Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His SisterBehn, Aphra
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Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister
Behn, Aphra
Epistolary fiction, English
yon jessamines.’ With that I drew my sword--for I despaired to get off
unknown; and being well enough acquainted with the jealous nature of
the Spaniards, which is no more than see and stab, I prepared to stand
on my defence till I could reconcile him, if possible, to reason; yet
even in that moment I was more afraid of the injury he might do the
innocent fair one, than of what he could do to me: but he not so much
as dreaming she meant a man by her lovely vision, fell a kissing her
anew, and beckoning _Dormina_ off to pimp at distance, told her, ‘The
grove was so sweet, the river’s murmurs so delicate, and she was so
curiously dressed, that all together had inspired him with a
love-fit;’ and then assaulting her anew with a sneer, which you have
seen a satyr make in pictures, he fell to act the little tricks of
youth, that looked so goatish in him--instead of kindling it would
have damped a flame; which she resisted with a scorn so charming gave
me new hope and fire, when to oblige me more, with pride, disdain, and
loathing in her eyes, she fled like _Daphne_ from the ravisher; he
being bent on love pursued her with a feeble pace, like an old
wood-god chasing some coy nymph, who winged with fear out-strips the
flying wind, and though a god he cannot overtake her; and left me
fainting with new love, new hope, new jealousy, impatience, sighs and
wishes, in the abandoned grove. Nor could I go without another view of
that dear place in which I saw her lie. I went--and laid me down just
on the print which her fair body made, and pressed, and kissed it over
a thousand times with eager transports, and even fancied fair
_Calista_ there; there ‘twas I found the paper with the song which I
have sent you; there I ran over a thousand stratagems to gain another
view; no little statesman had more plots and arts than I to gain this
object I adored, the soft idea of my burning heart, now raging wild,
abandoned all to love and loose desire; but hitherto my industry is
vain; each day I haunt the thickest groves and springs, the flowery
walks, close arbours; all the day my busy eyes and heart are searching
her, but no intelligence they bring me in: in fine, _Octavio_, all
that I can since learn is, that the bright _Calista_ had seen a vision
in the garden, and ever since was so possessed with melancholy, that
she had not since quitted her chamber; she is daily pressing the Count
to permit her to go into the garden, to see if she can again encounter
the lovely _phantom_, but whether, from any description she hath made
of it, (or from any other cause) he imagines how it was, I know not;
but he endeavours all he can to hinder her, and tells her it is not
lawful to tempt heaven by invoking an apparition; so that till a
second view eases the torments of my mind, there is nothing in nature
to be conceived so raving mad as I; as if my despair of finding her
again increased my impatient flame, instead of lessening it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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