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PSYCHE.
by
MOLIÈRE
Translated into English Prose.
With Short Introductions and Explanatory Notes.
by
CHARLES HERON WALL
'Psyche' is a _tragédie-ballet_. Molière had sketched the plan,
written the prologue, the first act, and the first scenes of the
second and third acts, when the King asked him to have the play
finished before Lent. Pierre Corneille, then sixty years old, helped
him, and wrote the other scenes in a fortnight. Quinault wrote the
words of the songs.
Molière acted the part of Zephyr.
PERSONS REPRESENTED.
JUPITER.
VENUS.
LOVE.
ZEPHYR.
AEGIALE _and_ PHAËNE, _two Graces_.
THE KING.
PSYCHE.
AGLAURA.
CIDIPPE.
CLEOMENES _and_ AGENOR, _two princes_, PSYCHE'S _lovers_.
LYCAS, _captain of the guards_.
A RIVER GOD
TWO CUPIDS.
PROLOGUE.
_The front of the stage represents a rustic spot, while at the back the
sea can be seen in the distance._
SCENE I.
FLORA _appears in the centre of the stage, attended by_ VERTUMNUS,
_god of trees and fruit, and by_ PALEMON, _god of the streams. Each of
these gods conducts a troup of divinities; one leads in his train_
DRYADS _and_ SYLVANS, _and the other_ RIVER GODS _and_ NAIADS.
FLORA _sings the following lines, to invite_ VENUS _to descend
upon earth_:--
FLORA.
The din of battle is stayed;
The mightiest king of earth
His arms aside has laid;
Of peace 'tis now the birth!
Descend thou, lovely Venus,
And blissful hours grant us!
VERTUMNUS _and_ PALEMON, _and the divinities who attend them, join
their voices to that of_ FLORA, _and sing the following words_.--
CHORUS OF DIVINITIES _of the earth and streams, composed of_
FLORA, NYMPHS, PALEMON, VERTUMNUS, SYLVANS, FAUNS, DRYADS, _and_
NAIADS.
A peace profound we now enjoy,
And games and bliss without alloy;
Earth's mightiest king has giv'n us rest;
To him be praise and thanks addrest.
Descend thou, lovely Venus,
And happy hours grant us!
_Then is formed an entry of the ballet, composed of two_ DRYADS,
_four_ SYLVANS, _two_ RIVER GODS, _and two_ NAIADS, _after which_
VERTUMNUS _and_ PALEMON _sing the following dialogue_:--
VERTUMNUS.
Yield, yield, ye beauties stern,
To sigh 'tis now your turn!
PALEMON.
See you, the queen above,
She comes to breathe soft love!
VERTUMNUS.
A fair one stern for aye
Ne'er wins a faithful sigh!
PALEMON.
To woo has beauty arms,
But gentleness has greater charms.
BOTH (_together_).
To woo has beauty arms;
But gentleness has greater charms.
VERTUMNUS.
Seek not your hearts to shield;
To pine is law, and ye must yield.
PALEMON.
Is aught more worthless born
Than hearts that love will scorn?
VERTUMNUS.
A fair one stern, for aye
Ne'er wins a faithful sigh!
PALEMON.
To woo has beauty arms,
But gentleness has greater charms.
BOTH (_together_).
To woo has beauty arms,
But gentleness has greater charms.
FLORA _answers the dialogue of_ VERTUMNUS _and_ PALEMON _by the
following minuet, and the other divinities join their dances to the
song._
Does wisdom say,
In youth's heyday,
Sweet love forego?
Be up, in haste
These pleasures taste
Of earth below.
Youth's wisdom too
Is love to woo,
And love to know.
If love disarms,
It is by charms;
So yield your arms.
'Twere madness 'gainst his darts
To seek to shield your hearts.
Whate'er the bond
Of lover fond,
'Tis sweeter chain
Than freedom's gain.
VENUS _descends from heaven, attended by_ CUPID, _her son, and two
Graces, called_ AEGIALE _and_ PHAËNE; _and the divinities of the earth
and the streams once more unite their songs, and continue by their
dances to show their joy at her approach._
CHORUS _of all the Divinities of the earth and the streams._
A peace profound we now enjoy,
And games and bliss without alloy;
Earth's mightiest king has giv'n us rest;
To him be praise and thanks addrest.
Descend thou, lovely Venus,
And happy hours grant us.
VEN. (_in her chariot_). Cease, cease, all your songs of joy. Such
rare honours do not belong to me, and the homage which in your
consideration you now pay me ought to be reserved for lovelier charms.
To pay your court to me is a custom indeed too old; everything has its
turn, and Venus is no longer the fashion. There are rising charms to
which now all carry their incense. Psyche, the beauteous Psyche,
to-day has taken my place. Already now the whole world hastens to
worship her, and it is too great a boon that, in the midst of my
disgrace, I still find some one who stoops to honour me. Our deserts
are not even fairly weighed together, but all are ready to abandon me;
while of the numerous train of privileged graces, whose care and
friendship followed me everywhere, I have now only two of the smaller
ones who cling to me out of mere pity. I pray you, let these dark
abodes lend their solitude to the anguish of my heart, and suffer me
to hide my shame and grief in the midst of their gloom.
FLORA _and the other deities withdraw; and_ VENUS _with her retinue
descends from her chariot._
SCENE II.--VENUS, CUPID, AEGIALE, PHAËNE, CUPID
AEGI. We know not what to do, goddess; while we see you overwhelmed by
this grief, our respect bids us be silent, our zeal would have us
speak.
VEN. Speak; but if your cares would please me, leave all your advice
for a fitter time; and speak of my wrath but to own me right; that was
the keenest insult my divinity could ever receive; but revenge I shall
have if gods have any power.
PHA. Your wisdom, your discernment, are greater than ours in deciding
what may be worthy of you; yet, methinks, a mighty goddess should not
thus give way to wrath.
VEN. That is the very reason of my extreme anger; the greater the
brilliancy of my rank, the deeper the insult. If I did not stand on so
lofty a height, the indignation of my heart would not be so violent.
I, the daughter of the Thunderer, mother of the love-inspiring god; I,
the sweetest yearning of heaven and earth, who received birth only to
charm; I, who have seen everything that hath breath utter so many vows
at my shrines, and by immortal rights have held the sovereign sway of
beauty in all ages; I, whose eyes have forced two mighty gods to yield
me the prize of beauty--I see my rights and my victory disputed by a
wretched mortal. Shall the ridiculous excess of foolish obstinacy go
so far as to oppose to me a little girl? Shall I constantly hear a
rash verdict on the beauty of her features and of mine, and from the
loftiest heaven where I shine shall I hear it said to the prejudiced
world, "She is fairer than Venus"?
AEGI. This is the way with mortals, this is the style of mankind; they
are impertinent in their comparisons.
PHA. In the century in which we live, they cannot praise without
insulting great names.
VEN. Ah! how well does the insolent rigour of these words avenge Juno
and Pallas, and comfort their hearts for the dazzling glory which the
famous apple has won me. I see them rejoicing at my sorrow, assuming
every moment a cruel smile, and with fixed gaze carefully seeking the
confusion that lurks in my eyes. Their triumphant joy, when this
affront is keenest felt, seems to tell me, "Boast, Venus, boast, the
charms of thy features; by the verdict of one man was the victory made
over us, but by the judgment of all, a mere mortal snatches it from
you." Ah! that blow is the direst; it pierces my heart, I cannot bear
its unequalled severity; the pleasure of my rivals is too great an
addition to my poignant grief. My son, if ever my feelings had any
weight with you, if ever I have been dear to you, if you bear a heart
that can share the resentment of a mother who loves you so tenderly,
use here your utmost power to support my interests, and cause Psyche
to feel the shafts of my revenge through your own darts. To render her
miserable, choose the dart that will please me most, one of those in
which lurks the keenest venom, and which you hurl in your wrath. See
that she loves, even to madness, the basest and lowest of mortals, and
let her hear the cruel torture of love unreturned.
CUP. In the world nothing is heard but complaints of Cupid; everywhere
a thousand freaks are laid to my charge, and you could not believe the
evil and the foolish things which are daily said of me. If, to assist
your wrath ...
VEN. Be gone; no longer resist your mother's wishes; use reasoning
only to find the shortest method of offering a sacrifice to my
outraged glory. Let your departure be your only answer to my
entreaties, and do not see my face again until you have avenged me.
CUPID _flies off, and_ VENUS _withdraws with the two_ GRACES. _The
scenery changes to a large town, with palaces and houses of different
architecture on both sides of the stage._
ACT I
SCENE I.--AGLAURA, CIDIPPE.
AGL. My sister, there are sorrows which are rendered greater by
keeping them to ourselves; let us speak freely of our joint distress,
and give vent in our conversations to the poignant grief which fills
our hearts. We are sisters in misfortune, and your heart and mine have
so much in common that we can unite them, and in our just complaints
murmur, with a common lament, against the cruelty of our fate. My
sister, what secret fatality makes the whole world bow before our
younger sister's charms? and how is it that, amongst so many different
princes who are brought by fortune to this place, not one has any love
for us? What! must we see them on all sides pressing forward to lay
their hearts at her feet, whilst they pass our charms slightingly by?
What spell has heaven cast over our eyes? What have they done to the
gods that they are thus left without homage amidst all the glorious
tribute of which others proudly boast? Can there be for us, my sister,
any greater trial than to see how all hearts disdain our beauty, and
how the fortunate Psyche insolently reigns with full sway over the
crowd of lovers who ever attend her?
CID. Ah! my sister, our fate is enough to bereave one of reason, and
all the ills of nature are nothing in comparison.
AGL. At times I can almost shed tears over it; it takes away my
happiness and my rest; my constancy finds itself powerless against
such a misfortune; my mind is for ever dwelling over it, and the ill
success of our charms and the triumph of Psyche are ever before my
eyes. At night, unceasingly, comes to me the remembrance of it, and
nothing can banish the cruel picture. As soon as sweet slumber comes
to deliver me from it, it is immediately recalled to my memory by some
dream which startles me from my sleep.
CID. That is just what I suffer from, my sister. All that you say, I
see myself, and you depict everything that I experience.
AGL. Well, let us discuss the matter. What all-powerful charms have
been bestowed upon her? Tell me how, by the least of her looks, she
has acquired honour in the great art of pleasing? What is there in her
person that can inspire such passion? What right of sway over all
hearts has her beauty given her? She has some comeliness, some of the
brilliancy of youth; we are all agreed upon that, and I do not gainsay
it. But must we yield to her because we are her seniors by a few
years? Must we, therefore, consider ourselves quite commonplace? Are
we made so as to excite derision? Have we no charms, no power of
pleasing, no complexion, no good eyes, no dignity and bearing, by
which we may win hearts? Do me the favour, sister, to speak to me
frankly. Am I, in your opinion, so fashioned that my merit is below
hers? And do you think that she surpasses me in her attire?
CID. You, my sister? By no means. Yesterday, at the hunt, I compared
you and her for a long time, and, without flattery, you appeared to me
the more beautiful. But tell me truly, sister, without blandishment,
am I deceiving myself when I think that I am so framed as to deserve
the glory of a conquest?
AGL. You, my sister? You possess, without disguise, everything that
can excite a loving passion. Your least actions are full of a charm
which moves my soul. And I would be your lover if I were not a woman.
CID. Whence comes it, then, that she bears off the palm from us; that,
at the first glance, all hearts give up the struggle, and that no
tribute of sighs and vows is paid to our loveliness?
AGL. All the women, with one voice, find her attractions but small;
and, sister, I have discovered the cause of the number of lovers she
holds in thrall.
CID. I guess it. We may presume that some mystery is hidden under it.
This secret of captivating everybody is not an ordinary effect of
nature; the Thessalian art must be mixed up in it, and, doubtless,
some one has given to her a charm by which she makes herself beloved.
AGL. My opinion is founded on a more solid basis, and the charms by
which she draws all hearts to herself are a demeanour at all times
free of reserve; caressing words and looks; a smile full of sweetness,
which invites everyone, and promises them nothing but favours. Our
glory is departed; and that lofty pride which, by a full observance of
noble trials, exacted a proof of the constancy of our lovers, exists
no longer. We have degenerated, and are now reduced to hope for
nothing unless we throw ourselves into the arms of the men.
CID. Yes, that is the secret; and I see that you understand it better
than I. It is because we cling too much to modesty, sister, that no
lovers come to us; it is because we try to sustain too strictly the
honour of our sex and of our birth. Men, nowadays, like what comes
easily to them; hope attracts them more than love; and that is how
Psyche deprives us of all the lovers we see under her sway. Let us
follow her example, and suit ourselves to the times; let us stoop,
sister, to make advances, and let us no longer keep to those dull
morals which rob us of the fruits of our best years.
AGL. I approve of this idea; and we have an opportunity of making a
first trial of it upon the two princes who have last arrived. They are
charming, sister, and to me their whole person.... Have you noticed
them?
CID. Ah! Both are formed in such a mould that my soul.... They are
perfect, my sister.
AGL. I think we might seek their affections without dishonour to
ourselves.
CID. I think that, without shame, a beautiful princess might bestow
her heart upon them.
AGL. Here they both are. I admire their manners and attire.
CID. They in no way fall short of all that we have said of them.