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197

Giovanni.

                                       Yes, in the grave,
When this perturbed heart has ceased to beat,
These throbbing pulses rest—Oh, no, not then:
Here and hereafter endless misery
Must be my lot—eternity of pain!

Helena.

    Shrink not, my husband, from my fond caress;
Sorrow shall not come nigh thee in my arms;
I'll chase away the fiend.—Oh! thou hast sworn,
A thousand times, that I possessed the power
To sooth thee in thy direst woe, but now
You turn away.

Giovanni.

                    Grief hath bedimmed each sense—
A dull and torpid weight is on my heart.

Helena.

    Alas! thou dost not love me.

Giovanni.

                                                  In the skies,.
Upon the earth 'tis written, red with blood—