Page:The Incas of Peru.djvu/387

And placed all power in thy hands;
He made thy armies great and strong,
And strengthened thee against thy foes;
How numerous soe'er they be,
They have been hunted down by thee.
Are these good reasons for thy wish,
To wound thy Sovereign to the heart?
His daughter is beloved by thee;
Thy passion thou wouldst fain indulge,
Lawless and forbidden though it be.
I call upon thee, stop in time,
Tear this folly from thy heart.
If thy passion is immense,
Still let honour hold its place.
You reel, you stagger on the brink—
I 'd snatch thee from the very edge.
Thou knowest well it cannot be,
The Inca never would consent.
If thou didst e'en propose it now,
He would be overcome with rage;
From favoured prince and trusted chief,
Thou wouldst descend to lowest rank.
Ollantay. How is it that thou canst surely know
What still is hidden in my heart?
Her mother only knows my love,
Yet thou revealest all to me.
Uillac Uma. I read thy secret on the moon,
As if upon the Quipu knots;
And what thou wouldst most surely hide,
Is plain to me as all the rest.
Ollantay. In my heart I had divined
That thou wouldst search me through and through;
Thou knowest all, Councillor,
And wilt thou now desert thy son?
Uillac Uma. How oft we mortals heedless drink,