Kitabı oku: «The Maid of Orleans», sayfa 5

SCENE X

DUNOIS and LA HIRE. The same.

DUNOIS

 
                Hold, Burgundy!
   Turn! combat now with men, and not with maids.
 

LA HIRE

 
   We will defend the holy prophetess;
   First must thy weapon penetrate this breast.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   I fear not this seducing Circe; no,
   Nor you, whom she hath changed so shamefully!
   Oh, blush, Dunois! and do thou blush, La Hire
   To stoop thy valor to these hellish arts —
   To be shield-bearer to a sorceress!
   Come one – come all! He only who despairs
   Of heaven's protection seeks the aid of hell.
 

[They prepare for combat, JOHANNA steps between.

JOHANNA

 
   Forbear!
 

BURGUNDY

 
        Dost tremble for thy lover? Thus
   Before thine eyes he shall —
 

[He makes a thrust at DUNOIS.

JOHANNA

 
                  Dunois, forbear!
   Part them, La Hire! no blood of France must flow:
   Not hostile weapons must this strife decide,
   Above the stars 'tis otherwise decreed.
   Fall back! I say. Attend and venerate
   The Spirit which hath seized, which speaks through me!
 

DUNOIS

 
   Why, maiden, now hold back my upraised arm?
   Why check the just decision of the sword?
   My weapon pants to deal the fatal blow
   Which shall avenge and heal the woes of France.
 

[She places herself in the midst and separates the parties.

JOHANNA

 
   Fall back, Dunois! Stand where thou art, La Hire!
   Somewhat I have to say to Burgundy.
 

[When all is quiet.

 
   What wouldst thou, Burgundy? Who is the foe
   Whom eagerly thy murderous glances seek?
   This prince is, like thyself, a son of France, —
   This hero is thy countryman, thy friend;
   I am a daughter of thy fatherland.
   We all, whom thou art eager to destroy,
   Are of thy friends; – our longing arms prepare
   To clasp, our bending knees to honor thee.
   Our sword 'gainst thee is pointless, and that face
   E'en in a hostile helm is dear to us,
   For there we trace the features of our king.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   What, syren! wilt thou with seducing words
   Allure thy victim? Cunning sorceress,
   Me thou deludest not. Mine ears are closed
   Against thy treacherous words; and vainly dart
   Thy fiery glances 'gainst this mail of proof.
   To arms, Dunois!
   With weapons let us fight, and not with words.
 

DUNOIS

 
   First words, then weapons, Burgundy! Do words
   With dread inspire thee? 'Tis a coward's fear,
   And the betrayer of an evil cause.
 

JOHANNA

 
   'Tis not imperious necessity
   Which throws us at thy feet! We do not come
   As suppliants before thee. Look around!
   The English tents are level with the ground,
   And all the field is covered with your slain.
   Hark! the war-trumpets of the French resound;
   God hath decided – ours the victory!
   Our new-culled laurel garland with our friend
   We fain would share. Come, noble fugitive!
   Oh, come where justice and where victory dwell!
   Even I, the messenger of heaven, extend
   A sister's hand to thee. I fain would save
   And draw thee over to our righteous cause!
   Heaven hath declared for France! Angelic powers,
   Unseen by thee, do battle for our king;
   With lilies are the holy ones adorned,
   Pure as this radiant banner is our cause;
   Its blessed symbol is the queen of heaven.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   Falsehood's fallacious words are full of guile,
   But hers are pure and simple as a child's.
   If evil spirits borrow this disguise,
   They copy innocence triumphantly.
   I'll hear no more. To arms, Dunois! to arms!
   Mine ear, I feel, is weaker than mine arm.
 

JOHANNA

 
   You call me an enchantress, and accuse
   Of hellish arts. Is it the work of hell
   To heal dissension and to foster peace?
   Comes holy concord from the depths below?
   Say, what is holy, innocent, and good,
   If not to combat for our fatherland?
   Since when hath nature been so self-opposed
   That heaven forsakes the just and righteous cause,
   While hell protects it? If my words are true,
   Whence could I draw them but from heaven above?
   Who ever sought me in my shepherd-walks,
   To teach the humble maid affairs of state?
   I ne'er have stood with princes, to these lips
   Unknown the arts of eloquence. Yet now,
   When I have need of it to touch thy heart,
   Insight and varied knowledge I possess;
   The fate of empires and the doom of kings
   Lie clearly spread before my childish mind,
   And words of thunder issue from my mouth.
 

BURGUNDY (greatly moved, looks at her with emotion and astonishment)

 
   How is it with me? Doth some heavenly power
   Thus strangely stir my spirit's inmost depths?
   This pure, this gentle creature cannot lie!
   No, if enchantment blinds me, 'tis from heaven.
   My spirit tells me she is sent from God.
 

JOHANNA

 
   Oh, he is moved! I have not prayed in vain,
   Wrath's thunder-cloud dissolves in gentle tears,
   And leaves his brow, while mercy's golden beams
   Break from his eyes and gently promise peace.
   Away with arms, now clasp him to your hearts,
   He weeps – he's conquered, he is ours once more!
 

[Her sword and banner fall; she hastens to him with outstretched arms, and embraces him in great agitation.

LA HIRE and DUNOIS throw down their swords, and hasten also to embrace him.

ACT III

Residence of the KING at Chalons on the Marne.

SCENE I

DUNOIS, LA HIRE.

DUNOIS

 
   We have been true heart-friends, brothers in arms,
   Still have we battled in a common cause,
   And held together amid toil and death.
   Let not the love of woman rend the bond
   Which hath resisted every stroke of fate.
 

LA HIRE

 
   Hear me, my prince!
 

DUNOIS

 
              You love the wondrous maid,
   And well I know the purpose of your heart.
   You think without delay to seek the king,
   And to entreat him to bestow on you
   Her hand in marriage. Of your bravery
   The well-earned guerdon he cannot refuse
   But know, – ere I behold her in the arms
   Of any other —
 

LA HIRE

 
           Listen to me, prince!
 

DUNOIS

 
   'Tis not the fleeting passion of the eye
   Attracts me to her. My unconquered sense
   Had set at naught the fiery shafts of love
   Till I beheld this wondrous maiden, sent
   By a divine appointment to become
   The savior of this kingdom, and my wife;
   And on the instant in my heart I vowed
   A sacred oath, to bear her home, my bride.
   For she alone who is endowed with strength
   Can be the strong man's friend. This glowing heart
   Longs to repose upon a kindred breast,
   Which can sustain and comprehend its strength.
 

LA HIRE

 
   How dare I venture, prince, my poor deserts
   To measure with your name's heroic fame!
   When Count Dunois appeareth in the lists,
   Each humbler suitor must forsake the field;
   Still it doth ill become a shepherd maid
   To stand as consort by your princely side.
   The royal current in your veins would scorn
   To mix with blood of baser quality.
 

DUNOIS

 
   She, like myself, is holy Nature's child,
   A child divine – hence we by birth are equal.
   She bring dishonor on a prince's hand,
   Who is the holy angel's bride, whose head
   Is by a heavenly glory circled round,
   Whose radiance far outshineth earthly crowns,
   Who seeth lying far beneath her feet
   All that is greatest, highest of this earth!
   For thrones on thrones, ascending to the stars,
   Would fail to reach the height where she abides
   In angel majesty!
 

LA HIRE

 
   Our monarch must decide.
 

DUNOIS

 
                Not so! she must
   Decide! Free hath she made this realm of France,
   And she herself must freely give her heart.
 

LA HIRE

 
   Here comes the king!
 

SCENE II

CHARLES, AGNES, SOREL, DUCHATEL, and CHATILLON.

The same.

CHARLES (to CHATILLON)

 
   He comes! My title he will recognize,
   And do me homage as his sovereign liege?
 

CHATILLON

 
   Here, in his royal town of Chalons, sire,
   The duke, my master, will fall down before thee.
   He did command me, as my lord and king,
   To give thee greeting. He'll be here anon.
 

SOREL

 
   He comes! Hail beauteous and auspicious day,
   Which bringeth joy, and peace, and reconcilement!
 

CHATILLON

 
   The duke, attended by two hundred knights,
   Will hither come; he at thy feet will kneel;
   But he expecteth not that thou to him
   Should yield the cordial greeting of a kinsman.
 

CHARLES

 
   I long to clasp him to my throbbing heart.
 

CHATILLON

 
   The duke entreats that at this interview,
   No word be spoken of the ancient strife!
 

CHARLES

 
   In Lethe be the past forever sunk!
   The smiling future now invites our gaze.
 

CHATILLON

 
   All who have combated for Burgundy
   Shall be included in the amnesty.
 

CHARLES

 
   So shall my realm be doubled in extent!
 

CHATILLON

 
   Queen Isabel, if she consent thereto,
   Shall also be included in the peace.
 

CHARLES

 
   She maketh war on me, not I on her.
   With her alone it rests to end our quarrel.
 

CHATILLON

 
   Twelve knights shall answer for thy royal word.
 

CHARLES

 
   My word is sacred.
 

CHATILLON

 
             The archbishop shall
   Between you break the consecrated host,
   As pledge and seal of cordial reconcilement.
 

CHARLES

 
   Let my eternal weal be forfeited,
   If my hand's friendly grasp belie my heart.
   What other surety doth the duke require?
 

CHATILLON (glancing at DUCHATEL)

 
   I see one standing here, whose presence, sire,
   Perchance might poison the first interview.
 

[DUCHATEL retires in silence.

CHARLES

 
   Depart, Duchatel, and remain concealed
   Until the duke can bear thee in his sight.
 

[He follows him with his eye, then hastens after and embraces him.

 
   True-hearted friend! Thou wouldst far more than this
   Have done for my repose!
 

[Exit DUCHATEL.

CHATILLON

 
   This instrument doth name the other points.
 

CHARLES (to the ARCHBISHOP)

 
   Let it be settled. We agree to all.
   We count no price too high to gain a friend.
   Go now, Dunois, and with a hundred knights,
   Give courteous conduct to the noble duke.
   Let the troops, garlanded with verdant boughs,
   Receive their comrades with a joyous welcome.
   Be the whole town arrayed in festive pomp,
   And let the bells with joyous peal, proclaim
   That France and Burgundy are reconciled.
 

[A PAGE enters. Trumpets sound.

 
   Hark! What importeth that loud trumpet's call?
 

PAGE

 
   The Duke of Burgundy hath stayed his march.
 

[Exit.

DUNOIS

 
   Up! forth to meet him!
 

[Exit with LA HIRE and CHATILLON.

CHARLES (to SOREL)

 
   My Agnes! thou dost weep! Even my strength
   Doth almost fail me at this interview.
   How many victims have been doomed to fall
   Ere we could meet in peace and reconcilement!
   But every storm at length suspends its rage,
   Day follows on the murkiest night; and still
   When comes the hour, the latest fruits mature!
 

ARCHBISHOP (at the window)

 
   The thronging crowds impede the duke's advance;
   He scarce can free himself. They lift him now
   From off his horse; they kiss his spurs, his mantle.
 

CHARLES

 
   They're a good people, in whom love flames forth
   As suddenly as wrath. In how brief space
   They do forget that 'tis this very duke
   Who slew, in fight, their fathers and their sons;
   The moment swallows up the whole of life!
   Be tranquil, Sorel. E'en thy passionate joy
   Perchance might to his conscience prove a thorn.
   Nothing should either shame or grieve him here.
 

SCENE III

The DUKE OF BURGUNDY, DUNOIS, LA HIRE, CHATILLON, and two other knights of the DUKE'S train. The DUKE remains standing at the door; the KING inclines towards him; BURGUNDY immediately advances, and in the moment when he is about to throw himself upon his knees, the KING receives him in his arms.

CHARLES

 
   You have surprised us; it was our intent
   To fetch you hither, but your steeds are fleet.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   They bore me to my duty.
 

[He embraces SOREL, and kisses her brow.

 
                With your leave!
   At Arras, niece, it is our privilege,
   And no fair damsel may exemption claim.
 

CHARLES

 
   Rumor doth speak your court the seat of love,
   The mart where all that's beautiful must tarry.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   We are a traffic-loving people, sire;
   Whate'er of costly earth's wide realms produce,
   For show and for enjoyment, is displayed
   Upon our mart at Bruges; but above all
   There woman's beauty is pre-eminent.
 

SOREL

 
   More precious far is woman's truth; but it
   Appeareth not upon the public mart.
 

CHARLES

 
   Kinsman, 'tis rumored to your prejudice
   That woman's fairest virtue you despise.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   The heresy inflicteth on itself
   The heaviest penalty. 'Tis well for you,
   From your own heart, my king, you learned betimes
   What a wild life hath late revealed to me.
 

[He perceives the ARCHBISHOP, and extends his hand.

 
   Most reverend minister of God! your blessing!
   You still are to be found on duty's path,
   Where those must walk who would encounter you.
 

ARCHBISHOP

 
   Now let my Master call me when he will;
   My heart is full, I can with joy depart,
   Since that mine eyes have seen this day!
 

BURGUNDY (to SOREL)

 
                        'Tis said
   That of your precious stones you robbed yourself,
   Therefrom to forge 'gainst me the tools of war!
   Bear you a soul so martial? Were you then
   So resolute to work my overthrow?
   Well, now our strife is over; what was lost
   Will in due season all be found again.
   Even your jewels have returned to you.
   Against me to make war they were designed;
   Receive them from me as a pledge of peace.
 

[He receives a casket from one of the attendants, and presents it to her to open. SOREL, embarrassed, looks at the KING.

CHARLES

 
   Receive this present; 'tis a twofold pledge
   Of reconcilement and of fairest love.
 

BURGUNDY (placing a diamond rose in her hair)

 
   Why, is it not the diadem of France?
   With full as glad a spirit I would place
   The golden circle on this lovely brow.
 

[Taking her hand significantly.

 
   And count on me if, at some future time
   You should require a friend.
 

[AGNES SOREL bursts into tears, and steps aside. THE KING struggles with his feelings. The bystanders contemplate the two princes with emotion.

BURGUNDY (after gazing round the circle, throws himself into the KING'S arms)

 
                  Oh, my king!
 

[At the same moment the three Burgundian knights hasten to DUNOIS, LA HIRE, and the ARCHBISHOP. They embrace each other. The two PRINCES remain for a time speechless in each other's arms.

 
   I could renounce you! I could bear your hate!
 

CHARLES

 
   Hush! hush! No further!
 

BURGUNDY

 
                I this English king
   Could crown! Swear fealty to this foreigner!
   And you, my sovereign, into ruin plunge!
 

CHARLES

 
   Forget it! Everything's forgiven now!
   This single moment doth obliterate all.
   'Twas a malignant star! A destiny!
 

BURGUNDY (grasps his hand)

 
   Believe me, sire, I'll make amends for all.
   Your bitter sorrow I will compensate;
   You shall receive your kingdom back entire,
   A solitary village shall not fail!
 

CHARLES

 
   We are united. Now I fear no foe.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   Trust me, it was not with a joyous spirit
   That I bore arms against you. Did you know?
   Oh, wherefore sent you not this messenger?
 

[Pointing to SOREL.

 
   I must have yielded to her gentle tears.
   Henceforth, since breast to breast we have embraced,
   No power of hell again shall sever us!
   My erring course ends here. His sovereign's heart
   Is the true resting-place for Burgundy.
 

ARCHBISHOP (steps between them)

 
   Ye are united, princes! France doth rise
   A renovated phoenix from its ashes.
   The auspicious future greets us with a smile.
   The country's bleeding wounds will heal again,
   The villages, the desolated towns,
   Rise in new splendor from their ruined heaps,
   The fields array themselves in beauteous green;
   But those who, victims of your quarrel, fell,
   The dead, rise not again; the bitter tears,
   Caused by your strife, remain forever wept!
   One generation hath been doomed to woe;
   On their descendants dawns a brighter day;
   The gladness of the son wakes not the sire.
   This the dire fruitage of your brother-strife!
   Oh, princes, learn from hence to pause with dread,
   Ere from its scabbard ye unsheath the sword.
   The man of power lets loose the god of war,
   But not, obedient, as from fields of air
   Returns the falcon to the sportsman's hand,
   Doth the wild deity obey the call
   Of mortal voice; nor will the Saviour's hand
   A second time forth issue from the clouds.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   Oh, sire! an angel walketh by your side.
   Where is she? Why do I behold her not?
 

CHARLES

 
   Where is Johanna? Wherefore faileth she
   To grace the festival we owe to her?
 

ARCHBISHOP

 
   She loves not, sire, the idleness of the court,
   And when the heavenly mandate calls her not
   Forth to the world's observance, she retires,
   And doth avoid the notice of the crowd.
   Doubtless, unless the welfare of the realm
   Claims her regard, she communes with her God,
   For still a blessing on her steps attends.
 

SCENE IV

The same.

JOHANNA enters. She is clad in armor, and wears a garland in her hair.

CHARLES

 
   Thou comest as a priestess decked, Johanna,
   To consecrate the union formed by thee!
 

BURGUNDY

 
   How dreadful was the maiden in the fight!
   How lovely circled by the beams of peace!
   My word, Johanna, have I now fulfilled?
   Art thou contented? Have I thine applause?
 

JOHANNA

 
   The greatest favor thou hast shown thyself.
   Arrayed in blessed light thou shinest now,
   Who didst erewhile with bloody, ominous ray,
   Hang like a moon of terror in the heavens.
 

[Looking round.

 
   Many brave knights I find assembled here,
   And joy's glad radiance beams in every eye;
   One mourner, one alone I have encountered;
   He must conceal himself, where all rejoice.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   And who is conscious of such heavy guilt,
   That of our favor he must needs despair?
 

JOHANNA

 
   May he approach? Oh, tell me that he may;
   Complete thy merit. Void the reconcilement
   That frees not the whole heart. A drop of hate
   Remaining in the cup of joy converts
   The blessed draught to poison. Let there be
   No deed so stained with blood that Burgundy
   Cannot forgive it on this day of joy.
 

BURGUNDY

 
   Ha! now I understand!
 

JOHANNA

 
               And thou'lt forgive?
   Thou wilt indeed forgive? Come in, Duchatel!
 

[She opens the door and leads in DUCHATEL, who remains standing at a distance.

 
   The duke is reconciled to all his foes,
   And he is so to thee.
 

[DUCHATEL approaches a few steps nearer, and tries to read the countenance of the DUKE.

BURGUNDY

 
               What makest thou
   Of me, Johanna? Know'st thou what thou askest?
 

JOHANNA

 
   A gracious sovereign throws his portals wide,
   Admitting every guest, excluding none;
   As freely as the firmament the world,
   So mercy must encircle friend and foe.
   Impartially the sun pours forth his beams
   Through all the regions of infinity;
   The heaven's reviving dew falls everywhere,
   And brings refreshment to each thirsty plant;
   Whate'er is good, and cometh from on high,
   Is universal, and without reserve;
   But in the heart's recesses darkness dwells!
 

BURGUNDY

 
   Oh, she can mould me to her wish; my heart
   Is in her forming hand like melted wax.
   – Duchatel, I forgive thee – come, embrace me!
   Shade of my sire! oh, not with wrathful eye
   Behold me clasp the hand that shed thy blood.
   Ye death-gods, reckon not to my account,
   That my dread oath of vengeance I abjure.
   With you, in yon drear realm of endless night,
   There beats no human heart, and all remains
   Eternal, steadfast, and immovable.
   Here in the light of day 'tis otherwise.
   Man, living, feeling man, is aye the sport
   Of the o'ermastering present.
 

CHARLES (to JOHANNA)

 
                   Lofty maid!
   What owe I not to thee! How truly now
   Hast thou fulfilled thy word, – how rapidly
   Reversed my destiny! Thou hast appeased
   My friends, and in the dust o'erwhelmed my foes;
   From foreign yoke redeemed my cities. Thou
   Hast all achieved. Speak, how can I reward thee?
 

JOHANNA

 
   Sire, in prosperity be still humane,
   As in misfortune thou hast ever been;
   And on the height of greatness ne'er forget
   The value of a friend in times of need;
   Thou hast approved it in adversity.
   Refuse not to the lowest of thy people
   The claims of justice and humanity,
   For thy deliverer from the fold was called.
   Beneath thy royal sceptre thou shalt gather
   The realm entire of France. Thou shalt become
   The root and ancestor of mighty kings;
   Succeeding monarchs, in their regal state,
   Shall those outshine, who filled the throne before.
   Thy stock, in majesty shall bloom so long
   As it stands rooted in the people's love.
   Pride only can achieve its overthrow,
   And from the lowly station, whence to-day
   God summoned thy deliverer, ruin dire
   Obscurely threats thy crime-polluted sons!
 

BURGUNDY

 
   Exalted maid! Possessed with sacred fire!
   If thou canst look into the gulf of time,
   Speak also of my race! Shall coming years
   With ampler honors crown my princely line!
 

JOHANNA

 
   High as the throne, thou, Burgundy, hast built
   Thy seat of power, and thy aspiring heart
   Would raise still higher, even to the clouds,
   The lofty edifice. But from on high
   A hand omnipotent shall check its rise.
   Fear thou not hence the downfall of thy house!
   Its glory in a maiden shall survive;
   Upon her breast shall sceptre-bearing kings,
   The people's shepherds, bloom. Their ample sway
   Shall o'er two realms extend, they shall ordain
   Laws to control the known world, and the new,
   Which God still veils behind the pathless waves.
 

CHARLES

 
   Oh, if the Spirit doth reveal it, speak;
   Shall this alliance which we now renew
   In distant ages still unite our sons?
 

JOHANNA (after a pause)

 
   Sovereigns and kings! disunion shun with dread!
   Wake not contention from the murky cave
   Where he doth lie asleep, for once aroused
   He cannot soon be quelled? He doth beget
   An iron brood, a ruthless progeny;
   Wildly the sweeping conflagration spreads.
   – Be satisfied! Seek not to question further
   In the glad present let your hearts rejoice,
   The future let me shroud!
 

SOREL

 
                 Exalted maid!
   Thou canst explore my heart, thou readest there
   If after worldly greatness it aspires,
   To me to give a joyous oracle.
 

JOHANNA

 
   Of empires only I discern the doom;
   In thine own bosom lies thy destiny!
 

DUNOIS

 
   What, holy maid, will be thy destiny?
   Doubtless, for thee, who art beloved of heaven,
   The fairest earthly happiness shall bloom,
   For thou art pure and holy.
 

JOHANNA

 
                  Happiness
   Abideth yonder, with our God, in heaven.
 

CHARLES

 
   Thy fortune be henceforth thy monarch's care!
   For I will glorify thy name in France,
   And the remotest age shall call thee blest.
   Thus I fulfil my word. Kneel down!
 

[He draws his sword and touches her with it.

 
                      And rise!
   A noble! I, thy monarch, from the dust
   Of thy mean birth exalt thee. In the grave
   Thy fathers I ennoble – thou shalt bear
   Upon thy shield the fleur-de-lis, and be
   Of equal lineage with the best in France.
   Only the royal blood of Valois shall
   Be nobler than thine own! The highest peer
   Shall feel himself exalted by thy hand;
   To wed thee nobly, maid, shall be my care!
 

DUNOIS (advancing)

 
   My heart made choice of her when she was lowly.
   The recent honor which encircles her,
   Neither exalts her merit nor my love.
   Here in my sovereign's presence, and before
   This holy bishop, maid, I tender thee
   My hand, and take thee as my princely wife,
   If thou esteem me worthy to be thine.
 

CHARLES

 
   Resistless maiden! wonder thou dost add
   To wonder! Yes, I now believe that naught's
   Impossible to thee! Thou hast subdued
   This haughty heart, which still hath scoffed till now
   At love's omnipotence.
 

LA HIRE (advancing)

 
               If I have read
   Aright Johanna's soul, her modest heart's
   Her fairest jewel. She deserveth well
   The homage of the great, but her desires
   Soar not so high. She striveth not to reach
   A giddy eminence; an honest heart's
   True love content's her, and the quiet lot
   Which with this hand I humbly proffer her.
 

CHARLES

 
   Thou, too, La Hire! two brave competitors, —
   Peers in heroic virtue and renown!
   – Wilt thou, who hast appeased mine enemies,
   My realms united, part my dearest friends?
   One only can possess her; I esteem
   Each to be justly worthy such a prize.
   Speak, maid! thy heart alone must here decide.
 

SOREL

 
   The noble maiden is surprised, her cheek
   Is crimsoned over with a modest blush.
   Let her have leisure to consult her heart,
   And in confiding friendship to unseal
   Her long-closed bosom. Now the hour is come
   When, with a sister's love, I also may
   Approach the maid severe, and offer her
   This silent, faithful breast. Permit us women
   Alone to weigh this womanly affair;
   Do you await the issue.
 

CHARLES (about to retire)

 
                Be it so!
 

JOHANNA

 
   No, sire, not so! the crimson on my cheek
   Is not the blush of bashful modesty.
   Naught have I for this noble lady's ear
   Which in this presence I may not proclaim.
   The choice of these brave knights much honors me,
   But I did not forsake my shepherd-walks,
   To chase vain worldly splendor, nor array
   My tender frame in panoply of war,
   To twine the bridal garland in my hair.
   Far other labor is assigned to me,
   Which a pure maiden can alone achieve.
   I am the soldier of the Lord of Hosts,
   And to no mortal man can I be wife.
 

ARCHBISHOP

 
   To be a fond companion unto man
   Is woman born – when nature she obeys,
   Most wisely she fulfils high heaven's decree!
   When His behest who called thee to the field
   Shall be accomplished, thou'lt resign thy arms,
   And once again rejoin the softer sex,
   Whose gentle nature thou dost now forego,
   And which from war's stern duties is exempt.
 

JOHANNA

 
   Most reverend sir! as yet I cannot say
   What work the Spirit will enjoin on me.
   But when the time comes round, his guiding voice
   Will not be mute, and it I will obey.
   Now he commands me to complete my task;
   My royal master's brow is still uncrowned,
   'Twere better for me I had ne'er been born!
   Henceforth no more of this, unless ye would
   Provoke the Spirit's wrath who in me dwells!
   The eye of man, regarding me with love,
   To me is horror and profanity.
 

CHARLES

 
   Forbear! It is in vain to urge her further.
 

JOHANNA

 
   Command the trumpets of the war to sound!
   This stillness doth perplex and harass me;
   An inward impulse drives me from repose,
   It still impels me to achieve my work,
   And sternly beckons me to meet my doom.