ACTO TWO
Scene One: A room in Don Beltrán’s house
Don GARCÍA enters in a robe, reading, accompanied by TRISTÁN and CAMINO. Don GARCÍA reads
GARCÍA: “It is the urgency of the matter that forces me1110
beyond the proprieties of my station. What it is,
you may discover tonight, at a balcony which the
bearer of this note will reveal to you, along with
other things I dare not put in writing, May the
Lord protect and, etc.”1115
To CAMINO
Who wrote this note to me, d’you know?
CAMINO: Doña Lucrecia is her name.
GARCÍA: De Luna? She whom I proclaim
My very heart, beating so
Proudly in my breast! She,1120
That queen of beauty, whose lovely feet
Tripped today down Silver Street
Before noon!
CAMINO: Yes.
GARCÍA: My destiny!
My joy, my life, my own!
Tell me all her qualities–1125
Quickly!
CAMINO: I’m amazed that these
Great gifts of hers are still unknown
To you. You’ve seen her, you needn’t be told
About her beauty–I’ll skip that part.
She’s virtuous, she’s very smart,1130
Her father’s widowed, and very old,
And has a vast estate, I hear–
A thousand ducats, maybe two,
Which she’ll inherit.
GARCÍA: Tristán, did you
Hear that?1135
TRISTÁN: Without a single tear.
CAMINO: As far as her rank of nobility–
What can I say? Luna’s her father’s
Name, and Mendoza, her mother’s–
Both solid gold in pedigree.
Donþ Lucrecia–to put it plain–1140
Deserves to marry only with kings.
GARCÍA: Cupid, I pray, lend me your wings
To mount such heights and there remain.
Where does she live?
CAMINO: Victory Square.
GARCÍA: My goal is clear, and you the guide,1145
It tells me here, to lead me inside
The glorious heaven that awaits me there.
CAMINO: I’ll show you the way to both places, then.
GARCÍA: For which I’ll thank you, with all my might.
CAMINO: I will return later tonight1150
To accompany you, at the stroke of ten.
GARCÍA: And tell Lucrecia my reply
To her request.
CAMINO: Yes, sir. God bless.
CAMINO goes out
GARCÍA: I’m in heaven! What happiness!
What love! What a fortunate man am I!1155
Remember, Trist n, the coachman said
Lucrecia was the prettier–
And that’s the one I love, I’m sure!
And surely she has forwarded
This letter to me! Don’t you see?1160
TRISTÁN: I think you’re reaching for it, sir.
GARCÍA: Don’t be silly–of course, it’s her–
Why would the other one write to me?
TRISTÁN: Well, the worst thing that can happen to you
Tonight, I suppose, is having your1165
Doubts removed. You’ll know for sure
Who the lady is you’re talking to.
GARCÍA: I know I won’t be led astray.
My sense still holds the memory of
That sweet soprano voice I love,1170
Whose music slew my soul today.
A PAGE comes in, with a note
PAGE Don García? Sir! That
Is for you.
GARCÍA: As you were–
Relax.
PAGE Your servant, sir.1175
GARCÍA: For heaven’s sake, put on your hat!
He reads, to himself
“I wish to set the matter straight
About some important things.
Come alone. When the bell rings
Seven. At St. Blaise. I shall wait.1180
Don Juan de Sosa.” (Damn! Good Heaven!
What can it be? He doesn’t say.
But I only got here yesterday,
And he’s a friend of mine.)
To the PAGE
At seven,
You may say, I will not fail1185
To meet with him.
The PAGE goes out
TRISTÁN: Hello? Sir?
Don García? What is it? You’re
Looking extremely pale.
GARCÍA: Nothing at all.
TRISTÁN: No problems?
GARCÍA: None.
TRISTÁN: (This is serious–I can tell.) Aside1190
GARCÍA: Fetch me my cape–and my sword as well.
TRISTÁN goes out
But what could I have possibly done?
Don BELTRÁN comes in
BELTRÁN: García?
GARCÍA: Father?
BELTRÁN: We’re going to
Take a little horseback ride
Today–there’s a certain matter I’d1195
Like to talk over with you.
GARCÍA: (Another one? Now what?) Aside
TRISTÁN returns and starts to dress Don GARCÍA
BELTRÁN: Now where
Are you off to? It’s blazing hot
Out there.
GARCÍA: Just next door; I thought
I’d shoot a little pool over there1200
With our neighbor, the count.
BELTRÁN: Well, don’t
Dash about so much. I don’t approve–
You just got in. There’re thousands of
People yet to meet–you won’t
Be able to do it in a single day.1205
And when you do, I’d prefer it if you
Carefully considered two
Conditions: when you gamble, play
With what you have, and before you air
An opinion, think twice. It’s the only way
I know to be happy.1210
GARCÍA: I’ll do what you say–
You’re right.
BELTRÁN: Now go on out there
And make sure the stableboys get
The horses saddled and ready by
Four.
GARCÍA: I’ll see to it.1215
BELTRÁN: Good-bye.
Don GARCÍA goes out
I’m still more than a little upset
Over what his tutor said.
Tristán–how much time would you say
You spent with him?
TRISTÁN: The entire day.
BELTRÁN: Forget that he’s my son. Instead,1220
Remember only the loyalty
That I have always found in you,
And which I’m sure is still there, too.
What is he like?–be honest with me.
TRISTÁN: I really couldn’t say–there’s been1225
So little time to judge him by.
BELTRÁN: Your tongue’s not usually this shy–
There’s been plenty of time to judge him in,
More than enough, I’d say, for one
As smart as you. For my life’s sake,1230
Don’t spare me–tell me.
TRISTÁN: What I make
Of him, sir, is this. You see, your son–
And I’m only telling you the truth
For your life’s sake–that’s what you swore–
BELTRÁN: You’ve always done me right before,1235
And earned my favor so.
TRISTÁN: It’s his youth–
He’s got a great imagination,
A wonderful sense of fine detail,
But a young man’s fancy can sometimes fail
Through rashness or over-compensation.1240
Salamanca was his nurse,
He needs to be weaned away from the taste
For sophomoric pranks, and placed
Where that crowd can’t infect him. Nothing’s worse
Than the habits picked up in college. This1245
Wild talk, this lying without
Caution or sense, this boasting about
Everything, this compulsion of his
To risk it all! I heard him today,
In one hour, tell six or seven lies!1250
BELTRÁN: God help me!
TRISTÁN: Here’s the big surprise–
You haven’t heard the worst news–they
Were such terrible lies, he could have been caught
In any one of them.
BELTRÁN: Good Lord!
TRISTÁN: I’d never have said a single word1255
To hurt you, sir, if you had not
Commanded me.
BELTRÁN: I know too well
Your loyalty and love for me.
TRISTÁN: Then, sir, forgive my temerity
If I remind you not to tell1260
Your son. Don García must never hear
That I mentioned it. Surely you see
The risk I run.
BELTRÁN: Put your trust in me,
Tristán, and put away all fear.
Go out and order them to prepare1265
Our horses.
TRISTÁN goes out
O God in Heaven!
Well, since it is your will, Lord, even
This must make sense somehow–somewhere!
For the balance of my time on earth, late
In my sad life, my only consolation1270
Is my one son, my only relation–
And God burdens me with this–counterweight!
Ah well, it was ever thus–old men
Are forever disappointed in
Their sons. And ills have always been1275
Worst in the eldest. Patience, then!
I’ll try to bring this marriage plan
To a swift conclusion today;
And with a little speed I may
Just mend this fault–if I can1280
Do it before the court starts taking
Notice of his instability
Which would pretty effectively
Block any marriage worth the making.
With any luck, his new position1285
As a married man might just be
The very motivation that he
Needs, to reform his vile condition.
For it’s useless to think that constant correction,
Advice, rebuke, or disapproval1290
Would ever bring about the removal
Of such an ingrained predilection.
TRISTÁN comes back in
TRISTÁN: The horses are ready, waiting for
Your command to go, each one
Testing its iron shoes upon1295
The cobblestones of the courtyard floor.
Your dappled stallion, eager to advance
At the head of the parade, re-learns
All by himself the twists and turns
And intricate steps of his dance.1300
Behind him, the bay, proudly daring
To match her rider in reputation,
Studies with renewed dedication
Her motions and her equine bearing.
BELTRÁN: Go tell García–hurry him on.1305
TRISTÁN: Your son awaits you–so gallantly,
That all the court will think that he,
Even at this hour, brings a new dawn.
They go out
Scene Two: A room in Don Sancho’s house
Enter Doña JACINTA and ISABEL
ISABEL: I told Lucrecia, ma’am, and she
Grabbed for her pen and immediately1310
Started to put your brilliant plan
Into action. The son of Don Beltr n
This night beneath her balcony
Will wait. “An urgent matter,” she wrote,
“We must discuss tonight.” Close quote.1315
There you can chat with him–he must
Obey. Camino carried the note,
And he’s a person you can trust.
JACINTA: Lucrecia’s so obliging to me!
ISABEL: At every opportunity1320
She shows herself a perfect friend.
JACINTA: Is it late?
ISABEL: It’s five.
JACINTA: Will it never end–
This worry? Even asleep, the memory
Distresses me of my poor Don Juan;
During my nap, I dreamt that he1325
Was all consumed with jealousy
Of another suitor!
They look out the window
ISABEL: It’s Don Beltrán!
And with him–ay!–your Peruvian!
JACINTA: What are you talking about?
ISABEL: That man
You spoke with today, on Silver Street,1330
He’s riding alongside Don Beltr n–
See for yourself!
JACINTA: My God, that can-
not be–you’re right–it’s him! That cheat!
That fraud! That liar! Why would he
Pretend to be an American1335
When he’s the son of Don Beltrán?
ISABEL: Because money will always be
Crucial to any engagement plan.
Money played an important part
In gaining access to your heart–1340
He thought. He must imagine this is
At least the likeliest way to start–
As Midas, rather than Narcissus.
JACINTA: So when he said it was last year when
He first saw me–he was lying again!1345
I clearly heard his father say
He just arrived in Madrid today
From Salamanca.
ISABEL: But then–
To put it in the best possible light,
It could be true, lady, you know.1350
He might have seen you a year ago,
Then left Madrid, and then he might
Have returned from Salamanca last night.
And if he didn’t, what’s the surprise
If someone who’s desirous of1355
Gaining favor in a lady’s eyes,
And giving credit to his love,
Strengthens his gifts with a couple of lies?
What’s more, I’m pretty sure he’s not
Indulging in hyperbole1360
For nothing. Trust me. García got
His father here as speedily
As if he took a bow and shot
Him over to talk with you. Can’t be a
Coincidence. To see you and say1365
He loves you, and then that very day
His father’s here with the bright idea
Of having you marry his son Garc´a.
JACINTA: You’re right–but still I would have thought
The time between when he saw me1370
And when his father came, and brought
These wedding plans of his, was not
Long enough.
ISABEL: But it was, if he
Knew who you were all the time, then met
His father on Silver Street, who knew1375
You as well, and was not unaware of who
Your family was, and they talked, and he let
Him know how much he felt for you,
And he–since he adored his son–
And rightly so–moved fast.1380
JACINTA: What will be
Will be. The boy’s a handsome one,
His father’s crazy about me, and he
Desires me. Consider the marriage done.
They go out
Scene Three: Atocha Boulevard
Enter Don BELTRÁN: and Don GARCÍA
BELTRÁN: What are you thinking about?
GARCÍA: That this
Is the finest horse I’ve ever seen.1385
BELTRÁN: A beautiful beast.
GARCÍA: How well she’s been
Trained, and how sharp her spirit is!
So mild, yet so magnificent!
BELTRÁN: Your brother Gabriel, may he rest
In peace, thought her the best;1390
She was his joy, his sole content.
GARCÍA: So now, sir, that we’ve found our way
To the hermitage on this lonely hill,
What did you want? What’s your will?
BELTRÁN: What’s my pain, you ought to say.1395
Are you a gentleman, García?
GARCÍA: I’ve always thought I was your son.
BELTRÁN: I see, just being a son of mine
Is all you need to make you one?
GARCÍA: Well, yes, father, I think it is.1400
BELTRÁN: Well, that’s a really dumb idea!
Because you have to act like one,
To be a gentleman, Garc´a.
How do you think the noblest houses
Started? The founders made a name1405
For themselves by their noble deeds.
They had no ancestry to claim;
These lowborn men had but their acts
With which to honor their progeny.
It’s acting well or ill that makes1410
You good or bad. Now do you see
What I’m telling you?
GARCÍA: I don’t deny
That noble deeds can make a man
Noble, but I will also say
If deeds don’t do it, then birth can.1415
BELTRÁN: But if a man of lowly birth
Can gain nobility, then is
The opposite not true as well–
May not the high born man lose his?
GARCÍA: That’s also true.1420
BELTRÁN: So then if you
Perform disgraceful acts, you can–
Even though you are my son–
Fail to be a gentleman.
And if your every action was
A scandal to society,1425
My coat of arms would count for nothing,
As would your noble ancestry.
What is all this I hear with my
Own ears–that all your lies and all
Your stories have become the wonder1430
Of Salamanca? And you call
Yourself a gentleman! You’re nothing!
To call any man a liar–this
Alone is enough to ruin him–
Tell me what being a liar is!1435
If in the world’s eyes, I were
A man without honor, as long
As people said I was a liar,
I wouldn’t leave the house. How strong
And tough your heart must be, or else1440
How long the sword you bear, that you
Think you can walk around with all
The town calling you what they do!
How can such a man exist,
With thoughts so base and so inane,1445
To enslave himself to such a vice
That yields him neither joy nor gain!
At least the lecher has the lure
Of seeking sexual satisfaction;
The miser has the comfort of1450
His money’s power and attraction;
The glutton has his feasts to please
His palate; the gambler has the thrill
Of play and hope of winning big
To keep him coming back; the kill-1455
er satisfies his blood revenge;
The thief enjoys the haul he’s made;
Even a quarrelsome man may gain
A reputation with his blade.
So every vice, in short, can yield1460
Some pleasure or some benefit–
Except for lying. What does it bring
But infamy and scorn with it?
GARCÍA: Whoever says that I tell lies
Is just a. . . liar!1465
BELTRÁN: And once again
You lie. That’s all you know, even to
Defend yourself–you lie, and then
You lie again.
GARCÍA: But if you won’t
Believe in me–
BELTRÁN: Believe in what?
That you tell truth and all the town1470
Tells lies? Am I an idiot?
What matters now is that you give
The lie to your defamers by
Your actions. It’s a whole new world;
Speak little and speak true. A high1475
And saintly king lives here–for all
To see; you cannot use some fault
Of his to excuse your own. And here
You deal with all the most exalt-
ed peers of Spain, with gentlemen1480
And lords, who if they ever find
Your weakness out, will never give
You their respect. Must I remind
You more? You’re all grown up, you wear
A beard upon your chin and a sharp sword1485
At your side, you’re nobly born, and I’m
Your father–that’s my final word;
I’ve nothing more to say; I hope
A simple reprimand will be
Enough for one of your high rank1490
And mental ingenuity.
And now, just so you understand
How much I’ve been upset and harried
About your welfare, you should know
I’m working to get you nobly married.1495
GARCÍA: (Ay! My Lucrecia!) Aside
BELTRÁN: Never before
My son, has heaven deigned to place
Such heavenly beauties, such divine
Endowments in a human face
As in Jacinta, daughter of1500
Don Fernando Pacheco–she
From whom I look to have some fine
Grandchildren in my seniority.
GARCÍA: (Ay, my Lucrecia! Can it be? Aside
You are the only mistress of1505
My heart!
BELTRÁN: What’s this? No answer?
GARCÍA: (Yours
I must be, by heaven, my love!
BELTRÁN: Now what are you so sad about?
Speak up–don’t keep me in suspense.
GARCÍA: I’m sad because I find I can-1510
not give you my obedience.
BELTRÁN: But why?
GARCÍA: Because I am already
Married.
BELTRÁN: You’re married! how can this be?
My God! And I not know it?
GARCÍA: Well,
I had to marry–and secretly.1515
BELTRÁN: Was ever father so disgraced!
GARCÍA: Don’t be distressed, for once you un-
derstand the cause, dear father, you
Will find the result a happy one.
BELTRÁN: My life hangs by a slender thread–1520
Get to the point–and speedily.
GARCÍA: (Come on, imagination, lend Aside
Me now your finest subtlety.
To BELTRÁN:
There lives in Salamanca, sir,
A gentleman of noble fame1525
And family. His forbears were
Herreras, Don Pedro is his name.
Heaven has given him a daughter,
A second heaven, with suns for eyes
And cheeks as rosy as the water1530
On the horizon at sunrise.
To keep it brief, I’ll say this much
Only, no more: that Nature, sir,
Took every blessing fit for such
A young age, and gave them all to her.
But Fortune, when she sees some one1535
So blest, is Nature’s enemy,
And to oppose what Nature had done,
Gave her the gift of poverty.
Moreover, though her family
Was far less rich than noble, there1540
Were three in line for the legacy,
Two brothers born ahead of her.
I saw her in her coach one night,
Riding toward the river. If on-
ly it were Italy, it might1545
Have been the coach of Phaëton–
But it was Spain. Who ever said
That Cupid’s shafts were tipped with flame?
What I felt then was ice instead–
A chill that pierced me all the same.1550
Why do we think of them as hot–
These passions and these feelings, if
Under their spell the soul is caught
And held, the body frozen stiff?
In brief, I had to see her there,1555
And seeing her, love had to make
Me blind, I had to follow her,
I was so rapt; and it would take
A heart of bronze to judge me for’t.
By day I walked her street, by night1560
Lived at her gate. I had resort
To go-betweens and notes. I’d write
Her of my passion, till at last
From pity or affection, she
Responded; for Love’s laws bind fast1565
Even among divinity.
The more affection that I showed
To her, the more she did requite
It–till at last on me she bestowed
The heaven of her room one night.1570
And as my burning passions, restrain-
ing all my scruples, sought to ease
My aching heart’s enormous pain
And find with her, love’s sweet release,
I heard her father coming to1575
Her room. What called him there?–it was
Not something that he used to do;
What was it? It was Fortune cross-
ing me that night. Alarmed, but bold–
Oh woman!–she pushed my almost dead1580
Body, unmoving, frozen, cold,
Behind the curtains of her bed.
In came Don Pedro, and she to hide
Her face, now drained of color, flung
Her arms about him, and bravely tried1585
To feign delight even as she clung
To him. They sat together, side
By side, and he explained how she
Might benefit by being allied
To the Monroyes family1590
By marriage. She, with equal parts
Of candor and of caution, said
Enough to comfort both our hearts–
For I could hear her from the bed.
The two said their goodnights, and then1595
Just as her father headed out
Her bedroom door, the moment when
The old man’s foot was just about
To cross her threshold–cursèd be
The inventor of–damned and amen!–1600
The chiming pocket-watch! You see,
Mine began striking midnight then.
Don Pedro heard it, turned and said,
“What is a watch doing over there?”
“That watch? why, it was forwarded1605
To me,” she answered, “for repair–
By Don Diego Ponce, my
Cousin, you know, because out where
He lives, he says, there’s a scant supply
Of watches and watchmakers there.”1610
“Give it to me,” her father said,
“And I’ll take care of it.” She came
Running quite swiftly toward the bed–
Did Sancha–that was my lady’s name–
To fetch the watch away from me,1615
And prevent her father from doing so,
Before it simultaneously
Came into his head that he should go.
I reached for it, and was about
To hand it over, when once again1620
Chance intervened. As I pulled it out,
My pistol tangled in the chain–
I had the pistol out, you see–
The chain caught in the trigger, the gun
Fired as the hammer fell, and she1625
Fell, too, at the sound; this seemed to stun
The old man, he began to roar;
And I seeing these sunlike eyes
Eclipsed, heav’n fall’n to the floor,
Was sure that she, my life, my prize,1630
The goal of all my actions, lay dead–
A victim of the atrocity
Committed by those balls of lead
That flew at her so suddenly
Out of my pistol’s mouth. In rage,1635
Racked with despair, I drew my blade;
I was prepared now to engage
A thousand men. His two sons stayed
Me from escaping–they were twin
Brave lions, armed, and with them stood1640
An army of their servants in
The hall, opposing me. I could
Have whipped them all–quite easily–
So sharp were both my fury and my blade–
But human strength can never be1645
Victorious, once Fate has made
Its dire decree. For just as I
Was fighting past them coming in,
My swordbelt was entangled by
A metal hook–it must have been1650
The knocker on the bedroom door!
I’d have to turn my back to free
Myself, and be a target for
Their wall of swords. That instant she–
My Sancha–woke, regained her sense,1655
And fearing what the end might be
Of this unfortunate turn of events,
She pulled so mightily on me
And pushed so hard upon the door,
That in I tumbled, sword and all,1660
Safe in her room, and what is more,
She locked my enemies in the hall.
We both piled up a barricade
Of bureaus, chests, and trunks to bar
The door–hoping that wrath delayed1665
Might be some remedy. But far
More strength we would have needed, for
My foes, in fury, tore right through
The bedroom wall, and knocked the door
Clean off its iron hinges, too.1670
Now seeing that however much
I might delay it, nothing could
Prevent my foes from exacting such
A punishment as honor would
Demand of me, and seeing at1675
My side, beautiful Sancha, the love-
ly partner of my Fate, and that
Terror had plucked the roses of
Her cheeks, and seeing how through no
Fault of her own she tossed with me1680
Upon the storm of Chance, and blow
For blow did fight with Destiny–
So to reward her loyalty,
To spare her any further dread,
To escape a certain death for me,1685
And kill all further conflict dead,
I had no choice, sir, but to yield–
And ask whether this bloody fray
Between us might not best be healed
By union of our bloods that day.1690
They saw the risk of continuing,
And knew quite well my quality,
And after a little squabbling
Among themselves, agreed with me.
Her father brought the Bishop the news1695
And then returned victorious
With his permission for us to use
Any priest at all to marry us.
So that was done, and mortal war
Concluded in the sweetest peace,1700
And you have gained a daughter-in-law
Unmatched on earth, or the seven seas.
And yet we all agreed that you
Should not be told of it. For your
Assent had not been given; then too,1705
There was the fact that she was poor.
But now at last you have to know–
Then tell me, would you have it so?
Which would be better–to have me dead
Or living, and so nobly wed?1710
BELTRÁN: From what you say, I’m satisfied
That overpowering Fate or Chance
Has destined her to be your bride–
So much is clear from the circumstance.
And so the only fault you bear1715
Is in not telling me.
GARCÍA: That I
Might grieve you, sir, was all my fear–
Enough to silence me.
BELTRÁN: And why,
If she’s so noble, should I care
If she is poor? The worst thing is–1720
Of which you seem quite unaware–
That I must now return with this
News to Jacinta, to whom I have
Given my word. Look at the bind
You put me in! All right, we’ll save1725
A longer talk for later; we’ll find
Some time tonight. Ride home at once;
Go on, we can discuss it there.
BELTRÁN: goes out
GARCÍA: I go, in all obedience;
I’ll be just in time for evening prayer.1730
Well, that went well. The old man went
Away convinced of everything
I said! So lies will never bring
A person profit or content?
Says who? I’m obviously elated1735
To see him swallow all I said,
And clearly I have profited
By fleeing a marriage which I hated.
That was a wonder to behold!
He bawls me out for telling lies,1740
And then immediately he buys
The biggest lie I ever told.
It’s really quite a simple feat
To persuade someone who wants to be;
And they’re deceived quite easily1745
Who are unpracticed in deceit.
But now–Don Juan is waiting for me!
Calls off
Hey there! My horse! I’ve witnessed some
Amazing things, and they have come
So hard and fast I think I must be1750
Crazy. I’m here one day, and see!–
In just an instant, I’m in love,
Engaged to be married, and the rival of
Someone who wants to challenge me.
Don JUAN DE SOSA comes in
JUAN DE SOSA: So, Don García, you have been1755
As good as your word.
GARCÍA: Who could know
My breeding and think I would be so
Base-hearted as to fail? Let’s begin,
Don Juan–what is the cause, my friend,
For which you call me here? What wrong1760
Have I done you? Come, sir, I long
To know. Why must our friendship end
In a deadly duel? Come, sir, confide.
JUAN DE SOSA: She is the cause, that lady who–
If what you told me, still holds true–1765
Dined with you by the riverside
Last night. She is the reason why
I suffer, she whom two years ago
I made my fiancée, and, though
Our marriage is delayed, whom I1770
Intend to wed. You have been here
A month, and though you may have been
The whole time barricaded in
Your house, hidden from me, it’s clear
You must have known–so publicly1775
Have I expressed to her my love,
You could not have been ignorant of
My intentions–and so offended me.
And now that I have said my piece,
I have just one more thing to say,1780
And it is this: either today
You stop pursuing her, and cease
All contact, for she’s the goal I’ve fol-
lowed all these years–or if you feel
That my request is groundless, we’ll
Decide it with swords–winner take all.1785
GARCÍA: It grieves me, sir, that you could be
So ill informed in all you say,
That you could call me out today
To this place, just to fight with me.
The lady by the riverside,1790
By Heaven, Hell, and Earth between,
Is someone you have never seen,
Nor could she ever be your bride.
The woman’s married, she got to Madrid
Only a while ago, Don Juan;1795
I know for sure, if anyone
Has seen her, it’s me–you never did.
And once she goes, I’ve no desire
To see her again, as I hope to live,
Nor ever will, on this I give1800
You my solemn word–or call me a liar!
JUAN DE SOSA: What you have told me puts an end
To all suspicion, and the rage inside
My heart is calmed. I am satisfied.
GARCÍA: Well, I’m not satisfied, my friend!1805
You called me here, you challenged me;
Since that is so, my honor’s still
In question. Of your own free will
You did it, I’m not so easily
Put off. I’m no longer free1810
To go–for here I must remain,
Be true to what I am, and gain
Either my death or victory.
JUAN DE SOSA: Consider, friend, before we engage,
That though my fears are satisfied,1815
I still feel burning deep inside,
The memory of my jealous rage.
They draw their swords and begin to skirmish; Don FÉLIX enters
FÉLIX: Gentlemen, put up your swords,
I’ve come to stop you!
GARCÍA: I’d like to see
The man capable of stopping me!1820
FÉLIX: Sheathe your steel, and hear my words;
The quarrel between the two of you
Is groundless!
JUAN DE SOSA: I told him so, but he
Insists on the necessity
Of answering my call, and drew1825
His naked sword for honor’s sake.
FÉLIX: And like a gentleman he drew
His sword, with valor equal to
His mighty spirit, and that should make
His honor safe. Sir, understand,1830
I beg you, it was jealousy
That blinded him, and grant that he
May have your pardon and your hand.
GARCÍA: I will be ruled by you; well said.
But be more careful from this time on,1835
And don’t rush into things, Don Juan,
Where even angels fear to tread.
The whole thing should be comprehended,
Before you ever duel again;
It’s crazy to start the process, when1840
You know the way these things are ended.
Don GARCÍA goes out
FÉLIX: You’re a very lucky man, you know,
That I arrived here just in time.
JUAN DE SOSA: In other words, you’re saying I’m
Mistaken.1845
FÉLIX: Yes.
JUAN DE SOSA: Who told you so?
FÉLIX: One of Lucrecia’s pages. I know
All the details.
JUAN DE SOSA: Then tell them to me–
What really happened?
FÉLIX: Your page did see
Jacinta’s coach and coachman go
Last night down to the elm grove on1850
The riverside. And the ladies within
Had themselves quite a marvelous din-
ner. But! The coach was a borrowed one.
Here are the facts. Last night at the ver-
y hour Lucrecia went to see1855
Your beautful Jacinta, she
Was trying to deal with a pair
Of queens from out of town–her two
Cousins, the ones with the killing eyes?
JUAN DE SOSA: The ones from Carmen Street?1860
FÉLIX: Precise-
ly. And they’re the very ladies who
Begged Jacinta to let them use
Her coach, in which they made their way
Under cover of night, to the river; and they
Were the ones of whom your page brought news,1865
Whom you had ordered to keep an eye
On the coach, who seeing two women in there,
And no other visitors anywhere,
Had to assume it was occupied by
Jacinta and Lucrecia.1870
JUAN DE SOSA: Of course!
FÉLIX: He followed the coach diligently,
And when it stopped at the elm grove, he
Saw all the waiters and troubadours
And left to come to look for us
In Madrid. And it’s because he couldn’t1875
Find us that you’ve been in pain. You wouldn’t
Have suffered from such torturous
Jealousy, if you had gone
To the grove and discovered your mistake.
JUAN DE SOSA: Yes, that’s the thing that made me make1880
This fatal error! And yet upon
Discovering that I was wrong
I feel such joy, that everything
I’ve suffered seems worth the suffering.
FÉLIX: I’ve something else to pass along.1885
You might find it amusing.
JUAN DE SOSA: Say.
FÉLIX: It’s something our friend García did.
It seems he only got to Madrid
From Salamanca yesterday.
And instantly he went to bed1890
And slept the entire night away;
So everything you heard him say
About this feast was all in his head.
JUAN DE SOSA: What are you saying?
FÉLIX: I tell you true.
JUAN DE SOSA: You mean that Don García lies?1895
FÉLIX: I’d say that any man with eyes
In his head could see that. The whole thing’s too
Farfetched to be believed–gold
And silver service, six pavilions,
Sideboards piled high with millions1900
Of plates, thirty-two courses, ice-cold
Goblets, orchestras, a four-part choir!
JUAN DE SOSA: The only thing that puzzles me
Is how a valiant man could be
Such an outrageous liar.1905
The fury of his sword might try
The strength of Hercules.
FÉLIX: Then he
Inherited his bravery;
He had to teach himself to lie.
JUAN DE SOSA: Let’s go to Jacinta, it’s time that I1910
Went and apologized to her,
And tried to explain how it could occur
That such a liar could rouse all my
Suspicions.
FÉLIX: And from now on, be
Careful not to believe a word1915
He says.
JUAN DE SOSA: Even if I heard
The truth, I’d think it a fantasy.
And they go out
Scene Four: A Street
Enter Don GARCÍA, TRISTÁN, and CAMINO
GARCÍA: I hope my father will forgive
Me for deceiving him. There was
No choice.1920
TRISTÁN: It was ingenious,
But tell me, sir, what narrative
Will you think up now, to keep him from
Figuring out your wedding story
Was a fiction?
GARCÍA: Well, before he
Finds out, I guess I’ll tell him some-1925
thing else–I’ll write back false replies
To every letter he gives me to send
To Salamanca. Why should it end?
I can keep it going by telling more lies.
Doña JACINTA, Doña LUCRECIA, and ISABEL enter above, in a window
JACINTA: I’d just got used to the whole idea,1930
When back comes Don Beltrán, enraged,
With the news that I couldn’t be engaged
To be married to Don García.
LUCRECIA: So then your fake American
Really was his son, García.1935
JACINTA: That’s true,
My friend.
LUCRECIA: And who acquainted you
With the story of the banquet?
JACINTA: Don Juan.
LUCRECIA: But when did you have time to see
Don Juan?
JACINTA: Tonight–he just now went.
He knew the story well, and spent1940
The whole time telling it to me.
LUCRECIA: It’s rather grand–his dishonesty!
And you should punish him for it, I’d say.
JACINTA: Those three men there–does it look like they
Are heading toward our balcony?1945
LUCRECIA: It’s Don García marching to
His post. It’s time.
JACINTA: Go, Isabel,
Spy on the two old men and tell
Us what they’re doing.
LUCRECIA: I can tell you;
My father’s telling your uncle some slow,1950
Dull, long drawn-out story about
God knows what.
ISABEL: Then I’ll go out;
And when I come back, I’ll let you know.
To Don GARCÍA
CAMILLO There’s the balcony where your heart,
Your soul, your glory waits for you.1955
To Doña JACINTA:
LUCRECIA: It’s your big scene, I want you to
Speak all my lines, and take my part.
GARCÍA: Lucrecia?
JACINTA: García, is that you?
GARCÍA: It is one who found a jewel today
On Silver Street, richer than may1960
Be carved by the hand of heaven–one who
From the first moment he laid his eyes
On you, was caught in the grip of love,
And surrended his heart, his soul, all of
His life, so greatly did he prize1965
Your worth–one who in essence gave
Himself. As yours alone does he
Account himself, and begins to be
Today what he is–Lucrecia’s slave.
Doña JACINTA and Doña LUCRECIA speak aside
JACINTA: (My friend, this gallant seems to be1970
In love with every girl he sees.)
LUCRECIA: (Then he’s a charlatan.)
JACINTA: (He’s
A great pretender, certainly.)
GARCÍA: My lady, I am eager to be
Of any service I may to you.1975
JACINTA: It’s no longer possible to do
What I hoped you would discuss with me–
TRISTÁN and Don GARCÍA speak aside
TRISTÁN: (Is that her?)
GARCÍA: (Oh, yes!)
JACINTA: I wished to discuss
An important marriage, sir, and so
I sent for you, but now I know1980
That it’s not possible for us.
GARCÍA: But why?
JACINTA: Because you’ve made a prior
Marriage.
GARCÍA: I have? Who, me?
JACINTA: Yes, you.
GARCÍA: I’m single, by heaven! It’s not true!
Whoever told you that was a liar!1985
Doña JACINTA and Doña LUCRECIA speak aside
JACINTA: (Have you ever seen a bigger fraud?)
LUCRECIA: (All he knows how to do is deceive.)
JACINTA: That’s what you’d like me to believe!
GARCÍA: I’m single, I tell you–I swear to God!
JACINTA: (And now he swears it!)1990
LUCRECIA: (That’s what they do–
Liars–that’s how they work–they all
Take oaths to bolster up their fall-
ing credit, and make their lies seem true.)
GARCÍA: If yours is the white hand that Fate
Has chosen to be the crown of my1995
Good fortune, I hope that I
Can keep from forfeiting that great-
est good by simply proving to you
That I am guiltless of this offense.
JACINTA: (He lies with so much confidence!2000
Doesn’t it almost seem to be true?)
GARCÍA: Here is my hand, and by the power
Of that, lady, believe in me.
JACINTA: A hand you’d give as surety
To three hundred women in a single hour?2005
GARCÍA: Somehow I’ve lost my credit with you.
JACINTA: For a very good reason, I would say.
You expect to keep it, when today
You told me you were from Peru?
When the truth is you were born right here2010
In Madrid, and that although you just
Got back into town, you said you must
Have been around for a whole year
Here in the court. And then you claim,
Somewhat more recently, that you2015
Were wed in Salamanca to
Some woman, which you now disclaim,
And on top of that, you were in your bed
Asleep last night, although you lied
And said you were by the riverside2020
Feasting some lady with a fancy spread.
TRISTÁN: (I’d say that covers it.)
GARCÍA: All right, this
Is the simple truth. Listen to me,
My glorious one, I think I see
Exactly where the problem is.
I really don’t think I need to bring2025
The other matters up, they’re not
Important, really. But we’ve got
To talk about the crucial thing–
This marriage. Lucrecia, will you tell
Me something: if you were the reason why
I said I was married, would the lie2030
I told be blamed on you as well?
JACINTA: If I were the reason?
GARCÍA: Yes, my prize.
JACINTA: How could I be?
GARCÍA: I’ll tell you how.
JACINTA: (You listen close, Lucrecia, now
We’re going to get some gorgeous lies.)2035
GARCÍA: This very day my father was trying
To arrange a marriage for me, to force
Me to marry someone else. But yours
I must be, and I hoped by lying
To prevent it. And in expectation of2040
Gaining your hand, when it comes to
All other women, I’m married, for you
And you alone, I’m single, my love.
When I got your note, I had to be
Encouraged, and so I tried to block,2045
With this excuse, all further talk
Of other marriage plans for me.
So that’s the story. And if you view
The whole thing as a rude surprise,
Remember that what prompted the lies2050
Was really the truth of my love for you.
LUCRECIA: (If only that were so!)
JACINTA: (How well
He talks, and with so little time
To prepare!) So, you say that I’m
The reason why you suffer–tell2055
Me then how could I be, on so
Short an acquaintance? You saw me today,
And you’re hopelessly in love, you say?
You’d marry a woman you don’t even know?
GARCÍA: I grant, today I saw your beauty2060
For the first time, lady, and love
Compels me now to speak to you of
Only what’s true–it is my duty.
But don’t forget that godlike things
Work miracles, and Cupid, though2065
He’s far too young to walk, can go
Swift as the wind, on Love’s own wings.
And thus to say a moment would be
Too short a time to make me die
Of love, Lucrecia, is to deny2070
Your power and your divinity.
You ask how I can love you when
I know you hardly at all. I would
To God I didn’t know you! I could
Be sure my love was purer then.2075
But I do know you–and your family;
Your name is sweet upon my lips:
You are a Luna without eclipse,
A Mendoza free from infamy.
I know your mother has passed away,2080
You live alone in your great house,
Your father’s income exceeds a thous-
and doubloons–I’m sure. Now can you say
That I am ill informed? I would
To God, my dearest love, you knew2085
Me half so well, and loved me too.
LUCRECIA: (Love him! I almost think I could.)
JACINTA: But what about Jacinta? She’s
Pretty enough, isn’t she,
Smart and rich enough to be2090
Courted by all the finest grandees?
GARCÍA: She’s smart, rich, and pretty, I concur.
But that means nothing at all to me.
JACINTA: Why, what defect in her do you see?
GARCÍA: The biggest–I’m not in love with her.2095
JACINTA: Suppose I wanted you to be
Married to her? That that was why
I called you here? What would you reply?
GARCÍA: That you were being hard on me
For nothing. That’s what my father said,2100
He had the same idea today;
And that is why I had to say
That I already had been wed
To someone else. So that won’t work.
I’m sorry, no; and if you try2105
To talk me into it, then I
Would sooner get married to a Turk.
And that’s the truth. And I swear here,
That I will hate–such is my love–
Anything else you can even think of,2110
That isn’t you, Lucrecia dear.
LUCRECIA: (Would it were true!)
JACINTA: Have you no shame?
Or is it a faulty memory
That makes you lie so outrageously?
How dare you treat me so–the same2115
Day that I hear you profess your love
To Jacinta! By all that’s holy, how
Do you dare to deny it now?
GARCÍA: Jacinta? I swear by God above,
That you’re the only lady I2120
Have talked to since I came to Madrid.
JACINTA: You might have told your lies and hid
Your shame till now! But will you try–
In the very thing I saw you do–
To tell me lies? If that is so,2125
How could I ever hope to know
Even the smallest truth from you?
Good-bye! And if I ever hear
From you again, think this, I do
It only to amuse myself with you–2130
As those, exhausted by the sheer
Weight of their business, leave their tables
And workbenches to seek relief
From their tedium, by spending a brief
Hour or two with Aesop’s fables.2135
Doña JACINTA goes out
GARCÍA: Lovely Lucrecia, hear me out.
LUCRECIA: (Now I’m really confused.)
Doña LUCRECIA goes out
GARCÍA: I’m going mad.
Was there ever a time when true things had
So little credit?
TRISTÁN: When they came out
Of a lying mouth.
GARCÍA: She didn’t believe
A word I said!2140
TRISTÁN: What’s the surprise?
She caught you in six or seven lies
Already. What did you hope to achieve?
The next time give it a little thought–
And you’ll see–the man who lies in small
Affairs, will he be trusted at all2145
In important matters? I think not!
And they go out
