tamburlaine the great, pt 1-第6章
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And might; if my extremes had full events;
Make me the ghastly counterfeit of death。
AGYDAS。 Eternal heaven sooner be dissolv'd;
And all that pierceth Phoebus' silver eye;
Before such hap fall to Zenocrate!
ZENOCRATE。 Ah; life and soul; still hover in his breast;
And leave my body senseless as the earth;
Or else unite you to his life and soul;
That I may live and die with Tamburlaine!
Enter; behind; TAMBURLAINE; with TECHELLES; and others。
AGYDAS。 With Tamburlaine! Ah; fair Zenocrate;
Let not a man so vile and barbarous;
That holds you from your father in despite;
And keeps you from the honours of a queen;
(Being suppos'd his worthless concubine;)
Be honour'd with your love but for necessity!
So; now the mighty Soldan hears of you;
Your highness needs not doubt but in short time
He will; with Tamburlaine's destruction;
Redeem you from this deadly servitude。
ZENOCRATE。 Leave to wound me with these words;
And speak of Tamburlaine as he deserves:
The entertainment we have had of him
Is far from villany or servitude;
And might in noble minds be counted princely。
AGYDAS。 How can you fancy one that looks so fierce;
Only dispos'd to martial stratagems?
Who; when he shall embrace you in his arms;
Will tell how many thousand men he slew;
And; when you look for amorous discourse;
Will rattle forth his facts of war and blood;
Too harsh a subject for your dainty ears。
ZENOCRATE。 As looks the sun through Nilus' flowing stream;
Or when the Morning holds him in her arms;
So looks my lordly love; fair Tamburlaine;
His talk much sweeter than the Muses' song
They sung for honour 'gainst Pierides;
Or when Minerva did with Neptune strive:
And higher would I rear my estimate
Than Juno; sister to the highest god;
If I were match'd with mighty Tamburlaine。
AGYDAS。 Yet be not so inconstant in your love;
But let the young Arabian live in hope;
After your rescue to enjoy his choice。
You see; though first the king of Persia;
Being a shepherd; seem'd to love you much;
Now; in his majesty; he leaves those looks;
Those words of favour; and those comfortings;
And gives no more than common courtesies。
ZENOCRATE。 Thence rise the tears that so distain my cheeks;
Fearing his love through my unworthiness。
'TAMBURLAINE goes to her; and takes her away lovingly by
the hand; looking wrathfully on AGYDAS; and says nothing。
Exeunt all except AGYDAS。'
AGYDAS。 Betray'd by fortune and suspicious love;
Threaten'd with frowning wrath and jealousy;
Surpris'd with fear of hideous revenge;
I stand aghast; but most astonied
To see his choler shut in secret thoughts;
And wrapt in silence of his angry soul:
Upon his brows was pourtray'd ugly death;
And in his eyes the fury of his heart;
That shone as comets; menacing revenge;
And cast a pale complexion on his cheeks。
As when the seaman sees the Hyades
Gather an army of Cimmerian clouds;
(Auster and Aquilon with winged steeds;
All sweating; tilt about the watery heavens;
With shivering spears enforcing thunder…claps;
And from their shields strike flames of lightning;)
All…fearful folds his sails; and sounds the main;
Lifting his prayers to the heavens for aid
Against the terror of the winds and waves;
So fares Agydas for the late…felt frowns;
That send a tempest to my daunted thoughts;
And make my soul divine her overthrow。
Re…enter TECHELLES with a naked dagger; and USUMCASANE。
TECHELLES。 See you; Agydas; how the king salutes you!
He bids you prophesy what it imports。
AGYDAS。 I prophesied before; and now I prove
The killing frowns of jealousy and love。
He needed not with words confirm my fear;
For words are vain where working tools present
The naked action of my threaten'd end:
It says; Agydas; thou shalt surely die;
And of extremities elect the least;
More honour and less pain it may procure;
To die by this resolved hand of thine
Than stay the torments he and heaven have sworn。
Then haste; Agydas; and prevent the plagues
Which thy prolonged fates may draw on thee:
Go wander free from fear of tyrant's rage;
Removed from the torments and the hell
Wherewith he may excruciate thy soul;
And let Agydas by Agydas die;
And with this stab slumber eternally。
'Stabs himself。'
TECHELLES。 Usumcasane; see; how right the man
Hath hit the meaning of my lord the king!
USUMCASANE。 Faith; and; Techelles; it was manly done;
And; since he was so wise and honourable;
Let us afford him now the bearing hence;
And crave his triple…worthy burial。
TECHELLES。 Agreed; Casane; we will honour him。
'Exeunt; bearing out the body。'
SCENE III。
Enter TAMBURLAINE; TECHELLES; USUMCASANE; THERIDAMAS;
a BASSO; ZENOCRATE; ANIPPE; with others。
TAMBURLAINE。 Basso; by this thy lord and master knows
I mean to meet him in Bithynia:
See; how he comes! tush; Turks are full of brags;
And menace more than they can well perform。
He meet me in the field; and fetch thee hence!
Alas; poor Turk! his fortune is too weak
T' encounter with the strength of Tamburlaine:
View well my camp; and speak indifferently;
Do not my captains and my soldiers look
As if they meant to conquer Africa?
BASSO。 Your men are valiant; but their number few;
And cannot terrify his mighty host:
My lord; the great commander of the world;
Besides fifteen contributory kings;
Hath now in arms ten thousand janizaries;
Mounted on lusty Mauritanian steeds;
Brought to the war by men of Tripoly;
Two hundred thousand footmen that have serv'd
In two set battles fought in Graecia;
And for the expedition of this war;
If he think good; can from his garrisons
Withdraw as many more to follow him。
TECHELLES。 The more he brings; the greater is the spoil;
For; when they perish by our warlike hands;
We mean to set our footmen on their steeds;
And rifle all those stately janizars。
TAMBURLAINE。 But will those kings accompany your lord?
BASSO。 Such as his highness please; but some must stay
To rule the provinces he late subdu'd。
TAMBURLAINE。 'To his OFFICERS'
Then fight courageously: their crowns are yours;
This hand shall set them on your conquering heads;
That made me emperor of Asia。
USUMCASANE。 Let him bring millions infinite of men;
Unpeopling Western Africa and Greece;
Yet we assure us of the victory。
THERIDAMAS。 Even he; that in a trice vanquish'd two kings
More mighty than the Turkish emperor;
Shall rouse him out of Europe; and pursue
His scatter'd army till they yield or die。
TAMBURLAINE。 Well said; Theridamas! speak in that mood;
For WILL and SHALL best fitteth Tamburlaine;
Whose smiling stars give him assured hope
Of martial triumph ere he meet his foes。
I that am term'd the scourge and wrath of God;
The only fear and terror of the world;
Will first subdue the Turk; and then enlarge
Those Christian captives which you keep as slaves;
Burdening their bodies with your heavy chains;
And feeding them with thin and slender fare;
That naked row about the Terrene sea;
And; when they chance to rest or breathe a space;
Are punish'd with bastones so grievously
That they lie panting on the galleys' side;
And strive for life at every stroke they give。
These are the cruel pirates of Argier;
That damned train; the scum of Africa;
Inhabited with straggling runagates;
That make quick havoc of the Christian blood:
But; as I live; that town shall curse the time
That Tamburlaine set foot in Africa。
Enter BAJAZETH; BASSOES; the KINGS OF FEZ; MOROCCO;
and ARGIER; ZABINA and EBEA。
BAJAZETH。 Bassoes and janizaries of my guard;
Attend upon the person of your lord;
The greatest potentate of Africa。
TAMBURLAINE。 Techelles and the rest; prepare your swords;
I mean t' encounter with that Bajazeth。
BAJAZETH。 Kings of Fez; Morocco; and Argier;
He calls me Bajazeth; whom you call lord!
Note the presumption of this Scythian slave!
I tell thee; villain; those that lead my horse
Have to their names titles of dignity;
And dar'st thou bluntly call me Bajazeth?
TAMBURLAINE。 And know; thou Turk; that those which lead my horse
Shall lead thee captive thorough Africa;
And dar'st thou bluntly call me Tamburlaine?
BAJAZETH。 By Mahomet my kinsman's sepulchre;
And by the holy Alcoran I swear;
He shall be made a chaste and lustless eunuch;
And in my sarell tend my concubines;
And all his captains; that thus stoutly stand;
Shall draw the chariot of my emperess;
Whom I have brought to see their overthrow!
TAMBURLAINE。 By this my sword that conquer'd Persia;
Thy fall shall make me famous through the world!
I will not tell thee how I'll handle thee;
But every common soldier of my camp
Shall smile to see thy miserable state。
KING OF FEZ。 What means the mighty Turkish emperor;
To talk with one so base as Tamburlaine?
KING OF MOROCCO。 Ye Moors and valiant men of Barbary。
How can ye suffer these indignities?
KING OF ARGIER。 Leave words; and let them feel your lances'
points;
Which glided through the bowels of the Greeks。
BAJAZETH。 Well said; my stout contributory kings!
Your threefold army and my hugy host
Shall swallow up these base…born Persians。
TECHELLES。 Puissant; renowm'd; and mighty Tamburlaine;
Why stay we thus prolonging of their lives?
THERIDAMAS。 I long to see those crowns won by our swords;
That we may rule as kings of Africa。
USUMCASANE。 What coward would not fight for such a prize?
TAMBURLAINE。 Fight all courageously; and be you kings:
I speak it; and my words are oracles。
BAJAZETH。 Zabina; mother of three braver boys
Than Hercules; that in his infancy
Did pash the jaws of serpents venomous;
Whose hands are made to gripe a warlike lance;
Their shoulders broad for complete armour fit;
Their limbs more large and of a bigger size
Than all the brats y…sprung from Typhon's loins;
Who; when they come unto their father's age;
Will batter turrets with their manly fists;
Sit here upon this royal chair of state;
And on thy head wear my imperial crown;
Until I bring this sturdy Tamburlaine
And all his captains bound in captive chains。
ZABINA。 Such good success happen to Bajazeth!
TAMBURLAINE。 Zenocrate; the loveliest maid alive;
Fairer than rocks of pearl and precious stone;
The only paragon of Tamburlaine;
Whose eyes are brighter than the lamps of heaven;
And speech more pleasant than sweet harmony;
That with thy looks canst clear the darken'd sky;
And calm the rage of thundering Jupiter;
Sit down by her; adorned with my crown;
As if thou wert the empress of the world。
Stir not; Zeno