GUIDO

Ah, if we die together, love, why then
Can we not lie together in one grave?

DUCHESS
A grave is but a narrow wedding-bed.

GUIDO
It is enough for us

DUCHESS
And they will strew it

With a stark winding-sheet, and bitter herbs:
I think there are no roses in the grave,

Or if there are, they all are withered now
Since my Lord went there.

GUIDO
Ah! dear Beatrice,

Your lips are roses that death cannot wither.
DUCHESS

Nay, if we lie together, will not my lips
Fall into dust, and your enamoured eyes

Shrivel to sightless sockets, and the worms,
Which are our groomsmen, eat away your heart?

GUIDO
I do not care: Death has no power on love.

And so by Love's immortal sovereignty
I will die with you.

DUCHESS
But the grave is black,

And the pit black, so I must go before
To light the candles for your coming hither.

No, no, I will not die, I will not die.
Love, you are strong, and young, and very brave;

Stand between me and the angel of death,
And wrestle with him for me.

[Thrusts GUIDO in front of her with his back to the audience.]
I will kiss you,

When you have thrown him. Oh, have you no cordial,
To stay the workings of this poison in me?

Are there no rivers left in Italy
That you will not fetch me one cup of water

To quench this fire?
GUIDO

O God!
DUCHESS

You did not tell me
There was a drought in Italy, and no water:

Nothing but fire.
GUIDO

O Love!
DUCHESS

Send for a leech,
Not him who stanched my husband, but another

We have no time: send for a leech, I say:
There is an antidote against each poison,

And he will sell it if we give him money.
Tell him that I will give him Padua,

For one short hour of life: I will not die.
Oh, I am sick to death; no, do not touch me,

This poison gnaws my heart: I did not know
It was such pain to die: I thought that life

Had taken all the agonies to itself;
It seems it is not so.

GUIDO
O damned stars

Quench your vile cresset-lights in tears, and bid
The moon, your mistress, shine no more to-night.

DUCHESS
Guido, why are we here? I think this room

Is poorly furnished for a marriage chamber.
Let us get hence at once. Where are the horses?

We should be on our way to Venice now.
How cold the night is! We must ride faster.

[The Monks begin to chant outside.]
Music! It should be merrier; but grief

Is of the fashion now - I know not why.
You must not weep: do we not love each other? -

That is enough. Death, what do you here?
You were not bidden to this table, sir;

Away, we have no need of you: I tell you
It was in wine I pledged you, not in poison.

They lied who told you that I drank your poison.
It was spilt upon the ground, like my Lord's blood;

You came too late.
GUIDO

Sweet, there is nothing there:
These things are only unreal shadows.

DUCHESS
Death,

Why do you tarry, get to the upper chamber;
The cold meats of my husband's funeral feast

Are set for you; this is a wedding feast.
You are out of place, sir; and, besides, 'tis summer.

We do not need these heavy fires now,
You scorch us.

Oh, I am burned up,
Can you do nothing? Water, give me water,

Or else more poison. No: I feel no pain -
Is it not curious I should feel no pain? -

And Death has gone away, I am glad of that.
I thought he meant to part us. Tell me, Guido,

Are you not sorry that you ever saw me?
GUIDO

I swear I would not have lived otherwise.
Why, in this dull and common world of ours

Men have died looking for such moments as this
And have not found them.

DUCHESS
Then you are not sorry?

How strange that seems.
GUIDO

What, Beatrice, have I not
Stood face to face with beauty? That is enough

For one man's life. Why, love, I could be merry;
I have been often sadder at a feast,

But who were sad at such a feast as this
When Love and Death are both our cup-bearers?

We love and die together.
DUCHESS

Oh, I have been
Guilty beyond all women, and indeed

Beyond all women punished. Do you think -
No, that could not be - Oh, do you think that love

Can wipe the bloody stain from off my hands,
Pour balm into my wounds, heal up my hurts,

And wash my scarlet sins as white as snow? -
For I have sinned.

GUIDO
They do not sin at all

Who sin for love.
DUCHESS

No, I have sinned, and yet
Perchance my sin will be forgiven me.

I have loved much
[They kiss each other now for the first time in this Act, when

suddenly the DUCHESS leaps up in the dreadful spasm of death, tears
in agony at her dress, and finally, with face twisted and distorted

with pain, falls back dead in a chair. GUIDO seizing her dagger
from her belt, kills himself; and, as he falls across her knees,

clutches at the cloak which is on the back of the chair, and throws
it entirely over her. There is a little pause. Then down the

passage comes the tramp of Soldiers; the door is opened, and the
LORD JUSTICE, the Headsman, and the Guard enter and see this figure

shrouded in black, and GUIDO lying dead across her. The LORD
JUSTICE rushes forward and drags the cloak off the DUCHESS, whose

face is now the marble image of peace, the sign of God's
forgiveness.]

Tableau
CURTAIN

End

• immortal [i´mɔ:təl] a.不死的n.不朽的人物 (初中英语单词)
• poison [´pɔizən] n.毒物 v.毒害 a.有毒的 (初中英语单词)
• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)
• funeral [´fju:nərəl] n.葬礼，丧葬；困难 (初中英语单词)
• wedding [´wediŋ] n.婚礼，结婚 (初中英语单词)
• bloody [´blʌdi] a.(流)血的；血腥的 (初中英语单词)
• scarlet [´skɑ:lit] n.猩红色 a.猩红的 (初中英语单词)
• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
• marble [´mɑ:bəl] n.大理石 a.大理石的 (初中英语单词)
• quench [kwentʃ] v.熄灭；平息；压制 (高中英语单词)
• damned [dæmd] a.该死的 ad.非常，极 (高中英语单词)
• venice [´venis] n.威尼斯 (高中英语单词)
• duchess [´dʌtʃis] n.公爵夫人；女公爵 (高中英语单词)
• wrestle [´resəl] n.&v.摔交；搏斗；角力 (英语四级单词)
• drought [draut] n.旱灾；干旱 (英语四级单词)
• poorly [´puəli] a.不舒服的 ad.贫穷地 (英语四级单词)
• scorch [skɔ:tʃ] v.&n.烧焦；(使)枯黄 (英语四级单词)
• forgiven [fə´givn] forgive的过去分词 (英语四级单词)