Scene I.--CHIMÈNE and ELVIRA.
Chimène.
Is it not a false report? Do you know for certain, Elvira?
Elvira.
You could never believe how every one admires him, and extols
to heaven, with one common voice, the glorious achievements of this
young hero. The Moors appeared before him only to their shame; their
approach was very rapid, their flight more rapid still. A three hours'
battle left to our warriors a complete victory, and two kings as
prisoners. The valor of their leader overcame every obstacle [lit.
found no obstacles].
Chimène.
And the hand of Rodrigo has wrought all these wonders!
Elvira.
Of his gallant deeds these two kings are the reward; by his
hand they were conquered, and his hand captured them.
Chimène.
From whom couldst thou ascertain these strange tidings?
Elvira.
From the people, who everywhere sing his praises, [who] call
him the object and the author of their rejoicing, their guardian angel
and their deliverer.
Chimène.
And the King--with what an aspect does he look upon such
valor?
Elvira.
Rodrigo dares not yet appear in his presence, but Don Diego,
delighted, presents to him in chains, in the name of this conqueror,
these crowned captives, and asks as a favor from this generous prince
that he condescend to look upon the hand which has saved the kingdom
[lit. province].
Chimène.
But is he not wounded?
Elvira.
I have learned nothing of it. You change color! Recover your
spirits.
Chimène.
Let me recover then also my enfeebled resentment; caring for
him, must I forget my own feelings [lit. myself]? They boast of him,
they praise him, and my heart consents to it; my honor is mute, my duty
impotent. Down [lit. silence], O [treacherous] love! let my resentment
exert itself [lit. act]; although he has conquered two kings, he has
slain my father! These mourning robes in which I read my misfortune are
the first-fruits which his valor has produced; and although others may
tell of a heart so magnanimous, here all objects speak to me of his
crime. Ye who give strength to my feelings of resentment, veil, crape,
robes, dismal ornaments, funeral garb in which his first victory
enshrouds me, do you sustain effectually my honor in opposition to my
passion, and when my love shall gain too much power, remind my spirit of
my sad duty; attack, without fearing anything, a triumphant hand!
Elvira.
Calm this excitement; see--here comes the Infanta.
Scene II.--The INFANTA, CHIMÈNE, LEONORA, and ELVIRA.
Infanta.
I do not come here [vainly] to console thy sorrows; I come
rather to mingle my sighs with thy tears.
Chimène.
Far rather take part in the universal rejoicings, and taste
the happiness which heaven sends you, dear lady; no one but myself has a
right to sigh. The danger from which Rodrigo has been able to rescue
you, and the public safety which his arms restore to you, to me alone
to-day still permit tears; he has saved the city, he has served his
King, and his valiant arm is destructive only to myself.
Infanta.
My Chimène, it is true that he has wrought wonders.
Chimène.
Already this vexatious exclamation of joy [lit. noise] has
reached [lit. struck] my ears, and I hear him everywhere proclaimed
aloud as brave a warrior as he is an unfortunate lover.
Infanta.
What annoyance can the approving shouts of the people cause
thee? This youthful Mars whom they praise has hitherto been able to
please thee; he possessed thy heart; he lived under thy law; and to
praise his valor is to honor thy choice.
Chimène.
Every one [else] can praise it with some justice; but for me
his praise is a new punishment. They aggravate my grief by raising him
so high. I see what I lose, when I see what he is worth. Ah! cruel
tortures to the mind of a lover! The more I understand his worth, the
more my passion increases; yet my duty is always the stronger [passion],
and, in spite of my love, endeavors to accomplish his destruction
[lit. to pursue his death].
Infanta.
Yesterday, this duty placed thee in high estimation; the
struggle which thou didst make appeared so magnanimous, so worthy of a
noble heart, that everyone at the court admired thy resolution and
pitied thy love. But wilt thou believe in the advice of a faithful
friendship?
Chimène.
Not to obey you would render me disloyal.
Infanta.
What was justifiable then is not so to-day. Rodrigo now is
our sole support, the hope and the idol [lit. love] of a people that
worships him! The prop of Castile and the terror of the Moor! The King
himself recognizes [lit. is in agreement with] this truth, that thy
father in him alone sees himself recalled to life: and if, in fine, thou
wishest that I should explain myself briefly [lit. in two words],
thou art seeking in his destruction the public ruin. What! to avenge a
father, is it ever lawful to surrender one's country into the hands of
enemies? Against us is thy revenge lawful? And must we be punished who
had no share in the crime? After all, it is only that thou shouldest
espouse the man whom a dead father compelled thee to accuse; I myself
would wish to relieve thee of that desire [lit. take the desire of
that from thee]; take from him thy love, but leave us his life.
Chimène.
Ah! it is not in me to have so much kindness; the duty which
excites me has no limit. Although my love pleads [lit. interests
itself] for this conqueror, although a nation worships him, and a King
praises him, although he be surrounded with the most valiant warriors, I
shall endeavor to crush his laurels beneath my [funereal] cypress.
Infanta.
It is a noble feeling when, to avenge a father, our duty
assails a head so dear; but it is duty of a still nobler order when ties
of blood are sacrificed to the public [advantage]. No, believe me, it is
enough to quench thy love; he will be too severely punished if he exists
no more in thy affections. Let the welfare of thy country impose upon
thee this law; and, besides, what dost thou think that the King will
grant thee?
Chimène.
He can refuse me, but I cannot keep silent.
Infanta.
Reflect well, my [dear] Chimène, on what thou wishest to do.
Adieu; [when] alone thou cans't think over this at thy leisure. [_Exit
the Infanta._]
Chimène.
Since my father is slain [lit. after my dead father], I
have no [alternative] to choose.
Scene III.--DON FERNANDO (the King), DON DIEGO, DON ARIAS, DON
RODRIGO, and DON SANCHO.
Don Fernando
Worthy scion of a distinguished race, which has always
been the glory and the support of Castile! Thou descendant of so many
ancestors signalized by valor, whom the first attempt of thine own
[prowess] has so soon equalled; my ability to recompense thee is too
limited [lit. small], and I have less power than thou hast merit. The
country delivered from such a fierce enemy, my sceptre firmly placed in
my hand by thine own [hand], and the Moors defeated before, amid these
terrors, I could give orders for repulsing their arms; these are
brilliant services which leave not to thy King the means or the hope of
discharging his debt of gratitude [lit. acquitting himself] towards
thee. But the two kings, thy captives, shall be thy reward. Both of them
in my presence have named thee their Cid--since Cid, in their language,
is equivalent to lord, I shall not envy thee this glorious title of
distinction; be thou, henceforth, the Cid; to that great name let
everything yield; let it overwhelm with terror both Granada and Toledo,
and let it indicate to all those who live under my laws both how
valuable thou art to me [lit. that which thou art worth to me], and
that [deep obligation] which I owe thee.
Don Rodrigo
Let your majesty, sire, spare my modesty. On such an
humble service your majesty [lit. it, referring to majesty] sets too
high a value, and compels me to blush [for shame] before so great a
King, at so little deserving the honor which I have received from him. I
know too well [the gifts] that I owe to the welfare of your empire, both
the blood which flows in my veins [lit. animates me] and the air which
I breathe, and even though I should lose them in such a glorious cause
[lit. for an object so worthy], I should only be doing the duty of a
subject.
Don Fernando
All those whom that duty enlists in my service do not
discharge it with the same courage, and when [i.e. unless] valor
attains a high degree, it never produces such rare successes; allow us
then to praise thee, and tell me more at length the true history of this
victory.
Don Rodrigo
Sire, you are aware that in this urgent danger, which
created in the city such a powerful alarm, a band of friends assembled
at the house of my father prevailed on my spirit, still much agitated.
But, sire, pardon my rashness if I dared to employ it without your
authority; the danger was approaching; their [valiant] band was ready;
by showing myself at the court I should have risked my life [lit.
head], and, if I must lose it, it would have been far more delightful
for me to depart from life while fighting for you.
Don Fernando
I pardon thy warmth in avenging the insult offered to
thee, and the kingdom shielded [from danger] pleads [lit. speaks to
me] in thy defence. Be assured that henceforth Chimène will speak in
vain, and I shall listen to her no more except to comfort her; but
continue.
Don Rodrigo
Under me, then, this band advances, and bears in its
aspect a manly confidence. At setting out we were five hundred, but, by
a speedy reinforcement, we saw ourselves [augmented to] three thousand
on arriving at the port; so surely, on beholding us advance with such a
[determined] aspect, did the most dismayed recover their courage. Of
that brave host [lit. of it], as soon as we had arrived, I conceal
two-thirds in the holds of the ships which were found there; the rest,
whose numbers were increasing every hour, burning with impatience,
remain around me; they lie down on the ground, and, without making any
noise, they pass a considerable portion of so auspicious [lit.
beautiful] a night. By my command the guard does the same, and keeping
themselves, concealed aid my stratagem, and I boldly pretended to have
received from you the order which they see me follow out, and which I
issue to all. This dim light which falls from the stars, at last with
the tide causes us to see thirty vessels [lit. sails]; the wave
[i.e. the water] swells beneath them, and, with a mutual effort, the
Moors and the sea advance even to the port. We let them pass; all seems
to them lulled in repose [lit. tranquil]. No soldiers at the port,
none on the walls of the city. Our deep silence deceiving their minds,
they no longer dare to doubt that they had taken us by surprise. They
land without fear, they cast anchor, they disembark and rush forward to
deliver themselves into the hands which are awaiting them. Then we
arise, and all at the same time utter towards heaven countless ringing
cheers [of defiance]. At these shouts our men from our ships answer [to
the signal]; they appear armed, the Moors are dismayed, terror seizes
those who had scarcely disembarked, before fighting they consider
themselves lost--they hastened to plunder and they meet with war. We
press them hard on the water, we press them hard on the land, and we
cause rivulets of their blood to run before any [of them] can resist or
regain his position. But soon, in spite of us, their princes rally them,
their courage revives, and their fears are forgotten. The disgrace of
dying without having fought rallies their disordered ranks [lit. stops
their disorder], and restores to them their valor. With firmly planted
feet they draw their scimitars against us, and cause a fearful
intermingling of our blood with theirs; and the land, and the wave, and
the fleet, and the port are fields of carnage where death is
triumphant. Oh! how many noble deeds, how many brilliant achievements,
were performed unnoticed [lit. have remained without renown] in the
midst of the gloom, in which each [warrior], sole witness of the
brilliant strokes which he gave, could not discern to which side fortune
inclined. I went in all directions to encourage our soldiers, to cause
some to advance, and to support others, to marshal those who were coming
up, to urge them forward in their turn, and I could not ascertain the
result [of the conflict] until the break of day. But at last the bright
dawn shows us our advantage. The Moor sees his loss and loses courage
suddenly, and, seeing a reinforcement which had come to assist us, the
ardor for conquest yields to the dread of death. They gain their ships,
they cut their cables, they utter even to heaven terrific cries, they
make their retreat in confusion and without reflecting whether their
kings can escape with them. Their fright is too strong to admit of this
duty. The incoming tide brought them here, the outgoing tide carries
them away. Meanwhile their kings, combating amongst us, and a few of
their [warriors] severely wounded by our blows, still fight valiantly
and sell their lives dearly. I myself in vain urge them to surrender;
scimitar in hand, they listen not to my entreaties, but seeing all their
soldiers falling at their feet, and that henceforward alone they defend
themselves in vain, they ask for the commander; I entitle myself as
such, and they surrender. I sent you them both at the same time, and the
combat ceased for want of combatants. It is in this manner that for your
service----
Scene IV.--DON FERNANDO, DON DIEGO, DON RODRIGO, DON ARIAS, DON ALONZO,
and DON SANCHO.
Don Alonzo.
Sire, Chimène comes to demand justice from you.
Don Fernando
Vexatious news and unwelcome duty! Go [Rodrigo]; I do
not wish her to see thee. Instead of thanks I must drive thee away; but,
before departing, come, let thy King embrace thee!
[Exit Don Rodrigo.]
Don Diego.
Chimène pursues him, [yet] she wishes to save him.
Don Fernando
They say that she loves him, and I am going to prove it.
Exhibit a more sorrowful countenance [lit. eye].
Scene V.--DON FERNANDO, DON DIEGO, DON ARIAS, DON SANCHO, DON ALONZO,
CHIMÈNE, and ELVIRA.
Don Fernando
At last, be content, Chimène, success responds to your
wishes. Although Rodrigo has gained the advantage over our enemies, he
has died before our eyes of the wounds he has received; return thanks to
that heaven which has avenged you. (To Don Diego.) See, how already
her color is changed!
Don Diego.
But see! she swoons, and in this swoon, sire, observe the
effect of an overpowering [lit. perfect] love. Her grief has betrayed
the secrets of her soul, and no longer permits you to doubt her passion.
Chimène.
What, then! Is Rodrigo dead?
Don Fernando
No, no, he still lives [lit. he sees the day]; and he
still preserves for you an unalterable affection; calm this sorrow which
takes such an interest in his favor.
Chimène.
Sire, we swoon from joy, as well as from grief; an excess of
pleasure renders us completely exhausted, and when it takes the mind by
surprise, it overpowers the senses.
Don Fernando
Dost thou wish that in thy favor we should believe in
impossibilities? Chimène, thy grief appeared too clearly visible.
Chimène.
Well, sire! add this crown to my misfortune--call my swoon
the effect of my grief; a justifiable dissatisfaction reduced me to that
extremity; his death would have saved his head from my pursuit. If he
had died of wounds received for the benefit of his country, my revenge
would have been lost, and my designs betrayed; such a brilliant end [of
his existence] would have been too injurious to me. I demand his death,
but not a glorious one, not with a glory which raises him so high, not
on an honorable death-bed, but upon a scaffold. Let him die for my
father and not for his country; let his name be attainted and his memory
blighted. To die for one's country is not a sorrowful doom; it is to
immortalize one's self by a glorious death! I love then his victory, and
I can do so without criminality; it [the victory] secures the kingdom
and yields to me my victim. But ennobled, but illustrious amongst all
warriors, the chief crowned with laurels instead of flowers--and to say
in a word what I think--worthy of being sacrificed to the shade of my
father. Alas! by what [vain] hope do I allow myself to be carried away?
Rodrigo has nothing to dread from me; what can tears which are despised
avail against him? For him your whole empire is a sanctuary [lit. a
place of freedom]; there, under your power, everything is lawful for
him; he triumphs over me as [well as] over his enemies; justice stifled
in their blood that has been shed, serves as a new trophy for the crime
of the conqueror. We increase its pomp, and contempt of the law causes
us to follow his [triumphal] chariot between two kings.
Don Fernando
My daughter, these transports are too violent [lit.
have too much violence]. When justice is rendered, all is put in the
scale. Thy father has been slain, he was the aggressor; and justice
itself commands me [to have] mercy. Before accusing that [degree of
clemency] which I show, consult well thine heart; Rodrigo is master of
it; and thy love in secret returns thanks to thy King, whose favor
preserves such a lover for thee.
Chimène.
For me! my enemy! the object of my wrath! the author of my
misfortunes? the slayer of my father! To my just pursuit [of vengeance]
they pay so little attention, that they believe that they are conferring
a favor on me by not listening to it. Since you refuse justice to my
tears, sire, permit me to have recourse to arms; it is by that alone
that he has been able to injure me, and it is by that (means) also that
I ought to avenge myself. From all your knights I demand his head; yes,
let one of them bring it to me, and I will be his prize; let them fight
him, sire, and, the combat being finished, I [will] espouse the
conqueror, if Rodrigo is slain [lit. punished]. Under your authority,
permit this to be made public.
Don Fernando
This ancient custom established in these places, under
the guise of punishing an unjust affront, weakens a kingdom [by
depriving it] of its best warriors; the deplorable success of this abuse
[of power] often crushes the innocent and shields the guilty. From this
[ordeal] I release Rodrigo; he is too precious to me to expose him to
the [death] blows of capricious fate; and whatever (offence) a heart so
magnanimous could commit, the Moors, in retreating, have carried away
his crime.
Chimène.
What, sire, for him alone you reverse the laws, which all the
court has so often seen observed! What will your people think, and what
will envy say, if he screens his life beneath your shield and he makes
it a pretext not to appear [on a scene] where all men of honor seek a
noble death? Such favors would too deeply tarnish his glory; let him
enjoy [lit. taste] without shame [lit. blushing] the fruits of his
victory. The count had audacity, he was able to punish him for it; he
[i.e. Rodrigo] acted like a man of courage, and ought to maintain it
[that character].
Don Fernando
Since you wish it, I grant that he shall do so; but a
thousand others would take the place of a vanquished warrior, and the
reward which Chimène has promised to the conqueror would render all my
cavaliers his enemies; to oppose him alone to all would be too great an
injustice; it is enough, he shall enter the lists once only. Choose who
[what champion] you will, Chimène, and choose well; but after this
combat ask nothing more.
Don Diego.
Release not by that those whom his valor [lit. arm]
terrifies; leave an open field which none will [dare to] enter. After
what Rodrigo has shown us to-day, what courage sufficiently presumptuous
would dare to contend with him? Who would risk his life against such an
opponent? Who will be this valiant, or rather this rash individual?
Don Sancho.
Open the lists, you see this assailant; I am this rash or
rather this valiant [champion]. Grant this favor to the zeal which urges
me on; dear lady, you know what your promise is.
Don Fernando
Chimène, do you confide your quarrel to his hand?
Chimène.
Sire, I have promised it.
Don Fernando
Be ready to-morrow.
Don Diego.
No, sire, there is no need to defer the contest; a man is
always ready when he possesses courage.
Don Fernando
[What!] To come forth from one battle and to (instantly)
enter the lists [lit. to fight]?
Don Diego.
Rodrigo has regained breath in relating to you this [i.e.
the history of that battle].
Don Fernando
I desire that he should rest at least an hour or two;
but, for fear that such a combat may be considered as a precedent, to
testify to all that I permit, with regret, a sanguinary ordeal which has
never pleased me, it shall not have the presence either of myself or of
my court. [To Don Arias.] You alone shall judge of the valor of the
combatants. Take care that both act like men of honor [lit. courage],
and, the combat ended, bring the victor to me. Whoever he may be, the
same reward is gained by his exertions; I desire with my own hand to
present him to Chimène, and that, as a recompense, he may receive her
plighted faith.
Chimène.
What, sire! [would you] impose on me so stern a law?
Don Fernando
Thou complainest of it; but thy love, far from
acknowledging thy complaint, if Rodrigo be the conqueror, without
restraint accepts [the conditions]. Cease to murmur against such a
gentle decree; whichever of the two be the victor, I shall make him thy
spouse.