll slaughter fat cattle ;
For the People, we'll slaughter the nobles !
2 24 ^-^^ UNDIVINE COMEDY.
The cleaver and axe are our weapons,
In the slaughter-house pass we our lives ;
We love the blood-hue, and we care not
If cattle or nobles fall under our knives.
Hurrali for the shambles, the shambles !
Hurrah for the bright hue of blood !
Hurrah for the butchers, who fear not
To stand in the crimson, hot flood !
Count Henry. Why, that is well ! At least there's no
pretense
Of honor and philosophy. But who
Comes here ? Good-evening, Madame !
Neophyte. You forget !
Your Excellency ought to say : " Woman
Of freedom, citizeness. "
Woman. What do you mean
By that word, "Madame"? Fie! You smell of
mould !
Count Henry. I pray you, pardon me, fair citizeness !
Woman. I am as free as you ; as free as air ;
I freely give my love to the community
Which has emancipated me. My right
To lavish it in my own way is now
Acknowledged by the world !
Count Henry. Oh, wise new world !
Did the community give you those rings.
That purple necklace of rich amethyst ?
Thrice generous and kind community !
Woman. No. They are not from the community.
My husband gave them when I was his wife ;
I seized and kept them when I was made free.
You know my husband w\q. '\Vl% my ene/ny ;
The enemy of female liberty-. - '
He held me longtjnskrvcd ; now I am free !
Count Henry. Good-eve ! A pleasant walk, free citi-
zeness !
i^TJiey pass ofi. )
Who is that curious warrior leaning on
A two-edged sword, a death's head on his cap.
One on his badge, another on his breast ?
THE UNDIVINE COMEDY. 225
Is it the famous soldier, Bianchetti,*
Now hired by ihe people for the combat,
As he was wont to be by kings and nobles,
To lead the condottieri ? Is it he ?
Neophyte. It is. He joined our forces recently.
Count Henry. (^To Bianchetti. ) What is it you ex-
amine with such care.
Brave Bianchetti? Can you see the foe?
Bianchetti. Look through this narrow opening in the
woods,
You'll see a Fortress on that mountain crest ;
With this strong glass I scan the ramparts, walls,
And the four bastions, brother Citizen.
Count Henry. I see it now. It will be hard to take.
Bianchetti. By all the devils ! No. It can be mined,
Surrounded first by covered galleries . . .
. Neophyte. Citizen General . . .
(^He makes a sign to Bianchetti. )
Count Henry {in a whisper to the Neophyte). Look
'neatly my cloak —
My pistol's cock is raised !
Neophyte {aside. ) My curse on thee !
{To Bianchetti. ) How would you deem it best to plan
the siege ?
Bianchetti. In freedom you're my brother. Citizen ;
But not my confidant in strategy !
After the capture, all shall know my plans.
Count Henry {to Neophyte). Take my advice, Jew,
strike him dead at once ;
Such men begin all aristocracies !
A weaver. Curses ! curse them ! Ay, I curse them all !
of them. {Exit Leonard and Neophyte. )
THE UNDIVINE COMEDY. 217
CHORUS OF NEOPHYTES.
Ye ropes and daggers, clubs and hatchets, swords,
Works of our hands, ye only will appear
When needed to destroy our deadly foes !
The nobles will be strangled in the fields,
Hung in the forests, gardens, by the people.
And when their work is done, our turn will come :
Then we will hang the hangers ; strangle those
Who strangled, murder those who murdered !
The scorned will rise in judgment on the scorner,
Array themselves in thunder of Jehovah !
His word is life : His love is ours alone ;
Destruction, wrath. He pours upon our foes;
He is our refuge, blasts our enemies.
We three times spew them forth to sudden ruin !
Our threefold curses be upon their heads !
SCENE II. A tent. Flasks, cups, flagons, and bottles
scattered in confusion. Pancras alone.
Pancras. Hundreds of brutes howled here an hour
ago.
Ending with shouts thefr orgies. At each word
I uttered they would cry : Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Vivats at every gesture, — worthless praise !
Is there a single man among them all
Who really understands the aim and end
Oi that inaugurated here with such loud joy ?
Oh ! fervide iniitatorum pccus !
{Enter Leonard and the Neophyte. )
{To Neophyte'). Know you Count Henry?
Neophyte. Citizen, by sight
I well remember that I met him once.
On Corpus Christi, as I went to mass ;
He cried, " Out of my way ! " and glared at me
With that proud look peculiar to the nobles, —
For which I in my soul vowed him a rope !
Pancras. Seek him to-morrow at the break of day ;
Tell him I wish to visit him at night, alone.
Neophyte. How many men are to accomi)any me?
19*
2i8 THE UNDIVINE COMEDY.
Without an escort, 'twould be dangerous !
Pancras. The mission secret, you must go alone ;
My name will be an all-sufficient escort.
The lantern post to which you yesterday
Hung up the Baron, doubtless will support you.
Neophyte. A'i ! Ai !
Pancras. Tell him that two days hence I'll leave my
camp,
To visit him at midnight, and alone.
Neophyte. And if he keeps me bound — and tortures
me?
Pancras. A martyr in the people's cause you'd die !
Neophyte. All for the people, yes ! {Aside. ) A'i! Ai !
Pancras. Good-night ! and tarry not upon the way !
(^Exit Neophyte. )
Leonard. Why, Pancras, these half-measures, inter-
views ?
Mark, when I swore to honor and obey you,
I deemed you hero in extremities,
An eagle flying straight unto his aim,
A man who stakes upon one throw his fate
And that of others; stout of heart and brain !
Pancras. Hush, child !
Leonard. All things are ready. Sturdy arms
Have forged our weapons, spun our ropes ; our men
Are drilled, the eager millions but await
The lightning of your word to burst in flame.
Consume our enemies.
Paticras. You're very young,
And through your brain the heated blood pours fire,
But when the hour of combat comes, will you
Be found more resolute than I? Restraint
You've never known ; — rashness is not true courage !
Leonard. Think what you do ! The exhausted nobles
now
Are driven for refuge to their last stronghold.
The Fortress of the Holy Trinity,
Where they await us as men wait the rope
Or guillotine suspended o'er their heads.
Attack without delay — and they are yours !
Paficras. Of what importance is the hour we strike?
THE UNDIVINE COMEDY. 219
They've lost their corporal strength in luxury ;
Wasted their mental powers in idleness ;
To-morrow, or the next day, they imist fall !
Leonard. Whom do you fear ? What can arrest your
force ?
Pancras. No one and nothing. My own will alone.
Leona? -d. Must I obey it blindly ?
Pancras. You have said it :
Blindly.
Leonard. Should you betray us ?
Pancras. Betrayal winds
Up all your sentences, like quaint refrain
Of some old song. Lower ! for one might hear us. . . .
Leonard. Here are no spies. What if I should be heard ?
Pancras. Nothing, . . . save perhaps a dozen balls
Fired at your heart for having raised your voice
Too high when in my presence !
( Coming close to Leonard. ^ Cease to torment yourself, and
trust me, Leonard.
Leonard. I will, I do ; I've been too hasty, Pancras.
But I've no fear of punishment ; and if
My death avails to serve our cause — then take my life !
Pancras {aside). He is so full of life, of faith, of hope ;
The happiest of men, he loves and trusts !
I do not wish his death.
Leonard. What do you say ?
Pancras. Think more ; speak less ; in time you'll un-
derstand me !
Have you the powder for the cartridges?
Leonard. Deyitz conveys the stores, his escort's strong.
Pancras. The contribution from the shoemakers.
Has it been yet collected ?
Leonard. Yes. They gave
With right good will, — one hundred thousand florins.
Pancras. I will invite them to our feast to-morrow.
Have you heard nothing new about Count Henry?
Leonard. Nay, I despise the nobles far too much
To credit what I hear of him. I know
It is impossible the dying race
Should summon energy to cope with us.
Pancras. Yet it is true that he collects and trains
220 THE UNDIVINE COMEDY.
Friends, peasants, serfs, and drills them for the fight ;
And trusting their devotion to himself,
Will lead them to the very jaws of death.
He has intrenched himself within the walls
Of the old fortress, " Holy Trinity. "
Leonard. Who can resist us, when incarnate live
In us the ideas of our century?
Pancras. I am resolved to see him, read his eyes,
And penetrate the secrets of his soul, —
Win him to join our cause !
Leonard. A born aristocrat !
Pancras. True, but a poet still ! Leonard, good-night.
Leonard. Have you forgiven me ?
Pancras. Go ! rest in peace !
If you were not forgiven, you would sleep
Ere this the eternal sleep I
Leonard. To-morrow, — nothing ?
Paticras. Good-night, and pleasant dreams !
(^Exit Leonard. ^ Ho! Leonard, ho !
L eonard (re-entering) . Chief Citizen?
Pancras. When comes the appointed hour
You'll go with me to seek Count Henry's camp.
Leonard. My chief shall be obeyed. (Pxit. )
Pancras (a/one). Why does the boldness of this haughty
Count
Still trouble me? Me, ruler of the millions !
Compared with mine, his force is but a shadow.
'Tis true, indeed, some hundreds of his serfs
Cling round him as the dog stays by his master
In trusting confidence. That is sheer folly ! . . .
But why do I so long to see this Count,
To subjugate him, wi«-hi-m"tDT5iir^icle ?
Has my clear "spTrit for the-first time met
An equal ? Does he bar its onward flight ?
Arrest it in its full development?
The only obstacle before me now
Is his resistance ; that I must o'ercome !
And then . . . and afterwards . . . and then . . .
O cunning intellect, canst thou deceive
Thyself as thou dost others ? . . . Canst not ? — No ? . . .
THE UNDIVINE COMEDY.
221
O wretchedness ! . . . Why dost thou doubt thyself?
Shame ! . . . thou should' st know thy power ! Thou art
the thought,
The reason of the people ; Sovereign Lord !
Thou canst control the millions, make their wills,
With all their giant forces, one with thine !
The might of rt:// incarnate is in thee;
Thou art authority and government !
What would be crime in others, is in thee
Glory and fame ! Thou givest name and place
To men unknown ; a voice, a faith to brutes
Almost deprived of mental, moral worth !
In thine own image thou hast made a world,
An age created, — art thyself its god !
And yet thou hesitatest, — doubt' st thyself?
No, no ! a hundred times ! . . . Thou art sublime !
{Absorbed in his reflections, he sinks in his chair. ')
SCENE III. A forest with a cleared plain in its midst,
upon ivhich sta? ids a gallows, surrounded by huts, tents,
watchfires, casks, barrels, tables, a? id throngs of men
and women.
Count Henry, disguised in a dark cloak and liberty cap,
enters, holding the Neophyte by the hand.
Count Hen7y. Remember !
Neophyte {in a whisper). On my honor I will lead
Your Excellency right ! I'll not betray you.
Count Henry. Give one suspicious wink ; raise but a
finger ;
And I will blow your brains out like a dog's !
You may imagine that I can attach
But little value Vo your worthless life,
When I, thus lightly, risk my cum with you.
Neophyte. You press my hand as in a vice of steel.
A'i ! A'i ! What would you have me do?
Cotmt Heiiry. To treat me as a comrade just arrived,
And so mislead the crowd. What is this curious dance ?
Neophyte. The merry dance of a free People, Count.
{Men and women leap, dance, and sing around the gallows. )
222 THE UNDIVINE COMEDY.
CHORUS.
Bread, meat, and work! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Wood for the winter ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Rest for the summer ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
God had no pity upon us ! Hurrah !
Kings had no pity upon us ! Hurrah !
Our lords had no pity upon us ! Hurrah !
We give up God, kings, nobles ! Hurrah !
Had enough of them all ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Count He7iry (Jo a girl). I'm glad to see you look so
fresh and gay.
Girl. I'm sure we've waited long enough for such
A day as this ! I've scrubbed, and washed the dishes,
Cleaned knives and forks for many a weary year,
And never heard a good word said to me,
'Tis high time now I should begin to eat
When I am hungry, drink when I am dry.
And dance when I am merry.
Count Hoiry. Dance, citizeness, dance !
Neophyte {in a whisper). For God's sake, Count, be
careful, or you will
Be recognized !
Count Henry. Should they discover me,
'Tisjiw/ shall die ! We'll mingle with the throng.
Neophyte. The Club of Lackeys sits beneath that oak.
Count. We will draw nearer ; hear what they are say-
ing.
First Lackey. I've killed my master.
Second Lackey. And I seek my Count.
I drink to the health of the club !
Valet de Chambre. In the sweat of our brows,
Whether blacking the boots, or licking the dust from the
feet
Of our arrogant lords, we have never forgotten our rights ;
We have felt we were citizens, equals, and jiowerful men.
Let us drink to the health of our present society !
CHORUS OF LACKEYS.
Let us drink the good health of our President !
One of ourselves, he ascends
THE UN DIVINE COMEDY. 223
On the pathway of honor; 'tis evident
He will conduct us to fame : —
All hail to his glorious name !
Valet de Chambre. Citizens, Brothers, my very best
thanks are your due !
CHORUS OF LACKEYS.
From dressing-rooms and antechambers,
Kitchens, parlors, full of strife, —
Prisons where they held us captive, —
We are rushing into life !
We have been behind the curtains,
Know how brilliant shams may be.
We've read all our masters' follies.
Vices, crimes, perversity :
All their falsehood, cunning, meanness,
We have suffered one by one \
We are rushing into freedom.
Now our shameful work is done ;
Brothers, drink in the light of the sun !
Count Henry. Whose are the voices harsher than the
rest,
More savage, from the mound upon our left ?
Neophyte. The Butchers meet, and sing their chorus
there.
CHORUS OF BUTCHERS.
The cleaver and axe are our weapons ;
In the slaughter-house pass we our lives;
We love the blood-hue, and we care not
What we strike with our keen-bladed knives :
Aristocrats, calves, lambs, or cattle.
All die when our blade slits the throat.
The children of slaughter and vigor.
To cut quickly the whole of our knowledge ; —
He who has need of us has us ;
We can kill without going through college !
For the nobles, we'll slaughter fat cattle ;
For the People, we'll slaughter the nobles !
2 24 ^-^^ UNDIVINE COMEDY.
The cleaver and axe are our weapons,
In the slaughter-house pass we our lives ;
We love the blood-hue, and we care not
If cattle or nobles fall under our knives.
Hurrali for the shambles, the shambles !
Hurrah for the bright hue of blood !
Hurrah for the butchers, who fear not
To stand in the crimson, hot flood !
Count Henry. Why, that is well ! At least there's no
pretense
Of honor and philosophy. But who
Comes here ? Good-evening, Madame !
Neophyte. You forget !
Your Excellency ought to say : " Woman
Of freedom, citizeness. "
Woman. What do you mean
By that word, "Madame"? Fie! You smell of
mould !
Count Henry. I pray you, pardon me, fair citizeness !
Woman. I am as free as you ; as free as air ;
I freely give my love to the community
Which has emancipated me. My right
To lavish it in my own way is now
Acknowledged by the world !
Count Henry. Oh, wise new world !
Did the community give you those rings.
That purple necklace of rich amethyst ?
Thrice generous and kind community !
Woman. No. They are not from the community.
My husband gave them when I was his wife ;
I seized and kept them when I was made free.
You know my husband w\q. '\Vl% my ene/ny ;
The enemy of female liberty-. - '
He held me longtjnskrvcd ; now I am free !
Count Henry. Good-eve ! A pleasant walk, free citi-
zeness !
i^TJiey pass ofi. )
Who is that curious warrior leaning on
A two-edged sword, a death's head on his cap.
One on his badge, another on his breast ?
THE UNDIVINE COMEDY. 225
Is it the famous soldier, Bianchetti,*
Now hired by ihe people for the combat,
As he was wont to be by kings and nobles,
To lead the condottieri ? Is it he ?
Neophyte. It is. He joined our forces recently.
Count Henry. (^To Bianchetti. ) What is it you ex-
amine with such care.
Brave Bianchetti? Can you see the foe?
Bianchetti. Look through this narrow opening in the
woods,
You'll see a Fortress on that mountain crest ;
With this strong glass I scan the ramparts, walls,
And the four bastions, brother Citizen.
Count Henry. I see it now. It will be hard to take.
Bianchetti. By all the devils ! No. It can be mined,
Surrounded first by covered galleries . . .
. Neophyte. Citizen General . . .
(^He makes a sign to Bianchetti. )
Count Henry {in a whisper to the Neophyte). Look
'neatly my cloak —
My pistol's cock is raised !
Neophyte {aside. ) My curse on thee !
{To Bianchetti. ) How would you deem it best to plan
the siege ?
Bianchetti. In freedom you're my brother. Citizen ;
But not my confidant in strategy !
After the capture, all shall know my plans.
Count Henry {to Neophyte). Take my advice, Jew,
strike him dead at once ;
Such men begin all aristocracies !
A weaver. Curses ! curse them ! Ay, I curse them all !
