temple.]
Queen:
Ah. All is ready.
Ackazarpses:
No, no, Illustrious Lady. Nothing is ready. Your raiment-we must fasten it here [shoulder], and then the bow in your hair.
[She begins to tittivate the Queen.]
Queen:
Ackazarpses, Ackazarpses, I cannot bear to have enemies.
Ackazarpses:
Indeed, Illustrious Lady, it is wrong that you should have enemies. One so delicate, so slender and withal so beautiful should never have a foe.
Queen:
If the gods could understand they would never permit it.
Ackazarpses:
I have poured out dark wine to them, I have offered them fat, indeed, I have often offered them savoury things. I have said: The Queen should not have enemies; she is too delicate, too fair. But they will not understand.
Queen:
If they could see my tears they would never permit such woes to be borne by one small woman. But they only look at men and their horrible wars. Why must men slay one another and make horrible war?
Ackazarpses:
I blame your enemies, Illustrious Lady, more than the gods. Why should they trouble you who are so fair and so easily hurt by their anger? It was but a little territory you took from them. How much better to lose a little territory than to be unmannerly and unkind.
Queen:
O speak not of the territory. I know naught of these things. They say my Captains took it. How should I know? O why will they be my enemies?
Ackazarpses:
You are most fair to-night, Illustrious Lady.
Queen:
I must needs be fair to-night.
Ackazarpses:
Indeed you are most fair.
Queen:
A little more perfume, Ackazarpses.
Ackazarpses:
I will tie the coloured bow more evenly.
Queen:
O they will never look at it. They will not know if it is orange or blue. I shall weep if they do not look at it. It is a pretty bow.
Ackazarpses:
Calm yourself, lady! They will be here soon.
Queen:
Indeed I think they are very close to me now, for I feel myself trembling.
Ackazarpses:
You must not tremble, Illustrious Lady; you must not tremble.
Queen:
They are such terrible men, Ackazarpses.
Ackazarpses:
But you must not tremble, for your raiment is now perfect; yet if you tremble, alas! who may say how it will hang?
Queen:
They are such huge, terrible men.
Ackazarpses:
O the raiment, the raiment; you must not, you must not!
Queen:
O I cannot bear it. I cannot bear it. There is Rhadamandaspes, that huge, fierce soldier, and the terrible Priest of Horus, and... and... O I cannot see them, I cannot see them.
Ackazarpses:
Lady, you have invited them.
Queen:
O say I am ill, say I am sick of a fever.
Quick, quick, say I have some swift fever and cannot see them.
Ackazarpses:
Illustrious Lady--
Queen:
Quick, for I cannot bear it.
[Exit Ackazarpses.]
Queen:
O, I cannot bear to have enemies.
Ackazarpses:
Lady, they are here.
Queen:
O what shall we do?... Set this bow higher upon my head so that it must be seen. [Ackazarpses does so.] The pretty bow.
[She continues to look in a hand mirror. A Slave descends the
stairs. Then Rhadamandaspes and Zophernes. Rhadamandaspes and
Zophernes stop; the Slave stops lower down.]
Zophernes:
For the last time, Rhadamandaspes, consider. Even yet we may turn back.
Rhadamandaspes:
She had no guards outside nor was there any hiding place for them. There was the empty plain and the Nile only.
Zophernes:
Who knows what she may have in this dark temple?
Rhadamandaspes:
It is small and the stairway narrow; our friends are close behind us. We could hold these steps with our swords against all her men.
Zophernes:
True. They are narrow steps. Yet... Rhadamandaspes, I do not fear man or god or even woman, yet when I saw the letter this woman sent bidding us banquet with her I felt that it was not well that we should come.
Rhadamandaspes:
She said that she would love us though we were her enemies.
Zophernes:
It is not natural to love one's enemies.
Rhadamandaspes:
She is much swayed by whims. They sway her as the winds in spring sway flowers-this way and that. This is one of her whims.
Zophernes:
I do not trust her whims.
Rhadamandaspes:
They name you Zophernes, giver of good counsel, therefore I will turn back because you counsel it, though I would fain go down and banquet with this little playful lady.
[They turn and mount.]
Zophernes:
Believe me, Rhadamandaspes, it is better. I think that if you had gone down these steps we scarcely should have seen the sky again.
Rhadamandaspes:
Well, well, we turn back, though I would fain have humoured the Queen's whim. But look. The others come. We cannot turn back. There comes the Priest of Horus; we must go to the banquet now.
Zophernes:
So be it.
[They descend.]
Rhadamandaspes:
We will be circumspect. If she has men in there we return at once.
Zophernes:
So be it.
[The Slave opens the door.]
Slave:
The Princes Rhadamandaspes and Zophernes.
Queen:
Welcome, Illustrious Princes.
Rhadamandaspes:
Greeting.
Queen:
O you have brought your sword!
Rhadamandaspes:
I have brought my sword.
Queen:
O but it is so terrible, your great sword.
Zophernes:
We always carry our swords.
Queen:
O but you do not need them. If you have come to kill me your great hands are enough. But why do you bring your swords?
Rhadamandaspes:
Illustrious Lady, we do not come to kill you.
Queen:
To your post, Harlee.
Zophernes:
What are this Harlee and his post?
Ackazarpses:
Do not tremble, Illustrious Lady, indeed you must not tremble.
Queen:
He is but a fisherman; he lives upon the Nile. He nets fish; indeed he is nothing.
Zophernes:
For what is your great bar of iron, Slave?
[Harlee opens his mouth showing that he is tongueless. Exit.]
Rhadamandaspes:
Ugh! They have burned out his tongue.
Zophernes:
He goes on secret errands.
[Enter Second Slave.]
Second Slave:
The Priest of Horus.
Queen:
Welcome, holy companion of the gods.
Priest of Horus:
Greeting.
Third Slave:
The King of the Four Countries.
[She and he make obeisance.]
Fourth Slave:
The Twin Dukes of Ethiopia.
King of the Four Countries:
We are all met.
Priest of Horus:
All that have warred against her Captains.
Queen:
O speak not of my Captains. It troubles me to hear of violent men. But you have been my enemies, and I cannot bear to have enemies. Therefore I have asked you to banquet with me.
Priest of Horus:
And we have come.
Queen:
O look not so sternly at me. I cannot bear to have enemies. When I have enemies I do not sleep. Is it not so, Ackazarpses?
Ackazarpses:
Indeed, the Illustrious Lady has suffered much.
Queen:
O Ackazarpses, why should I have enemies?
Ackazarpses:
After to-night you will sleep, Illustrious Lady.
Queen:
Why, yes, for we shall all be friends; shall we not, princes? Let us be seated.
Rhadamandaspes: