Men and Women (Browning)/Volume 2/In a Balcony/II
SECOND PART.
Enter the Queen.
QUEEN.Constance!—She is here as he said. Speak! quick!Is it so ? is it true—or false? One word!
CONSTANCE.True.
QUEEN.Mercifullest Mother, thanks to thee!
CONSTANCE.Madam!
QUEEN.I love you, Constance, from my soul. Now say once more, with any words you will,'Tis true—all true—as true as that I speak.
CONSTANCE.Why should you doubt it ?
QUEEN.Ah, why doubt? why doubt?Dear, make me see it. Do you see it so?None see themselves—another sees them best.You say "why doubt it?"—you see him and me.It is because the Mother has such graceThat if we had but faith—wherein we fail—Whate'er we yearn for would be granted us;Howbeit we let our whims prescribe despair,Our very fancies thwart and cramp our will,And so accepting life, abjure ourselves!Constance, I had abjured the hope of loveAnd of being loved, as truly as yon palmThe hope of seeing Egypt from that turf.
CONSTANCE.Heaven!
QUEEN.But it was so, Constance, it was so.Men say—or do men say it? fancies say—"Stop here, your life is set, you are grown old.Too late—no love for you, too late for love—Leave love to girls. Be queen—let Constance love!"One takes the hint—half meets it like a child,Ashamed at any feelings that oppose."Oh, love, true, never think of love again!I am a queen—I rule, not love, indeed."So it goes on; so a face grows like this,Hair like this hair, poor arms as lean as these,Till,—nay, it does not end so, I thank God!
CONSTANCE.I cannot understand———
QUEEN.The happier you!Constance, I know not how it is with men.For women, (I am a woman now like you)There is no good of life but love—but love!What else looks good, is some shade flung from love—Love gilds it, gives it worth. Be warned by me,Never you cheat yourself one instant. Love,Give love, ask only love, and leave the rest!O Constance, how I love you!
CONSTANCE.I love you.
QUEEN.I do believe that all is come through you.I took you to my heart to keep it warmWhen the last chance of love seemed dead in me; I thought your fresh youth warmed my withered heart.Oh, I am very old now, am I not?Not so! it is true and it shall be true!
CONSTANCE.Tell it me! let me judge if true or false.
QUEEN.Ah, but I fear you—you will look at meAnd say "she's old, she's grown unlovely quiteWho ne'er was beauteous! men want beauty still."Well, so I feared—the curse! so I felt sure.
CONSTANCE.Be calm. And now you feel not sure, you say?
QUEEN.Constance, he came, the coming was not strange—Do not I stand and see men come and go? I turned a half-look from my pedestalWhere I grow marble—"one young man the more!He will love some one,—that is nought to me—What would he with my marble stateliness?Yet this seemed somewhat worse than heretofore;The man more gracious, youthful, like a god,And I still older, with less flesh to change—We two those dear extremes that long to touch.It seemed still harder when he first beganAbsorbed to labour at the state-affairsThe old way for the old end, interest.Oh, to live with a thousand beating heartsAround you, swift eyes, serviceable hands,Professing they've no care but for your cause,Thought but to help you, love but for yourself,And you the marble statue all the timeThey praise and point at as preferred to life,Yet leave for the first breathing woman's cheek,First dancer's, gypsy's, or street baladine's!Why, how I have ground my teeth to hear men's speech Stifled for fear it should alarm my ear,Their gait subdued lest step should startle me,Their eyes declined, such queendom to respect,Their hands alert, such treasure to preserve,While not a man of these broke rank and spoke,Or wrote me a vulgar letter all of love,Or caught my hand and pressed it like a hand.There have been moments, if the sentinelLowering his halbert to salute the queen,Had flung it brutally and clasped my knees,I would have stooped and kissed him with my soul.
CONSTANCE.Who could have comprehended!
QUEEN.Ay, who—who?Why, no one, Constance, but this one who did.Not they, not you, not I. Even now perhapsIt comes too late—would you but tell the truth.
CONSTANCE.I wait to tell it.
QUEEN.Well, you see, he came,Outfaced the others, did a work this yearExceeds in value all was ever doneYou know—it is not I who say it—allSay it. And so (a second pang and worse)I grew aware not only of what he did,But why so wondrously. Oh, never workLike his was done for work's ignoble sake—It must have finer aims to spur it on!I felt, I saw he loved—loved somebody.And Constance, my dear Constance, do you know,I did believe this while 'twas you he loved.
CONSTANCE.Me, madam?
QUEEN.It did seem to me your faceMet him where'er he looked: and whom but youWas such a man to love? it seemed to meYou saw he loved you, and approved the love,And that you both were in intelligence.You could not loiter in the garden, stepInto this balcony, but I straight was stungAnd forced to understand. It seemed so true,So right, so beautiful, so like you bothThat all this work should have been done by himNot for the vulgar hope of recompense,But that at last—suppose some night like this—Borne on to claim his due reward of meHe might say, "Give her hand and pay me so."And I (O Constance, you shall love me now)I thought, surmounting all the bitterness,—"And he shall have it. I will make her blest,My flower of youth, my woman's self that was, My happiest woman's self that might have been!These two shall have their joy and leave me here."Yes—yes—
CONSTANCE.Thanks!
QUEEN.And the word was on my lips.When he burst in upon me. I looked to hearA mere calm statement of his just desireIn payment of his labour. When, O Heaven,How can I tell you? cloud was on my eyesAnd thunder in my ears at that first wordWhich told 'twas love of me, of me, did all—He loved me—from the first step to the last,Loved me!
CONSTANCE.You did not hear. . .you thought he spokeOf love? what if you should mistake?
QUEEN.No, no—No mistake! Ha, there shall be no mistake!He had not dared to hint the love he felt—You were my reflex—how I understood!He said you were the ribbon I had worn,He kissed my hand, he looked into my eyes,And love, love was the end of every phrase.Love is begun—this much is come to pass,The rest is easy. Constance, I am yours—I will learn, I will place my life on you,But teach me how to keep what I have won.Am I so old? this hair was early grey;But joy ere now has brought hair brown again,And joy will bring the cheek's red back, I feel.I could sing once too; that was in my youth.Still, when men paint me, they declare me . . . yes,Beautiful—for the last French painter did!I know they flatter somewhat; you are frank— I trust you. How I loved you from the first!Some queens would hardly seek a cousin outAnd set her by their side to take the eye:I must have felt that good would come from you.I am not generous—like him—like you!But he is not your lover after all—It was not you he looked at. Saw you him?You have not been mistaking words or looks?He said you were the reflex of myself—And yet he is not such a paragonTo you, to younger women who may chooseAmong a thousand Norberts. Speak the truth!You know you never named his name to me—You know, I cannot give him up—ah God,Not up now, even to you!
CONSTANCE.Then calm yourself.
QUEEN.See, I am old—look here, you happy girl, I will not play the fool, deceive myself;'Tis all gone—put your cheek beside my cheek—Ah, what a contrast does the moon behold!But then I set my life upon one chance,The last chance and the best—am I not left,My soul, myself? All women love great menIf young or old—it is in all the tales—Young beauties love old poets who can love—Why should not he the poems in my soul,The love, the passionate faith, the sacrifice,The constancy? I throw them at his feet.Who cares to see the fountain's very shapeAnd whether it be a Triton's or a Nymph'sThat pours the foam, makes rainbows all around?You could not praise indeed the empty conch;But I'll pour floods of love and hide myself.How I will love him! cannot men love love?Who was a queen and loved a poet onceHumpbacked, a dwarf? ah, women can do that!Well, but men too! at least, they tell you so. They love so many women in their youth,And even in age they all love whom they please;And yet the best of them confide to friendsThat 'tis not beauty makes the lasting love—They spend a day with such and tire the next;They like soul,—well then, they like phantasy,Novelty even. Let us confess the truthHorrible though it be—that prejudice,Prescription . . . Curses! they will love a queen.They will—they do. And will not, does not—he?
CONSTANCE.How can he? You are wedded—'tis a nameWe know, but still a bond. Your rank remains,His rank remains. How can he, nobly souledAs you believe and I incline to think,Aspire to be your favourite, shame and all?
QUEEN.Hear her! there, there now—could she love like me? What did I say of smooth-cheeked youth and grace?See all it does or could do! so, youth loves!Oh, tell him, Constance, you could never doWhat I will—you, it was not born in! IWill drive these difficulties far and fastAs yonder mists curdling before the moon.I'll use my light too, gloriously retrieveMy youth from its enforced calamity,Dissolve that hateful marriage, and be his,His own in the eyes alike of God and man.
CONSTANCE.You will do—dare do—Pause on what you say!
QUEEN.Hear her! I thank you, Sweet, for that surprise.You have the fair face: for the soul, see mine!I have the strong soul: let me teach you, here.I think I have borne enough and long enough,And patiently enough, the world remarks, To have my own way now, unblamed by all.It does so happen, I rejoice for it,This most unhoped-for issue cuts the knot.There's not a better way of settling claimsThan this; God sends the accident express;And were it for my subjects' good, no more,"Twere best thus ordered. I am thankful now,Mute, passive, acquiescent. I receive,And bless God simply, or should almost fearTo walk so smoothly to my ends at last.Why, how I baffle obstacles, spurn fate!How strong I am! could Norbert see me now!
CONSTANCE.Let me consider. It is all too strange.
QUEEN.You, Constance, learn of me; do you, like me.You are young, beautiful: my own, best girl,You will have many lovers, and love one— Light hair, not hair like Norbert's, to suit yours,And taller than he is, for you are tall.Love him like me! give all away to him;Think never of yourself; throw by your pride,Hope, fear,—your own good as you saw it once,And love him simply for his very self.Remember, I (and what am I to you?)Would give up all for one, leave throne, lose life,Do all but just unlove him! he loves me.
CONSTANCE.He shall.
QUEEN.You, step inside my inmost heart.Give me your own heart—let us have one heart—I'll come to you for counsel; "This he says,This he does, what should this amount to, pray?Beseech you, change it into current coin.Is that worth kisses? shall I please him there?"And then we'll speak in turn of you—what else? Your love (according to your beauty's worth)For you shall have some noble love, all gold—Whom choose you? we will get him at your choice.—Constance, I leave you. Just a minute sinceI felt as I must die or be aloneBreathing my soul into an ear like yours.Now, I would face the world with my new life,With my new crown. I'll walk around the rooms,And then come back and tell you how it feels.How soon a smile of God can change the world!How we are all made for happiness—how workGrows play, adversity a winning fight!True, I have lost so many years. What then?Many remain—God has been very good.You, stay here. 'Tis as different from dreams,—From the mind's cold calm estimate of bliss,As these stone statues from the flesh and blood.The comfort thou hast caused mankind, God's moon![She goes out. Dance-music from within.