GAMBLER’S HOUSE
(La casa del tahur)
(1616)
Antonio Mira de Amescua
This text is based on Vern Williamsen’s edition of the autograph (Estudios de Hispanófila, 1975). It was originally prepared for a production of the play by students at Texas A & M University.
Characters: MARCELO, older man (45-50), father of ALEJANDRO (20 years) ROQUE, servant to Alejandro Don DIEGO, (20) a friend of Alejandro Don LUIS, (20) another friend CARLOS, (20) friend to Diego and Luis, and suitor to Angela GOMEZ, elderly servant to Angela’s mother FABIAN, a servant to Marcelo DOMINGO, a servant to Don Diego ISABEL, (18) Alejandro’s wife ANGELA, (18) a young woman MOTHER (38-40 years) of Angela
ACT I
The scene is at Alejandro’s home in Madrid. Enter MARCELO and ALEJANDRO
MARCELO: Alejandro, you are my only heir.
My property and honor are there
for you alone. I could claim love,
but words are not enough
to describe the way I feel.5
My feeling for you is unique.
I didn’t say that as well as I should…
You know I raised you as best I could
with good example and wise advice.
Still, you insistently spend your time10
at cards and seeking sexual pleasure.
You have lost beyond all measure:
all your money, some that wasn’t yours,
good women, loose women, even whores.
Cards and sex often have opposing effects,15
but not in your case that I can detect.
In your battle to choose between these two,
like Alcides, you stand with one foot
at sea and the other on land.
I’ve tried a thousand different ways20
to cure those habits. Now let me say…
I think I found a method at last
to put an end to your sinful past
by marrying you to my ward Isabel.
Unlike you, she has done very well25
and learned the lessons I taught.
In her beauty and behavior you ought
find the evidence of her great virtue,
the glory of a soul in bloom.
You were married one week ago30
and, as a guest here in your home,
I’ve seen you happy; but that, they say,
lasts in a gambler’s house a few sweet days.
I am getting old and I have felt
death encroaching on my doorstep…35
Already it seems I can taste the bite
of his steadily advancing scythe.
I beg you, son, let me die in peace!
You know a man marries for eternity,
I pray your happiness lasts as long.40
I hope to God nothing goes wrong
now that I’ve retired to my own home.
I was right, I’m sure, to give you control
over the fortune you were to inherit.
All I had is now yours, except the bit45
I need to live and rest in peace.
Look to others for help, not to me,
if you should lose what you have now.
You have a wife and enough to allow
you to live comfortably and do it well50
if you care for both as wisely as I expect.
Your youthful errors must cease
now that you’ve taken on mature duties.
I say all this, even though I’m sure
the present state of your affairs55
has given you reason to change your life,
because good advice never goes awry.
ALEJANDRO:I’ll always be grateful to you, father,
for your love, a thousand times over.
I’m doubly bound by my love for Isabel.60
No power known casts a greater spell.
No game, no feminine wile, can ever free
a prisoner bound as she binds me.
I’m glad to hear your good advice;
it proves you to be loving and kind.65
Children often complain of the nuisance
that their parents speak of as prudence;
but you can be sure, when it comes to me,
that I’ve turned over a brand new leaf.
Although at times they weren’t heeded70
and, certainly, now they’re not needed,
I’ll not complain of your admonitions.
After all, they’re meant for my salvation.
From off stage, we hear ROQUE and two musicians
ROQUE: To your health, you musicians, you!
1ST MUS: In return, long life to you! Salud!75
ROQUE: If we only had a wedding every day…
MARCELO: I see your friends are coming this way
and your servants are having a good time.
I’ll leave now, son. I hope your life
is long and happy. You have my blessing.80
Exit MARCELO. Don DIEGO, Don LUIS, and CARLOS enter
DIEGO: This house still smells like a wedding.
ALEJANDRO:Don Diego, Don Luis! It’s been so long
since you came to visit.
LUIS: But it’d be wrong
to come sooner and disturb the family.
ALEJANDRO:Real friends like you never trouble me.85
Who’s this?
DIEGO: Carlos, he’s a good friend now.
ALEJANDRO:I’ll make him mine as well. So, how…?
LUIS: He introduced us to a woman from Seville…
No woman, no! She’s more like an angel.
She and her mother have come to Madrid90
on a legal matter…some sort of bid.
DIEGO: And you know all about girls from Seville!
LUIS: As friends of Carlos, she let’s us visit
at her place in the afternoon where we flirt
and play cards for drinks and dessert.95
ALEJANDRO:Carlos, you must let me in on the fun!
CARLOS: I’ll introduce you if you want to come.
ALEJANDRO:My house is yours, let yours be mine.
Enter the two musicians and ROQUE with glasses and a bottle
ROQUE: No man would marry if he were in his right mind!
DIEGO: Who’s that? What’s going on over there?100
ALEJANDRO:It’s just my man Roque and a rather odd pair
of musicians celebrating the wedding,
more with drinking than with singing.
LUIS: That’s the right thing to do, though,
as long as the music isn’t too foul.105
If it is, let them drink. They can’t do that
and sing at the same time.
ALEJANDRO: But they’re so bad,
they positively stink!
ROQUE: Hey, you barflies!
Don’t just sit there buzzing, make some noise.
You sing while I dance. Come, come on, boys!110
ALEJANDRO:Step lively, you dolt!
ROQUE: Only my mouth is alive;
the rest of me seems dead enough tonight.
ALEJANDRO:What are you doing here?
ROQUE: We came to dance
at your wedding.
ALEJANDRO: Are your feet up to that?
Can they feel the beat? Are you ready?115
LUIS: He is as long as the rhythm’s not too steady.
ROQUE: Have you ever noticed dancers on the stage?
They dance and move, they express and indicate.
One big difference between us is obvious:
they only look like sots; we’re… inebrious!120
They seem to fall; they twist and trip in place;
they make their bodies fly across the stage.
A good dancer seems bewitched or insane.
There’s no human action he can’t imitate.
There’s no emotion he won’t make you feel.125
I once saw a dance on a mathematical theme.
In Italy they dance a lively enough step
to cure the bite of a spider that’s red.
And you’d better believe the man who said
tarantulas can also be found here in Spain.130
ALEJANDRO:I’m glad you said that! I’ve heard complaints
that even here you can see dances performed
in the lascivious style that was once reformed.
ROQUE: Sing, you musical asses. My bones will move.
1ST MUS: We’ll split a gut.135
ROQUE: Well, see that you do.
They sing and ROQUE dances
MUSICIANS: “Any wedding makes a house come alive,
but never mix water and wine.
Enjoy your life and your new bride,
the toast of the land and times.
Any wedding makes a house come alive,
but never mix water and wine.”
ALEJANDRO:Stop! You’re absolutely worthless tonight.
DIEGO: Your pleasure has filled them with wine.
I hope your wife will make you as happy.
May you never see the face of worry
nor the backside of endless pleasure.140
Live in peace with your wife forever,
as long as old Priam, or older Nestor,
or even Egisto, or ancient Evander.
May the march of time slow its pace
and may you die with a smile on your face.145
ALEJANDRO:Enough of that now. Bring me my things;
I’ll be going out now to join my friends.
LUIS: We’re glad that you decided to come along.
2ND MUS: If you get a new wife, we’ll make a new song.
ALEJANDRO:That makes me hope my wife lives forever.150
Exit the musicians and ROQUE
LUIS: God grant that your children equal in number
the stars in the sky or grains of desert sand,
flowers in the field or waves on the strand.
May your first be granted an oak-leaf crown
as reward for winning a mighty battle.155
May the second, for scholarly renown,
wear on his head the symbolic laurel.
May God grant that one earn his fame
fighting in some Christian campaign,
and may still another serve his Lord160
wearing the crimson of the Papal court.
Enter ROQUE dressed in cape and feathered hat
ALEJANDRO:The blessings you hear as a newlywed!
ROQUE puts his own ragged cape and hat on ALEJANDRO
ROQUE: These should make you feel well dressed
if you want to go out on the street.
LUIS: What are you doing, you silly beast?165
ALEJANDRO:You sot, stop trying to make me look bad.
ROQUE: Now two of us here look quite mad.
ALEJANDRO:Do you mean I’m drunk?
ROQUE: No, but…
ALEJANDRO:What?
ROQUE: You’re married. I’ve often thought:
Women can be compared to strong wine.170
Either will drive a man out of his mind.
I once heard a man who was very wise
say that women and wine were comparable:
both get results: fearsome or laughable.
Have you ever noticed how wine so sweetly175
crosses your lips and rolls over the tongue.
but once it reaches down in your belly,
it feels not only wicked but strong?
A newly married woman seems just as sweet,
giving pleasure and keeping the house neat,180
she begins her new life tame as fine wine,
but then turns into the bane of your life.
Like any strong wine taken straight
she enters gently and full of grace
but quickly becomes head of the house185
jumping on the back of her unlucky spouse.
There is one difference I can unveil,
a good wine only improves with age;
a woman as she ages only gets drier
and like an old stick belongs in the fire.190
To the flames with her!….. But then again
there was once a quite mellifluous fellow
who claimed women were more like a bottle:
he’d rather have one that was new and clean.
So…I don’t care if she’s ugly or pretty.195
Since wine and woman are really comparable,
I’ll take one that lives in a bottle
and even then I want the first taste.
Enter ISABEL and FABIAN. They bring clothing for ALEJANDRO
ISABEL: Where is he going in such great haste?
FABIAN: He wants to go out with some friends.200
ISABEL: Are you going out?
ALEJANDRO: Yes I am, my pet,
if you give me permission to go.
I should accompany my friends, you know.
DIEGO: We only came here to serve you two.
ISABEL: And for my part, I’m here to serve you.205
ISABEL continues helping ALEJANDRO put on cape and sword, getting ready to go out
CARLOS: (What a divine creature! A real beauty! Aside
Angela may be an angel, but Isabel truly
ranks among the archangels of heaven.
I’m glad I came to see this vision.)
ISABEL: Alejandro, you ought to wear more finery210
so people will know that you are married.
I want every woman to envy me my place.
Here, you wear this diamond necklace.
ALEJANDRO:How can I repay you?
ISABEL: I want people to say
there are women who love their men these days.215
CARLOS: (What honor, charm, and self composure! Aside
I’ve never in my life seen anyone sweeter.)
ALEJANDRO and LUIS move to one side
ALEJANDRO:You’ve made me curious about this girl.
Angela?
LUIS: Soon enough, you’ll get to see her.
ALEJANDRO:Is she easy to talk to or is she skittish?220
Is she affected?
LUIS: Don’t move too quickly
and you’ll find she can make it easy.
ALEJANDRO:What about her mother?
LUIS: She’s quite saintly.
She keeps an eagle eye on Angela while she reads
her devotions. You should know she’s deaf.225
ALEJANDRO:Now that’s a handicap!
CARLOS: (How glorious I feel Aside
just seeing her! It makes my mind reel!
Looking at her is such a delight
I hope I’m able to control my eyes.)
Exit everyone but ISABEL and ROQUE
ISABEL: Roque, who are Alejandro’s friends?230
ROQUE: The usual! Just what you’d expect.
Close enough when things go well
but quickly gone when life’s a hell.
Like swallows, they come in Spring
to eat our crumbs and let us hear them sing.235
They fly from far across the sea
in search of Springtime’s lively green
but, before December brings the biting cold,
they take their song and leave us alone.
In the sunshine, they are our shadow;240
when darkness falls, they’re quick to go.
They wax and wane along with the tides:
absent when they’re out, when full they arrive.
These friends will lead him outdoors
to shuffle a deck or to deal with whores.245
ISABEL: Roque, if you want to help…
ROQUE: What can I do?
ISABEL: See if you can get him to come home soon.
ROQUE: I’ll try.
ISABEL: Follow him now; stay on his tail.
ROQUE: Like a good bloodhound I’ll follow his trail.
Exit ISABEL and ROQUE. [The scene changes to Angela’s house.] Enter ANGELA and her MOTHER who is carrying a book
MOTHER: Angela!250
ANGELA: Yes, mother.
MOTHER: Pay attention now.
As your mother, I want you to know how
to be happy and enjoy a full life.
At this age you are in your flower and prime.
Nature has endowed you with beauty
not only of spirit but of earthly body.255
In spite of your merit, Dame Fortune
has denied you her attentions.
You have to learn to use your wits
to supply the wealth you have missed.
You must work diligently to replace260
what the stars decided was to be your fate.
We have come to live near the court,
a place best compared to a sea of sorts,
where the industrious are free to fish,
the lucky triumph and unfortunate perish.265
Your beauty is what you have for bait
to hook any man who joins the chase.
Lower your net now but you must remember
the very first rule: you have to preserve
your reputation for being chaste,270
virtuous and honest just to be safe.
Hidden in the shadow of good repute
you’ll find the two words you pursue.
It won’t hurt to accept small gifts
offered with grace and in good spirit.275
When a suitor comes calling, you must keep
him unsure about what it is you feel.
A pleasant appearance is enough to fool
any who want you, but leave some room
for him to hope. Keep him off balance.280
If a rich, young man, wounded by love
seems to have fallen in with your plans
carefully but deeply set your hook
by mentioning marriage. If he backs away,
let him go quickly. He’ll return to play.285
You’ll find that giving a cold shoulder
will turn him off or make him bolder.
But you can never fall in love yourself.
If you do, things become more complex.
Instead of keeping your own hand free,290
you are blinded to things you should see.
There are many men who would like to catch
some poor young girl in love’s gentle trap
and leave her to suffer the consequence alone.
As to that Carlos who’s hanging around295
claiming that love and hope fill his soul,
he hasn’t a cent in this world. Watch out!
Just the thought makes my blood run cold!
Don’t listen to him! Leave him alone!
Love for a poor man is a treacherous thing.300
It’s safer to listen to the Lorelei sing.
As long as we live here, you should know
that I’ll fake being deaf and why that’s so.
There’s no mystery. If a girl’s mother
carefully and zealously guards her daughter,305
and never allows the young men who approach
like drones circling about a honeycomb
to whisper sweet nothings into her ear,
they claim before others with an open sneer,
“That treacherous snake is just being sly.310
If she saw gold, she’d close her eyes.”
They tire of the game and then they stop.
If a mother is easy and isn’t shocked
when they close in to say what they want,
they cry, “Now that’s a mother! What a sham!315
She ought to be wearing a witch’s hat!”
No matter what, her honor is forfeit
if she gives them room to speculate
about finding room in which to operate.
As a deaf mother, I’ll stay right here320
and smile, no matter what I hear.
Let them talk, beg, suffer and die.
I won’t hear a thing. They’ll think that I
am busy with the prayers for that day.
We hypocrites get our way in this blessed age.325
Occasionally, I’ll look up from my book
to give your suitors a sour look.
There’ll be no reason to attack my actions
nor to give up on paying you attention.
I’ll fake deafness to all they say330
but whenever it seems appropriate,
I’ll hear enough of what is said
to make me seem cautious and prudent.
The world today is one big trap.
Who doesn’t lie or fabricate facts335
to suit his purpose or bring him profit?
Only those who do can ever get rich.
Modest humility never wins you a prize.
ANGELA: I’ve listened carefully to your advice
but, Mother, the lesson you preach340
is so monstrous that the savage beasts
in the forest know better than that.
When you tell me to avoid love’s trap,
you ask me to go against nature.
If Nature herself doesn’t have the power345
to conquer the force of a love that’s true,
if love can tame the wildest brute,
if pure, white doves show us how it’s done
robbing a mate’s soul with beak and tongue,
if turtle doves speak in the softest tones350
of love and jealousy, or mourn a lost love,
how can a mere human avoid his fate?
What, if not love, makes a nightingale
sing of passion in his chromatic motet?
In this world even inanimate objects355
are capable of expressing affection:
the ivy climbs the ash for its protection
and the opulent grape embraces the oak;
joining their fronds, the palm trees bend
to form their fruit the darkened recess.360
MOTHER: That’s nothing but nonsense heard in a play.
I’ll forbid you to go to the theater again
if it makes you so stupid and presumptuous.
Love gold! Love your mother! Love the virtuous
things in this world!365
ANGELA: (I can’t possibly Aside
stop loving Carlos unless death stops me.)
Enter ALEJANDRO, Don LUIS, Don DIEGO and CARLOS
LUIS: You have been so nice and made us feel
so much at home, that we felt free
to let ourselves in when you didn’t answer
our knock at the door.370
ANGELA: If you hadn’t, sir,
you’d have seemed ungrateful. Mother,
and I, are at your service.
MOTHER: Haven’t you heard:
“The devil always comes knocking at your gate
to bring his help when you mention his name?”
Angela and I were just talking about you.375
DIEGO: Just tell us what it is that we can do.
MOTHER: I was arguing with her about this ring.
The stone’s a diamond and isn’t a thing
a young and innocent child should wear.
It’s a symbol only married women dare380
wear in public. I just this minute said
that if you three came, I’d ask, instead,
if you would like to play a game of cards,
the ring going to the winner as his reward.
Angela, show them the ring.385
The MOTHER takes the ring from her
CARLOS: We’d be glad
to play for any ring that was on her hand.
ALEJANDRO:And I most of all!
CARLOS: This is a friend
who has decided to come join us men
in serving you as best we can. Alejandro…
ALEJANDRO:Pleased to meet you.390
MOTHER: His name is Leandro?
He must be a lover with a name like that.
ANGELA: It’s Alejandro, not Leandro.
MOTHER: Well, a man
with that name should be generous to a fault.
CARLOS: Bring on the cards!
ANGELA: You, get the cards out.
DIEGO: What value should we place on the ring?395
MOTHER: What can you offer for such a pretty thing?
Whoever wins could name his own price.
ANGELA: That’s not what he asked.
LUIS: Its value, since I…
MOTHER: It cost… How much, Angela? Was it fourteen?
DIEGO: Well then, we’ll play at a value of fifteen.400
MOTHER: Fifty is plenty!
DIEGO: (The deaf have ears Aside
that only hear what they want to hear.)
We said fifteen! Aloud
MOTHER: Just as you please.
ALEJANDRO:(Beautiful woman! What eyes, what teeth! Aside
She has won my heart. How easy to fall405
in love when we hear nature’s call!
I know I’m weak and not too smart
but she could melt the hardest heart,
not to mention one as soft as mine.
Her loveliness could change the mind410
of a celibate and make him seek pleasure.
When I think of what I could do with her…)
CARLOS: (God help me for thinking this way, amen! Aside
But I can’t get her out of my mind.
I thought Angela a creature from heaven415
but seeing her here before my eyes
I have to admit that I was misled.
Isabel is more so. Hers is the prize.
My soul has been won by Isabel
though she’s at home and out of sight.420
God help me for thinking this way, amen!)
GOMEZ enters bringing cards with him.
GOMEZ: Gentlemen, the missal, so you can pray
at the devil’s mass. Just let me say
I used to worship at that church, too
until I had to give the demon his due425
and lost a thousand in one short week.
DIEGO: The damage wasn’t mortal, at least.
LUIS: How’ll we do this?
CARLOS: Loser pays the cost.
They sit down at a card table to play
ALEJANDRO:I never win. My hands have always lost.
DIEGO: If I win, it will be the first time.430
ANGELA and her MOTHER go off to the other side of the stage and sit there
MOTHER: Carlos is like a magnet for your eyes.
Wake up, child, fear for your life.
It is said that love is tender and weak
in the beginning, like a young tree,
but that once it grows large and potent,435
birds seek its shelter in the wildest tempest.
It’s still small. Pull it out by the roots.
ANGELA: Do you mean, mother, that I can’t even look?
MOTHER: We older women know well what can result.
DIEGO: Three of a kind!440
LUIS: A straight flush!
CARLOS: And here a full house!
ALEJANDRO: A pair of nines!
As usual, I have to pay every time
we play for something worth while.
MOTHER: Who won the ring?
LUIS: One whose only desire
is to return the brilliant prize to an owner445
whose beauty glistens even brighter.
(How lucky I would be if this is a way Aside
for me to win her heart and mind today.)
Return the ring to its place on your finger.
When you took it off, the stone lost its luster.450
ANGELA: But I couldn’t!
MOTHER: Behave yourself, child.
Don’t you see that you’re being impolite?
Its the custom for gentlemen to return what they win.
You can’t possibly refuse such a tempting gift.
Be good now!455
ANGELA: Well, if that’s the custom….
She takes it
ALEJANDRO:Ma’am, here’s the price that we agreed on.
I hope it proves luckier for you than for me.
ANGELA: Alejandro, I’m sorry you lost your money.
Keep it, I have the ring.
MOTHER: Behave yourself, child.
Don’t you see that you’re being impolite?460
It’s the custom for gentlemen to pay their debts.
You can’t possibly refuse this liberal bequest.
ANGELA: Well, if that’s the custom…
She takes the money
DIEGO: (Now that makes me wish I’d lost one.)Aside
GOMEZ: Cards!465
ALEJANDRO: Let’s play!
GOMEZ: Ante up.
LUIS: Let’s play.
GOMEZ: How do you want them?
DIEGO: Any old way.
MOTHER: Now pay attention to how it turns out.
Angela, watch how the play comes about,
and learn how a woman can get rich
though it may leave the loser out on a limb.470
The gentlemen settle into their game. The ladies take their seats on the other side of the stage and leave a vacant chair between them, and the MOTHER goes back to reading her book
ANGELA: (I’m afraid Carlos’s love has turned cool. Aside
I must find out if he thinks I’m a fool.
We women can be like that, you know:
sometimes timid and sometimes bold.
Sometimes we hate those that we love475
and then we love those whom we loathe.)
Carlos!
CARLOS: Yes?
ANGELA: Sit in this chair, please do.
CARLOS: Thank you for asking me to sit here near you.
CARLOS sits in the middle chair, as will the others who are called later
ANGELA: Carlos, you’ve been so cool towards me.
I’m upset by that change, as you see.480
I used to see the love in your eyes;
now I can’t. Is it something that I
have done, or is there someone else?
CARLOS: What are you up to now, my pet?
Since I first began to love you, truly485
I’ve been the one who has had to worry
about your fidelity. You’ve kept me in doubt.
How can you doubt my love for you now?
The MOTHER speaks as if she were commenting on the book
MOTHER: Stupid girl! Why not take the advice
of your parents and teacher, the lights490
that should guide your way? Why persist
in chasing a love that’s impoverished?
Find the real wealth of a good life;
find a man who’ll make you his wife.
To ANGELA and CARLOS
What a fine book! What lessons it contains!495
I’ll have to turn the corner on this page.
CARLOS: Who is that your mother is talking to?
ANGELA: When she sees something she thinks is good,
something not to be missed, she reads it aloud.
CARLOS: What if she heard….?500
ANGELA: She’d kill me here and now.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, be my guards!
ALEJANDRO:Weren’t you paying attention to your cards?
CARLOS: Alejandro must have won a hand at last!
ANGELA: Just who is he?
CARLOS: A friend, a man
who’s married to a woman from heaven.505
ANGELA: That’s it!
That’s why you’re behaving like this.
“A woman from heaven!” Every word you say
is just so much talk. You have changed!
You don’t love me any more. I know it’s true.
CARLOS: There’s nobody I care for more than you.510
LUIS: A hit!
CARLOS: I don’t love anybody more!
DIEGO: More!
LUIS: And another!
CARLOS: You’re being a terror!
When you say love,…
ALEJANDRO: You stopped!
CARLOS: Just how
has my love for you changed? Tell me now.
ALEJANDRO:Give me another!515
ANGELA: Didn’t you hear
what they said? Well, that’s my answer.
CARLOS: If the game means more to you than I do,
I’ll take my hand over there away from you
so I won’t have to hear more of your nonsense.
With your permission, I’ll leave your presence.520
CARLOS gets up and goes to play
MOTHER: I hope that’s the end of that!
ANGELA: Next time,
I’ll try to do better.
ALEJANDRO: These cards of mine
have given me nothing! My money is gone.
GOMEZ: Well, we can play for whatever you have on.
Don LUIS leaves the game with a gold chain that he has won
MOTHER: Don Luis won that game! Wake up, child!525
Oh, Don Luis, come and sit for a while.
We worried so about how you were doing
but it seems, after all, you weren’t losing.
LUIS: (I’ve loved Angela since giving her the ring. Aside
To make a man fall in love there’s nothing530
works faster than giving a girl a gift
unless it’s for her to show jealousy for him.
I’ve been asked to sit with them here.
Maybe she is interested in me, the dear.)
Don LUIS sits between the women
ANGELA: As I watched you play, I was so upset535
at the thought you might lose the bet
that I set this ring and money aside
in case you might need them tonight.
LUIS: Instead, I’ve won this.
ANGELA: It’s very pretty!
LUIS: Since we first met and I saw your beauty540
I’ve wanted to offer you all I own,
along with myself.
The MOTHER talks as if she were commenting on her reading
MOTHER: A good point! So!
Girl, don’t let this chance pass you by!
LUIS: I’ve never known true love until now, so I…
I was meant for you from the day I was born.545
ANGELA: What? You’ve never been in love before?
MOTHER: You missed the point! Pay attention!
Get back to business. What’s his intention?
LUIS: That book seems to have quite an effect.
She reads with such expression!550
ANGELA: Do you expect
me to believe that a man with your experience,
one so generous and with such fine bearing,
has never before felt love ripping and tearing
at his heart? How can I refuse such a swain,
especially one who offered his golden chain555
after having given me this diamond ring?
MOTHER: That’s the point you should be making!
LUIS: If you are worth it, why shouldn’t I?
ROQUE enters and, standing on something, puts himself into position to watch them play
ROQUE: (I followed Alejandro here this time
sticking to his trail like the hound I am.560
It was easy enough to find his track
now that they’ve been bleeding him again.
There he is playing with might and main
his back to wall and his sword unsheathed.
He’s wearing the diamond necklace, I see565
and it’s his turn to deal. His suit is clubs.
Oh, oh! Those are spades! Now that’s a dud!
Dig deeper into the pile! Don’t do that!
Don’t let him win. Now that you’ve got a jack,
keep it in the hole. Spit in his face!570
Good God! He just dealt that guy an ace!)
Troy has certainly gone down to defeat.
He speak this last line aloud
DIEGO: Who’s that?
ALEJANDRO: You ass, why are you following me?
You bring bad luck when you watch me play.
ROQUE: Who brings it when I’m not in on the game?575
GOMEZ: What’s that clown doing here?
ROQUE: You’re a real card!
GOMEZ: Call me an ass and a joker as your reward
if I show in any way that you’ve upset me.
ROQUE: A good fifth is one way we can make peace.
GOMEZ: I’d be only too glad to take you up on that!580
Gentlemen, you have the cards till I get back.
Exit GOMEZ and ROQUE
ANGELA: Well, at last it seems you told the truth.
You say it’s fate and I agree with you
when in comes to love. As a sign
that I am yours, I would like to buy585
a necklace exactly like that golden chain
to remind me that I am your humble slave.
The MOTHER speaks as if commenting upon her reading
MOTHER: How nice!
LUIS: If I gave you this to be that sign,
I could be quite certain that you were mine.
ANGELA: I’ll gladly wear it, but you’ll have to see590
my mother doesn’t find out or she’ll kill me!
MOTHER: (With kindness.) Aside
LUIS: For the first time ever,
a slave is putting a chain on his master.
He gives her the chain, getting up as if he were going to rejoin the game
ANGELA: He who gives is the master. Isn’t that clear?
My mother must not see what’s going on here.595
Why not pretend more interest in the game?
LUIS: I’ve heard say that “Love, like an open flame,
is hard to cover up.” This is my lucky day:
I won the diamond, gold, and your love and faith.
He gets up and goes back to the game and don DIEGO leaves the table with Alejandro’s diamond necklace
ANGELA: Look, Mother, I got it!600
ALEJANDRO: Not so quick!
God damn it if that not some vile trick!
Leaving a game just after you have won!
DIEGO: I’d like to leave as a winner, just once.
CARLOS: We’ll go ahead and play without you, then.
The MOTHER and ANGELA speak aside
MOTHER: It seems Don Diego just won the necklace.605
That’s a prize worth having!
ANGELA: I’ll do it!
I’ll play a couple more little tricks.
The MOTHER speaks now to Don DIEGO
MOTHER: I’ve read two chapters that were interesting,
but this one seems even more fascinating,
pleasant but puzzling at the same time.610
Don Diego, come entertain Angela for a while.
Don DIEGO sits between them as the others have
DIEGO: All the gods are smiling at me today.
It seems that everything is going my way.
First, Lady Luck let me win this,
now you’ve honored me by asking me to sit615
here with you.
ANGELA: I was disturbed and anxious.
You’ll never know how I feared you would lose.
DIEGO: You were upset about whether I won or I lost?
You were worried about me?
ANGELA: Don’t take it wrong,
but I said to my mother, “If Don Diego loses620
I want to give him all of these jewels
so he can get even and not hate me.”
But God in His kindness sent me relief.
DIEGO: (She’s hinting now for a piece of the lot. Aside
I wonder if these few coins from the pot625
will do.) Your prayers made me thrive,
and God once declared that we pay tithes,
so please accept this purse from me.
ANGELA: Did you think I wanted part of the pot?
Don Diego, I only live to care for you!630
You can’t think much of me. Don’t be fooled.
I’ve always been good. My mother, you see,
is the only one ever to have been jealous of me.
Love is all I have, all I will accept.
But heaven knows how much I want to present635
you with all I have, even that secret treasure
to make your rich, not with gold but pleasure.
DIEGO: Angela, such an offer has only one answer.
Brand me now! I’m your slave forever.
But, before I forget to show my gratitude,640
I want to give your mother this. Ma’am, you…
MOTHER: What’s that?
DIEGO: Pardon me, ma’am, please
take this purse.
MOTHER: Take what? Never! Not me!
ANGELA: Don’t you see that you’re being impolite?
Its the custom for gentlemen, as their right,645
to make gifts when they’ve won a game.
MOTHER: Well, if that’s the custom…
She takes it
ALEJANDRO: For shame,
you damned old witch! You lying thief!
Damn your black heart, you one-eyed queen!
Every time you show up, I lose the hand!650
MOTHER: (What a shock! I thought that man Aside
was talking to me.)
ANGELA: What will you do now,
you apprentice lover, take the necklace around
to someone else and say you got it for her?
DIEGO: I don’t have another woman, I swear.655
ANGELA: If that’s the truth, a girl who could say
she loves you ought to be happy and gay.
Her mother reads the following aloud
MOTHER: “Diligence conquers all. A mountain peak
is made of rock, yet the claws of a beast
eventually scratch it away to nothing.”660
You should read this book. What fine things
it has to say! What lessons to teach
ANGELA: That necklace is more a woman’s piece
than something a man should wear.
Some woman will pretend to love you665
and you, you innocent child –generous too–
will think of it as something you won
at cards and give it away as a proof of love.
She’ll be in your debt, you’ll have a “lady,”
and I’ll be alone. Don Diego, as for me ,670
I wish that I never came to live in Madrid.
DIEGO: It is not a thing I could easily give
someone else too freely or quickly.
ANGELA: But it cost you nothing, really,
and you are the soul of generosity.675
MOTHER: “I can’t believe this is happening!”
DIEGO: It’s yours. I hope, as you can see,
you and the diamonds are happy together.
ANGELA: How coldly you said that! I could never
accept a present given in that spirit.680
But please, for your own good, do one thing.
Give me your word, swear on your life,
to save it for the one who’ll be your wife.
DIEGO: I promise.
ANGELA: You are too soft and malleable.
I’ll take it now to keep with my valuables.685
Then you won’t have it to give away,
to back a bet, or hide in some dark place
where it will languish for lack of light.
DIEGO: (This is my lucky day. She all mine.) AsideShe goes about the business of taking the necklace from him
ANGELA: Until you marry, I’ll guard this piece.690
The stones will be an altar of memories.
May the lady who gives you her heart
reflect its value, if only in part.
DIEGO: If you love me as you say you do,
the necklace is certainly safe with you.695
ANGELA: You can be sure of that.
MOTHER: (He should be sure!) Aside
LUIS: You can’t bet with words unless they’re secured.
ALEJANDRO:My word’s better than that of some I could name.
LUIS: You’re so angry you can’t see straight.
ALEJANDRO:Whether I’m angry or not, my word alone700
is worth more than everything you own.
If you don’t agree, you’re a real fool!
ALEJANDRO leaves the game having lost the decoration from around his shoulder. He exits
CARLOS: All I win is a ribbon to decorate my suit!
LUIS: Ladies, your house is a place sacred to me.
I can’t use my sword here. Pardon me, please.705
I’ll be right back.
CARLOS: What’s going on?
You two have no reason to fight.
Don LUIS leaves, following ALEJANDRO
ANGELA: Wait, Carlos.
Don Diego is his best friend. Let him go.
Hurry and follow them, please, Don Diego.
DIEGO: Losing so much may give Alejandro an excuse.710
Don DIEGO leaves
ANGELA: Isn’t his wife the one so attractive to you?
CARLOS: You’re making a mistake. Why insist
on going back over all that again?
ANGELA: I can see how your heart must yearn
to have the ribbon others have spurned.715
It belonged to the husband of that “heavenly woman.”
CARLOS: You’re just jealous!
ANGELA: (No, greedy.) AsideCARLOS throws the ribbon on the floor and leaves
CARLOS: That’s what I think that ribbon is worth!
That and all the gold in the world!
ANGELA: Carlos, listen…
MOTHER: Now, things seem right to me.
The MOTHER picks up the ribbon while ANGELA calls after CARLOS
ANGELA: Stop, listen…720
MOTHER: Girl, how stupid can you be?
Leave him alone!
ANGELA: You gave me your word…
MOTHER: You’re crazy!
ANGELA: How awful!
MOTHER: How ignorant you are!
The two women leave. [The scene changes back to Alejandro’s house]. ALEJANDRO and ROQUE enter
ALEJANDRO:Did they follow us?
ROQUE: Nobody’s come this way,
and we are almost home. What a day!
ALEJANDRO:Roque, have you ever seen such luck?725
Why do I want insist on gambling so much?
ROQUE: You inherited it from the inventor of cards,
from old Vilhán himself.
Any gambler, no matter how smart,
–in this I know I’m correct–730
undoubtedly is the most obstinate brute
that ever brayed at night.
Was there ever a monkey who fell into a pool,
–just imagine his plight–
so big and deep that he might drown735
would go near water again?
Was there ever a mule who stepped into a hole,
that made him stumble or trip,
would ever again pass that same way
unless he watched his feet?740
Was there ever an ass who carelessly ate
poisonous oleander leaves
and suffered revolutions deep in his gut
would taste that plant again?
Was there ever a fox, any sly old cuss,745
who sneaked in among the hens,
to be scared stiff by some alert farmer
would dare return to the coop?
The dumbest beast learns from one misadventure
but a gambler’s the real fool.750
ALEJANDRO:You’re right, but I’m so obstinate
that all I hate is leaving the game.
ROQUE: Well, go on back and play.
ALEJANDRO: How can I
if I have nothing left to bet tonight?
ROQUE: If, instead of just making a face,755
you had taken a role in some play,
you’d at least have the costume left
as something of value you could bet.
You’re like the fresh water sailor
who came home to his family and girl,760
stamping about and gaily dressed,
shouting, “To war, to war,” as he left.
How proud and glorious it all seemed.
The battle was lost and he was wiped clean
so he sneaked quietly back into town.765
When they asked him what had gone on,
he answered softly, “I was away at war.”
That just what you have done. Good Lord!
You left home all covered with jewels,
pretty as Narcissus or the lover Virenus,770
dressed in starched collar and lace cuffs,
your diamonds reflecting the daytime sun.
How proudly you shouted “To games and dames!”
Now you return having lost at the game.
When they ask you what you have done,775
you can shyly whisper, “I gambled and lost.”
ALEJANDRO:That’s enough, Roque, I’m not made of stone.
ISABEL enters
ROQUE: Here comes your wife.
ALEJANDRO: Who is more alone
or feels more ashamed than I do now?
ISABEL: Not a word for me when you enter the house?780
Why so quiet? Are you feeling all right?
Why are looking so sad?
ALEJANDRO: Really, I am fine.
ISABEL: Are you sure?
ALEJANDRO: I’m as well as ever.
ISABEL: Alejandro, you look like death warmed over.
Tell me what happened to upset you so.785
ALEJANDRO:I lost your diamonds and all my gold.
ISABEL: It’s not that important. Don’t be upset.
Believe me, I have some valuables left.
ISABEL speaks to ROQUE
Go and bring my jewel case here to me.
Exit ROQUE
Alejandro, return to the game, if you please.790
I want you to be happy, no matter the cost.
ALEJANDRO:Your love and generosity have me at a loss,
Isabel. Your kindness is a real consolation
in this time of sadness and desperation.
ISABEL: I’m not Midas and don’t have his wealth795
but all I have is yours, my love as well.
ALEJANDRO:Live and love me forever, dear Isabel.
Enter ROQUE with the jewel case
ISABEL: Take these buckles and the diamond brooch,
and these pins as bright as my love for you.
This belt, too, and anything else you see.800
ALEJANDRO:Every man in the world should envy me.
ROQUE and ALEJANDRO speak off to one side
ROQUE: How can you accept those things from your wife?
ALEJANDRO:Once the bug bites, you’re a gambler for life.
ROQUE: (Is there any moral law a gambler won’t defy?) Aside
ALEJANDRO:Take this brooch to Angela and tell her I,805
even though I gambled and lost at her house,
still feel attracted to her beauty now
and I’m sorry for having left so rudely.
ROQUE: (I can’t believe this!) Aside
ALEJANDRO: And say it was truly
a pleasure to have lost in her presence.810
Tell her this reflects her beauty.
ROQUE: (Nonsense!) Aside
ALEJANDRO:And don’t let Isabel see what I gave you.
ALEJANDRO speaks to ISABEL
Goodbye. I’ll be back in an hour or two.
I can hardly wait to return to you. Indeed,
I feel lucky to know how much you love me.815
Exit ALEJANDRO
ISABEL: Was what I just did –tell me the truth, Roque–
a sign of true love or sheer stupidity?
ROQUE: An asinine blunder worthy of any jenny
who ever made one in pasture or field.
ISABEL: But I want him to be happy.820
ROQUE: Is that any reason
to give your jewels to a gambler in season?
ISABEL: I did it for love.
ROQUE: Well, I saved half
the spilled milk. Keep this brooch, ma’am,
but don’t let him know I returned it to you.
It could well cost me my life if he knew.825
Exit ROQUE
ISABEL: One happy sailor sets sail in his craft
seeking his fortune on a peaceful sea
in spite of waves and winds blowing free
he returns to port with triumphal flags aloft.
Another dares to brave the mighty ocean830
but immediately feels the rigor of the main
and goes to his death below billowed waves.
Marriage is like that for every woman.
She has peace and love while Fortune reigns
but, when Fate demands payment on account,835
she finds help neither in virtue nor beauty.
I don’t know what my fate is to be
but they say that in a gambler’s house
happiness lasts but a few sweet days.
END OF ACT ONE
