Pélléas and Mélisande; Alladine and Palomides; HomeMaeterlinck, Maurice
General
Pélléas and Mélisande; Alladine and Palomides; Home
Maeterlinck, Maurice
French drama
It is light enough without; I see the sunlight through the chinks....
PORTER.
Here are the great keys.... Oh! oh! how the bolts and the locks
grate!... Help me! help me!...
MAIDSERVANTS.
We are pulling; we are pulling....
SECOND MAIDSERVANT.
It will not open....
FIRST MAIDSERVANT.
Ah! ah! It is opening! it is opening slowly!
PORTER.
How it shrieks! how it shrieks! it will wake up everybody....
SECOND MAIDSERVANT.
_[Appearing on the threshold.]_ Oh, how light it is already
out-of-doors!
FIRST MAIDSERVANT.
The sun is rising on the sea!
PORTER.
It is open.... It is wide open!... [_All the maidservants appear on
the threshold and pass over it._]
FIRST MAIDSERVANT.
I am going to wash the sill first....
SECOND MAIDSERVANT.
We shall never be able to clean all this.
OTHER MAIDSERVANTS.
Fetch the water! fetch the water!
PORTER.
Yes, yes; pour on water; pour on water; pour on all the water of the
Flood! You will never come to the end of it....
SCENE II.--_A forest._ MÉLISANDE _discovered at the brink of a
spring._
_Enter_ GOLAUD.
GOLAUD.
I shall never be able to get out of this forest again.--God knows
where that beast has led me. And yet I thought I had wounded him to
death; and here are traces of blood. But now I have lost sight of him;
I believe I am lost myself--my dogs can no longer find me--I shall
retrace my steps....--I hear weeping.... Oh! oh! what is there yonder
by the water's edge?... A little girl weeping by the water's edge?
[_He coughs._]--She does not hear me. I cannot see her face. [_He
approaches and touches_ MÉLISANDE _on the shoulder._] Why weepest
thou? [MÉLISANDE _trembles, starts up, and would flee._]--Do not be
afraid. You have nothing to fear. Why are you weeping here all alone?
MÉLISANDE.
Do not touch me! do not touch me!
GOLAUD.
Do not be afraid.... I will not do you any.... Oh, you are beautiful!
MÉLISANDE.
Do not touch me! do not touch me! or I throw myself in the water!...
GOLAUD.
I will not touch you.... See, I will stay here, against the tree. Do
not be afraid. Has any one hurt you?
MÉLISANDE
Oh! yes! yes! yes!... [_She sobs profoundly._]
GOLAUD.
Who has hurt you?
MÉLISANDE.
Every one! every one!
GOLAUD. What hurt have they done you?
MÉLISANDE.
I will not tell! I cannot tell!...
GOLAUD.
Come; do not weep so. Whence come you?
MÉLISANDE.
I have fled!... fled ... fled....
GOLAUD.
Yes; but whence have you fled?
MÉLISANDE.
I am lost!... lost!... Oh! oh! lost here.... I am not of this
place.... I was not born there....
GOLAUD.
Whence are you? Where were you born?
MÉLISANDE.
Oh! oh! far away from here!... far away ... far away....
GOLAUD.
What is it shining so at the bottom of the water?
MÉLISANDE.
Where?--Ah! it is the crown he gave me. It fell as I was weeping....
GOLAUD.
A crown?--Who was it gave you a crown?--I will try to get it....
MÉLISANDE.
No, no; I will have no more of it! I will have no more of it!... I had
rather die ... die at once....
GOLAUD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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