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ALZIRE - The Works of Voltaire, Vol. IX The Dramatic Works Part 1 (Alzire, Orestes, Sémiramis, Catiline, Pandora) and Part II (The Scotch Woman, Nanine, The Prude, The Tatler).

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ALZIRE - Voltaire, The Works of Voltaire, Vol. IX The Dramatic Works Part 1 (Alzire, Orestes, Sémiramis, Catiline, Pandora) and Part II (The Scotch Woman, Nanine, The Prude, The Tatler). [1901]

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From The Works of Voltaire, A Contemporary Version, (New York: E.R. DuMont, 1901), A Critique and Biography by John Morley, notes by Tobias Smollett, trans. William F. Fleming. Vol. IX The Dramatic Works Part 1 (Alzire, Orestes, Sémiramis, Catiline, Pandora) and Part II (The Scotch Woman, Nanine, The Prude, The Tatler).

Author: Voltaire
Translator: William F. Fleming

Part of: The Works of Voltaire. A Contemporary Version, in 21 vols.

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ALZIRE

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

Don Guzman, Governor of Peru.

DON ALVAREZ,

{ Father of Guzman, and late Governor.

Zamor, Sovereign of a Part of Potosi.

Montezuma, Sovereign of another Part.

Alzire, Daughter of Montezuma.

EMIRA, }	Attendants on Alzire.
CEPHALE. }	Attendants on Alzire.

Spanish Officers.

Americans.

Scene, Lima.

In his preface to this play Voltaire says; “This tragedy, the fable of which is invented, and almost of a new species, was written with a view of showing how far superior the spirit of true religion is to the light of nature. The religion of a barbarian consists in offering up to his gods the blood of his enemies; a Christian badly instructed has seldom much more humanity: to be a strict observer of some unnecessary rites and ceremonies, and at the same time deficient in the most essential duties, to say certain prayers at particular times, and carefully to conceal his vices; this is his religion: that of a true Christian is to look upon all mankind as his brethren, to do them all the good in his power and pardon their offences: such is Guzman at the hour of death, and Alvarez during the whole course of his life; such a man was Henry IV., as I have described him, even with all his foibles: in every part of my writings I have endeavored to enforce that humanity which ought to be the distinguishing characteristic of a thinking being: the reader will always find in them (if I may venture to say so much of my own works) a desire to promote the happiness of all men, and an abhorrence of injustice and oppression: it is this, and this alone, which hath hitherto saved them from that obscurity to which their many inperfections would otherwise long since have condemned them.”

ACT I.

SCENE I.

alvarez, guzman.

alvarez.

At length, for so the council hath decreed,
Guzman succeeds Alvarez; long, my son,
Mayest thou preserve for heaven and for thy king
This better half of our new conquered world,
This fertile source of riches and of crimes!
Joyful to thee I yield the post of honor,
That suits but ill with feeble age like mine;
In youth thy father trod the paths of glory;
Alvarez first our winged castles bore
To Mexico’s astonished sons; he led
Spain’s gallant heroes to this golden shore:
After a life spent in my country’s service,
Could I have formed these heroes into men,
Could I have made them virtuous, mild, and good,
I had been amply paid for all my toils:
But who shall stop the haughty conqueror?
Alas! my son, their cruelties obscure
The lustre of their fame; I weep the fate
Of these unhappy victors, raised by heaven
To greatness but to be supremely wicked.
O Guzman, I am verging to the grave,
Let me but live to see thee govern here
As justice shall direct thee, and I die
With pleasure.

guzman.

By thy great example fired,
With thee I fought and conquered for my country;
From thee must learn to rule: it is not mine
To give the wise and good Alvarez laws,
But to receive them from him.

alvarez.

No; my son,
The sovereign power can never be divided:
Worn down with years and labor, I resign
All worldly pomp; it is enough for me
If yet my feeble voice be sometimes heard
To counsel and direct thee; trust me, Guzman,
Men are not creatures one would wish to rule:
To that almighty being, whom too long
I have neglected, would I consecrate
My poor remains of life; one boon alone,
As friend, I ask of thee, as father claim;
To give me up those slaves who by your order
Are here confined; this day, my son, should be
A day of pardon, marked by clemency,
And not by justice.

guzman.

A request from you
Is a command; but think, my lord, I beg,
What dangers may ensue: a savage people,
But half subdued, and to the yoke of slavery
Bending reluctant, ready for revolt,
Should never be familiar with their conquerors,
Or dare to look on those they should be taught
To tremble at: unarmed with power and vengeance
They would despise us: these untutored Indians,
Fiery and bold, ill brook the galling rein
Of servitude, by chastisement alone
Made tame, and humble, pardoned once, they think
You fear them; power, in short, is lost by mildness;
Severity alone insures obedience.
The brave Castilian serves in honor’s cause,
With cheerful resignation, ’tis his pride,
His glory; but inferior nations court
Oppression; force and only force constrains them:
Did not the gods of these barbarians drink
The blood of men, they would not be adored.

alvarez.

And can a Christian, as thou art, approve
These tyrant maxims, the detested offspring
Of narrow policy? are these the means
To win the wild barbarian to our faith?
Thinkest thou to rule them with an iron hand,
And serve a God of peace with war and slaughter?
Braved I for this the burning tropic’s rage,
And all the terrors of a world unknown,
To see our country cursed, our faith disgraced?
God sent us here for other purposes,
Sent us to make his holy name revered,
His sacred laws beloved: whilst we, my son,
Unmindful of that faith which we profess,
The laws we teach, and all the tender ties
Of soft humanity, insatiate still
For blood and gold, instead of winning o’er
These savages by gentle means, destroy them.
All is confusion, death, and horror round us,
And nought have we of heaven but its thunder;
Our name indeed bears terror with it; Spain
Is feared, but hated too: we are the scourge
Of this new world, vain, covetous, unjust;
In short, I blush to own it, we alone
Are the barbarians here: the simple savage,
Though fierce by nature, is in courage equal,
In goodness our superior. O my Guzman,
Had he, like us, been prodigal of blood,
Had he not felt the throbs of tender pity,
Alvarez had not lived to speak his virtues:
Hast thou forgot that day, when by a crowd
Of desperate natives I was circled in
On every side, and all my faithful band
Of followers cut off; alone I stood,
And every moment looked for death, when, lo;
At mention of my name, they dropped their arms;
And straight a young American approached me,
Embraced my knees, and bathed them with his tears;
And “is it you,” he cried, “is it my friend?
Live, good Alvarez, virtue pure as thine
May be most useful to us; be a father
To the unhappy; let thy tyrant nation,
That would enslave us, learn from hence—to pardon,
And own a savage capable of virtue.”
I see you are moved; O hearken to the voice
Of mild humanity, by me she speaks,
By me addresses Guzman; O my son,
Canst thou expect the object of thy wishes,
The fair Alzire ever will crown thy hopes,
If thou art cruel? thinkest thou to cement
The dearest bonds of nature in the blood
Of her loved countrymen, or shall their groans
Be heard, and Guzman soften into mercy?

guzman.

’Tis your command, my lord, and I submit;
They have their freedom, but on this condition,
For so our laws require, they must be Christians:
To quit their idols, and embrace our faith,
Alone can save them; we must bend by force
Their stubborn hearts, and drag them to the altar;
One king must be obeyed, one God adored.

alvarez.

Hear me, my son, I wish, as much as Guzman,
That truth may fix her sacred empire here,
That neither heaven nor Spain henceforth may find
A foe on earth; but know, the heart oppressed
Is never conquered: I force none, yet I
Have conquered many; the true God, my son,
The God of Christians is a God of mercy.

guzman.

You’ve conquered, sir, the father over his son
Is absolute; and you, my lord, would soften
The hardest heart, whilst virtue by Alvarez
In mildest accents pleads her powerful cause:
O since kind heaven to thee hath lent the art
Of soft persuasion, use it for thy son,
On thee alone depends the happiness
Of Guzman’s life: the proud Alzire scorns
My proffered hand: I love her but too well,
Heaven knows how dearly! but I cannot stoop
Meanly to sooth a haughty woman’s pride,
I cannot make myself a poor tame slave
To her imperious will; but thou hast power
O’er the fair tyrant’s father; talk to him
For the last time; let him command his daughter
To take my hand, and make your Guzman happy;
And yet it hurts my soul to think Alvarez
Should stoop so low, and be a suppliant for me.

alvarez.

Already I have spoke, and Montezuma
Hath seen his daughter; she will soon be thine.
I’ve been a friend to his unhappy race,
And soothed the sorrows of captivity:
Already he hath quitted his false gods;
Alzire too, a convert to our faith,
To this new world shines forth a bright example.
She only can unite the jarring nations,
And make us happy; thy long wished-for nuptials
Shall join two distant globes; these fierce barbarians,
Who now detest our laws, when they shall see
The daughter of their king in Guzman’s arms,
Cheerful beneath thy easy yoke shall bend
Their willing hearts, and soon be all our own:
But Montezuma comes; away, my son,
Expect me with Alzire at the altar.

SCENE II.

alvarez, montezuma.

alvarez.

At length, obedient to a father’s will,
Alzire yields, I hope, to thy persuasion.

montezuma.

If yet my daughter trembles at the thought
Of wedding him who has destroyed her race,
Alvarez will forgive a woman’s weakness;
For thou hast been a father to the wretched:
Thy gentle manners teach us to revere
That holy faith from whence they sprung; by thee
The will of heaven to this new world revealed,
Enlightened our dark minds; what mighty Spain
Unconquered left, thy virtue has subdued:
Thy cruel countrymen’s remorseless rage
Had rendered even thy God detestable,
But that in thee His great perfections shine,
His goodness, and His mercy; in thy heart
We trace his image; Montezuma’s thine,
His daughter, and his house; the good Alvarez
Shall have them all: Potosi and Peru,
With my Alzire, shall descend to Guzman:
Prepare the nuptial rites, adorn your temple,
And let your son be ready to receive her:
Methinks it is as if the immortal beings
Had deigned to visit earth, and mix with men.

alvarez.

O Montezuma, let me live to see
This blest event, and I shall die content.
O God, whose gracious hand conducted us
To this new world, enlighten and preserve it;
Propitious smile on these first holy vows
Made at thy altar here! adieu, my friend,
To thee I owe my Guzman’s happiness.

SCENE III.

montezuma.

[Alone.
O thou true God, whose powerful arm destroyed
Those idle deities I once adored,
Watch o’er the poor remains of my sad life,
And sooth my sorrows; I have lost my all,
All but Alzire, O protect her youth,
Watch o’er her steps, and guide her tender heart!

SCENE IV.

montezuma, alzire.

montezuma.

Daughter, the hour is come to make thyself
And the world happy, to command the conqueror,
And make the vanquished smile, restore thy country
To her lost honor, and to regal power
Rise from the bosom of adversity.
Alzire will obey, I know she will;
Dry up thy tears, a father must not see them.

alzire.

I have no will but yours; yet, O my lord,
See my despair, and look into my soul.

montezuma.

No more of that; thy word is passed, Alzire,
And I depend on it.

alzire.

’Twas extorted from me;
The cruel sacrifice: is this a time
To plight my faith, and think of nuptial joy,
This hapless day, when all I held most dear
Was ravished from me, when our wide-stretched empire
And all her hosts, the children of the sun,
Inglorious fell beneath the cruel Guzman?
O ’twas a day marked by the hand of heaven
As most unfortunate.

montezuma.

Our days, Alzire,
Are happy or unhappy from ourselves,
And not from circumstance or accident,
As superstition taught our ancestors
To credit; think no more on it.

alzire.

On this day
My Zamor fell, our country’s great avenger,
My lover, chosen by thee, by thee, my father,
To be Alzire’s husband.

montezuma.

I have paid
The debt of sorrow due to Zamor’s ashes,
And hold his memory dear; but death has cancelled
Your mutual bonds; therefore no longer shed
Those fruitless tears, but carry to the altar
A free and cheerful heart; thy God commands,
He calls thee to him; if thou art a Christian,
Now hear his voice.

alzire.

Alas! my lord, I know
A father’s power, and know my duty to him,
’Tis to obey, to fall a sacrifice
Before him; I have passed the utmost bounds
Which nature ever prescribed; thy will alone
Hath been my law, nor did I ever stain
With disobedience my true faith, for thee
I left my country’s gods, and am a Christian:
Alas! my father, why wouldst thou deceive me,
Why tell me, the new deity I serve
Would bring me peace, that his all-healing power
Would ease my tortured heart? delusive promise!
For O my lord, the deadly poison still
Lurks in my veins, still Zamor’s image dwells
In his Alzire’s heart, nor time nor death
Can e’er efface it: well I know Alvarez
Condemns that passion which he once approved:
But I will make him ample recompense
By my obedience:—wed me to the tyrant,
Give me to Guzman, ’tis a sacrifice
I owe my country; but remember, sir,
How dreadful ’tis, and tremble at the thought
Of such unnatural, such detested bonds,
Thou who condemnest me to these fatal nuptials,
Who bidst Alzire give her hand to Guzman,
And at the altar promise him a heart
Which is not hers to give.

montezuma.

What says my child?
O in the name of every tender tie
That binds thee to me, spare a wretched father!
Pity my age, and do not, by the woes
Which thou alone, Alzire, canst remove,
Let me entreat thee, O embitter not
The sad remainder of Alvarez’s life!
Have I not ever strove to make thee happy,
And wilt thou not return it? O my daughter,
Let virtue guide thy steps in duty’s path,
And lead thee on to bliss! thy country calls,
Wilt thou betray her? learn henceforth, Alzire,
To be the mistress of thyself.

alzire.

And must I
Learn to dissemble then? ungrateful task!

SCENE V.

guzman, alzire.

guzman.

These long delays, Alzire, are unkind,
And, let me add, ungenerous, to the man
Who lives but to oblige you: for thy sake
I stopped the hand of justice; all those captives,
Whose pardon you solicited, are free:
But I should blush to think that Guzman owed
Thy kind compliance to so poor a service;
’Tis on thyself, and thy consenting heart,
He founds his hopes, nor thought I ever till now
My happiness could make Alzire wretched.

alzire.

Wretched indeed! O grant, kind heaven, this day
May not prove fatal to us both! you see
I am abashed, confounded, left a prey
To horror and despair: do not these eyes
Alone betray the anguish of a mind
Oppressed with grief? canst thou not read it there?
I know thou canst: such is my nature, Guzman;
Ne’er did Alzire’s face belie her heart:
Dissimulation and disguise, my lord,
Are European arts, which I abhor.

guzman.

I love thy frankness, but lament the cause;
Zamor is still beloved, his memory lives
Within thy breast, my rival even in death:
This is too much, Alzire; duty, honor,
Virtue forbid it: weep no more, it wounds
My heart, and I am jealous of thy tears.

alzire.

Jealous of him, my lord, who in the grave
Is mouldering now, my loved, lamented Zamor?
For I confess I loved him, we were bound
By mutual vows, and still I weep his fate:
If thou art a friend to constancy and truth,
Thou wilt not blame my passion, but approve it.
By this, and this alone, may Guzman gain
Alzire’s heart.

SCENE VI.

guzman.

[Alone.
Her pride astonishes,
And yet I know not how her freedom charms me:
There is a savage beauty in her heart
That suits the wildness of her native clime;
But softer manners may subdue her mind,
And bind her stubborn fierceness to the yoke
Of duty; Guzman now is lord of all,
And nought remains unconquered but Alzire:
Resolved by force or art to make her mine,
Our hands, if not our hearts, shall be united.

End of the First Act.

ACT II.

SCENE I.

zamor, americans.

zamor.

My noble friends, and fellow-sufferers,
Whom dangers strengthen, and misfortunes make
But more illustrious, shall we ne’er obtain
Our sweet revenge, or honorable death?
Still must we live unable or to serve
Alzire, or our country; shall we never
Find out the hated Guzman, and destroy
That fell destroyer? O my country’s gods,
Powerless and vain, ye gave up this fair land
Of liberty to hostile deities;
And tamely suffered a few wandering Spaniards
To spoil your altars, lay your temples waste,
And desolate our empire; I have lost
A kingdom and Alzire; all is gone
But shame, and sorrow, and resentment, those
I carried with me to the burning sands
And gloomy deserts; there I cherished long
The secret hopes of vengeance: you, my friends
Revived your drooping Zamor, and inspired
His soul with flattering thoughts of better days:
Deep in the forest’s shade we left a band
Of chosen spirits, resolute and bold,
And hither came, impatient to observe
The walls upraised by our tremendous foe.
They watched, and seized us: in a dungeon long
Confined, at length our tyrant masters grant us
Leave to walk forth, and breathe the wholesome air,
Yet will not deign to let us know our fate:
Can none inform me where we are, who dwells
Within this seat of sorrow? where’s Alzire,
Where’s Montezuma, lives he, is he free,
Or a vile slave like Zamor? say, my friends,
And partners in affliction, know ye not?

an american.

Like you, my lord, in chains, and hither led
By secret paths, we’re ignorant of all:
Great Cacique, worthy of a better fate,
If ’tis decreed that thou must fall, at least
Thou shalt find friends prepared to perish with thee,
And own them not unworthy of their master.

zamor.

After a glorious victory, my friends,
A glorious death is most to be desired;
But O, to die in vile obscurity,
To perish thus in ignominious bondage,
To leave our bleeding country thus enslaved
By European robbers, those assassins
Whose thirst for blood and gold, these proud usurpers,
Who would extort by every cruel art
Of punishment those riches which we hold
More cheap, more worthless than themselves, to leave
My loved Alzire, Zamor’s dearer half,
To their licentious fury, O my friends,
’Tis worse than death: I tremble at the thought.

SCENE II.

alvarez, zamor, americans.

alvarez.

Live, and be free.

zamor.

Good heavens, what do I hear?
O unexpected sound! what God art thou
In human shape? a Spaniard, and forgive!
It cannot be: art thou the ruler here?

alvarez.

No, captive; I am only the protector
Of innocence oppressed.

zamor.

Thou good old man,
What is thy office here?

alvarez.

To aid the wretched.

zamor.

What could inspire thee with a thought so noble?

alvarez.

My gratitude, religion, and my God.

zamor.

God and religion! what! these cruel tyrants,
These ruffians, that still bathed in human blood
Depopulate earth, and change the smiling face
Of nature to a dreary desert, they
Who worship avarice alone! their God
Cannot be thine!

alvarez.

It is the same, my son,
But they offend him, they disgrace his name,
And are indeed more guilty; they abuse
Their new-got power: thou knowest their crime, but know
My duty too: twice hath the travelling sun
Enlightened in his course our world and yours
Since a brave Indian, who he was I know not,
Stepped from amidst his fellow-savages,
And saved me from their fury; from that moment
I felt your sorrows, pitied your misfortunes,
And held you as my brethren and my friends;
Could I but meet my kind deliverer,
That gallant stranger, I should die in peace.

zamor.

His age, his features, his transcendent virtue,
All, all conspire to say it is Alvarez:
Behold, and mark us well, canst thou distinguish
The hand that saved thee?

alvarez.

Gracious heaven! come near.
O Providence! it is, it must be he,
The wished-for object of my gratitude;
He whom these eyes, grown dim with age, have sought
So long in vain; my son, my benefactor,
What shall I do to serve thee? thou shalt live
With old Alvarez; he shall be thy father,
Thy guardian and protector here: kind heaven
In gracious pity hath prolonged my days,
That I might pay the debt I owe to thee.

zamor.

O if thy barbarous nation had possessed
But half the virtues that adorn Alvarez,
Our willing world had bowed submissive down
Before them; but their souls are not like thine,
For they delight in blood, whilst nature’s self
Abhorring shudders at their cruelty;
Death were more welcome far than life with them:
Urge me not therefore, good Alvarez, all
I wish to know is this, have they destroyed
My noble friend, the wretched Montezuma?
Where’s my Alzire’s father? O my lord,
Forgive these tears, the memory of past griefs
Sits heavy on me.

alvarez.

Let them flow my son,
’Tis the best mark of our humanity:
The heart that feels not for another’s woe
Is fit for every crime: thy friend survives,
And full of years and honors lives with us
In happiness and peace.

zamor.

Might I behold him?

alvarez.

Yes; thou shalt see him soon: may his persuasion
Induce thee to think better of us all,
And follow his example!

zamor.

Can he live
With Christians, Montezuma live with Christians?

alvarez.

Have patience, son, and he shall tell thee all,
Touching our union, and the sacred bonds
That soon shall bind in cords of amity
Our world to thine—but I must to my son,
And let him know my happiness; I leave thee
But for a moment; fare thee well.

SCENE III.

zamor, americans.

zamor.

At last
Heaven seems to smile on Zamor; I have found
Amongst these vile barbarians one just man,
Honest and true: Alvarez is a god,
Sent down from heaven to soften this rude world,
And bless mankind: he said he had a son,
That son shall be my brother and my friend,
If he is worthy of his noble father:
O glorious hope! shall I again behold
Great Montezuma after three long years?
Alzire too, my dear, my loved Alzire,
Shall I embrace thee, hast thou kept thy faith,
That first of virtues, to reward thy Zamor?
The heart oppressed is ever diffident:
Another old man comes this way: my soul
It still perplexed.

SCENE IV.

montezuma, zamor, americans.

zamor.

O noble Montezuma,
Do I once more embrace thee? see thy Zamor
Snatched from the jaws of death; he lives to save
And to defend his prince: behold thy friend,
Thy soldier, and thy son: O where’s Alzire?
Be quick, and tell me, let me know her fate,
My life depends on that.

montezuma.

Unhappy Cacique,
With grief sincere we have lamented thee;
Thy fellow-soldiers to thy memory raised
The decent tomb, and every honor paid
Due to thy virtues: but thank heaven! thou livest,
Henceforth may happier days await thee, Zamor!
But say, why camest thou hither?

zamor.

To avenge
My gods, myself, my father and Alzire.

montezuma.

What sayst thou?

zamor.

Call to mind that dreadful day
When the fierce Spaniard, terrible in arms,
Rushed through our powerless hosts, o’erthrew our bulwarks,
And laid our empire waste; his name was Guzman:
That name, thou well rememberest, was the signal
Given for destruction; at that name they snatched
The sweet Alzire, thy loved daughter, from me,
And bore her to captivity with thee
And all thy race; destroyed the holy altar,
Where I had hoped to make Alzire mine,
Then dragged me to the tyrant: shall I tell thee
What cruel torments that insatiate monster
Inflicted on me, to extort confession
Of hidden gold, the Christian’s deity,
Which we despise and trample on? half-dead
They left me and retired: time, Montezuma,
Can never bury injuries like mine;
Thou seest me here, prepared for great revenge:
Some chosen friends, attached to Zamor’s cause,
By equal wrongs provoked, with equal hate
Inspired, await me in the neighboring forest,
Resolved with me to conquer or to die.

montezuma.

O Zamor, whither would thy headlong passion
Transport thee? wherefore wouldst thou thus pursue
That death which seems so willing to avoid thee?
What can thy friends do for thee? their weak arms,
Their fish-bone spears, their sabres made of stone,
Their soldiers naked, and ill-disciplined,
Against these giants armed with mortal steel,
And launching their dread thunder bolts against thee?
Swift as the winds, their fiery coursers bear them
To certain victory; the world is theirs,
And we, my Zamor, must submit.

zamor.

Whilst life
Shall animate these veins, I never will:
No, Montezuma: their destructive thunder,
Their coats of steel, their fiery coursers taught
Like them to fight, and share their master’s glory,
This might affright, and terrify a while
Our gaping savages, but I behold
This pompous scene unruffled: to subdue
Our haughty foe one thing alone’s required,
And that is, not to fear them; novelty,
That conquers cowards, only has enslaved us:
Gold, that pernicious native of our soil,
Draws Europe hither, but defends us not
Against her; niggard nature has denied us
A nobler metal, her all-conquering steel,
And given it to barbarians; but kind heaven,
In lieu of this indulgence, hath bestowed
Virtues on us which Europe never knew.
I come to fight and conquer for Alzire.

montezuma.

Urge it no more, my Zamor, heaven declares
Against us, calm thy rage; the times are changed.

zamor.

Changed, didst thou say, my lord? it cannot be,
If Montezuma’s heart is still the same,
If my Alzire’s faithful, if I live
Still in her memory.—Thou turnest aside
And weepest.

montezuma.

Unhappy Zamor!

zamor.

Am I not
Thy son? our tyrants have not altered thee?
They cannot, sure they cannot have corrupted
An old man’s heart, and made it false as theirs?

montezuma.

I am not guilty, Zamor, nor are all
These conquerors tyrants; some were sent by heaven
To guide our footsteps in the paths of truth,
To teach us arts unknown, immortal secrets,
The knowledge of mankind, the arts, my son,
To speak, to think, to live, and to be happy.

zamor.

O horrid! canst thou praise these ruffians, whilst
Thy daughter, thy Alzire, is their slave?

montezuma.

Zamor, Alzire’s free.

zamor.

Ha! Montezuma,
Alzire free? forgive me, but remember,
She’s mine, my lord, by every solemn tie;
You promised me, before the gods you promised,
To give her to me; they received our vows;
She is not perjured?

montezuma.

Call not on those gods,
For they are vain, and fancied idols all;
I have abjured them, and henceforth must worship
That power supreme which hath subdued them.

zamor.

Ha!
The law of thy forefathers, thy religion,
Is that deserted?

montezuma.

I have found its weakness,
And left its vain chimeras: may the God
Of Gods convert thee, and inspire with truth
Thy unenlightened soul! unhappy Zamor,
Soon mayest thou know that Europe thou condemnest,
Her virtues, and her faith!

zamor.

What mighty virtues
Has she to boast? thou art indeed a slave
If thou hast lost thy gods, thy faith, thy honor,
And broke thy sacred word: Alzire too,
Has she betrayed me? O take heed!

montezuma.

My heart
Reproaches me for nothing: fare thee well!
I bless my own good fate, and weep for thine.

zamor.

If thou art false, thou hast cause to weep indeed:
Pity the torments which I feel for thee,
And for thy guilt; pity a heart distracted
By love and vengeance; let me find out Guzman
Let me behold Alzire, let me fall
Beneath her feet; O do not hide her from me:
Conduct me, urge me not thus to despair,
Put on a human heart, let thy lost virtue—

SCENE V.

montezuma, zamor,Guards.

guard.

[To Montezuma.
The ceremony waits, my lord.

montezuma.

I come.

zamor.

Thou wilt not leave me? tell me, Montezuma,
What ceremony’s this.

montezuma.

No more: away,
And leave this fatal place.

zamor.

Though heaven itself
Forbade me, I would follow thee.

montezuma.

Forgive
My rude denial, Zamor, but you must not,
I say you must not—guards, prevent him—pagans
Must not profane our Christian altars; I
Command not here, but Guzman speaks by me:
You must obey: farewell.

SCENE VI.

zamor, americans.

zamor.

What do I hear?
Guzman? O shameful treason! Montezuma
The slave of Guzman! where is virtue fled?
Alzire too, is my Alzire guilty?
Has she too drank corruption’s poisonous bowl
From these vile Christians?—that destroyer Guzman
Rules here, it seems; what’s to be done?

first american.

Permit me
To counsel you, my lord; the good old man
Who saved thee with his son will soon return,
He can deny you nothing; ask of him
Safe conduct to the city gates; that done,
We may return and join our noble friends
Against the foe: I doubt not of success:
We will not spare a man of them except
Alvarez, and his son: I’ve marked, my lord,
With most observant eye, their fosses, ramparts,
And brazen thunders, European arts
That fright not me: alas! our countrymen
Forge their own shameful chains, and tamely bend
Beneath these sons of pride; but soon, my lord,
When they shall see their great avenger here,
Then will they rise indignant, and destroy
This ignominious work of slavery:
Yes; on the bleeding bodies of our foes
We’ll make a path to glory; on the heads
Of these vile Christians turn the fiery tempest,
And with their own destructive instruments
Of murder shake this all-usurping power,
Founded by pride on ignorance and fear.

zamor.

O how I joy, ye great unfortunate,
To find your kindred breasts thus nobly beat
With sympathetic fury! let us punish
The haughty Guzman, let his blood atone
For our lost country’s: O thou deity
Of injured mortals, sweet revenge, O come,
Assist thy servants, let but Guzman perish
And we are satisfied! but O my friends,
We talk of vengeance, yet are captives still,
Still groan beneath the yoke of shameful bondage:
Deserted by Alvarez, and betrayed
By Montezuma, all I love perhaps
Is in the power of him whom most I hate,
The only comfort left me is—to doubt.
But hark! what noise is that? the torches flame
On every side, and yield a double day:
This barbarous people’s brazen thunder speaks
Some horrid rites, or pompous sacrifice
Preparing: look around, and see if Zamor
Shall save his much-loved friends, or perish with them.

End of the Second Act.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

alzire.

[Alone.
Ye manes of my dear departed Zamor,
Forgive me, O forgive the wife of Guzman!
The holy altar hath received our vows,
And they are sealed in heaven: pursue me not,
Indignant shade! O if Alzire’s tears,
Her bitter anguish, her remorse, the pangs
Of her reluctant soul, can reach the dead,
If in a happier world thou still retainest
Thy generous noble spirit, thou wilt pardon
My weakness; ’twas a father’s cruel will,
A people’s happiness required it of me;
Could I refuse the dreadful sacrifice?
Thou art at peace, my Zamor, do not thus
Distract my soul, but leave me to my fate;
Alas! already it has cost me dear.

SCENE II.

alzire, emira.

alzire.

And shall I not behold my countrymen,
The loved companions of my infant years,
Those wretched captives, may I not enjoy
The mournful privilege to mix with theirs
My friendly tears, and mourn their cruel fate?

emira.

O madam, we have cause indeed to weep,
To dread the wrath of Guzman, to lament
And tremble for our country; for the hour
Of slaughter and destruction is at hand:
Again I saw the bloody flag displayed,
The proud tribunal’s met, and Montezuma
Is summoned to appear: all dreadful omens!
What will become of us?

alzire.

Unpitying heaven!
I’ve been deceived, betrayed:—cruel O Guzman!
Was it for this I gave him at the altar
My long reluctant hand? that fatal bond
I shall repent of to my latest hour:
O under what malignant star, my father,
Madest thou these cruel, these detested nuptials?

SCENE III.

alzire, emira, cephanes.

cephanes.

One of those slaves, whom this propitious day
Restored to freedom, begs admittance to you
In secret.

alzire.

Let him enter; ’twill rejoice
My heart to see him; he and all his friends
Are welcome to Alzire: but why comes he
Alone?

cephanes.

Some secret labors in his breast,
Which you and only you, he says, must know.
’Twas he, it seems, whose heaven-directed arm
Saved the good father of thy valiant lord,
The noble Guzman.

emira.

He has sought you long;
But Montezuma’s private orders were,
He should not see you: melancholy sits
On his dark brow, as if he were intent
On some great purpose.

cephanes.

Grief and anguish seem
To rack his soul: at mention of your name
He sighed, and wept, as if yet ignorant
Of your new honors and the rank you bear.

alzire.

Unworthy rank, and honors I despise!
Perhaps the hero knows my wretched race.
And is no stranger to Alzire’s woes:
Perhaps he knew my Zamor; who can tell
But he might be a witness of his death,
And comes to tell the melancholy tale?
A dreadful duty! that would but renew
A lover’s pangs, and double my distress;
But let him come: I know not why my heart
Should flutter thus; this hateful palace ever
Hath been a scene of sad disquietude
And trouble to me: bid him enter.

SCENE IV.

alzire, zamor, emira.

zamor.

Yes;
It is Alzire: is she then restored?

alzire.

Such were his features, voice, and motion: heaven!
It cannot be: O Zamor!—O support me.
[She faints.

zamor.

’Tis he.

alzire.

Ha! Zamor at Alzire’s feet?
’Tis all delusion.

zamor.

No; I live for thee,
And at thy feet reclaim thy plighted faith;
O my Alzire, idol of my soul,
Wilt thou not hear me? where are all thy vows,
The sacred ties that bound us fast together?
Thou hast not broke them?

alzire.

Thou dear fatal object
Of grief and joy, of rapture and despair,
In what a dreadful moment hast thou chose
To meet Alzire? every word thou utterest
But plunges a new dagger in my heart.

zamor.

Thou weepest, yet lookest on Zamor!

alzire.

’Tis too late:

zamor.

I know you thought me dead: e’er since that hour
Of terror, when those European tyrants
Deprived me of my gods, my throne and thee,
I’ve been a poor unhappy wanderer.
Knowest thou, my love, that savage murderer, Guzman,
With ignominious stripes, and cruel torture,
Insulted me? the husband of thy choice,
Thy once loved happy Zamor, fell a prey
To ruffians:—how it wounds thy tender heart!
Thou burnest with fierce resentment of my wrongs,
And thou wilt join with Zamor to avenge them:
Some guardian god, propitious to our loves,
Saved me from death, that we might meet again
In happiness: I hope Alzire’s true:
Thou hast not left thy gods, betrayed thy country,
Thou art not grown a false perfidious Spaniard?
They tell me I shall meet with Guzman here,
I come to free thee from that proud barbarian:
Thou lovest me, my Alzire, and wilt give
The victim to my wrath.

alzire.

Thou hast been wronged;
Revenge thyself and see thy victim—here.

zamor.

What sayest thou?—ha! thy faith, thy vows—

alzire.

No more,
But strike—I merit not life or thee.

zamor.

O cruel Montezuma! what thou toldest me
Was but too true.

alzire.

And could he tell thee all;
Named he the wretch for whom I quitted Zamor?

zamor.

He did not, durst not name him; that remains
For thee: O speak it: I shall be surprised
At nothing.

alzire.

Hear then all my guilt.

zamor.

Alzire!

alzire.

That Guzman—

zamor.

Gracious heaven!

alzire.

Thy murderer,
Within this hour received my guilty hand;
He is—my husband.

zamor.

Guzman!

alzire.

Montezuma,
Alvarez—they betrayed my easy youth,
And urged me to the deed: the lost Alzire
Did at the Christian altar give up all
That she held dear on earth, her gods, her country,
Her—Zamor: O by those dear injured names
I beg thee, take this hated life.

zamor.

Alzire,
Can it be true? is Guzman then thy husband?

alzire.

To plead a father’s undisputed right,
To say how long I struggled with my duty,
To number o’er the fruitless tears I shed
For three long years lamenting Zamor’s death,
That still I loved thee, that I left in wrath
Those powerless gods that had deserted thee.
And from despair alone became a Christian,
Perhaps might mitigate Alzire’s crime;
But I disdain it, I acknowledge all,
Confess my guilt, and sue for punishment.
Who shall absolve the wretch whom love condemns?
Take then a life that is not worth my care
Without thee; dost thou not abhor me, Zamor?

zamor.

No: if thou lovest me still, thou are not guilty:
May I yet hope that Zamor has a place
In his Alzire’s heart?

alzire.

When old Alvarez
And Montezuma led me to the altar
I thought on Zamor, thought him then no more,
But reverenced, but adored his memory:
Our tyrants, our usurpers know I loved thee;
I told them all, told heaven and earth, nay told
My husband—and O take this last farewell,
I love thee still.

zamor.

Is this then our last hour
Of happiness, and must we part so soon,
So lately met? O if the voice of love—

alzire.

’Tis Guzman and his father.

SCENE V.

alvarez, guzman, zamor, alzire,Attendants.

alvarez.

[To Guzman.
Son, behold
With thy Alzire stands my great preserver,
My benefactor, my deliverer.
[To Zamor.
O noble youth, to thee I owe my life,
Let me embrace thee, be my second son,
And share the pleasures of this happy day
With Guzman and Alvarez.

zamor.

He thy son;
Guzman then thy son, that proud barbarian?

alzire.

Avert the terrors of this dreadful moment,
Indulgent heaven!

alvarez.

In what astonishment—

zamor.

How could a father, brave and good, like thee
Be cursed with such a son?

guzman.

Insulting slave,
Who gave thee license thus to spurn thy master?
Thou knowest not who I am.

zamor.

I know thee well;
And thou among the wretches thou hast made
Perhaps mayest one day meet the injured Zamor.

guzman.

And art thou he?

alvarez.

Ha! Zamor!

zamor.

’Tis the same,
’Tis Zamor, whom thy cruel hand oppressed
With ignominious tortures, he whose eye
Thou darest not meet; thou tyrant ravisher,
Comest thou at last to rob me of my best
And dearest treasure? with thy ruthless sword
Make sure thy vengeance, and prevent the fate
Which thou deservest, ere Zamor, who preserved
The father, shall chastise the guilty son.

alvarez.

[To Guzman.
What sayest thou, Guzman, canst thou answer this?

guzman.

It were beneath me; punishment alone
Should answer insolence, and, but for thee,
Ere this he should have met with it.
[Turning to Alzire.
You, madam,
For your own honor might have more regard,
If not for mine, than thus to parley with
A traitor: come, no more of this, Alzire,
Thy tears offend me: husbands may be jealous;
Remember that and tremble.

alzire.

[To Guzman.
Cruel Guzman!
My kind protector,
[Turning to Alvarez.
Good Alvarez, hear me:
And thou,
[To Zamor.
In better days my dearest hope,
O look with pity on the lost Alzire!
[Pointing to Zamor.
Behold the husband whom my father chose;
Long ere this hapless country bowed the neck
To European tyrants, Zamor fell,
So fame reported, and with him Peru,
Then first subdued: my wretched father, old
And full of sorrows, to the Christian’s God,
Forsaken by his own, indignant fled;
The Christian altar saw Alzire’s hand
Given to her lover’s murderer: thy new faith,
Which yet I know not, may condemn Alzire,
But virtue will forgive me when I add,
That still I love thee, Zamor; but my oath,
My marriage vow, rash fatal marriage! says
I never must be thine—nor can I now
Be Guzman’s—false to both, ye both have cause
To hate me: which of you will kindly end
My wretched being? Guzman’s hand, already
Stained with the blood of my unhappy race,
Were fittest to revenge the injured rights
Of honor and of love; be just for once,
And strike the guilty.

guzman.

Darest thou thus abuse
The goodness thou deservest not? but remember
’Twas thy request; thy punishment is ready:
My rival dies;—away with him.

alvarez.

Inhuman!
O stop, my son, consider what is due
To him who saved thy father—ye are both
My children—let that tender name inspire
Your breasts with pity for an aged father:
At least—

SCENE VI.

alvarez, guzman, alzire, zamor.

don alonzo,a Spanish officer.

alonzo.

My lord, the foe is at our gates;
On every side their brazen bucklers ring
With barbarous dissonance: aloud they cry,
Revenge, and Zamor, whilst with measured steps,
Solemn and slow, the close-wedged phalanx moves,
As if these savages had learned from us
The arts by which we conquered them.

guzman.

Away:
Let us be gone; my presence soon shall teach
These slaves their duty—heroes of Castile,
Ye sons of victory, this new world was made
To wear your chains, to fear, and to obey you.

zamor.

To fear and to obey? ’tis false, proud Guzman;
Ye are but mortals like ourselves, no more.

guzman.

Guards, drag him hence.

zamor.

[To the Spaniards surrounding him.
Ye dare not: are ye gods,
And must we worship deities thus bathed
In our own blood?

guzman.

Obey me, slaves.

alzire.

My lord!

alvarez.

Remember, son, that Zamor saved thy father.

guzman.

My lord, I shall remember your instructions,
You taught me how to conquer, and I fly
Once more to victory: farewell!

SCENE VII.

alvarez, alzire.

alzire.

[Kneeling.
My lord,
Behold me at your feet, accept the homage
Due to thy virtues! Guzman’s injured honor
Calls for revenge, Alzire was to blame;
But I was bound to Zamor by the ties
Of sacred love, long ere I knew thy son;
We cannot give our hearts a second time:
Zamor had mine, and ever must preserve it:
O he is good and virtuous, for he saved
Thy life, Alvarez—O forgive me!

alvarez.

Rise
Alzire, I forgive and pity thee;
Feel as a father and a friend thy sorrows,
Lament thy Zamor’s fate, and will protect him:
But let the solemn vow thou madest to Guzman
Be graved within thy heart; thou are no longer
The mistress of thyself: remember well
Thou art my daughter—Guzman was most cruel,
I know he was, but still he is—thy husband:
Perhaps he may relent; heaven grant he may!

alzire.

Alas! why art not thou my Zamor’s father?

End of the Third Act.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.

alvarez, guzman.

alvarez.

Fortune, my son, has crowned thee with success,
Endeavor to deserve it; do not stain
The laurel wreath with blood, but let fair mercy,
That adds new lustre to the conqueror’s glory,
Inspire thy breast with pity; be a man,
A Christian, and forgive: Alvarez asks thee
To pardon Zamor—shall a father plead
In vain? O Guzman, shall I never soften
Thy savage manners, never teach my son
To conquer hearts?

guzman.

Alvarez has pierced mine
Most deeply; ask my life, and it is yours,
But leave my honor, leave me my revenge;
How can I pardon Zamor, when I know
Alzire loves him?

alvarez.

Therefore he deserves
Thy pity more.

guzman.

O to be pitied thus,
And thus beloved, Guzman would die with pleasure.

alvarez.

With all that fierce resentment, feelest thou too
The pangs of jealousy?

guzman.

And canst thou blame
An injured husband? I have too much cause
For jealousy, and yet thou pitiest not
The unhappy Guzman.

alvarez.

Thou art wild, impetuous,
And bitter in thy wrath; Alzire’s virtues
Deserve a milder treatment; when opposed,
Her open heart, rough as her native soil,
Resists with stubborn firmness, but would yield
To soft persuasion; gentle means, my son,
Are ever the most powerful.

guzman.

Must I soothe
The pride of beauty, wear a brow serene,
And cover my resentment, to expose
My easy heart to new indignities?
I should have thought that, jealous of my honor
You would approve, and not condemn my rage:
Is it not shame enough that I am wedded
To a proud slave who hates me, braves my power,
And owns her heart is given to another?
Whom yet, to make me more accursed, I love.

alvarez.

Why blush at that? it is a lawful passion,
Indulge, but keep it within proper bounds,
For all excess is guilty—only promise
You will determine nothing till I’ve seen her
Once more.

guzman.

A father’s will must be obeyed;
I will suspend my wrath, but urge me, sir,
No further.

alvarez.

All I want is time: farewell.
[Exit.

guzman.

[Alone.
And have I lived to envy Zamor’s fate,
To envy a vile slave, who scarce deserves
The name of man!—What do I see? Alzire!

SCENE II.

guzman, alzire, emira.

alzire.

’Tis I, my lord, ’tis the afflicted wife
Of Guzman; she who honors, who reveres
And yet has injured thee: I come, my lord,
To throw me at your feet, to own my crime,
And beg forgiveness: nought have I disguised,
My open heart confessed its fatal passion
For the unhappy Zamor; if he dies,
He dies because Alzire was sincere;
But I shall more astonish thee, I come
To plead for him: I know that Guzman’s proud,
Resentful, and severe, and yet I hope
He may be generous, ’tis a conqueror’s pride,
His glory to forgive: an act like this
Would gain thee more than conquest can bestow,
Win every heart, perhaps even change Alzire’s.
A fawning Spaniard might have promised more,
Have sighed, and wept, and softened thee with tears,
Which I disdain; the hand of nature formed
My plain untutored heart, if ought can move it,
’Tis generosity: let Guzman try
If it is made of penetrable mould.

guzman.

If you’re so fond of virtue, ’twould become you
To know and practise it, to study, madam,
Those manners you condemn, to learn your duty,
To treat yourself, your honor, and your fame
With more respect; nor dare to name a rival
Whom I abhor, but wait in humble silence
Till I determine what shall be his fate;
It is enough if I forgive Alzire:
This heart is not insensible; but know,
Those who believe shall always find me cruel.

SCENE III.

alzire, emira.

emira.

He loves you still, and yet may be persuaded.

alzire.

Ay, but he’s jealous, that destroys my Zamor,
I lost his life by asking it; but say,
Emira, canst thou save him? shall he live,
Though far from his Alzire? didst thou try
That soldier?

emira.

Yes; the grand corrupter, gold,
Has bought him to our interest; he is ready.

alzire.

Thank heaven, that metal doth not always prove
The instrument of ill: but haste, Emira.

emira.

Is Zamor then devoted to destruction?
Cannot Alvarez save him? have the council—

alzire.

I have a thousand fears for him: alas!
These tyrants think the world was made for them,
That they were born the sovereigns of mankind,
That Zamor is a rebel and a slave:
Barbarians as they are—this cruel council—
But I’ll prevent their murderous purposes:
That soldier, my Emira, how he lingers!

emira.

Be not alarmed; night’s friendly shade protects him,
And he will soon be here with Zamor; sleep
Hath closed the tyrant’s eyes, and we are safe.

alzire.

O let him lead me to the prison gate
That I may set him free.

emira.

Behold, he comes:
But should ye be discovered, foul dishonor,
Disgrace, and infamy—

alzire.

Attend on her
Who would betray the man she loves; this shame
Thou talkest of is a European phantom,
Which fools mistake for virtue! ’tis the love
Of glory not of justice, not the fear
Of vice but of reproach; a shame unknown
In these untutored climes, where honor shines
In its own native light, and scorns the aid
Of such false lustre; honor bids me save
A lover and a hero thus deserted.

SCENE IV.

alzire, zamor, emira,a soldier.

alzire.

O Zamor, all is lost, thy punishment
Already is prepared, and thou art doomed
To instant death; lose not a moment’s time,
But haste away, this soldier will conduct thee:
Alas! thou seest my grief and my despair,
O save my husband from the guilt of murder,
Save thy dear self, and leave me to my fate.

zamor.

Thou bidst me live, I must obey Alzire:
But wilt thou follow the poor friendless Zamor?
A desert and this heart are all I now
Have left to offer; once I had a throne.

alzire.

What were a throne and empire without thee?
Alas! my Zamor, to the gloomy desert
My soul shall follow thee; but I am doomed
To wander here alone, to drag a life
Of bitterness and woe, to spend my hours
In sad reflections on my wretched state,
To be another’s, and yet burn for thee:
I bid farewell to Zamor and to joy;
Away, and leave me to my duty; fain
Would I preserve my honor, and my love,
They both are sacred.

zamor.

What’s this idle honor,
This European phantom, that deludes thee;
This Christian altar, those detested oaths
Extorted from thee, this triumphant God;
What have they done to rob me of Alzire?

alzire.

My sacred promise—

zamor.

’Twas a guilty vow,
And binds thee not; perdition on thy oaths,
And thy false God, whom I abhor! farewell!

alzire.

O stop, my Zamor.

zamor.

Guzman is thy husband.

alzire.

Do not upbraid but pity me.

zamor.

O think
On our past loves.

alzire.

I think but on thy danger.

zamor.

Thou hast betrayed me.

alzire.

No; I love thee still:
If ’tis a crime, I own, nay glory in it;
But hence, and leave me here to die alone;
Some dreadful purpose labors in thy breast:
How thy eyes roll! O Zamor—

zamor.

’Tis resolved.

alzire.

Where art thou going?

zamor.

Glorious liberty,
I’ll use thee nobly.

alzire.

If thou diest remember
I perish with thee.

zamor.

In this hour of terror
Thou talkest to me of love: but time is precious,
Conduct me, soldier; fare thee well.

SCENE V.

alzire.

He’s gone;
But where I know not: dreadful moment! Guzman,
For thee I quitted Zamor: haste, Emira,
Follow him, fly, return, and tell me all.
Thinkest thou that soldier will be faithful to us?
[Exit Emira.
I know not why, but something tells me here,
This day, for me, will be a day of horror.
O God of Christians, thou all-conquering power,
Whom yet I know not, O remove the cloud
From my dark mind; if by my fatal passion
I have offended thee, pour all thy vengeance
On me, but spare my Zamor; O conduct
His wandering footsteps through the dreary desert!
Is Europe only worthy of thy care?
Art thou the partial parent of one world,
And tyrant o’er another? all deserve
Thy equal love, the victor and the vanquished
Are all the work of thy creating hand.
But hark! what dreadful cry is that? methought
They called on Zamor—hark! again that noise!
It comes this way: my Zamor’s lost.

SCENE VI.

alzire, emira.

alzire.

Emira,
I’m glad thou art come: what hast thou seen, what done?
Where is he? speak, and ease my troubled soul.

emira.

O it is past all hope; he cannot live:
Conducted safely by the faithful soldier
He passed the guards, then darting from him rushed
Towards the palace; trembling I pursued him,
Amidst the horrors of the silent night,
Almost to Guzman’s chamber; there he escaped me,
Though oft I called on him, oft looked in vain:
I heard a dreadful shriek, some cried aloud,
He’s dead: the palace is in arms: fly, madam,
And save yourself.

alzire.

Let us begone, and help
My Zamor.

emira.

What can we do for him?

alzire.

Die.

SCENE VII.

alzire, emira, don alonzo,Guards.

alonzo.

I’ve orders, madam, to secure you.

alzire.

Slave,
What meanest thou? where’s my Zamor?

alonzo.

That I know not:
Permit me to conduct you.

alzire.

Cruel fate!
I must not die then? Zamor is no more,
And yet I live, a captive, and in chains:
O ignominious!—dost thou weep, barbarian?
I must indeed be wretched, if my woes
Can touch a heart like thine; I’ll follow thee;
If death awaits me, I obey with pleasure.

End of the Fourth Act.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

alzire,Guards.

alzire.

Prepare your tortures, you who call yourselves
The judges of mankind; why am I left
In dread suspense, uncertain of my fate?
To live, or die? if I but mention Zamor
The guards around me tremble, and look pale,
His very name affrights them.

SCENE II.

montezuma, alzire.

alzire.

Ha! my father!

montezuma.

O my Alzire, what a scene of woe
Hath thy imprudent fatal passion brought
Among us! we were pleading for thy Zamor,
The good Alvarez had well nigh prevailed,
When on a sudden an armed soldier rushed
With violence in, and bore down all before him;
’Twas Zamor’s self; with fury in his aspect,
And wild distraction, on he sprang to Guzman,
Attacked, and plunged the dagger in his breast:
The blood that issued from your husband’s wound
Gushed on your father: Zamor then resigned,
With calm submission at Alvarez’s feet
Fell humble; “take,” he cried, “this guilty sword,
Stained with thy Guzman’s blood, I am revenged;
Now nature calls on thee to do thy duty,
As I have mine; strike here;” then bared his breast
To the expected blow: the good Alvarez
Sunk breathless in my arms; confusion followed
And cries and horror; Guzman’s friends upraised him,
Bound up his wounds, and tried by every art
Of medicine to preserve his life; the people
Accuse thee as accomplice in the deed,
And call for justice on thee.

alzire.

And couldst thou—

montezuma.

O no; my heart suspects thee not, Alzire,
Thy soul I know is capable of error,
But not of guilt: alas! thou didst not see
The precipice before thee: Guzman dies
By Zamor’s hand, thy husband by thy lover;
They will condemn thee to a shameful death,
But I will try if possible to move
The council in thy favor.

alzire.

Do not sue
For me, my father, of these cruel tyrants,
Let but Alvarez live, and love me still,
I ask no more: Guzman’s untimely fate
I must lament, because ’twas horrible,
Because, more dreadful still, he had deserved it:
Zamor avenged his wrongs, I cannot blame
Nor can I praise him for it; he must die;
Alzire wishes but to follow him.

alvarez.

O heaven, assist me in this work of mercy!

SCENE III.

alzire.

Now end all gracious power, this wretched being!
Alas! Alzire, the new God thou servest
Withholds thy hand, and says thou must not finish
Thy hated life; the deities I left
Denied me not the privilege to die.
Is it a crime to hasten on, perhaps
A few short years, the universal doom
Appointed for us all? and must we drink
The bitter cup of sorrow to the dregs?
In this vile body is there aught so sacred
That the free spirit should not leave at will
Its homely mansion? this all-conquering nation,
Shall they depopulate earth, destroy my race,
Condemn Alzire, and I not be mistress
Of my own life? Barbarians! Zamor then
Must die in tortures.

SCENE IV.

zamorin chains,alzire,Guards.

zamor.

Yes, it is decreed:
We both must die; beneath the specious name
Of justice, the tribunal hath condemned us;
Guzman yet lives, my erring hand had left
Its work unfinished; the barbarian lives
To glut his vengeance with Alzire’s blood,
To taste a tyrant’s savage joy, and see us
Perish together—to pronounce our doom
Alvarez comes: I am the guilty cause;
Thou diest for me, Alzire.

alzire.

Then no more,
For death is welcome if it comes with Zamor:
O bless the happy hour that shall dissolve
My ties to Guzman; I may love thee now
Without a crime, without remorse; receive
The heart that’s due to thee, and thee alone:
Yon dreadful scaffold, for our death prepared,
Shall be the altar of my love; there, Zamor,
I’ll offer up my faith, and expiate there
My crime of infidelity—the worst
Of all our sentence is, that it must come
From good Alvarez.

zamor.

See, he’s here; his cheeks
Are bathed in tears.

alzire.

Alas! who most deserves
Compassion? this will be a dreadful parting.

SCENE V.

alzire, zamor, alvarez,Guards.

zamor.

From you we both expect to hear our fate,
Pronounce it, we are not afraid to die:
Zamor deserves it, he has slain thy son,
The son of good Alvarez, of my friend;
But what, my lord, has this fair innocent,
What has Alzire done? thou art not cruel,
Proud, and revengeful, like thy countrymen,
Distinguished by thy clemency, we loved
Alvarez; wilt thou give up the fair title
Of just and good, and bathe thee in the blood
Of innocence?

alzire.

Avenge thyself, avenge
Thy son; but do not thus condemn the guiltless:
I am the wife of Guzman, that alone
Should tell thee, I would save, and not betray him,
Even though I hated, I respected him,
And swerved not from my faith, thou knowest I did not:
Careless of what the slandering multitude
May think, I rest my character on thee;
Acquitted by Alvarez, for the rest
’Tis equal all: if Zamor dies, Alzire
Must go with him: I pity thee alone.

alvarez.

Amazing scene of tenderness and horror!
That he should be the murderer of my son
Who was my kind deliverer! O Zamor,
To thee I owe a life which I abhor;
It was a fatal gift, and bought too dear:
I am a father, yet I am a man;
Spite of a parent’s grief that cries aloud
For vengeance on thee, gratitude pleads strongly;
She will be heard:—and thou who wert my daughter,
Whom yet I call by that dear tender name;
Think not I joy in the inhuman pleasure
Of fell revenge; I lose a friend, I lose
A daughter, and a son: the council dooms thee
To death, and bids a wretched father pass
The cruel sentence; I could not refuse
The dreadful task, and now am come, my children,
To save you both: it is in Zamor’s power.

zamor.

To save Alzire? say, what’s to be done?

alvarez.

Believe in Him who now inspires Alvarez;
One word will change your fate: the law decrees,
Whoe’er becomes a Christian meets forgiveness,
The God of pardon will himself o’ershade
Thy every crime, and take thee to his mercy;
Spain will protect and love thee as a brother;
Alzire shall be safe, ye both shall live;
I’ll answer for her life as for thy own;
Zamor, to thee I speak; of thee I ask
Another life, I owe thee one already;
A father asks thee only to be happy,
To be a Christian, and to save Alzire.

alzire.

What says my love? say, should we purchase life
So dearly? Shall I quit my gods for Guzman’s,
And be a traitor? tell me, thou sage tyrant,
When I was master of thy fate, wouldst thou,
Had Zamor sued, have quitted thy own gods
For mine?

alvarez.

I should have done as now I do,
Implored the almighty being to enlighten
A heart like thine, and make thee a true Christian.

zamor.

O cruel contest! what am I to choose,
Or life or death, Alzire, or my gods,
Which must I leave? Alzire, ’tis thy cause,
Determine it; I think thou wouldst not bring
Dishonor on thy Zamor.

alzire.

Hear me then:
Thou knowest that, to obey a father’s will,
I gave another what to thee alone
I had devoted; I embraced his faith,
And worshipped Montezuma’s God; perhaps
It was the error of my easy youth,
And thou wilt blame me for it; but methought
The law of Christians was the law of truth,
And therefore only did I make it mine
But to renounce those gods our heart adores;
That is no venial error, but a crime
Of deepest die; it is to give up both,
The God we worship, and the God we leave;
’Tis to be false to heaven, to the world,
And to ourselves: no, Zamor, if thou diest,
Die worthy of Alzire; hear the voice
Of conscience; act as she alone directs thee.

zamor.

Thou hast determined as I thought thou wouldst,
Zamor shall die with honor.

alvarez.

Then ye scorn
Our proffered mercy: hark! those mournful cries—

SCENE VII.

alvarez, guzman, zamor, americans,soldiers.

zamor.

O save Alzire; let me perish.

alzire.

No:
I will be joined to Guzman, and to thee.

alvarez.

My son is in the agonies of death;
O Guzman, hear me.

zamor.

Look on Zamor, learn
Of him to die.

guzman.

[To Zamor.
Perhaps I may teach thee
Another lesson: I have owed the world
A good example long, and now I mean
To pay the debt.
[Turning to Alvarez.
My soul is on the wing,
And ere she takes her flight but waits to see
And imitate Alvarez; O my father,
The mask is off, death has at last unveiled
The hideous scene, and showed me to myself;
New light breaks in on my astonished soul:
O I have been a proud, ungrateful being,
And trampled on my fellow-creatures: heaven
Avenges earth: my life can never atone
For half the blood I’ve shed: prosperity
Had blinded Guzman, death’s benignant hand
Restores my sight; I thank the instrument
Employed by heaven to make me what I am.
A penitent: I yet am master here;
And yet can pardon: Zamor, I forgive thee,
Live and be free; but O remember how
A Christian acted, how a Christian died.
[To Montezuma, who kneels to him.
Thou, Montezuma, and ye hapless victims
Of my ambition, say my clemency
Surpassed my guilt, and let your sovereigns know,
That we were born your conquerors.
[To Zamor.
Observe
The difference, Zamor, ’twixt thy God and mine:
Thine teach thee to revenge an injury,
Mine to forgive and pity thee.

alvarez.

My son,
Thy virtue’s equal to thy courage.

alzire.

Heaven!
How wonderful a change! amazing goodness!

zamor.

Thou wilt oblige me to repent.

guzman.

Yes, Zamor,
I will do more, thou shalt admire and love me:
Guzman too long hath made Alzire wretched,
I’ll make her happy; with my dying hand
I give her to thee, live and hate me not,
Restore your country’s ruined walls, and bless
My memory.
[To Alvarez.
Alvarez, be once more
A father to them, let the light of heaven
Shine forth upon them; Zamor is thy son,
Let him repair my loss.

zamor.

Amazed, confounded,
And motionless I stand; can Christians boast
Of such exalted virtue? ’twas inspired
By heaven; the Christian’s law must be divine:
Friendship, and faith, and constancy I knew
Already; but this soars above them all:
I must indeed admire and love thee, Guzman
[Falls at his feet.

alzire.

My lord, permit me to embrace thy knees:
O I could die for Guzman; will you then
Forgive my weakness?

guzman.

Yes: I pardon all,
I cannot see thee weep and not forgive thee.
Come near, my father, take my last farewell!
[Dies.

alvarez.

[To Montezuma.
I see the hand of God in all our woes,
And humbly bend myself before that power
Who wounds to heal, and strikes but to forgive.

End of the Fifth and Last Act.

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ALZIRE - Voltaire, The Works of Voltaire, Vol. IX The Dramatic Works Part 1 (Alzire, Orestes, Sémiramis, Catiline, Pandora) and Part II (The Scotch Woman, Nanine, The Prude, The Tatler). [1901]

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ALZIRE

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

alvarez.

guzman.

alvarez.

guzman.

alvarez.

guzman.

alvarez.

guzman.

alvarez.

SCENE II.

alvarez.

montezuma.

alvarez.

SCENE III.

montezuma.

SCENE IV.

montezuma.

alzire.

montezuma.

alzire.

montezuma.

alzire.

montezuma.

alzire.

montezuma.

alzire.

SCENE V.

guzman.

alzire.

guzman.

alzire.

SCENE VI.

guzman.

ACT II.

SCENE I.

zamor.

an american.

zamor.

SCENE II.

alvarez.

zamor.

alvarez.

zamor.

alvarez.

zamor.

alvarez.

zamor.

alvarez.

zamor.

alvarez.

zamor.

alvarez.

zamor.

alvarez.

zamor.

alvarez.

SCENE III.

zamor.

SCENE IV.