THE TRUTH CAN’T BE TRUSTED
(La verdad sospechosa)
Juan Ruiz de Alarcón
A Verse Translation by Dakin Matthews
This text was prepared and presented to this collection by Dakin Matthews (see its publication data in our Bibliography of Comedias in English Translation). He originally prepared the text in electronic form and this was, in turn, set in HTML by Vern Williamsen in 1998.
List of speakers in this play:
- CAMINO, criado
ACT ONE
Scene One: A room in Don Beltrán’s house
From one door, enter DON GARCÍA, dressed as a student, and an aged LAWYER, in travelling clothes. From another, DON BELTRÁN and TRISTÁN
BELTRÁN: Welcome, my son–come inside.
GARCÍA: Father, your hand. Dear sir!
BELTRÁN: And how have you been?
GARCÍA: Oh, we’re
Parched by the dry summer and fried
By its heat. Father, the pain5
Was almost too much to bear
Except of course that–always–there
Was the hope of seeing you again.
BELTRÁN: Well, get inside and rest. Go on!
God bless you–what a man you’ve become!10
Tristán!
TRISTÁN: Sir?
BELTRÁN: Time to wait on some-
one new; from now on, serve my son
García. You know your way
Around the court, and he
Can use a guide.15
TRISTÁN: Happy to be
Of any service to him I may.
BELTRÁN: It’s not just a servant I’m giving you;
He’s been a trusted friend to me.
GARCÍA and TRISTÁN, going in
GARCÍA: And he’ll be mine as well, you’ll see.
TRISTÁN: And your very humble servant, too.20
BELTRÁN: So, counselor, let me shake
Your hand.
LAWYER: No, no, let me kiss
Your foot.
BELTRÁN: How’ve you been? No, this
Is too much. Get up.
LAWYER: For his sake,
I’ve been well, happy, blest;25
Your son García’s honored me
With so much love, I cannot see
How I can live the rest
Of my life without him.
BELTRÁN: God bless
You, counselor; you’ve always been30
A man of great discretion and keen
Appreciation. And I’m no less
Grateful to you that my son
Has done his duty so well by you,
Behaved exactly as he ought to do,35
And done all he should have done.
I promise you, therefore, my friend,
My gratitude to you is such,
That I have done for you as much
As I can to help you ascend40
To the post of Magistrate. Not as high
As my love would raise you, if it could.
If I had the power, you know I would
Make you a cabinet minister.
LAWYER: I
Have no doubts about your power.45
BELTRÁN: And for good reason, sir. But still
Of one thing I am sure. You will,
Once you have placed, with our
Help, your foot upon the low-
est rung, climb higher and higher,50
Without our help–even aspire
To the Supreme Court.
LAWYER: I know,
Wherever I am, and however I
Get there, I shall always be
Yours.55
BELTRÁN: Then, before you turn over to me,
Counselor, the helm of my
García’s ship, and leave me to steer
The rest of his course, I ask
You to do just one more task,
For my sake and for his.60
LAWYER: My dear
Sir, a pleasure. No sooner heard
Than done–whatever you ask me to do.
BELTRÁN: First I want you to swear that you
Will do whatever I say. Your word?
LAWYER: Sir, I swear by the Lord on high65
To do whatever you ask me to.
BELTRÁN: Then I’ve only one question to put to you,
But I want the truth and not a lie.
I always thought that leaving here
To study law–as you must know–70
Was the best preparation for him to grow
Up in the world with a fine career.
He’s my second son, you see,
And for such a one, the law’s
Almost a sure thing, because75
It’s the door to opportunity.
But now that God has deigned to take
My firstborn Gabriel from me,
Leaving García with my legacy,
There’s a change or two I need to make.80
I have decided it’s time to bring
Him back to Madrid, time to end
His legal studies, so he can spend
His days–it’s the customary thing–
Among the aristocracy85
Of Spain. Each noble house takes care,
And for good reason, to place an heir
In the service of his majesty.
So now García, for all intents,
Is his own man, his school days are gone,90
He has his business to carry on,
Although at my expense.
Now, my son may not be in the first
Rank, I know, but as a loving father,
I’d like him to be well thought of, rather95
Than as one of the worst.
And therefore, counselor, the only thing
I want from you is the simple truth,
Without flattery–what kind of youth
Has he been? You helped to bring100
Him up. What do you think of his
Manners, his personality,
His character? Any flaws that he
Seems to favor? any vices? Is
There some behavior I should know105
About–to help him change it? Believe me
My friend, you couldn’t grieve me
In the least by telling me so.
He has to have some faults, I know,
And I won’t exactly be overjoyed110
To know them, but perhaps I can avoid
Worse harm, by hearing about them now,
However distasteful that may be.
There’s no better way to show your love
For him or give a demonstration of115
Your loyalty to the family,
Than to tell me all the bad news now,
Now while I still can help my son,
Not later, after the damage is done,
When I’m bound to find out anyhow.120
LAWYER: Great sir, I assure you there was no need
For such a strict injunction.
I know my duty here–my function
Is to obey, not yours to plead.
It’s an open and shut case:
I mean, when a man buys a horse,125
The trainer, as a matter of course,
The one who supposedly broke him, has
A duty to disclose as much as he can
Of the horse’s quirks, otherwise
There’ll be a rather unpleasant surprise,130
Both for the animal and for the man.
Telling the truth’s the right thing to do.
And truth is what I’ve vowed to give,
Though sometimes truth’s a purgative
Which can make you gag as it heals you.135
Your son García, in all that he
Performs, has a certain flair
That perfectly suits the son and heir
Of such a noble family.
He’s generous and bold,140
He’s witty, wise, articulate,
Open, devout, and temperate
Usually, though not yet old
Enough to avoid the impatience
Of youth. Such high spirits as145
All boys have, García has,
So mentioning them makes little sense.
But there is one tiny fault, just one,
That I have noted–indeed that I
Have warned him of, and unfortunately,150
So far nothing seems to get done
About it.
BELTRÁN: Is it likely to
Affect his standing here?
LAWYER: Could be.
BELTRÁN: What is it then? Be honest with me.
LAWYER: Well, the things he says aren’t always true.155
BELTRÁN: Good God, but that’s a terrible thing
For a man in his position.
LAWYER: It’s just a temporary condition,
I think, a bad habit. You can bring
The full weight of your authority160
To bear on him, and that, along
With his growing good sense, will be strong
Enough to root out this fault, you’ll see.
It’s just a phase he’s going through.
BELTRÁN: If nothing could be done when he165
Was pliable and easy to be
Straightened out, what can we do
When the sapling becomes a tree?
LAWYER: Sir, those were Salamanca days.
Boys will be boys, sir; play’s170
The only thing they know. They’re free
To follow their every whim. They give
Vice the name of virtue, call
Mischief manners, and folly’s all
The grace they want–the prerogative175
Of youth. But here in the court, sir, we
Have better hopes for his reformation,
For here he has for his edification
So many models of nobility.
BELTRÁN: It almost makes me laugh to see180
How ignorant you are of the way
Things work at court. Are you trying to say
That he couldn’t learn mendacity
At court? Don’t you realize
That if he were at the top of his game,185
He’d lose daily to some men I could name–
Even with a lead of a thousand lies.
Here in Madrid, some politicians
Of power and wealth, deceive and conceal
To close a lucrative real estate deal190
Or improve their social positions.
If that is so, is it not even worse
In one who is placed, so to speak,
As a mirror where people should seek–
Let’s drop it–before I start to curse.195
A bull that’s stuck by an expert blow,
Lashes out at whoever’s nearby
Without even bothering to try
To find the picador, and so
Do I, overwhelmed with grief200
At this latest news, and blind
With tears, I strike at the first man I find,
To give my rage some relief.
Believe me, if he threw away
My entire estate blindly pursu-205
ing love affairs, or gambled through
Every night and every day,
If he were reckless, restless, and inclined
To pick a fight at the least provocation,
Or married far below his station,210
If he were to die, I still would find
The strength to bear these things and control
My grief. But to know he was a liar! Oh,
What a horrible fault! It’s so
Repugnant to my very soul.215
All right, then, I know what I have to do:
Before the bad news gets around,
I’ve got to move quickly till I’ve found
Someone to marry him to.
Well, counselor, I’m in your debt,220
You’ve certainly given me evidence
Of your zeal and your intelligence.
Much obliged. Now when do you have to get
Going?
LAWYER: Well, I was thinking of
Leaving right away.225
BELTRÁN: That can’t be.
Come rest a while, and then go see
The sights at court.
LAWYER: I’d really love
To spend some time with you, but I–
Well, duty calls. New job, you know.
BELTRÁN: Of course, a man can never go230
Fast enough when he’s moving up. Goodbye.
BELTRÁN goes out
LAWYER: And God go with you, too. I see
My news has really hurt the kind
Old man. So–even the wisest find
No sweetness in adversity.235
The LAWYER goes out
Scene Two: On Silver Street
Enter GARCÍA, handsomely dressed, and TRISTÁN
GARCÍA: So what do you think? Do you like my coat?
TRISTÁN: It’s absolutely divine, sir. Such
Brilliant people those Dutch
To invent this frou-frou surrounding the throat.
With an acre of linen like that, who knows240
What horrors may lurk beneath every pleat!
I once knew a lady whose heart skipped a beat
When a certain friend, in frills just like those,
Came walking in her direction.
But once by mistake she happened to see245
His actual neck, with the upshot that she
Was obliged to renounce her affection.
For his neck was furrowed and greasy,
The ravages of a previous bout
Of scrofula, no doubt,250
For his skin was yellow and cheesy.
To twice normal size his nose had grown,
And each ear was as big as my fist,
And his jowls and chin, all shriveled and twist-
ed, were those of an ancient crone.255
In short, this gentlemen of worth
Was so little like he appeared to be,
That no one would ever have known it was he,
Not even his mother who gave him birth.
GARCÍA: Well, that’s, for one thing, why I’d feel260
Overjoyed if our country had
A law prohibiting such a stupid fad
As a collar shaped like a water-wheel.
Besides encouraging such deceit,
These foreigners steal our good Spanish dollars265
For their ridiculous linen collars,
And make the damage to us complete.
If we ever adopted a nice
Simple collar, we’d quickly see
The face set off to advantage, and be270
Just as attractive, at a much lower price.
And a man wouldn’t walk around all distressed
About the condition of his ruff,
And worry if he was wearing enough
Protection to keep it from getting messed.275
TRISTÁN: I once knew a man who had an inkling
He was loved by a beautiful lady;
But at every approach the lady made, he
Backed off to keep his ruff from wrinkling.
That’s why I’m so bewildered by it:
Everyone claims they would love with a passion280
For the simple collar to come back in fashion,
But no one’ll be the first to try it.
GARCÍA: We can’t rule the world–so leave
It be. How are the women here?
TRISTÁN: So–forget the world, instead we’re285
Going to rule the flesh–and you believe
That’s easier?
GARCÍA: More fun, anyway.
TRISTÁN: Are you “in the mood”?
GARCÍA: I’m “in my prime.”
TRISTÁN: Then you’ve come to Madrid at just the right time.
Here love never takes a holiday.290
Beautiful women are permanent
Fixtures here. Against the fine
Background of the court, they glitter and shine
Like the brightest stars in the firmament.
Some more brightly than others, it seems,295
For they can all be classified,
By magnitude, brilliance and by how wide-
ly they spread their glorious beams.
Of course, among all these I’m not
Including the great ladies of the land,300
They are angels of pure spirit and
Are untouchable, even in thought.
I’m only talking about the ones
With souls a bit more inclin-
ing, blessedly human, yet divine,305
Dazzling, corruptible, heavenly suns.
The sky is full of them. Let me scan it
For you. There’s the beautiful wife
Who lives an easy, approachable life
With discretion. I call her a planet.310
A woman like this, in conjunction
With a husband who’s easy going,
Is likely to shed her rays all a-glowing
On perfect strangers, with little compunction.
Then there are others, whose justification315
Is that their husbands have gone away,
To the Americas, some of them say,
Or to Italy on vacation.
You can’t always trust women like these,
There are thousands sly enough to pretend320
They are married, so they can spend
Their lives as they like, in comparative ease.
You’ll meet the occasional gorgeous trainee
Under the wing of a beautiful mother,
The girl’s a fixed star, while the other325
Moves in an orbit a bit more free.
And then of course there’s a multitude
Of classy working girls–you know–
Who rank in my heaven, as courtesans go,
As stars of a lesser magnitude.330
Right behind them are many more
Working girls in training, less
Luminous perhaps, I must confess,
But better than a whore;
Third magnitude stars, not as bright,335
Certainly, as a pro should be,
But in cases of necessity,
You can bathe quite nicely in their light.
Now the common whore, in her condition,
I don’t really rank as a star,340
More like a comet, because they are
Quite dim, and their tails keep changing position.
They rise in the dawn to demand their pay,
And once that ceremony’s done,
The very next moment they’re completely gone,345
And you don’t see them for the rest of the day.
Then there are talented amateurs,
Ready for all occasions, they last
For a while, then burn out fast,
I think of them as meteors.350
The problem here, my boy, if you
Were thinking of reaching for this kind of star–
They’re very unstable, won’t stay where they are,
Not for all the gold in Peru.
And always be mindful, as I always am,355
That in the zodiac, Capricorn’s
Not the only sign that wears the horns,
There’s also the Bull and the Ram,
But there’s only one Virgin. And in
Conclusion, as sure as death and taxes,360
Money’s the solitary axis
Around which all these bright stars spin.
GARCÍA: You sound like some kind of expert to me
On heavenly bodies.
TRISTÁN: While I was hang-
ing around the court, ang-365
ling for jobs, I studied astronomy.
GARCÍA: You hung around the court? Well, I’m
Surprised.
TRISTÁN: And I’m embarrassed about
The whole thing.
GARCÍA:. But why a servant?370
TRISTÁN: I ran out
Of money and luck at the same time.
Not that serving you isn’t the fin-
est fortune a man like me
Could wish for.
GARCÍA: Forget the flattery,
Get a glimpse of that hand, what a divine375
Whiteness, pure ivory! And of
Those eyes, whose beams are shafts of light,
Arrows that carry in their flight,
Twin poisons of death and love.
TRISTÁN: You mean that lady over there
In the coach?380
GARCÍA: Of course! Do you see
Another that shines as brightly as she?
TRISTÁN: I’ve never seen anything to compare.
Hers is a coach fit for the sun,
With all its little satellites,
Its fiery rays and golden lights385
Illuminating everyone.
GARCÍA: This is the first woman I’ve seen
Here, and she sets my heart aglow.
TRISTÁN: The first? In all the world?
GARCÍA: No.
The first in paradise. She’s the queen390
Of heaven, the woman’s divine!
TRISTÁN: Around here every minute you’re likely to see
A beautiful woman. You’ll never be
Willing or able, my boy, to confine
Yourself to one. I could never stand fast.395
I just couldn’t be constant in love or desire,
The next girl I saw always set me on fire,
And made me forget the last.
GARCÍA: Where is the brightness that surpasses
The blazing eyes of my shining star?400
TRISTÁN: Things always look better than they are,
When you look at them through love-tinted glasses.
GARCÍA: Do you know her, Tristán?
TRISTÁN: Oh no, that girl’d Never know me. She’s divine–you won’t
Find her with humans. Goddesses don’t
Come down to live in Tristán’s world.405
GARCÍA: Whoever she is, I’m in love with her.
That’s that, and I long to be her slave.
Tristán, go after her!
TRISTÁN: Wait, sir, they’ve
Gotten out at the shop.
GARCÍA: I’d sure
Like to go over. Or does that sound410
Too gauche for Madrid?
TRISTÁN: No, no, not too.
Just remember what I said to you:
Money makes the world go round.
GARCÍA: I have some gold.
TRISTÁN: Well, onward, Spain!
God be with you, sir–and Caesar, too!415
Just don’t forget what I said to you
About pretty girls. Let me make it plain.
You see that other girl, behind her?
Just coming out? Maybe she’s the sun
And the other’s just the dawn, that one.420
Or vice-versa. Just a reminder.
GARCÍA: She’s pretty.
TRISTÁN: And the maid? Less beaut-
iful than her mistress? No.
GARCÍA: I swear, that coach is Cupid’s bow
And all three are arrows well worth the shoot.
I’m going over.425
TRISTÁN: Don’t forget the old
Proverb.
GARCÍA: Which is?
TRISTÁN: The quickest road to
A woman’s heart runs directly through
Your bank.
GARCÍA: Here’s another: in gold
We trust.
TRISTÁN: Then talk to her; I’ll go see
If I can get the coachman to spill430
The beans about who they are.
GARCÍA: Think he will?
TRISTÁN: Dear boy, he’s a coachman, isn’t he?
They separate. Doña JACINTA, Doña Doña LUCRECIA, and ISABEL enter, in mantillas. Doña JACINTA stumbles and falls, and Don GARCÍA comes over to help her up
JACINTA: Lord, help me!
GARCÍA: Your servant implores
That his hand may be of assistance to you,
If you think him a worthy Atlas to435
Support a heaven as beautiful as yours.
JACINTA: You’d have to be Atlas if you claim
You’re touching heaven with your hand.
GARCÍA: To touch hands, yes, is one thing, and
To deserve that touch, not quite the same.440
What victory comes with the touch of beauty–
Even one for which I have yearned–
If that touch is not so much earned
From you, as owed you by my duty.
A touch, freely given, is so much sweeter.445
Look, I have heaven at my fingertips,
What glory’s in that, if it’s she that slips,
Not I that rise to meet her?
JACINTA: And what exactly is the height
You would attain?450
GARCÍA: As high as I can.
JACINTA: But to reach a goal without a plan–
Wouldn’t that be pure luck?
GARCÍA: You’re right.
JACINTA: Then how can you complain to me
About how short of your goal you are?
Since you haven’t deserved to get this far,455
You’re already luckier than you ought to be.
GARCÍA: According to moral philosophy,
An act of favor or benevolence
Is only valid when the will consents;
Otherwise it’s worthless, you see?460
The fact that I am holding your hand
Does not mean you are favoring me,
Because the intentionality
Of the will is missing. You understand?
Therefore I have the right to feel465
Unlucky in my luck, to touch
The hand but not the heart, so much
Like favor, but without the will.
JACINTA: So much like talk, but without the sense.
How can you know what’s going on470
In my heart; you don’t even know your own.
You accuse me unjustly of some offense.
Aside to GARCÍA
TRISTÁN: (I told you he was a coachman, sir.
I’ve got some news about who they are.)
GARCÍA: And have you never seen thus far475
Clear signs of what my intentions were?
JACINTA: I’ve never even seen you here.
GARCÍA: She hasn’t even noticed me!
My God–I’ve been in agony
Over you–for more than a year!480
TRISTÁN: (A year? He just walked in the door
Yesterday!)
JACINTA: Oh, good Lord!
More than a year? I give you my word
I never saw you in my life before.
GARCÍA: When I sailed from America485
To seek my fortunes here,
The heaven of your face, my dear,
Was the very first thing I saw.
And at that instant my soul did melt
Into yours, and yet, you never knew,490
I had no chance to talk to you
And tell you what I felt.
JACINTA: You’re American?
GARCÍA: With money to spare.
And yet one glance from these your eyes,
And all my goldmines I despise,495
And leave my El Dorado there.
TRISTÁN: (He’s American?)
JACINTA: I’ve heard them say
That rich men are stingy–are you?
GARCÍA: And they also say that misers who
Fall in love give it all away.500
JACINTA: Then if what you say is true,
I can expect some expensive gifts?
GARCÍA: What good is my money unless it lifts
My credit with someone like you?
And yet such gifts would only be505
Trinkets. To gain your love
I’d fashion for you a world of
Pure gold, to show my idolatry.
And even that could never aspire
To outweigh one petal of your beauty’s flower,510
As my enormous wealth and power
Could never equal my desire.
And yet, from this little jewelry store,
I beg you take anything you will,
As a small token of how I feel.515
JACINTA: (I never saw such a man before.)
To Doña LUCRECIA
Lucrecia, what do you think? He’s quite
Generous, this American.
LUCRECIA: I think you rather like the man,
Jacinta, and I think you’re right.520
GARCÍA: Here’s the shopwindow, look around,
Pick out what you like–my treat, as I said.
TRISTÁN and GARCÍA aside
TRISTÁN: (Sir, you’re way in over your head.)
GARCÍA: (Tristán, I have already drowned.)
ISABEL speaks aside to the ladies
ISABEL: (Here comes Don Juan.)525
JACINTA: I’m very grate-
ful, sir, for your kind offer–
GARCÍA: But
You simply can’t accept it. What
A shame. Madam, I’m desolate.
JACINTA: Then I’m afraid you have mistaken your
Position, sir, and overstepped530
The bounds of courtesy. I can accept
The offer alone–and no more.
GARCÍA: But you have my heart, and what have I
In return for what I have conferred?
JACINTA: You have the pleasure of being heard.535
GARCÍA: Which I cherish.
JACINTA: Then good-bye.
GARCÍA: Good-bye.
And give me leave, before you depart
To love you.
JACINTA: I don’t believe
A man ever needs to ask for leave
Before he gives away his heart.540
The LADIES leave
GARCÍA: Go after them!
TRISTÁN: Don’t worry your head
About it, sir. I don’t need to go
Find out where your lady-love lives, I know
Already.
GARCÍA: Oh. Then stay here instead.
You never want to importune a545
Girl too much. She’ll get annoyed with you.
TRISTÁN: “The more beautiful lady of the two
Is Doña Lucrecia de Luna.
She’s my mistress. And as for this
Second lady, with whom she came,550
I know her house but not her name,
And I can show you where it is.”
Thus saith the coachman, sir.
GARCÍA: If Lucrecia’s prettier, then she
Must be the one who spoke to me.555
And I’m in love with her.
And as the sun, with each new day,
Dims every little star, I find
That she, in her brightness, makes me blind,
And all the others fade away.560
TRISTÁN: To me, she that never spoke a word
Was the prettier of the two.
GARCÍA: Well, you’ve got terrible taste.
TRISTÁN: It’s true,
I don’t expect my vote to be heard.
But nonetheless, I still prefer
The quiet one, if only for this,565
The less she talks the more she is,
In my opinion, prettier.
But on the off-chance, sir, that you
Might be mistaken, wait right here,
And I’ll go ask the coachman there570
To tell me who is who.
GARCÍA: And Lucrecia, did he say where
She lived?
TRISTÁN: Where was that? Let me see–
In the square by Our Lady of Victory.
GARCÍA: She is the moon that governs there,575
Eclipsing all stars else. How fit
A name is Victory Square!
Enter Don JUAN DE SOSA and Don FÉLIX, in conversation
JUAN DE SOSA: Dinner and music–that isn’t fair!
GARCÍA: That’s Don Juan de Sosa, isn’t it?
TRISTÁN: The very same.
JUAN DE SOSA: Some lover, no doubt
Who thinks himself lucky. Who can it be580
That stirs me to such jealousy?
FÉLIX: It shouldn’t take too long to find out–
I’m sure of that.
JUAN DE SOSA: She’s to be my bride,
I’ve chosen her, and now I discover
Some other man woos her as a lover585
With a meal and music by the riverside.
GARCÍA: Don Juan de Sosa!
JUAN DE SOSA: Who is that?
GARCÍA: It’s Don García–remember me?
JUAN DE SOSA: But you’re in Madrid unexpectedly.
I didn’t recognize you in that–hat.590
GARCÍA: It was in Salamanca that we
Last met. I’ve changed since you saw me there.
JUAN DE SOSA: You’re definitely not the student you were.
You’ve become a man of the world, I see.
Are you here in Madrid to stay?595
GARCÍA: Oh, yes!
JUAN DE SOSA: Well, welcome home then!
GARCÍA: And you, Don Félix, how have you been?
FÉLIX: Now that you’re here, I’d have to say
I couldn’t be happier. Welcome! You’re well?
GARCÍA: And at your service, my friend–so600
What were you talking about? May I know?
JUAN DE SOSA: Some gossip going round. I’ll tell
You what it was. Last night, someone
Was down by the river, with a band
Of musicians, a lady, and605
A fancy dinner.
GARCÍA: Music, Don Juan?
And a fancy meal?
JUAN DE SOSA: Yes.
GARCÍA: Yesterday?
A big to do?
JUAN DE SOSA: Yes. So I hear.
GARCÍA: And the lady, how did she appear?
JUAN DE SOSA: Absolutely stunning–they say.610
GARCÍA: Ah, well.
JUAN DE SOSA: So, what’s the mystery?
GARCÍA: Well, if the lady and the food
Were as lovely and as good
As you report them, then possibly
It is my lady and my feast615
You’re praising so.
JUAN DE SOSA: You mean you threw
A party last night–by the river? You?
GARCÍA: All night–till the sun rose in the east.
TRISTÁN: (What lady? What feast could that have been?
You only got here yesterday.)
JUAN DE SOSA: You’ve feasted a woman already, you say?620
But you only just got in!
Love works very fast with you, I see.
GARCÍA: It hasn’t been that short a while;
I’ve been home a whole month resting.
TRISTÁN: (I’ll
Swear–it was yesterday that he625
Got home. What is he thinking?)
JUAN DE SOSA: If I
Had known, I’d have been there
To welcome you back, I swear,
And pay my debt of courtesy.
GARCÍA: Well, actually, I snuck into Madrid.630
JUAN DE SOSA: Then, obviously, that’s the reason why
I didn’t know. But satisfy
My curiosity; this dinner you did–
Was it really so grand?
GARCÍA: I’d venture to guess
It’s the best that river has ever had.635
JUAN DE SOSA: (I’m so jealous I may go mad!) Aside
Well, then, you might as well confess
It was you in the thicket with mademoiselle.
GARCÍA: Don Juan, you lead me to suspect–
From your tone of voice and your grim aspect–640
That the lady is known to you as well.
JUAN DE SOSA: I’m not entirely in the dark
About the whole affair, but I
Have it second-hand, confusedly;
I’d love to hear what went on in the park–645
The whole truth, direct from you,
Just out of curiosity,
You know, a courtier like me–
I’ve got nothing better to do–
(Than roast in the flames of my jealousy.)650
Aside to Don JUAN DE SOSA
FÉLIX: (The heavens are kind, and even without
Your asking, see how they go about
To reveal your rival’s identity.)
GARCÍA: All right, here goes, lend me an ear:
And all you desire I shall provide:655
The story of the Feast by the Riverside.
JUAN DE SOSA: There’s nothing we would rather hear.
GARCÍA: There in a thicket, deep and dark, amid
The high and overshadowing elms was hid
A secret clearing, black as the face of night,660
In which there stood a table, clean and bright,
A perfect square, set with the elegance
Of an Italian hand, and the opulence
Of Spain. There in the fine embroidery
Of tablecloth and napkins one could see665
A thousand gorgeous birds and beasts that lacked
But souls to be alive. All set and stacked,
Four sideboards ran along each length, each one
Laden with crystal cups and porcelain
Bowls, silver plates and gold. One tree there670
Was left untouched, it seemed; the others were
Stripped of their branches, and of them they
Had built six grand pavilions. Hidden away
In four of them were different orchestras;
Arranged inside the fifth pavilion was675
A vast display of entrees, of every kind;
Inside the sixth, desserts and fresh fruits lined
The walls, and among the pastries and preserves
Were plates of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres.
The coach arrived, and out she stepped,680
My lady-love, and all stars else, except
Her eyes, were dimmed with envy–while the brook
Babbled with joy at catching just one look
From her, and the air inhaled her sweet perfume.
Her lovely footfall made the grasses bloom685
Where’er it touched, with emeralds; each curl
Of wave, a crystal; each grain of sand, a pearl.
And suddenly there was a bright confusion
Of roman candles, pinwheels in profusion,
Fireworks exploding everywhere, rockets fly-690
ing through the air, turning the evening sky
To day, and flaming still higher and higher
Till all this patch of earth became pure fire.
And then, just as the fireworks dispersed
And faded, twenty four bright torches burst695
Into flame, dimming both the stars and moon.
At once, a woodwind band struck up a tune
From one of the pavilions; hearing the sound,
The strings, from their pavilion, passed it round
To the third, where flutes picked up the melody700
And added their sweet notes to the harmony.
Then from the fourth pavilion, came the rich
Sounds of a four-part choir, under which
Spanish guitars and harps were softly strumming,
To celebrate in song my lady’s coming.705
And as they played, the waiters served the food–
Thirty two courses for the main meal–and a good
Three dozen more of appetizers and
Hors d’oeuvres before the meal, with a grand
Assortment of desserts and fruits for later.710
The freshfruits, juices, wines, even the water
Were served in frosty crystal bowls and glasses,
All made of ice, and covered over with masses
Of winter snow, so artfully preserved,
The wandering river thought that it had swerved715
Out of the grove and somehow found the freez-
ing heights and passes of the Pyranees.
And as the tongue delighted in the taste
Of pleasure, the nose was no less busy. Graced
With soothing fragrances of potpourri720
And perfume–flowers, herbs, and spicery
Distilled to sweet aromas–what had been
A grove became a heaven of muscadine.
And in the center of the table stood
A holder full of toothpicks, not of wood725
But of pure gold, the holder itself the figure
Of a man, diamond studded and no bigger
Than this, a dying man shot through and through
With golden arrows, which showed to her the true
Picture of her own cruelty to me,730
And in that figure, my fidelity.
These golden toothpicks took from willow, reed,
And straw their proper office; for gold indeed
Must be the toothpicks when the teeth are pearl.
And as I feasted there this lovely girl,735
Musicians hidden in their separate bowers
Played melodies to slow the morning hours,
To stop the stars and halt the heavenly sphere–
But that Apollo, envious to hear
Music more sweet than his, raced in the east740
And brought the dawn to end our loving feast.
JUAN DE SOSA: You’ve painted such a picture of last night,
My friend, with such detail and in such bright
Colors that I could not be sure, I swear,
If I was hearing it–or actually there.745
TRISTÁN: (The devil bless him for his only son!
Father of lies! How otherwise could one
So improvise a tale of a fictitious meal
That out-truths truth and out-reals real!)
Don FÉLIX and Don JUAN DE SOSA aside
JUAN DE SOSA: (I’m mad with jealousy!)750
FÉLIX: (We never heard
Such things about this party. It’s absurd!)
JUAN DE SOSA: (The details are of no importance to me–
The time, the place, the substance all agree.)
GARCÍA: What did you say?
JUAN DE SOSA: We said such banqueting
As yours is greater far than anything755
Great Alexander did when he held sway.
GARCÍA: Oh, that? No–that was simply child’s play,
Done on a moment’s notice. Given some time,
Even a day for preparation, I’m
Sure I could throw a party that would shame760
The ancient Greek and Roman feasts, bring fame
To me through all the world, beyond our nation,
And be the cause of newfound admiration.
Don JUAN DE SOSA and Don FÉLIX aside
FÉLIX: (Look at Lucrecia’s coach–that girl, the one
By the step’s Jacinta!)765
JUAN DE SOSA: (And look at Don
García’s eyes–they’re following every move
She makes, I swear to God!)
FÉLIX: (Look how his love
Makes him so restless and distracted!)
JUAN DE SOSA: See
How all he does confirms my jealousy!
JUAN DE SOSA:770
and GARCÍA: Good-bye!
FÉLIX: (And see how well you synchronize,
In perfect unison, your swift goodbyes!
Don JUAN DE SOSA and FÉLIX leave
TRISTÁN: I’ve never seen two gentlemen agree
To say good-bye with such velocity!
GARCÍA: She is my heaven, the prime mover of775
My every act, the north star of my love,
Which draws me like a magnet to her side.
TRISTÁN: Well then, you must be patient, sir, and hide
Your love. Revealing it is likelier
To fail than to succeed with one like her.780
Believe me, sir, it’s my experience
That fortune favors men who have the sense
Not to respond. For women, sir, and devils
Use very similar ways to work their evils.
The souls they have already, they ignore–785
The don’t tempt them, they don’t go hunting for
The already damned. For once they have them in
Their claws, they can forget them, and begin
Pursuing with a vengeance, night and day,
Only the ones they fear might get away.790
GARCÍA: You’re right, I know–I’m just not master of
Myself today.
TRISTÁN: This woman that you love–
Until you actually know who she is
And what she has, don’t get mixed up in this.
Remember, sir, to look before you leap,795
Or you’ll end up, over your head, in deep
Water. Not everything that’s green is grass;
Jump in, and you could sink in a morass.
GARCÍA: Go find out all you can immediately.
TRISTÁN: I’ll take good care of it–leave it to me.800
And now for God’s sake, tell me something, sir,
Before I burst. What in heaven’s name were
Those stories for, that I was hearing? I ask
Only that I might help you in your task–
Whatever that might be! If we get caught805
Lying, the shame and the disgrace are not
Going to go away. So why did you
Tell all the ladies you were from Peru?
GARCÍA: Because, Tristán, the fact is foreign men
Do well with Spanish ladies, especially when810
They come here from America, which is,
To women here, always a sign of riches.
TRISTÁN: I understand that that’s what you intend,
But, sir, those means won’t lead you to that end.
Eventually the ladies have to know815
Exactly who you are.
GARCÍA: Till when, I’ll go
And be received into the inmost parts
Of both the ladies’ houses and their hearts,
And once inside–thanks to this strategem–
I’m pretty sure that I can manage them.820
TRISTÁN: All right, you’ve won me over, sir; but now,
I pray, explain that other business, how
You’ve been here for a month, and not yet seen
At court or in the town? In fact, you’ve been
At home since yesterday. So what’s the plan?825
GARCÍA: Surely you know, there’s nothing grander than
A man who’s travelling incognito, or
Who hides himself away behind the door
Of his great house, or else retires to
Some tiny village, out of public view.830
TRISTÁN: You win again, sir! And the fancy meal?
GARCÍA: I made that up, because I just can’t deal
With people who are trying to discover
If I have feelings that I just can’t cover–
Like envy or amazement. Some things can835
Make me feel that way–I’m just a man–
I have these feelings, they embarrass me.
Amazement, after all, is just stupidity,
And envy, a disgrace. You’ll never know
How satisfying it can be, to show840
Another person up, who comes to tell
Some news, bursting with pride, about some swell
Party he’s given or some big thing he’s done,
By topping his tale with a bigger one;
Before he gets it out, you tell yours first845
And stuff it down his throat and make him burst.
TRISTÁN: A very tricky move of self-defence, sir–
A dangerous feint, for even a master fencer.
You’ll be a joke at court, quite soon enough,
The moment that those people call your bluff.850
GARCÍA: A man’s life needs a little stimulation;
If all he does is swell the population,
And act like everybody else, then how
Is he any better than a horse or cow?
It’s a wondrous thing to be a famous man,855
Worth striving for by any means he can.
In every street they’re whispering my name,
And everyone will know about my fame.
Just like that man in Ephesus, when he
Burnt down a church to become a celebrity.860
And here’s my best–and final–reason, too:
It’s something that I really love to do.
TRISTÁN: Well, those are very youngish thoughts, I fear;
And your ideas, much too advanced for here.
So what you need to do is keep a lid865
On thoughts like those, to make it in Madrid.
They go out
Scene Three: A room in Don Sancho’s house
Enter Doña JACINTA and ISABEL, in mantillas, with Don BELTRÁN and Don SANCHO
JACINTA: You’re very kind!
BELTRÁN: This isn’t all
Some friendship of a single day;
Our families have been this way
For quite some time, if you recall.870
That’s why I’m sure my little visit
Is not so unexpected.
JACINTA: If I
Seem shocked, dear sir, it’s only my
Surprise; it’s not that often, is it,
That you come to see us? Pardon me.875
If I had known who my uncle was with,
I wouldn’t have lingered with the silversmith,
Haggling over some jewelry.
BELTRÁN: That was an omen, a favorable one,
For what I have in mind: for you’ll
Be purchasing a priceless jewel,880
If I can persuade you to marry my son.
Your uncle Sancho and I have been
Discussing the possibility
Of elevating our intimacy
Into kinship. And both of us are in885
Agreement (once we have subjected
It to your approval, as he
Quite properly reminded me)
That this should be effected.
Now surely there can be no doubt890
Of the value of my son’s legacy,
So there’s just his personality
For you to be concerned about.
And though the boy just got to Madrid
From Salamanca yesterday,895
And got a sunburn on the way
(Something that jealous Phoebus did),
I’ll take the chance, and gladly put
Him right where you can look him over,
Since I’m so sure that, as a lover,900
You’ll find him pleasing–from head to foot–
If you will only grant that he
May come to pay you his respects.
JACINTA: What you present me with, affects
Me so, that praising it would be905
Presumptuous and impolite.
Your offer means so much to me
I’d say yes now, but unfortunately,
I just don’t feel it would be right
To give anyone the wrong impression910
(Whatever the gain might be for us)
That I was rash or frivolous,
Which any woman of discretion
Must avoid. To rush ahead
In matters so weighty would only befit915
A woman with a tiny wit
Or an enormous need to be wed.
Also, it might be more discrete,
So as not to compromise anyone–
And if you agree–to see your son920
As he passed by in the street.
It does happen once in a while–
Actually, fairly frequently–
That such an engagement might just be
Dissolved, after a term of trial.925
And how would it reflect on me?
What’s more compromising than
To have been visited by a man
With almost a husband’s intimacy?
BELTRÁN: You have a wonderful sense of duty,930
And if my son should marry you
I’d count him lucky for that gift, too–
As well as for your beauty.
SANCHO: My little niece is the mirror where
Prudence itself may see her face.935
BELTRÁN: You’ve captured her undeniable grace
In a perfect image there.
Don García and I will ride
On horseback along the avenue
This very afternoon.940
JACINTA: If you do,
I’ll be at the window, looking outside.
BELTRÁN: I beg you, then, to take a good view,
For I shall return this very night,
Beautiful Jacinta, if I might,
To ask how he appeared to you.945
JACINTA: So soon?
BELTRÁN: No need to wonder at how
Strongly I feel. By God’s holy name,
If I was fond of you when I came,
I’m completely in love with you now.
Goodbye.950
JACINTA: Goodbye.
BELTRÁN: Sir, I can find
My own way out.
SANCHO: No, please, I’ll go.
BELTRÁN: Don’t bother.
SANCHO: At least let me show
You into the hall–if you don’t mind.
SANCHO and BELTRÁN go out
ISABEL: The old man’s really rushing you.
JACINTA: I should be rushing myself much more,955
Because this match is perfect for
My honor–but I have to do
What my love advises me to.
My poor Don Juan, the master of
My every thought, will probably960
Not get promoted, which will be
The end of our marriage plans–but I love
Him so–he is so forcefully
Fixed in my heart–that though I would
Have every right to entertain965
Other proposals, I never could
Discard his love. I tremble with pain
When I think of yielding my maidenhood
To some other man in marriage.
ISABEL: I thought
Perhaps you had already forgot-970
ten him, when I saw you receiv-
ing other men.
JACINTA: No, don’t deceive
Yourself, Isabel. But though I’m not
Forgetting him, I have to get on
With my life. My father’s permission975
To marry him depends upon
His receiving his commission,
Which he won’t, so my hopes in him are gone.
I’m getting back in society;
It’s either that or death for me–980
And why pursue an impossible plan?
I don’t approve–a woman can
Perish of too much constancy.
Somewhere out there, perhaps I will
Find another, as worthy of985
My hand, and maybe of my love.
ISABEL: Time will all your hopes fulfill,
As sure as there are stars above.
In fact, unless I am deceived,
You found the American you received990
Today quite charming.
JACINTA: I’ll tell you the truth,
I was quite taken with that youth–
More than I ever would have believed
Possible. So much, in fact, that I’d
Be willing to say, all jesting aside,995
That if this son of Don Beltrán
Is as handsome a gentleman
And as smart, he can have me as his bride.
ISABEL: This afternoon, you’ll be able to see
Him, with his father, riding by.1000
JACINTA: His face and his figure, yes, but I
Need to know his mind–to me
That’s more important. I’m afraid that we
Will have to talk.
ISABEL: To talk?
JACINTA: Which would
Offend Don Juan, if he found out;1005
And I’d rather not lose him if I could,
At least until I’m sure about
Having to marry the other.
ISABEL: Then you should
Do something! Anything! Time flies,
You know, and you should be wise1010
Enough to avoid the real danger
Of losing both. Don Juan, in my eyes,
Is just playing the dog in the manger.
You can talk to the son of Don Beltrán
If you really want to, without Don Juan1015
Finding out. For years, women like you,
In cases like these, have found some plan
They could always use. And you can, too.
JACINTA: I’m thinking of one right now that might
Just work. I’ll ask Lucrecia–she’s1020
A friend of mine–if she’ll invite
Him over on her behalf; and while he’s
There talking, I’ll be out of sight
Behind the curtains. That might just be
A real possibility.1025
ISABEL: It’s perfect! It’s an inspiration!
Only from an imagination
Like yours could it come!
JACINTA: Then instantly
Go over to Lucrecia’s house and say
Exactly what I have in mind.1030
ISABEL: I shall fly with the wings of the wind!
JACINTA: And tell her even a moment’s delay
Will be a century. On your way!
Don JUAN DE SOSA enters and meets ISABEL going out
JUAN DE SOSA: Your lady–may I speak with her?
ISABEL: A minute, maybe–the hour’s near1035
When my master usually comes here
To take her into dinner, sir.
ISABEL goes out
JUAN DE SOSA: So, Jacinta, now I’ve lost you,
I’ve lost myself, now you’ve lost me–
JACINTA: Are you insane?1040
JUAN DE SOSA: Who wouldn’t be,
When you behave the way you do?
JACINTA: Behave yourself! And quiet down–
My uncle’s somewhere in the hall.
JUAN DE SOSA: And did you worry about him at all,
When you dined by the river at the edge of town?1045
JACINTA: You’re not yourself–what is all this?
JUAN DE SOSA: When another man spends the night with you,
What do you expect me to do–
Be as blind as your uncle is?
JACINTA: Spends the night! Watch what you say!1050
Even if the story were true
It would still be presumptuous of you
To talk to me in such a way.
How much more so, when the whole idea
Is a figment of your fantasy.1055
JUAN DE SOSA: I know all about your riverside spree,
And I know your host was Don García,
And about all the fireworks burning bright,
The moment little Jacinta drove
Up, and the torches that turned the grove1060
Into day, in the middle of the night;
And the tables piled higher and higher
With silver service on every side,
And the four pavilions occupied
By orchestras and a four-part choir–1065
I know it all, dear enemy,
And how the sunrise found you there;
So tell me now that the whole affair
Is a figment of my fantasy;
And tell me I’m presumptuous1070
To talk to you of these vile events,
When your perfidy and my offense
Deserve to be made notorious.
JACINTA: I swear to God–
JUAN DE SOSA: Please, no more lies!
Don’t even bother speaking to me;1075
A proven offense can never be
Excused. Oh, now I realize
The truth–oh false one!–now I see–
I’ve lost you, yes, but my discontent
Is not from my disillusionment,1080
But the shame of your inconstancy.
And even if my lady denies
The story I heard, she cannot say
I did not see what I saw today–
The truth in Don García’s eyes.1085
And what of his father? What did he
Want here? Explain that one!
You spend the whole night with the son,
And the day with his father? I see!
I see it all! Don’t lie to me1090
To win me back. I know your ways–
They’re all in vain. And your delays
Are born of your inconstancy.
O cruel one! In heaven’s name,
May you never have a moment’s rest!1095
And may this volcano in my breast
Explode and roast you in its flame!
Jealousy! O, may the author of
My pain lose you as I have done!
JACINTA: Are you all right?1100
JUAN DE SOSA: All right? Can one
Be sane, and hopelessly in love?
JACINTA: Come back, listen–the truth must be
Believed. Soon you will see how bad
The information is you’ve had.
JUAN DE SOSA: I’m going–your uncle mustn’t see1105
Me here.
JACINTA: He’s nowhere near. I swear
I can change your mind.
JUAN DE SOSA: The only way
Is to promise to marry me.
JACINTA: Today?
I think my uncle’s right out there.
