Plays of Gods and Men, Lord Dunsany [e books free to read TXT] 📗

swords.

Queen:

O but you do not need them. If you have come to kill me your great hands are enough. But why do you bring your swords?

Rhádamandáspes:

Illustrious Lady, we do not come to kill you.

Queen:

To your post, Harlee.

Zophérnes:

What are this Harlee and his post?

Ackazárpses:

Do not tremble, Illustrious Lady, indeed you must not tremble.

Queen:

He is but a fisherman; he lives upon the Nile. He nets fish; indeed he is nothing.

Zophérnes:

For what is your great bar of iron, Slave?

[Harlee opens his mouth showing that he is tongueless. Exit.]

Rhádamandáspes:

Ugh! They have burned out his tongue.

Zophérnes:

He goes on secret errands.

[Enter Second Slave.]

Second Slave:

The Priest of Horus.

Queen:

Welcome, holy companion of the gods.

Priest of Horus:

Greeting.

Third Slave:

The King of the Four Countries.

[She and he make obeisance.]

Fourth Slave:

The Twin Dukes of Ethiopia.

King of the Four Countries:

We are all met.

Priest of Horus:

All that have warred against her Captains.

Queen:

O speak not of my Captains. It troubles me to hear of violent men. But you have been my enemies, and I cannot bear to have enemies. Therefore I have asked you to banquet with me.

Priest of Horus:

And we have come.

Queen:

O look not so sternly at me. I cannot bear to have enemies. When I have enemies I do not sleep. Is it not so, Ackazárpses?

Ackazárpses:

Indeed, the Illustrious Lady has suffered much.

Queen:

O Ackazárpses, why should I have enemies?

Ackazárpses:

After to-night you will sleep, Illustrious Lady.

Queen:

Why, yes, for we shall all be friends; shall we not, princes? Let us be seated.

Rhádamandáspes:

[To Zophérnes.] There is no other doorway. That is well.

Zophérnes:

Why, no, there is not. Yet what is that great hole that is full of darkness?

Rhádamandáspes:

Only one man at a time could come that way. We are safe from man or beast. Nothing could enter that way for our swords.

Queen:

I pray you be seated.

[They seat themselves cautiously, she standing watching them.]

Zophérnes:

There are no servitors.

Queen:

Are there not viands before you, Prince Zophérnes, or are there too few fruits that you should blame me?

Zophérnes:

I do not blame you.

Queen:

I fear you blame me with your fierce eyes.

Zophérnes:

I do not blame you.

Queen:

O my enemies, I would have you kind to me. And indeed there are no servitors, for I know what evil things you think of me——

A Duke of Ethiopia:

No, Queen, indeed we think no evil of you.

Queen:

Ah, but you think terrible things.

Priest of Horus:

We think no evil of you, Illustrious Lady.

Queen:

I feared that if I had servitors you would think… you would say, "This wicked Queen, our enemy, will bid them attack us while we feast."

    [First Duke of Ethiopia furtively hands food to his Slave
    standing behind him, who tastes it.]

Though you do not know how I dread the sight of blood, and indeed I would never bid them do such a thing. The sight of blood is shocking.

Priest of Horus:

We trust you, Illustrious Lady.

[He does the same with his Slave.]

Queen:

And for miles around this temple and all along this river I have said, "Let there be no man." I have commanded and there are not. Will you not trust me now?

[Zophérnes does the same and all the guests, one by one.]

Priest of Horus:

Indeed, we trust you.

Queen:

And you, Prince Zophérnes, with your fierce eyes that so frighten me, will you not trust me?

Zophérnes:

O Queen, it is part of the art of war to be well prepared when in an enemy's country, and we have been so long at war with your Captains that we perforce remember some of the art. It is not that we do not trust you.

Queen:

I am all alone with my handmaid and none will trust me! O Ackazárpses, I am frightened: what if my enemies should slay me and carry me up, and cast my body into the lonely Nile.

Ackazárpses:

No, no, Illustrious Lady. They will not harm you. They do not know how their fierce looks distress you. They do not know how delicate you are.

Priest of Horus: [to Ackazárpses]

Indeed we trust the Queen and none would harm her.

[Ackazárpses soothes the Queen.]

Rhádamandáspes: [to Zophérnes]

I think we do wrong to doubt her, seeing she is alone.

Zophérnes: [to Rhádamandáspes]

Yet I would that the banquet were over.

Queen: [to Ackazárpses and the Priest of Horus, but audible to all]

Yet they do not eat the food that I set before them.

Duke of Ethiopia:

In Ethiopia when we feast with queens it is our custom not to eat at once but to await the Queen till she has eaten.

Queen: [Eats.]

Behold then, I have eaten.

[She looks at the Priest of Horus.]

Priest of Horus:

It has been the custom of all that held my office, from the time when there went on earth the children of the Moon, never to eat till the food is dedicate, by our sacred signs, to the gods. [He begins to wave his hands over the food.]

Queen:

The King of the Four Countries does not eat. And you, Prince
Rhádamandáspes, you have given royal wine unto your slave.

Rhádamandáspes:

O Queen, it is the custom of our dynasty… and has indeed long been so,… as many say,… that the noble should not feast till the base have feasted, reminding us that our bodies even as the humble bodies of the base——

Queen:

Why do you thus watch your slave, Prince Rhádamandáspes?

Rhádamandáspes:

Even to remind myself that I have done as our dynasty doth.

Queen:

Alas for me, Ackazárpses, they will not feast with me, but mock me because I am little and alone. O I shall not sleep to-night, I shall not sleep. [She weeps.]

Ackazárpses:

Yes, yes, Illustrious Lady, you shall sleep. Be patient and all shall be well and you will sleep.

Rhádamandáspes:

But Queen, Queen, we are about to eat.

Duke of Ethiopia:

Yes, yes, indeed we do not mock you.

King of Four Countries:

We do not mock you, Queen.

Priest of Horus:

They do not mean to mock you.

Queen:

They… give my food to slaves.

Priest of Horus:

That was a mistake.

Queen:

It was… no mistake.

Priest of Horus:

The slaves were hungry.

Queen: [still weeping]

They believe I would poison them.

Priest of Horus:

No, no, Illustrious Lady, they do not believe that.

Queen:

They believe I would poison them.

Ackazárpses: [comforting her]

O hush, hush. They do not mean to be so cruel.

Priest of Horus:

They do not believe you would poison them. But they do not know if the meat was killed with a poisonous arrow or if an asp may have inadvertently bitten the fruit. These things may happen, but they do not believe you would poison them.

Queen:

They believe I would poison them.

Rhádamandáspes:

No; Queen, see, we eat.

[They hastily whisper to slaves.]

1st Duke of Ethiopia:

We eat your viands, Queen.

2nd Duke of Ethiopia:

We drink your wine.

King of Four Countries:

We eat your good pomegranates and Egyptian grapes.

Zophérnes:

We eat.

[They all eat.]

Priest of Horus: [smiling affably]

I too eat of your excellent banquet, O Queen.

    [He peels a fruit slowly, glancing constantly at the others.
    Meanwhile the catches in the Queen's breath grow fewer, she
    begins to dry her eyes.]

Ackazárpses: [in her ear]

They eat.

[Ackazárpses lifts her head and watches them.]

Queen:

Perhaps the wine is poisoned.

Priest of Horus:

No, no, Illustrious Lady.

Queen:

Perhaps the grape was cut by a poisoned arrow.

Priest of Horus:

But indeed… indeed…

[Queen drinks from his cup.]

Queen:

Will you not drink my wine?

Priest of Horus:

I drink to our continued friendship.

[He drinks.]

A Duke of Ethiopia:

Our continued friendship!

Priest of Horus:

There has been no true enmity. We misunderstood the Queen's armies.

Rhádamandáspes: [to Zophérnes]

We have wronged the Queen. The wine's not poisoned. Let us drink to her.

Zophérnes:

So be it.

Rhádamandáspes:

We drink to you, Queen.

Zophérnes:

We drink.

Queen:

The flagon, Ackazárpses.

[Ackazárpses brings it. The Queen pours it into her cup.]

Fill up your goblets from the flagon, princes. [She drinks.]

Rhádamandáspes:

We wronged you, Queen. It is a blessed wine.

Queen:

It is an ancient wine and grew in Lesbos, looking from Mytelene to the South. Ships brought it overseas and up this river to gladden the hearts of man in holy Egypt. But to me it brings no joy.

Duke of Ethiopia:

It is a happy wine, Queen.

Queen:

I have been thought a poisoner.

Priest of Horus:

Indeed, none has thought that, Illustrious Lady.

Queen:

You have all thought it.

Rhádamandáspes:

We ask your pardon, Queen.

King of Four Countries:

We ask your pardon.

Duke of Ethiopia:

Indeed we erred.

Zophérnes: [rising]

We have eaten your fruits and drunk your wine; and we have asked your pardon. Let us now depart in amity.

Queen:

No, no! No, no! You must not go! I shall say… "They are my enemies still," and I shall not sleep. I that cannot bear to have enemies.

Zophérnes:

Let us depart in all amity.

Queen:

O will you not feast with me?

Zophérnes:

We have feasted.

Rhádamandáspes:

No, no, Zophérnes. Do you not see? The Queen takes it to heart.

[Zophérnes sits down.]

Queen:

O feast with me a little longer and make merry, and be my enemies no more. Rhádamandáspes, there is some country eastwards towards Assyria, is there not? I do not know its name—a country which your dynasty claims of me…

Zophérnes:

Ha!

Rhádamandáspes: [resignedly]

We have lost it.

Queen:

…and for whose sake you are my enemy and your fierce uncle, Prince Zophérnes.

Rhádamandáspes:

We fought somewhat with your armies, Queen. But indeed it was but to practise the military art.

Queen:

I will call my Captains to me. I will call them down from their high places and reprove them and bid them give the country back to you that lies eastwards towards Assyria. Only you shall tarry here at the feast and forget you ever were my enemies… forget…

Rhádamandáspes:

Queen…! Queen…! It was my mother's country as a child.

Queen:

You will not leave me alone then here to-night.

Rhádamandáspes:

No, most royal lady.

Queen: [to King of Four Countries who appears about to depart]

And in the matter of the merchant men that trade amongst the isles, they shall offer spices at your feet, not at mine, and the men of the isles shall offer goats to your gods.

King of Four Countries:

Most generous Queen… indeed…

Queen:

But you will not leave my banquet and go unfriendly away.

King of Four Countries:

No, Queen… [He drinks.]

Queen: [she looks at the Twin Dukes amiably]

All Ethiopia shall be yours, down to the unknown kingdoms of the beasts.

1st Duke of Ethiopia:

Queen.

2nd Duke of Ethiopia:

Queen. We drink to the glory of your throne.

Queen:

Stay then and feast with me. For not to have enemies is the beggar's joy; and I have looked from windows long and long, envying those that go their way in rags. Stay with me, dukes and princes.

Priest of Horus:

Illustrious Lady, the generosity of your royal heart has given the gods much joy.

Queen: [smiles at him.]

Thank you.

Priest of Horus:

Er… in the matter of the tribute due to Horus from all the people of
Egypt…

Queen:

It is yours.

Priest of Horus:

Illustrious Lady.

Queen:

I will take none of it. Use it how you will.

Priest of Horus:

The gratitude of Horus shall shine on you. My little Ackazárpses, how happy you are in having so royal