This file was last updated on June 17, 1997, 9:05 p.m. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE BALCONIES OF MADRID Translated by Kenneth A. Stackhouse ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dramatis personae: •Don ALONSO, an old man •Don PEDRO, a gentleman •Doņa ELISA, a lady •LEONOR, a servant •Don JUAN, a gentleman •CORAL, a comic figure •Doņa ANA, a lady •Guests of the household •Don CARLOS, a count ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACT I ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A sitting room in Don Alonso's house. Elisa enters carrying a letter, accompanied by Coral ELISA: I just cannot believe how our Don Juan Has gone to such extremes to write a note! He really does not lack for wit or style! Why do you think he takes such chances? Well? Coral, this time he really goes too far. CORAL: He goes this far to please and that is all, For his desire to please you has no match. His pleasure, if he were, let's say, in Burgos, Would be a corner stone--for convents, yes! You might first guess the meaning of his words By looking at one line, as you judge wool By testing just one thread from off the skein, Or as you might assess an entire hotel By asking them to bring their list of wines. Now read what he has written. Your reward Will be fine ballads, sonnets, quatrains, too, As tithes upon his love, ...he is no priest... As taxes on affection never sold. But hush! I hear them coming in this way! ALONSO: Elisa! The new year promises to be An excellent one for us, because today, A man has come to court who brings with him My new lease on life. His servant must be here, Since he was not there waiting at the door. But you! Tell me why you are here? CORAL: Oh, shoe!! ALONSO: Speak up! Who are you? What do you want here? CORAL: (Saint Michael! Help me speak!) Aside I am, good sir, A certain person who...person, but uncertain... Because I have not been here very long... And not a real person, as such, to tell the truth, Because there are so few of them today... I distill the quinessentials...the essences... And polish teeth, remove corns, style hair; A noble lady called me from her rooms... They say it's true, when they wear signet rings... I think they lie, don't you? I must leave now... He tries to leave ALONSO: What is all this? Now, wait a moment here. CORAL: To wait..to hear...to hear... to judge, and that Is not for me. I never studied law Nor learned to speak in rhetoric, although There are some well-read melon heads whose names Are carved on bookstore rinds yet turn out green Or over ripe, or just plain bunk when tested. ALONSO: (The man lacks something between his ears.) Aside Now wait right there! CORAL: To wait means losing hope. ALONSO: Has there ever been such wit? What do you want? CORAL: Who? Me? The stairs! They must be invisible. They must be like the gallows steps: the climb Is easy "up" but "down" is only for The executioner. ALONSO: (Without a doubt Aside Don Pedro sent him here to say he arrived.) Do not be so upset I found you here, In my house; the man you serve will soon become Its owner, too. CORAL: The man I serve? ALONSO: My sweet Elisa owes as much to his good faith, As I owe him for his many gifts to me. I asked him to come and make our family strong. I recognized him near our house and then Complained about his lack of courtesy In waiting for so long to visit us. Of course, I welcomed him with open arms. He asked me to forgive his oversight And said that he had left a servant here: "I did not want to bother anyone Arriving unannounced at night," he said, "In spite of love's impatience it seemed best To wait for dawn and miss another day." And so, as you can see, I saw the man You serve and welcomed him. Since you have come To announce that he is here, you should not fear But rather hope I give a big reward! CORAL: (This man has taken me for someone else! Aside It seems to me they switched our bags! Since he has welcomed whom he thinks I am, I have no choice. I must become the one He wants to see.) Good Sir! I feared I might Offend your reverential ancientness But since the winter of your days is spring To me, let me kiss your sacred shoes And then implore your kindly venue to think Your vindication for...to apologize For that foul smell which you, without a doubt, Like me, perceive now rising from my pants. Exit CORAL. Enter ELISA ALONSO: Elisa, I could not but note how hushed You always are and how your eyes are cold. You take this news quite badly, or so I fear. You know, Elisa, that my years require Someone to take control of my affairs And care for you, to lighten my load, someone Whose name deserves to be allied with yours. Don Pedro is that man; his family name, His pleasant ways; I know him as do you. He has a good income, as well, it seems. But most of all, I like him. No matter how You feel, he will be here to see you soon-- Tomorrow, if I can arrange it. Then The papers will be written right away, Or else you leave Madrid by coach tonight For Lerma where a convent waits for you. Exit Don ALONSO ELISA: All know that unforeseen misfortunes lead To a kind of delirium; if lightning fails To kill us, it deprives us of our senses, Don Juan. My father strikes like lightning, fast. But I am safe because I am true to you. Although the lightening bolt is feared by all, It never strikes the bay, a tree whose leaves May tremble but they never, ever fall: His wrath will see me always green and firm. And if they try to force me, love does not Consent to compromise: Don Juan or death. Exit ELISA. The street on which Don Alonso and Doņa Ana live in neighboring houses. Enter Don CARLOS and Don JUAN CARLOS: I never saw an evening quite this clear. It seems December turned to May tonight. JUAN: Count Charles, good sir: if youthful love is wild And like a child prefers playthings which fire The passions more, tonight will bring me luck And end my pain. I know 'tis so because The old year ends and the new begins so fair. CARLOS: Well, then, forget your old, sad ways for friends Are always gentle, kind, and that, my friend, Is all I ask of you. Unless you share Your thoughts and trust me with your cares I can not call you "friend." JUAN: If I refuse To tell you, it is not because I doubt Your faith, but simply that the usual path To love is not the path I choose to take. I fear that people will not see me as A lover but instead will think me mad. Come hear the ways of love that do not take The usual paths to joy, a love which now, From habit, is not accidental, no, But has become essential to my being. But understand, good Count, that you are not To know her name. I swore to tell no one. She so respects the silence of my fire That she forbids its glow to reach my eyes. CARLOS: Then tell me. I will never say her name. JUAN: Don Carlos. I adore the pearl more than The shell, the diamond far more than the gold In which it lies, the idea more than its form. I mean by this that I have come to love, With pure intent, her soul, with love so free From all desire that to think it seems a crime. CARLOS: Sometimes, a graceful wit that comes from strength Of mind can win the love of understanding, If understanding is what she has won, The lady you refuse to name must be So ugly that she kills all your desires ...and though you love your host, you stubbornly Refuse to accept her hospitality. What good are eyes, if you refuse to take The spoils which come with every stolen glance? Do you believe that she is beautiful? JUAN: She is the sun in heaven, the rose in May, And since she is as I have painted her, My love for her is so unlike all others That I can only let my eyes enjoy Her sight in passing. They must not remain Too fixed upon her loveliness, their prize. My eyes are sharp; through them I know the host Of the great, noble house that enflames my heart. CARLOS: They are right when they proclaim all love is mad. Love seems to try to go to the extremes In everyone each time. But good Don Juan: Every madman has his day, and I Refuse to love the part and not the whole. But are you sure that she loves you as well? JUAN: I am certain that I have no peer And that my love is met with pure intent, With a willingness to accept the bonds of love. Do not assume that I am much too sure Or careless, either. Look how fortune smiled On me no less than one short hour ago: I took a chance and won my lady's smile, Which issued from her self-congratulations For promising to be my wife. Just read The note which fortune used to favor me. It says, "You probably have made him mad With envy. Your constancy will win the day: Great beauty never easily was won." Now, this note makes me proud. She wrote to me!. Feigning CARLOS: Your overconfidence, Don Juan, will end In disillusionment, for women's ways Are like the sea: their only constancy Is change. What you call proofs of favor, sir, Which you think fortune brought you, are a trick, Duplicity from one who vainly hopes We believe such artfulness is simple truth. Before I met you here, her confidante Had come to me. Before she spoke to me She veiled her news with a caress to hide Her greed behind deceit.... As you can see, Has her reward not cost me dearly, now? Just listen to the note she sent to me... To us...: "You probably have made him mad With envy, but constancy will win the day. Great beauty never easily was won." JUAN: But is not that the note I read to you? CARLOS: The same few lines of verse can often serve Many very different ends. Those lines Which you have read were also sent to me. JUAN: Your proofs have won against my stubborn will. If death delays in coming now, I need Not fear the mythic basilisk. And lightning Has no power, nor serpents deadly venom. Exit Don JUAN CARLOS: How I envy him! I want to see The beauty he exalts, that work of art, The woman left unnamed, the one I will Pretend loves me. I learned her note by heart. My envy stole it from his lips because Of jealousy without good cause. Forewarned, I will observe his steps, his every act; Their meaning will be clear and I will know If he has told the truth or only dreamed About the perfect beauty found in her. ELISA and LEONOR come out on the balcony ELISA: Watch to see if Don Juan comes this way. LEONOR: You seem to want to give him every chance. ELISA: Why not? If he has had every chance Before? Leonor, I hope my love provides More chances than my father tries to kill. But if Don Juan does not see them and fails To take the chance, will he not think that I Have changed my mind and never know the truth? My father wants to keep us both apart. LEONOR: Your cousin is there right next door; she might Be on the balcony where she can hear And what she thought was just her mere suspicion Could burn her now with uncontested truth. ELISA: I wrote to him to come and use his wits To keep such dangers far away from us. He could not think to do it on his own. It seems that I must think for both of us. LEONOR: He did not understand. When men are sure We love them, nothing can disturb their sleep Nor make them see the dangers which are there. If your Don Juan just had a rival, then... ELISA: Well, does he not have one? LEONOR: And you...a father Who will not tolerate the slightest move Against his will. Doņa ANA comes out on the balcony next door; ELISA and LEONOR are on theirs ANA: (See how right I was! The cold night air Aside Does not disturb her nor the risk she might Be heard confiding thoughts to her balcony. I want to hear my cousin speak; I bet My doubts will be confirmed by her own words.) LEONOR: The wolf is in the garden! Go inside! I see that Doņa Ana came up for air! Do not create a scene! ELISA: As long as you Will stay to tell Don Juan what happened here. I think that his precautions go too far. No man in love should be so slow to act! Exit ELISA LEONOR: I will.... But what if I am Ana's friend As well? A double spy for the sake of love. Should I deny her chance for happiness? But here comes Don Juan now. I will not get Involved in this. May the best man win! Exit LEONOR. Enter Don JUAN and CORAL on the plaza below CORAL: Everything I said about her father And me did happen, and just as I told you. JUAN: And so...Don Pedro did arrive at last? CORAL: They say that he is staying there for now. You know the house; its owner loves you so... JUAN: If this is not a dream, I am going mad! CORAL: The thought of a son-in-law has made her father Waste no time. JUAN: Was Elisa there? The Balconies of Madrid part 2 CORAL: Her pure white innocence turned rosey red Like the dawn which blooms in joy on holidays. My being there did not deter her smiles. JUAN: She is a woman, after all. Good Lord! CORAL: It seems she could not keep you off her mind. I think that Doņa Ana lives right here. Come back where you belong, lost lamb. Since you, The count...Don Pedro, too...all want to read Elisa's book, her style and substance would be, It seems, a pleasant lesson for anyone. ELISA and LEONOR return to their balcony ELISA: I heard him in the street; my father sleeps. If I do nothing now, I will lose him, That is certain. LEONOR: Hurry! Go and speak To him right now. But hurry up! ELISA: Leonor! I am frightened! I am afraid of Doņa Ana. ANA: Is that Don Juan? Why, this is nothing new. (But love is always new for her; to change Is all my cousin understands.) I mean It is nothing new to see Don Juan come here Each day at dawn. ELISA: Doņa Ana, if She sees me speak to him, will know her worst Suspicions are the truth and that her jealousy, Based on doubts, is not so groundless after all. LEONOR: It is best if you go in for now, because If your father wakens, he will catch us here, And well you know how angry he can get! ELISA: Will nothing go my way? It is so unfair!. Tomorrow, promise, you will tell him how We were surprised by someone right next door And if our love can not foresee the way, These interruptions will be the end of us! LEONOR: I will. ELISA: Oh, these delays are much too long, Eternal for those in such a rush to die. Elisa and Leonor exit from their balcony. Doņa Ana stays on hers. Don Juan and Coral are on the street below JUAN: Did she go in? CORAL: Elisa did and slammed The window in our face. JUAN: Well, I will look... CORAL: You are mad! Don JUAN tries to enter the house and CORAL stops him JUAN: I have to know if they reward... ANA: Well! Here is that Don Juan who thinks he owes Me nothing. By the guest I welcomed in, The one who takes the love which should be yours, By the love I kept so safe for only you, By your ingratitude for all the schemes I tried for you, by how you pay me back, I swear, if disabuse of all false hopes Cures love, let me be your physician when You lie awake. To Don JUAN CORAL: Go ahead! Make Elisa jealous! That's the cure for wimpering faithlessness. Pretend you love our Ana, here. There is No greater motivation than a rival! Just make her suffer; make her mad; just make Her taste the gall! ANA: Sweet Don Juan, is your anger Still so strong--I will beat you in this as well-- That you forget your manners and will not speak? JUAN: In some things you are absolutely right, But not about the reason I am here. If you, in anger, think that I have come Because your neighbor interests me, you are wrong. My love for you has brought me here, ashamed. I feel that I lost favor in your eyes Because of something I have done. My shame Cannot find words to speak, nor should I try. Especially when I might amend the wrong By keeping silent. Since love is but a child, A child whose blindness keeps him ignorant Of scorn, he often feels quite ill at ease In places where in fact they welcome him. ANA: Just how can one be sure about a child Who leaves in favor and returns transformed By customs no one can accept at home? For one must fear a child who brings us pain. Moreover, there is danger in compassion, And I feel great compassion when I see That you have come to love me so completely. My soul responds with sympathy to pain. But the first mistakes a young man makes deserve, Just once, to be forgiven. Getting back To our concern, important things for now: You know, of course, Don Pedro is my guest And he shall wed my cousin, as Don Alonso, My uncle, insists. Besides, Elisa is pleased. She likes what she has heard of him and asks To have him come from Talavera. I know She wrote to tell him that everything she learned Of him from friends has won him favor here. I assure you, Don Juan. I fought on your behalf. She only says that she must always try To please her father. JUAN: That ungrateful girl Is so untrue, not only to the Count, But to Don Pedro, too..., He tries to go inside and says under his breath ...to me!..to you!! How could she do this? What is going on? ANA: Don Juan! Tell me where you are going now. No sooner do you ask to be forgiven Than you start to show you are jealous of her! CORAL: (Watch out! Say no to everything the wench Aside Might ask. You really got her worked up now! Don't wait! Tell her that you are sorry now And throw some onions in the stew! More salt! ANA: Am I not standing right in front of you? No more, Don Juan. Just be on your way. She turns to leave JUAN: Now Ana, Ana! You who are my life, My soul, my everything! Just how could wrath Approach those lips? Just let its fever pass. Control yourself. Are you not calmer now? I cannot believe those words! CORAL: You lost her there. You both have said what cannot be taken back. She told us to get out. JUAN: Shut up, you fool! To Ana Your anger only makes me want you more. ELISA enters her balcony; the others remain where they were ELISA: Don Juan...Don Juan...Now get away from here! She goes back inside CORAL: (Just listen to her ladyship!) Aside Pretend You did not hear. Go on about your business. To ANA JUAN: So now I see all that I lost because I was a fool to trust you: faith, belief In others' loyalty and self control... You are unique, a rare form of Phoenix: You appear in a different form each time You seem undone. You think that no one can Esteem the prize he has unless he tries To compare it to another. If you persist In anger, after all the trust I put... ELISA enters the balcony again ELISA: Don Juan, you still do not quite understand! You do not know who said to go away? LEONOR, looking through the window LEONOR: ...who said her father can hear every word You say and is a deadly threat to you? ELISA: What threat? What could happen now? LEONOR: Come in. ELISA: And this to you, you fickle, wretched man! Leonor and Elisa leave the balcony JUAN: Where have they gone? CORAL: To the dogs. JUAN: Farewell, Doņa Ana. ANA: Now wait! JUAN: All jealousy is foolishness And when it strikes, we all do make mistakes. I do not want you, nor do I love you. I am in love with Elisa, Ana. There. Exit Don JUAN ANA: Coral...Coral!..Coral! CORAL: I don't have time. ANA Why don't you call him back? CORAL: But why should I? ANA: Oh Lord, everything I tried to do.... Love, love is not a god but madness! CORAL: The two of you should throw yourselves right off The balcony onto the street: a horse And cart together in a tangled wreck. Exit CORAL. Enter ELISA and LEONOR at the door to their house ELISA: Leonor, please let me stay out here a while. There is no chance that he will find us here. LEONOR: Oh, no? In the doorway to the street? ELISA: Oh, me. I do not know what I am going to do. Go see if Juan is still there with that woman. LEONOR: Let me take care of this and I will bring Him back to you. Go inside and rest. ELISA: If you succeed... LEONOR: His jealousy keeps him From thinking clearly. After all, he found A stranger here who almost claimed your house And almost won your beauty; how can you Be so surprised that he now burns with rage? He thinks that you have brought his rival here! But I will make quite sure he knows the truth. ELISA: Well, I suspect that he has gone away. LEONOR: That does not matter since I now know where He lives. Dawn has stretched its wings and soon Will look out from the east and bring you hope With the day. Go inside and I will watch The door. ELISA: Leonor, if you can bring him back, You will have made my sleepless nights worthwhile. LEONOR: Well, jealousy, like the late evening light, Prefers to walk well-cloaked in shifting doubts. The sun will shine for both of you, I am sure. The light that kills deceit is said to be As lovely as the sun. ELISA: Well, I must leave. Exit ELISA LEONOR: My! This is going to be a prosperous year! I always try to make things difficult. And since this is the first day of the year, I must begin to complicate their lives: Not even the sharpest woman will understand Just what I did and what is going on. Enter Don JUAN and CORAL CORAL: Must we start the same old tale again? Do you recall the last time that we slept? JUAN: I know impatience got the best of me. Now I must start my search where it began. If here the flame that will not rest caught fire, Then here the peace I search for must be found. LEONOR: Don Juan, two final thoughts and then farewell. JUAN: If you would help me end my suffering Leonor, and speak to her for me, this pain Would be great joy. LEONOR: But I must speak for her; I am not to blame. Do you know that? Young men like you, for whom a change of heart Made quickly ends the pain that will not let You rest, never suffer jealousy--- For long. My lady, then, would have you know That she does not deserve your love. She says Her only duty lies in honoring him Who gave her life. Since her father has chosen The men we are to marry, the papers will Be signed today without delay. She thinks She sees in you the qualities one finds Among those who respect a family's pride. She thinks you can forget the favors she Has shown to you since they were compliments, No more than flowers which in time will fade. She knows that you will understand how pleased She is to give her hand to him, the one They chose for her. Now do you understand? And finally, she says she must obey Her father. His hopes do agree with hers. Now regarding him, the man she is to wed: She begs you, Sir, and hopes that you will swear Never to try to keep her from the joy This opportunity has given her. She hopes you understand that Ana acts According to her will, as it was before. She hopes that you recall how beautiful And how discreet our Doņa Ana is. Do not refuse to do what you now know Is right and make unhappy wives of her And Doņa Ana. This means good-bye. This door Is closed to you. You must accept that fact. Exit LEONOR CORAL: She means what she says. She locked the door. JUAN: This news has brought me to my senses, Coral. One time, I felt that I had been defeated. But now I pray to God that if I ever See her, or walk along this street again, Or ever even think of her again, That He will strike me down with lightning, dead. Now I can breathe and live without a care. CORAL: I see that jealousy is not the best Of surgeons, as I thought. He is rather clumsy And his patients breathe through open wounds. Exeunt. Elisa and Leonor enter, opening the door to the street LEONOR: You did not hear us? ELISA: No, because I stood Too far away. LEONOR: Well, my lady, know Our lover has decided to respect An obligation made some time ago. There is no way to make him change his mind. I know I saw him him leave your cousin's house. I tried to talk to him but nothing worked. I tried to tell him what his duty is, But he says he is Don Pedro's dearest friend. I reminded him how much he owes you, But he said that he asked for Ana's hand With Don Pedro standing there in front of them. I told him that you must obey your father. And that you love the one whom Heaven sent, That the love you two had had was just illusion, A chimaera made by fantasy and dreams. He did not wait for me to say it all But left me with the words still on my lips. The Balconies of Madrid part 3 Don JUAN and CORAL arrive very agitated. ELISA and LEONOR leave soon afterwards CORAL: Again? Back here? JUAN: I might just kill someone. Today we will see if it is right to treat An honest man like this! CORAL: Where are you going? JUAN: I said I am going to kill someone or die. CORAL: You must not go in there! JUAN: Who will stop me? You? Good God! CORAL: Now and forever. JUAN: You are going to make me draw my knife. CORAL: And they will think you simply lost your mind. JUAN: Do not make me do this. Move away. CORAL: It is you who are making trouble. To ELISA JUAN: Good evening, Ma'am. ELISA: Good God...! And what are you doing here? I was distracted by so many thoughts Because of something I was told...You must Forgive me. JUAN: It is the soul which rules our senses. Your soul has won that deserving, happy man. Is there any reason I should find it strange Your soul compels you to obey its desire? Or that it will not let me see you again? I am concerned for you since we are neighbors And also family. (Are you surprised? When Doņa Ana and I marry, then We will be joined through her family line.) I come to offer you my congratulations Hoping that what you wish will soon come true, And that when it does your happiness will last For many peaceful years which quickly fly. ELISA: And you, Don Juan, must live eternally In such felicity with cousin Ana That I as well will have the chance to wish You every happiness, again and again... Since as you say we are one family... A thought which gives me nothing less than joy. CORAL: (She has a wicked way of being sweet.) Aside JUAN: The other reason I am here today, Aside from wishing you the best in life, Is just to ask your kindest understanding And forgiveness for the many troubles I know I must have caused you until now. You must still think there are some ashes left, A sign of the fire which smoldered until now. Elisa, there are none. Do not, therefore, Refuse the offer Talavera makes, An offer which has not come just by chance. By willingly surrendering my freedom, I now know what true liberty can be. Once I said good-bye to independence Liberty and freedom found their source: They searched for me last night and found my heart And there your cousin Ana chanced to take them. Since faithful servants leave warm memories With those they served, it was not hard for us To erase hurt feelings nor to reconcile Ourselves to one another once again. Although she has not improved her lot at all, She is quite pleased with me and hopes you know That if you are lacking happiness She has enough for two and will share with you. ELISA: How is it that your very soul can change So easily, the soul that gives you life? Does it grows old and tired in just two days And think it wrong to stay in just one place? A man who changes jobs each month will not Construct a castle even if he works With alabaster and with fine Dutch tiles. CORAL: I think she cornered us with that ELISA: I have no sympathy for you; it is Your nature to be fickle and untrue. I do feel sorry for Doņa Ana, For she must try to reconcile the joy Of hearing people say how glad they are You two are back together with the grief Of losing you. As far as faithfulness And trust are a concern, your coming back Is just as likely as the chance you will leave. JUAN: I understand what you are trying to do: In spite of the peace and calm which occupy My soul, where you believe a hell is seething, You would like to see my patience die Giving birth to anger and to threats, To the madness which jealousy and insults Can cause and which have started killing me. Since I am free, you must accept my word: That if you could see deep into my soul, Where you have never lived and never will, Then you would run away quite mortified. No longer do men think a woman lovely Whose lovers lose all hope and then despair. ELISA: Oh, I believe you. Do not worry there, Although your haste to tell me this at dawn And take back something which you never gave Has made me doubt your words. Just think if what You say were so, how things would really be. For I have seen great books in parchment bound Proclaim divinity and then reveal They had disguised their plain humanity. JUAN: Well let us, you and I, make this pact So you will know that I have learned my lesson And never will make the same mistake again. May I be taken for a liar whose word Will have no standing among men, whose truth Be taken for a lie, whose place in others Eyes be naught, a nobleman, that is, Whose nobility is false. You swear the same. ELISA: I swear, and gladly, too, with the same desire That asks you to depart and leave me here Alone. And so that you will see how much I mean what I have said, I want to add One more thing so that you will have no doubts. JUAN: And what is that? ELISA: That you will let me be The maid of honor when you and Ana wed. JUAN: Providing you comply with my request And honor me, Elisa, as your man When you come to church on your wedding day. ELISA: Good God! I cannot think of anything Which could please me more. My happiness Is quite complete! CORAL: (God's fire! Just see how they Aside Are scorching everyone! But once the storm Begins, there is no stopping it. JUAN: Then we Are quite agreed in this? ELISA: Of course we are. JUAN: Whoever even thinks about the other... ELISA: ...Will lose their credibility and name. JUAN: You realize that this is a lot to swear? ELISA: For me? I swear by the life of the man I love. And you, swear by my cousin's life. If you do, You will have sworn by everything you have. JUAN: And I see how that must be a torment to you. Don Pedro's life does not mean much to you. ELISA: Oh, no? Since he will be my husband soon... JUAN: Until today you were completely free. I know your soul conceals another man Who matters more to you. If you would swear By him, I might believe all you have said. ELISA: And who is that? I really want to know. JUAN: Swear by the life of him they call Don Juan. ELISA: In the name of God. I now know you are mad. I have not thought of him in such a while! But don't you see that if I swear by him That I would have to say his name and thus Would lose the very wager we have made? May God forgive him and show him all His Grace. JUAN: Then swear by the life of all you hold most dear. And by everything which you have ever valued. ELISA: Well...now you are referring to Don Pedro. JUAN: If you must swear by him, then so be it. ELISA: Should I repeat what I already swore? JUAN: How deceitful to refuse to swear again! Then swear by Carlos's life, if you dare. ELISA: What Carlos are you referring to? Martel Of the "Song of Roland"? Or Charles of Spain? JUAN: Well, that is right, Elisa, deny it all: Refuse a count who risked it all for you To get you where you are, who took my place In your soul where at one and the same time You kept three men hidden from the world: Don Pedro, Carlos, me, and among us all My liberty, which suffered most because I loved you most of all. ELISA: What Carlos? The count? What risks? To get me where? Just where am I Supposed to be, do you think? Are you in your Right mind? Be sensible! I swear to God... JUAN: You cannot stand to hear the truth, which since It is the truth, and you a faithless liar, It must be signed in blood, in mine...! He tries to pull a knife but Elisa grabs his arm ELISA: So you want Your little knife? Do you not think that that Is a little melodramatic and out of date? It might just work, in some old Spanish play. LEONOR: Your father, cousin, and Don Pedro are here. ELISA: Don Juan. I do adore and love you so. Stop playing childish games which cause real pain. Let anger lead to peace. Go in that room And hear what love will do for you. Now hide in there and listen 'til you are called. JUAN: An hour to me will seem to last forever. If you forget...and agree to marry him... ELISA: I swear by sunlight, father of us all By the life your love has given me, I swear. When I see your love expressed in jealous passion I swear by you, who are so much, much more: To die if I do not become your wife. LEONOR: Sir! And Ma'am! They are already here! ELISA: If Ana takes you from me, what will I do? JUAN: Can the night outshine the splendor of the day? ELISA: Well, aren't you two ever going to hide? JUAN: You promise that you will keep your word. Exeunt all but LEONOR and CORAL CORAL: Leonor, burn a little oil for me. If you leave me here alone and in the dark, I'll cry all night like a cat caught in the walls. LEONOR: There are no candles left. CORAL: You would be a sweet But mad young thing if you had not taken some. LEONOR: And what are you? CORAL: A splash of hot, red wax. END OF ACT I The Balconies of Madrid part 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACT II ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A sitting room in Don ALONSO's house. Count Don CARLOS and Leonor CARLOS: I have a certain matter to discuss. LEONOR: With me? Do tell. Well, that would be just fine If I were someone else and you had said, "I think I love you now, at least a little." CARLOS: I admit that you are justified to feel That way, but as you see I have no time And if I do not use it well and talk With you, I miss the opportunities I think will help you reach your goals as well. You know, the second half of that old line, "I think I love you now," as you recall, Is "But let me tell you afterwards." And that for us inappropriate. LEONOR: You could not chose a worse time if you tried. I work for Don Alonso and he is there, In the living room, beyond that wall, Together with his daughter and Don Pedro. And Pedro will become his son-in-law, Though yesterday that seemed impossible. They are drawing up their contract this very minute. Don Alonso's niece is there as well, And relatives from their two families. They all have come to serve as witnesses. As you can see, it now is twelve o'clock. They arrived at ten today, two hours ago. CARLOS silently puts a purse of coins into the sleeve of LEONOR's dress LEONOR: Well, my goodness! What is that sound in my sleeve? CARLOS: Now do be calm; although they weigh a lot, They will not burden you or break your back. Nor should they be a stumbling block for you. LEONOR: What then? CARLOS: A few doubloons to help you make Some dreams come true. A lady should always do Whatever is in her best interest. Agreed? LEONOR: The currency has just been minted again In copper coins. And you give gold doubloons! By paving the way with gold, you will advance Your cause with more success than Genoa Has ever done in Spain. I see you know How to get a girl to lend a hand, Like all good men who are inclined to love. I never thought that I would come to see The end of any rainbows. You bring me hope, Which should only come after the flood recedes. A golden bough with golden fruit, a cypress For the dead! Do you love Ana, or Elisa? CARLOS: Before I tell you who it is I love, I must be be sure that you know who I am, Since my success in love depends on you. Have you heard them speak of Count Don Carlos? Coyly LEONOR: So you are Conde Claros of ballad fame. Well, then your deeds must be just like your name, So clear, so pure, that gold is not your gift, But Heaven itself with its eternal stars. I have heard some people praise a certain Carlos, Sir, a neighbor who can conquer, or so they say, Just like a Roman emperor and win Men's hearts just like a king. CARLOS: For you I will Fulfill whatever hope you trust me with. Do as I ask and if we do succeed You need not worry about your future years Or about a dowry, which you must desire. LEONOR: I do not know how I can ever thank you. Give me your hand. I will do what I can. CARLOS: Then listen to what I have got to say. Tonight, a friend of ours spoke wildly to me About a lady he has come to love. He raved about her beauty at such length That I could not believe all that he said. I was astounded. I was curious. He was beside himself and when he left He had not even told me who she is. My envy completed the image I formed of her. Anything new gives birth to admiration, And admiration makes a way for desire. Imagine how desire took hold of me. Desire overcame my sense of loyalty And I obeyed its every cruel command. I had a servant dog his every step. He saw him come to Doņa Ana's house. I thought of course that she was the one he loved. Her beauty almost won me 'til I learned Don Juan adores not Ana but Elisa: When he left Ana's house he was quite mad: He ranted at his servants for a while, About how women's change of heart, disdain, Forgetfulness and lack of gratitude In concert can almost bring a man to madness. His servant would not let him go inside; He recognized the peril and blocked his way. But his servant could not hold him back for long. I then saw how he drew his knife and walked Into the house about two hours ago. He has not come back out. And you can tell me Where he is since he confides in you. Before I knew for certain who I loved, Fierce jealousy had struck. I did not know If I should wait outside or enter in, To follow the command of my jealous rage Or to heed the advice of common courtesy. I realized how wrong it was to offend The peace of mind of the one I had come to love. Nor should I commit an outrage against don Miguel, Don Pedro's father, Ana, and other friends Who are there now to sign the wedding contract And to wish the bride and groom great happiness. I did go in by posing as a servant. I reached the rooms where Doņa Elisa lives. I saw that Don Juan had not come even close To describing just how beautiful she is. Don Juan did not have the words to paint her well. Leonor, I think I am mad with love for her. As my chance for winning her grows less, it seems My love for her increases. I must have her. If I cannot, my life shall fade away Just like a flower severed from its stem. You can help me; you can keep my years Stopped in their month of May as I am now. Elisa would be better as a countess, You will agree. She merits that title, Leonor, far more than a mere ladyship. If you will do one thing on my behalf Then she will owe to you the honors I bring. And I will owe you everything I love. LEONOR: All you need to do is ask, Don Carlos. By the Gospel of Saint John I swear to you, The coins you placed here in this sleeve are as good As fern seed: I touched them and I loved you. CARLOS: Five hundred coins are yours the day you wed. Now listen: Don Pedro, Elisa and her father Are signing an agreement, my death I saw in Elisa's face how sad she is. She never could conceal her feelings well. I believe Don Juan is making her unhappy. Before they sign the contracts and witness them, Speak to them on my behalf and say The wedding can not occur because you know That Elisa promised me that she would marry. She must not break a sacred vow Just because she fears her father's wrath. Say that if you do not speak, you, too, Would break a promise you had made to God. Do not allow them to complete their plans. If you can stop them, you will give me hope, The hope I need to try to live again. What is more, you will win me as a friend. And also spare Elisa sorrow and pain. LEONOR: I see your gift of gold will cost a lot, Much more than I had ever though it could. What if her father turns on me instead? He will strike me down instead of killing her. Who is going to help me if he does? CARLOS: I will be there, close by, Leonor, Wherever you can hide me, far from view. I will be there as witness and as judge. LEONOR: Words are not enough. I may need deeds. Advice, when born of fear, is cowardice. Hide in there, in my bedroom, and pay attention. Your ears will tell you all you need to know. (I think Don Juan is in that other room. Aside This month, the plots have come to me in pairs! I am a woman; Carlos is a count. His gold bewitched my judgement and my will.) Won't you go in? CARLOS: I will...to make your fortune. LEONOR: One final thing: pray that God be with me. Don ALONSO, Don PEDRO, Doņa ANA, ELISA, guests. Later, LEONOR ALONSO: Elisa, do not cast doubts on your reputation. Your evasions will not do you any good. I will not allow anything to disturb That man who really loves you in good faith; You willingly agreed you two would marry. ANA: Cousin, if you really love Don Pedro, And this is not a stubborn act of will, Why must you delay another day? They say that to give quickly is to give twice. ELISA: You are not yet gray and yet you preach to me. What do you gain if I marry against my will? I know how good a match Don Pedro is. I recognize also that he loves me. But I have promised to our patron saint, The Virgin of Atocha, a novena, And that is why I ask for this delay. ALONSO: Fulfill your promise after you are married! When you are calm and there is less to do! We all know that religious vows are sacred, But youth is privileged to forget sometimes. Do not persist in working on my patience And sign the contract now or you will find Your refusal takes you to a convent house In Lerma where your aunts will quickly teach you The meaning of the word cooperation. ELISA: Since you have left the choice to me alone I choose to live behind the convent gates, And not as a slave to a man I do not love. Granted, both are paths to subjugation, But the nobler path is within the convent walls: It is by far the better thing to do To be a slave in God's eternal name. And so that you believe all that I say, That I accept the punishment you give, I herewith tear this contract into pieces... ELISA tears up the contract For this is how to sign an adverse clause. Enter LEONOR ALONSO: Now stop right there! Do not be such a fool. Or rage will tempt me to take you life like this. He draws his knife LEONOR: Please stop! Have you completely lost your mind? This lady is a Christian. (Now is my chance.) Aside Do all of you presume to make a fool Of the husband she now has by marrying her To another man as if all of you were Moors? ALONSO: What are you saying? PEDRO: What do you mean? ELISA: Leonor, Just what is going on? LEONOR: I have not lost My mind as you might think. Gentlemen: Let me explain. My lady is a lady. But in the truest meaning of the word. A count has pledged his love to her as his wife, She is our contessa since yesterday. He offered her his hand most courteously And I was there as witness and as priest. LEONOR and ELISA speak aside The Balconies of Madrid part 5 ELISA: What are you doing? Are you mad? LEONOR: Just take My lead so we can pull this off. Do not stop! ELISA: How could you think that you are helping me? Don Juan is listening to your lies right there And he will think that what you say is true! LEONOR: You can not stop me now. It's much too late. LEONOR speaks to all My conscience will not let me keep it back. We know your husband is the Count Don Carlos. To ELISA Now take my lead and you will fool them all! ALONSO: What Count? What foolishness is this? Speak up! LEONOR: Know now that they were wed before my eyes. Why should you be surprised? You know quite well That there are many counts at court these days. Just beyond these walls he swears to you That he will win you favor with our king, And thus improve the lives of all who live here. Is it so strange that I would like to see This family's fortune return to what it was? ALONSO: You dare to speak like that in front of me? It does not matter if you are mad or not, I am going to see your filthy blood.... He starts to strike her LEONOR: Oh, Lord! Help me! Sir Count! Come help me! Now! Count CARLOS enters CARLOS: Gentlemen: Since Heaven made our will To be free from the imposition of human law, You have no right to try to force Elisa. Elisa ...her beauty is the Elysian fields Since there is where delight and joy reside, While here, to love her is my very life. Elisa, as I say, accepted me ...Or my soul's respect with all due piety. Had I a thousand souls, they would be hers! One month ago, she brought the Prado life When like the Sun she rode along its paths And turned November into May again. She dressed In rose and green and shamed the sun. I told her how I loved her and would try To win her love as she had mine with words And actions those which love employs so well. She answered me most gently since she saw That I am a man who always keeps his word. On New Year's Eve, the wheel was spun again, And fate chose me to be the one she loves. Last night she agreed that I would be her husband And as we joined hands our souls became as one. She told me you had tried to force her will. Gentlemen: take note that she is mine, She truly is my wife. If you oppose us You know my duty is to die here fighting, To defend her and my actions and my name. ALONSO: Carlos, Sir. We all know generous men Who, to serve their peers, must bend the law And hide their face from the light of day. Elisa almost equals you in rank... And social standing. So, if just as you say, You love her and have done so for a month, Why, since you could come to ask her hand And be assured that I would not object, Did you come at night and disregard Those ancient customs all good men would keep? Tell me why you acted in such a way To make the hope of honest men seem vain? PEDRO: Let common men attempt to bring a title To their house through such villainous means. Among them such a deed could be forgiven. But for you to act less than nobly Is hateful and deserves a harsh reproof. ALONSO: Don Pedro, this restraint, which you can see In spite of your offense and my outrage, An outrage justified in all men's eyes, Let this restraint inspire your choice of a wife, Of the woman who will live with you forever. Do try to please the people gathered here. Then if you ever regret the choice you made, Your wife cannot complain of your disregard. ELISA: What madness is this, gentlemen, which works So patiently to destroy good men's minds? Did I encourage you or accept your love? Don Carlos, did you mention love to me? I never saw you or ever heard you speak! Aside to ELISA LEONOR: You are going to ruin everything! (Oh, dear!) The Count is trying to protect You from your father and Don Pedro' threats! To ANA If you can act your part, Don Juan is yours! To ELISA Just tell them that the Count and you are married! ELISA: (I think this illusion is too thinly veiled! Aside They are going to see right through every effort.) To ANA LEONOR: Now, Doņa Ana, you must help me here! The only thing that matters here to you Is that she marry Carlos! To ELISA Elisa, help! (What Leonor suggests is simply perfect! Aside Love, though you are blind, defend your cause! If you can keep Elisa and Juan apart Then I will watch while all my hopes come true.) Gentlemen: not speaking now is wrong. To oppose the will of Heaven, foolish pride, For I as well as Leonor affirm That all the Count has said was known to me. He offered her his hand, she answered, "Yes." Their stars gave them one chord to sing that night; Let Pedro blame the fates for his misfortune; Let this house accept that joy which comes From welcoming a new and worthy head. ALONSO: How could you turn my honor into shame! You ill-advised, silly, frivolous girl! What do you have to say? Come! Answer me! ELISA: That I can not conceal the light of truth. I followed the advice of Doņa Ana But could not bring myself to love Don Pedro; The Count Don Carlos lives here in my heart. Don JUAN enters, opening the door with a bang. All the others remain on stage JUAN: To listen any more would be an outrage. To ELISA I must now lift this weight from off my chest! My words might spare another man this shame. To think that grief can suffer silently Atrocious, anguished torment and not cry out Is to try to stop the hurricane at the edge Of an abyss. I accuse all of you. I accuse everyone who has done me harm: An old man blind with greed, a treacherous friend And most of all myself for having failed To see what was about to happen here. And Elisa, whom I allowed to touch my life, Forgetting she can change just like the wind: Shadows, flowers, feathers, dreams, illusion, These things and less comprise a woman's word. An hour ago, she calmly swore to me To overcome what seemed impossible: Things disdained on my behalf as trifles; A mere half hour ago, she also swore To be as pure and flawless and as strong As any diamond. And just a moment ago, She destroyed my every hope. Just look how much A woman changes in an hour, how much In thirty minutes she forgets, how much She can do in a moment. I am mad with pain. Since you persist in persecuting me, I have begun to hate. Do prove me wrong. I challenge you, if my words move you at all. Let any fool speak after me and say That a man who loves is not in misery, That love does not his kingdom curse with lies, And that beauty keeps good faith with loving men. Exit PEDRO: Don Juan! You must hear what I have to say! There is a way for me to solve all this! If I act in haste and not forgive you, I lose. I can tell you all you need to know. Then those who know of my offense can judge How I did wisely make amends for it Or whether I left you standing in the dark. Elisa, your precautions were discreet, Without a doubt. You seem to have more suitors Than necessary! One in every room! Now surely you can choose among us three! This house need never fear a lack of men, A lack so many houses suffer from While on the verge of ruin just because No men are there to live in them. But three! How could you hide so many secret guests? Your will is something I have never seen. How could you find there room enough for three! Though I have heard your call, do not choose me! You know that I have lived in Talavera; You will find me there should you have need of me. But remember... there, like here, crockery And women break exactly the same way! (Exit.) CARLOS: Ma'am, I now must stop from happening The very thing I wanted to occur. I, for one, doubt the implications Of the insult we just heard, but still... Don Juan... here, in your house, at this late hour? The rights all men concede to those in love Have been exceeded. I do not blame you But I do fear what other men think and say. Exit LEONOR: (Well, now, I am afraid and ought to leave. Aside Because someone will have to pay for this And without a doubt it will be me. I took this chance for Carlos. I will go For help to him. And if that does not work, I need not be afraid. I know the game. I have a well-known trade, as you might say. One that lets me earn my daily bread. Exit ANA: Well, cousin, I did try to help you marry A count, to see you bring your family honor. But luck appears to rule the game of love. And you were just unlucky or could not play. Since your Don Juan was the angriest of the three, It seems that he had almost made you fall! We do get nothing when we want it all! Exit. Enter ELISA and Don ALONSO, who is so disturbed that he can hardly speak. All the guests stand looking on in astonished silence ELISA What is my father going to do to me? He is angry and can not decide if he Will punish or forgive what I have done. His restless indecision destroys my hopes. What a storm of jealousy we had! I only hope that fortune keeps the waves So high, the storm will shelter me from view And that my ship, if swamped by them, will sink ... unless Don Juan makes safe my voyage home Like Saint Anselm with his fatuous nighttime fire. Exeunt. Enter Doņa ANA and LEONOR The Balconies of Madrid part 5 LEONOR: And that is everything that happened there. ANA: Oh, really. You are the one who hid Don Carlos? LEONOR: I hid him in your house just for you. And now, for you, I have to get away. ANA: As long as I can place my trust in you Your rights here are the same as I enjoy. And if Don Juan still cares what others think And loves me with a love as true as mine, I will owe my happiness to you and the fruits Of our deception. LEONOR: Rest assured, no one In all Madrid could make you more unhappy. They hitched the mules they use for longer trips And stationed them at his front door. I assume Her father has decided it is time To take her secretly away from here. ANA: Love keep me from the storm and bring me joy! Enter Don JUAN JUAN: I am sorry I have not found you alone. Leonor, go inside. LEONOR: (I do not like Aside The way he is looking at the nag at all. The love he had has taken a different turn. There is something strange I do not understand.) Exit. Enter Doņa ANA and Don JUAN JUAN: I need your help and your advice, Ana. I left Don Carlos wounded in the street! His crimes had caught him by surprise outside Where I was waiting for him to leave his house. Since I was in the right, I had more steel Than necessary to get the best of him. But he is a strong and powerful enemy. And my being there at all was dangerous. If I can get away from so much power... There is no choice for me but to run away. I am grateful for everything you did And I admit that I am in your debt. But what has happened will not, for a while Allow me to show my gratitude to you. The danger I am in means I must leave. Elisa's lies have made me come to hate her. ANA: The stars must not want me to lose you, Juan. All I can say is Heaven is angry with me, Made happy then so sad on the same day. As soon as I have won you back, you leave. The Count will never find where you are hiding. As long as you remain here in my house Until this storm has finally blown over. There is a way you can escape his violence. This room and balcony must be your prison. Since I love you so much more than you do me, I will use the rooms on the floor above. JUAN: Where kindness reigns and courtesy has triumphed And where the warden is so beautiful, What you have called a prison will be freedom. But I suspect Leonor saw me come in. ANA: Do not concern yourself with her because She thinks she owes me many, many favors. Besides, Leonor will make your love come true. JUAN: You have taken care of everything so well That I am yours twice over, Ana, dear. I see that you have planned my future well. ANA: Here are books to keep you entertained And all you need to write poems to Elisa. Leonor will make your bed and bring your meals. JUAN: Dawn has spilled its seed pearls on the lawns. It is too late to rest. ANA: There is nothing to do. All men in prison sleep throughout the day. JUAN: Love keeps men awake and I am in love. ANA: I am afraid that you will run away. I have to lock the door. JUAN: Trust Coral If he should come to look for me. He is loyal. ANA: Although you are my captive, only speak And I obey. Good-bye for now, Don Juan. She exits while looking at him JUAN: For love, I have to take an awful chance Then happily I will live near the one who died. To LEONOR who is within CORAL: Give me the key and go about your work, Did you ever do the good Lord's work, Leonor? JUAN: Coral! How glad I am to see you here! CORAL: Coral I am, and here I am for you; I come to put an end to your sad thoughts. Now let me lock the door. Let's go in... He locks it Where no one else will hear what we might say. Right after you ran out into the ring They wounded you with the lance of jealousy, --If not exactly like a bull, just like A calf who knocks about because he is wild, A red-faced, curly haired and awkward calf. I envied what they wrote there on the walls. I wanted to become those very words, Knowing I would be a fool's notebook, Composed to mock my reader, a mindless farce. Well, after you had left, your rivals tried As best they could to give your girl the slip. They were beside themselves with jealous rage. Your lady and her father were left there. You should have seen how they reacted then! Just like a mouse between a cat's sharp claws! Elisa told them that she loved just you. That your courtesy and valour had no peer; And that your love was a pure and honest love But that jealousy had ruled your every passion, That her concern with honor, what her guests Might think, prompted her to hide you and at once; That she hated Pedro more the owls hate light, Than greed a generous man, than thieves the law. She swore as loudly as a Catalonian That she did not know who had hidden the Count; A man she did not know or think about, A man who never saw her look his way; But Doņa Ana, who said she was your friend And with a trick that she had just devised Could set you free from all these difficulties, Persuaded her to give her trick a chance, At the risk of her life to make the deception work. Elisa's father heard her testify In defense of what she did and then he said That he would take her to Lerma before dawn, Before the sun enflamed the eastern sky. Elisa went inside to prepare to go. Her father told two men to prepare the coach. Now listen to the best thing ever heard Or ever written for posterity. Were I a playwright, this one device would make More than one director rich for life And I would not have to steal my plots! As I was just about to say...meanwhile, Alonso sent for a relative he trusted, For one who cared about their family name; When he had come he said straight out to him, "I am determined, Alvaro, to honor My heirs with the royal blood of a count, at least. So we must try to make Elisa change Her love for Don Juan into indifference... ...One might as well attempt to stop the May From bursting into flower every spring.... But time with wise delays can change our hearts. I have pretended that I will take Elisa To Lerma where a convent waits to teach her Just what rebellion means and change her ways, And so become a little more cooperative. Alvarado, Dorotea, and I, Are going to take her far away from here And not discuss or tell a soul we are leaving, Or even let the sun see us leave. The curtains of the coach will all be closed, And the people of the town will never know. We expect to arrive at one or two o'clock, Then rest a while at the inn in Torrejon. Her to room will be away from all the rest And the night will cloak the world in horror. Then to carry out our lie, I will say to her As we make our way back home again to Madrid: I will try to make her think I am resolved To have her live in hiding in Illescas, The town where you will be expecting her. The two of you shall live there for a while Until everyone forgets what has transpired, And our family name will be free of all dishonor. Our pace will be quite slow. When we arrive, The town will be so still she will not suspect How I have tricked her and brought her to Madrid. And you, Don Alvaro, my trusted friend, Must strip this room of everthing I bought: Of paintings, desks and chairs, of tapestries, Of tables, beds, the dais, all furniture So no one can recognize this room again. Then you will ask my agent, Luis de Toledo, To decorate it all so beautifully, And change it so I will not know it either. Elisa will remain locked here inside. The skylight will be her only light. She will never think that she is here at court Since she will not see anyone but you. Don Juan will try to steal her love away. And the Count thought the worst with her refusal! But I will have him learn that she is pure, Through a go-between whom he respects a lot. If he still loves her, I will succeed." And that is what in fear I overheard, While listening at the keyhole to her door. Don Alvaro did promise to comply And left Alonso there to start the work. I crept along the hall and down the stairs And went out to the patio; from there I found the corral and jumped down from the wall. It was then I learned the count received a wound. My loyalty told me that you were here. And then Doņa Ana let me in. Elisa returns to her room tomorrow night... ...to the room next door...if your love is strong... A wall between you, Pyramus and Thisbe. But instead of window grates, balconies! You can speak to one another in good conscience. God forbid it otherwise! My plan Will make me an architect of balconies! And will surprise surprise itself. You know I can. My wit loves deceptions, and I love you both. You must not think. Just let your mind o'ercome Its indecision. Sleep and then decide. Just leave it up to me to make it work. JUAN: Coral, you tell me things, important news, Which have a strange effect on me, I swear. From within ANA: All the rest are there on stage, you see. I know that Leonor will soon be here; But our Don Juan must have his dinner now. JUAN: Open the door right now, Coral. He opens. ANA enters ANA: Well, sir! Tell me how life in jail is treating you. JUAN: I will dine with you, Ana; is it too late For us to have our dinner? ANA: This is lunch. First eat and then just sleep all day. To CORAL JUAN: Oh, no. For I would rather talk about Elisa! CORAL: Leave it to me and do not be concerned. JUAN: If you can make my love for her come true All I will ever own belongs to you. END OF ACT II The Balconies of Madrid part 7 This file was last updated on June 17, 1997, 9:05 p.m. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACT III ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don ALVARO, Don ALONSO, LEONOR and ELISA who is carried on stage in a chair by two men ALONSO: It was really a clever move to make her think That she is in Illescas when in fact We are keeping her right here in her own room. ALVARO: I met Leonor in the street then we came. ALONSO: Don Juan had better simply give it up. ALVARO: He ought to if he knew what was going on. To ELISA ALONSO: And you had better change your ways. Persist And I forget my duty to you and you Will stay right here as long as I shall live ...which should not be too long a time, I think, When I consider what you did to me. Everyone thinks that you have gone to Lerma. But that is just a lie to put them off, To keep you far from those who want to help. How you can still resist amazes me. You are not pleased with Pedro or with Carlos? I promise, Juan will never marry you. Do not dare to speak to me of him again. If you are still inclined to oppose my will, Then you deserve this punishment. If you do not want to make it worse, Just think it over and make your choice. Let's go. But lock your door because I have to leave. ALVARO: Remember, ma'am, that I will carry out And execute his orders. Watch what you do. Exeunt ALVARO and ALONSO; they lock the door as they leave ELISA: I do not know what bothers me the most: To have you here with me, or, left alone, To have to think about their tyranny. LEONOR: Well, that is the way it is for those like you Who always fail at everything they do. They give offense when they most want to please. Their courtesy produces indignation. Doņa Ana did deceive me, yes, When she accepted Carlos's clever plan. But you should thank me and forgive me, ma'am, Because I can tell you now. Don Juan is here. ELISA: That can not be! What are you saying now? LEONOR: Don Juan is right here in Illescas, yes! You are the star which guides his wanderings. Yes. Doņa Ana hid him in her house. But when I tried to come to let you know, He caught me in the doorway to the street. ELISA: Do not tell me anymore, Leonor. LEONOR: All I ask is that you tell the truth: Could you see the road they carried you along? ELISA: Why, no, how could I since my father kept The very light of day from shining in? Because he is was angry he forbade The men to light the coach along its way. I could only sit there next to him And ride along all night in total silence. We passed the days at inns in secrecy. And I was not allowed to see the guests. When we at last had come into the town, He brought a chair and made me get inside. It was so dark that I could barely see The steps I had to climb to take my seat. LEONOR: Your uncle brought me here so secretly That I could not tell either where I was. Of course they blamed me for everything, The Count who thinks that I somehow will gain Defended me and said that I should try Convincing you he lives for you alone. Doņa Ana defended me as well, But only to make me do whatever I could To see that you forget Don Juan; they both Have promised me a hope chest and a dowry, Provided you become Don Carlos's wife. But you and I grew up together so I know you better than any one of them. Heaven has decreed and I know, too, That you will marry no one but the man Who deserves your hand the most, Don Juan. With time as my witness I swear in all good faith That I would even die for you. Oh my! Is this the bed your host has made for you? ELISA: It does not matter; I can not sleep now. I am just too upset. You know it is true. Anyone who sleeps a lot is not In love. Well, I will say my prayers a while And then come help me get undressed, alright? LEONOR: How can you say your prayers and be in love? ELISA: I do not catch your meaning. LEONOR: I will wait. Exit ELISA LEONOR: Coral's tricks are really going well. Since he confided everything to me I think I like him...well, perhaps a little. She looks at a key ring with many keys The only thing I have to do is try To see if one of these old keys will work And that way spoil the old man's scheme to make His house into a jail. Because a key, When the balcony does not face the street, Means certain death: It does not matter how Love tries to lock the world outside its door. I think that this must be the master key. While Elisa prays I will put it to the test. Now, my friendly brother balcony, Do give some light and let it magic be. Exit. Enter Don JUAN and CORAL CORAL Well, now we are really sailing before the wind Along the path of those born on their feet! Good fortune moves you right ahead as planned! You know that your Elisa is at home And living in her rooms in her own house? In spite of all her father and his friend Have tried to do to make her think she is not, But rather in Illescas where they hope To make her marry Carlos. Just last night I heard her father plot it out with care. He has become an old man wracked with greed. Doņa Ana is no longer there Since that old buzzard we call death destroyed The health her aunt enjoyed and so our Ana Is not expected back until the sun Has turned her aunt's sea-worthy coffin To a golden cradle. In the meantime I have stowed the bridge away, the one Which we will use to get across the void. And you, if you play your cards just right this time, No matter how her father tries again To keep her locked away, you can slip right over. JUAN: The walls are high. There are people in the street. The neighbors are nosey. Honour is at stake. CORAL: Good Lord, man! Since when are you a coward? The sky has donned its widow's weeds again And leaves no trace of blue; the world now sleeps. The moon has fallen in the southern sea, And now? Your love begins to quake and tremble! The Moors are not attacking! Come on, man! Go and and you will see how hard I worked. Exeunt. Enter LEONOR LEONOR: I see this key has magic properties No door can ever resist. It opened the door To the balcony at once and look, it fits The living room which now is open, too. Don Juan is going to owe a lot to me, Well, to my craftiness. My skills awoke His thirst for love, no easy task, you know. Enter CORAL CORAL: Well! Now he has done it! Like old Archimedes, If there was such a man, by three to one! LEONOR: Oh no! Good Lord! You frightened me to death! CORAL: They say old witches such as you suck blood, Babies' blood, because you are always cold. LEONOR: Just tell me how you got in here, alright? CORAL: Well, you will have to ask a wooden plank! A bridge for a balcony which stretches across, Just like a spring-hook; first it's long and then It's short. But best of all I made it so That it will fit right in so tight that a widow Wearing three-inch heels could walk across... You remember the widow I brought up here for lace? LEONOR: Alright, Coral. But what will keep the town From seeing people cross between the rooms? There is no way to stop their wagging tongues. CORAL: Oh, come on! You are really hopeless. I told you that no one could see it clearly Because if either sunlight or the moon Should shine on it, we will pull it back. And it becomes invisible like slats On writing desks, hidden in compartments. Enter ELISA ELISA: Leonor, what is taking you so long? Are you in here talking to the paintings? Coral! What are you doing here? CORAL: Love's refinements slip right through old locks. Love, the unclad god, goes everywhere. ELISA: Well, yes, but when the doors are closed and locked... CORAL: For love, there are no locks that hold for long. Love's father was a blacksmith who taught him how To use a block and tackle if need be. ELISA: Who told you that I was in Illescas? CORAL: Like the owl which must avoid the sun's bright light My love pursued you to your rooms through the dark. You did not know that you are in your room? Held captive through no fault of your own? That you are in Illescas and Madrid? To prove to you that what I say is true, Open your balcony and see the way The windows are designed, the floor plan, too. You are captive in your very own room. It feels to me that we are in an oven! Those dormers are not used much in Illescas. These doors and walls are easy to make over. They are disguised, like dancers wearing masks. I came in here across the balcony, Across a drawbridge which you, too, can use, A drawbridge which all travellers must cross. Don Juan is waiting in the room next door. And you can trust your cousin even more. There is nothing left to stand in your way. Enter ALONSO and the others. ALONSO speaks from outside ALONSO: Don Carlos, Sir! Wait for me right here. ELISA: I think I hear my father. CORAL: Yes. He is here. And as for me, I think I will wait outside. Exit ELISA: And I am going to hide behind that door. LEONOR: There must be some way we can fool them all. ALONSO: Hello in there! Open this door right now! LEONOR: Who is it, please? They enter ALONSO: If I already locked The door, why did you lock yourselves inside? LEONOR: So no one would disturb our privacy. ALONSO: (I think I know a way to spoil their plan.) Aside Go! Call Elisa now! I insist! ELISA enters ELISA Well, Sir! What new way have you found today To add to my unhappiness? Have you Forgotten anything? I have watched Your progress from two miles away and want To know why you came back to torment me. ALONSO: There is no longer time for foolishness. The only reason I wanted you to think That you were in Illescas was because I felt Don Juan was making you uneasy. But he is not a problem for us now. You realize that you are still in Madrid? In your own house and in your very own room? ELISA: What?! Where?! ALONSO: In your very own home. LEONOR: My God! This is certainly confusing to me! ELISA: Then where did all this furniture come from? ALONSO: A little effort, and money, of course, can find All this, and more, at court. Let's continue. Let's not waste time on pettiness. Don Juan, consumed by jealousy, wounded Don Carlos late last night and thinking him dead Got Doņa Clara to hide him in her house. Because she is the heir to Doņa Ana, Who is her aunt. The two of them agreed That Don Juan would have to leave Madrid at once... Or as soon as they were married. The Count found out How much Don Juan now owes to Doņa Ana. When Don Pedro learned about this whole affair He became quite envious...because he saw How you did not accept his offers of love. But he managed to forget the past and turn His heart around and place his hopes in your cousin. Don Carlos, then, who loves you very much, Both generously and wisely thought that once Don Juan and Doņa Ana were married, then, He could find the means to win your love. And placing his desire above all vengeance, He went tonight to see Don Juan who fast Became his friend. It is true!! It was not hard For him to persuade Don Juan and Doņa Ana To marry happily, and right then and there! They called me to be their witness and to help Write out their terms. I went to Doņa Clara's After I saw their declaration of love. What courtesy! Tomorrow, I assume, They are getting married. For you alone The Count has risked his life. He is here. We are in his debt. Show gratitude. LEONOR: (Good Lord! How quickly he can make up lies! Aside I hope this trick will work for you, old man.) ELISA: The things you tell me would resemble dreams Were it not true that you have merit my trust. How could so much occur in just one day? How could Don Juan have changed so much, so fast? How could his love have been so small, so weak? But stop. My love will not let me despair. My love can keep pace with the times and build With exemplary acts what men's deceit destroys: I accept the offer Don Carlos makes. ALONSO: How like the ivy green which climbs the oak My heavy years embrace your lovely neck. I think I feel my youth return. He is here! He is here and I am going to call him now! What wonderful news I bring to him this time! ELISA: It is much too late! Tomorrow is time enough For him to come. Then calmly, predisposed In heart and mind he will agree with you. ALONSO: Well, that is fine. I do not want to rush you. Be sure you do not make a liar of me!! He leaves and locks her in The Balconies of Madrid part 8 This file was last updated on June 17, 1997, 9:05 p.m. LEONOR: What have you done? ELISA: Leonor, I do not know. Just what can you expect someone to do After overhearing a doubtful truth Among so many lies? Don Juan loved Ana! He believed Don Carlos destroyed our love While hidden in my house, then wounded him And ran away, then hid in Clara's house? If he entered as her guest then he will leave As the master. Unlock the door. Give me my coat. LEONOR: First explain what you are going to do. ELISA: The two of us...or I will go alone Which might be best, while you remain right here. If I should find Don Juan is at my cousin's, I will know that fear has blinded me. But if he is not there, then what I feared Is true. LEONOR: And has it not occurred to you Her servants know you now? ELISA: They are asleep. And there are many families in that building. The main door to the street will still be open. Don Juan is living like a prisoner upstairs. If I pretend that I am Doņa Ana, He will let me in and we shall see How we can put my fears to rest. LEONOR: You are mad! ELISA: I am beside myself, to coin a phrase. LEONOR: But first we have to find a cape for you. You did not bring one with you in the chair? ELISA: There are capes in the chest in my room. LEONOR: You know, there is no cure for jealousy. You might as well ask blood from a turnip. ELISA: Tell me at once if you should hear my father. LEONOR: Me? And where am I supposed to hide? ELISA: Coral will put the board between the windows And you can call me from the balcony. LEONOR: I see you think his foolish trick will work. ELISA: Do I have a choice? I must believe it or else. Exeunt. Enter Don ALONSO, Don PEDRO, and Don CARLOS with his arm in a sling CARLOS: While hidden there and listening carefully I heard her lovely thoughts: that she discreetly Offered to be mine if only Ana Accepted Pedro and forgot Don Juan. Since we now know Don Juan has left Madrid To travel to Valencia, it looks As if there is nothing left to stop us now. ALONSO: Don Pedro's choice of Ana obliges us To see if we can help him in some way. PEDRO: I am most pleased with such pure loveliness; Ever since I stayed there as her guest, I am happy to adore and worship her. ALONSO: My niece will follow my advice because She sees me as her father and besides, Not only should I tell her everything, My purpose is to have her tell her cousin That she should start to plan her wedding day, Her marriage to Don Juan. If she does that, She will be happy marrying Don Carlos. PEDRO: Exaggerate a lot, since you must say, How much I plan to do to make her happy. ALONSO: I am pleased to make her come to accept Her unexpected fortune which awaits. I would do so anyway, for myself. Your involvement really does not matter. Even though she still must be asleep, She will thank me if I wake her when she hears. Exeunt. A living room in Doņa Ana's house. ELISA, completely covered by her cape. Enter Don JUAN and CORAL ELISA: This only proves how far someone will go When plagued by doubts. But having found you here Has freed my mind of all uncertainty. JUAN: Although you may not be uncertain while Good fortune tries to scatter these savage squalls Across the sea we know as love, remember: Storms grow fierce as they decrease in size And hide all hope behind their lowering clouds. But they will never run my dreams aground, Because your beauty like St. Elmo's fire Brings hope. Sit down so we can chart our course Over treacherous seas. In spite of wind and lightning, In spite of terror, we can vanquish fear. ELISA: Guard yourself against my father's wrath. It knows no bounds; arm yourself with patience, Because I have to leave you here alone. JUAN: I am filled with joy because you came. Since it is late, why are you afraid? ELISA: I think my father like Argos never sleeps. He watches me. He sees my every move. JUAN: You could escape across the balconies. CORAL: And I will make it safe for you while dawn Begins to plate the sapphire sky in silver. Exit CORAL JUAN: Let me have this time with you alone If only for a minute. ELISA: Why has fate Declared this war against my peace of mind? ELISA and Don JUAN sit down with their backs to the door through which Don ALONSO enters. Don JUAN stands up while ELISA remains seated, her face covered by her cape ALONSO: Heavens! What is this? I heard Elisa. The lights are on and the door is opened wide! My niece has risen earlier today! ELISA: (My father! Aside How did he know that I had left the house?) To Don JUAN Now what? JUAN: Keep covered. Do not show your fear. ALONSO: Don Juan! JUAN: Did you need me to help you, Sir? ALONSO: Tell me what has brought you to this house. JUAN: The knowledge that its owner is a man Who merits all men's honest praise; and more, The kindness he showed me has brought me here. ALONSO: But I had heard that you were in Valencia. JUAN: A little wound is not sufficient cause For me to be away for very long, Especially when I was the one insulted. ALONSO: Then where is Doņa Ana? JUAN: Her aunt fell ill And she just had to go to read the will Since she is one of the heirs. ALONSO: Who is that? JUAN: You tell me. What is wrong? ALONSO: Elisa?! Tell me why you are here so late. Right now! Is this the way to treat our family's name? Is this the way you spoil your reputation? Is this the way you ruin our family line? JUAN: Just what are you implying? Are you mad? ALONSO: How dare you speak that way to me, Don Juan. If I have not completely lost my mind I should avenge my honor, here and now, By killing you. And no one would assume That I had acted wrongly or in haste. I think you used some magic kind of key Evilly designed to open the door Which guards our peace of mind and find a way To ply your evil schemes. JUAN: Don Alonso! Sir! Try to keep those wild thoughts in control. Why, it is always such a shame to see A man whose years earn him good men's respect Act imprudently. Two nights ago You took your daughter from Madrid. It seems our love offends you very much. If she is still in Lerma, why are you mad? You imagine everyone disgraces you. Who has made you see those visions of disgrace? Now, look. This lady found me here in jail. Doņa Ana went to see her aunt... She is gravely ill, you know. This lady here Knows how much I do respect her love for me. I keep good faith with her most generous love, And she has found the cure for my distress: Her presence here. And she would like to stay. She trusts her honour to my courtesy And that is when you entered. Overlook Appearances. You need the right perspective. The worries that are plaguing you convince You every girl you see is your Elisa. Don Carlos blessed Ana's love for Pedro. They plan to marry, hoping you consent. Your ingrate daughter is not in Madrid. Then why do you forbid what you desire? ALONSO: Go ahead and try to make me think That I am mad so you can carry off Your trick more easily. I may be old... But you should know that my blood is not cold. JUAN: Calm down. ALONSO: Malicious tricks do not deserve A calm reply until that very moment They come face to face with punishment. How dare you hide this evidence from me! When I came up, I heard that voice and saw That cape, that hair, that lovely figure there. Her hair, her voice, her shape, I know them well. JUAN: Are there not in Madrid a thousand girls Who wear the same attire? ALONSO: I can prove How you have tried to trick me. Let me have Her cape. I will not wait any more. He tries to uncover her face but Don JUAN stops him JUAN: A man should never try to prove his doubts Are true, ignoring common decency, Especially when he might offend a woman. So be a gentleman. Remove your hand. Or else my hand will have no other choice But to disregard the respect I owe your age, That veneration your silver brows deserve. ALONSO: So you will not let me see her face? He lifts the tapestries and strikes the walls Had I that blade of steel the years retired! How dare you forge the keys which vice invents! But let my years examine and confirm That everything I thought was true is so. Just stay here as you were while I return To my own house. And if Elisa has gone, Although it means I risk her reputation, I have no choice. I have to trust the courts To do what I cannot do for myself. The courts defend what rights the old retain. But you forgot this key! You won't escape! He removes the key, leaves, and locks them both in. CORAL enters ELISA: Hurry, Coral! It is dangerous to delay! CORAL: Our drawbridge is quite safe. Go on across! JUAN: Good-bye, my love, my all. I will not sleep. My soul will watch like Argos through my eyes Eluding that disdain which threatens love. Exeunt. Enter LEONOR and then ELISA LEONOR: This game has made me mad! Unlike me, She felt no fear at all. ELISA enters hurriedly, removing her cape ELISA: Help, Leonor! Help me remove this cape and hide it! Now! LEONOR: Your father.... Is he here? ELISA: What to do?! Folding the cape LEONOR: And do you think he saw you with Don Juan? ELISA: He did. And I will tell you things which are Too terrible to think about...but later. He caught us both together unaware. LEONOR: Good God! And did he recognize you then? ELISA: Well, yes and no. But that is all for now. So hurry. Hide the cape. Get rid of it. If he should see it, I am lost for sure! LEONOR: But where in blazes am I going to hide it? ELISA: In the bed between the mattresses. But no! He is sure to look there first. Throw it out the window into the street. But he will see it then for sure because He is about to come across the street. LEONOR: Decide at once! What are we going to do? ELISA: Now wait. Let's take it down to our own room. LEONOR: That is even worse because I hear Your father coming up the stairs right now! ELISA: Then hide it in the sleeves of your dress! LEONOR: That is the worst idea you had today! I saw some play where they did that. My father Sees them all. ELISA: Then what are we to do? He's here! LEONOR: I have a trick I know will work! Let's hide it in my hair! The cape should be of some fine white material. LEONOR takes down her hair and opens the cage which holds it in place and puts the cape inside. ELISA then helps her put her hair back up ELISA: Now that is clever. LEONOR: The very best! Now help me fix the part. ELISA: Those who cry will never learn to laugh. LEONOR: I'll be bound if he can find it now. Now stop! No need to try to make it perfect. From within ALONSO: Leonor, unlock this door right now, I said! Enter Don ALONSO and the others ELISA: Why, Sir! Have you come back again? What's wrong? ALONSO: Oh, my God! I must be getting senile. He looks around the room and touches all the walls and looks into the bedroom Now how could you have found your way back here? ELISA: I do not understand what you are saying. Did you expect to find something in here Behind the drapes? Or hidden under the bed? ALONSO: Did you really think you would suceed? Where did you put the cape you wore today? ELISA: What cape? And when? You are imagining things. ALONSO: When you were with Don Juan. LEONOR: What do you mean? Oh, Sir. Have you completely lost your mind? ELISA: And why would I be caught with him? ALONSO: Foolish, Silly girl. I know how far you would go; Turn out your sleeves, the two of you. That's right. He inspects the contents of their sleeves Now let me see what you have in your pockets. LEONOR: Either you have lost your mind for sure Or you just want to see what you can get. ELISA: Oh, father, you are the man I most respect, What has come over you? Oh Lord! What is wrong? I think something has killed him! LEONOR: That cannot be. He is either suffering from some malady Brought on by all those years or Carlos has had A witch cast a spell on him. ELISA: Dear Father! Please tell me what is wrong! ALONSO: Go ahead And cry. Try to fool me with your lies. Could you have put it in the bed? He goes into the bedroom ELISA: Why do you Insist so, Father? I would never do Any thing to anger you. You are frightening me. I know I will pay for whatever you imagine To be wrong. LEONOR: (Why is love always cruel?) Aside ALONSO: Elisa, try not to be so upset. I went inside to find your cousin. There I found Don Juan and seated next to him A lady who, although she wore a veil, I know was worthy of respect; her dress Her bearing, her way of moving deceived me so That trusting in my first impression I Am sure that I offended them. I locked Them both inside the room and now I must Go back to let them out and try to ask Their pardon. What can one expect? I am old! And where there are gray heads, we alway find Suspicion, envy, every evil thought. ELISA: I am not sure I understand your meaning. LEONOR: (Well, that is certainly a clever trick!) Aside ALONSO: Should I succeed in marrying you to the count, I will allow you both, as the prize for all The joy you will have given me, the right To make a fool of me, if you so choose. It is only fair that you should right the wrong My relentlessness has caused you both. Now rest. You should not be up so late. It is almost dawn. When you are married, these sorrows will be your joy. Do you love the count a lot? ELISA: Well,...not a lot, But I will learn to love him ...gradually. LEONOR: That is how it usually is. It does Not often take us by surprise. ALONSO: I hear You say things to him tenderly. Remember: He is to come with me tonight at ten. I must release Don Juan! And you must find A way to pardon an old man's foolishness. And then you both must go to bed. Right now! He exits, closing the door ELISA: Leonor, give me the cape and tell Coral To put the bridge between the balconies. LEONOR: But why? ELISA: Don't you know? Why have I Gone through this? To be with my Don Juan. LEONOR: But I think it would be so much the better For me to go instead and not be seen By anyone, don't you? And if I wear The cape, he will be totally confused. ELISA: And what if he should recognize you? Well? This cape was the cause of all our trouble. LEONOR: Enough! Just help me with your dress and cape. Removing them ELISA: Alright. Putting on ELISA's dress LEONOR: This game is getting complicated. ELISA: Now the cape. She puts it on LEONOR: I am going to call the boatswain. Ahoy mate! Send the launch ashore for us! I think I saw the first light of the dawn. ELISA: There never has been love without intrigue. LEONOR: With enough finesse, I know I will succeed, And Madrid will long remember all our tricks: The cape, your hair and these two balconies. Exeunt. A room in Doņa Ana's house. Don JUAN is alone JUAN: Oh, child-like deity, do you not know Your very honor is at stake if you Can not escape the laberynth where you lost Your way so blindly? Calmly, bring your fires To light our way through tempests of confusion And bring us safely home through these wild seas. Enter LEONOR with a cape covering her face CORAL: Now go on in and I will raise the bridge. You will be like Leander, not at sea, But through the air, swimming on the wind. Exit The Balconies of Madrid part 9 JUAN: Tell me, my love, everything that happened. LEONOR: These tricks and these deceptions cannot help Our cause any longer since the count Convinced and won my father to his cause. Those two have overtaken me and I... ...it seems so after all...am to marry! JUAN: But that just cannot be! LEONOR: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Did you not say you wanted Anaxerete? Calm down. Do you not recognize me now? She reveals her face JUAN: You have again given me my life. Explain what this is all about. LEONOR: No time To explain events of these last few days. Sit down just as you were before we were Surprised by Don Alonso and see a miracle. Don ALONSO and Don ALVARO come to a side door; LEONOR, her face covered again with the cape sits next to Don JUAN. CORAL enters at the end of the scene ALONSO: This way I will find out the truth, my friend. Go now and see if Elisa is in her room. Just take this key and go in quietly. If I find the lady with the cape is here And if you see my daughter there, I will know How truly mistaken I was after all. JUAN: I am certain you will come back pleased. ALONSO: No. I'll be ashamed. Forgive me, ma'am, If I allowed myself to think the worst Because of what you wore.... (Good Lord, the hair Aside The figure, everything! She is Elisa!) ALVARO: I simply must know just what is going on. ALONSO: But do so that no one will notice you. Exit Don ALVARO (May Heaven free me from these awful doubts; Aside The cape, the dress...convince me I am right. But I just left her locked inside her room! JUAN: Keep your doubts from getting the upper hand. And let your fears lead to friendship, Sir. Allow what you yourself have seen to make A place for good will in your heart; and I, I will think of you and me as friends. ALONSO: To prove We are at peace at last, let these two arms Offer my congratulations! You shall wed The lady sitting next to you and make Elisa even more content to be The bride of Count Don Carlos. Doņa Ana, In whose house you are, will marry Pedro. JUAN: The god of Love shows the power of his realm By making the impossible come true. I wish all four four centuries of joy. ALONSO: May Heaven grant you, Juan, a thousand years To live your life beside such loveliness. Good-bye. Now take your key. It belongs to you. Exit LEONOR: Let's leave the cape right here because should he Decide to search me there again, there is No place to hide it. CORAL: Now come on. Let's go. LEONOR: Let's go, Coral. CORAL: Have a pleasant trip! CORAL and LEONOR exeunt JUAN: The dawn has spilled its seed pearls over the scarlet Eastern sky. If only it would bless My hope with joy before the swallows sing. I hear them talking on their balconies. Elisa's father had best not harm her or I will defend her, though it mean my death. Exit. Enter Don ALONSO and the Count ALONSO: How good it is to see you up so early. I visited my niece today and know I will have her and Don Pedro married at once. CARLOS: Since jealousy so seldom sleeps, its pain Woke me in fear before the dawn lest I Should lose my happiness because I slept. ALONSO: Your sensibilities give you away. Elisa's love is now completely yours. ELISA and LEONOR are behind a curtain watching; Don ALVARO, Don CARLOS and Don JUAN, and the others are all now there LEONOR: "Well, now you are going to get it," said Agrajes. ALONSO: Alvaro, you were here all along? ALVARO: Yes, I was here, displeased and angry, too, Because you did not trust her. So it seemed. ALONSO: Now that is quite enough. I was mistaken. JUAN: Don Alonso, you must grant me this: That it is only right to assure oneself And overcome all difficulties while I make our wedding plans. Since I found you Here with the count, without the need to search, I want to clear all obstacles away. Just because I praised Elisa's beauty... ...obviously an error which I never Should have made...this man now steals her love, Forgetting friendship's customs and its laws. There is now every reason to suspect That once he learns to whom I give my love That he will change again and leave Elisa. And try to win away the love I won! I stand before you both to hear you swear That this will not occur. ALONSO: You need not fear. JUAN: Both of you must hear me speak my mind. If the jewel whom I adore considered you Her father and wished to marry me, would you Agree? ALONSO: You say she thinks of me as her father? JUAN: She swears that it is so. ALONSO: Who is she, then? JUAN: The girl you found with me a while ago, The girl who would not let you see her face. ALONSO: Well, have you ever heard of such a thing? She claims to be a relative of mine? JUAN: Because of you she says her blood is royal. ALONSO: It must be Doņa Ana; I am sure of that. JUAN: That does not matter: Ana, or someone else, What is your reply? ALONSO: If she had hurt you so And now that pain has turned back into joy May Heaven grant you both a hundred years Of happiness together, and children, too, To keep your love for life alive. JUAN: Accept My heartfelt thanks. And you, Don Carlos, agree To all you have heard said here. CARLOS: Providing we Can put an end to any bitterness Which might remain between us, I agree. JUAN: Then swear to it. CARLOS: My word is all you need. JUAN: Then nothing can be done but say good-bye. ALONSO: But, first, do tell us who your lady is! JUAN: Trust me for now you must not know her name. And gentlemen, do not forget your oath. LEONOR: (Oh, now I understand what he has done!) Aside ELISA and LEONOR withdraw JUAN: Soon you will see me with the one I love. Exit PEDRO: The subtlety of his ingenuity Has reached the limit of the possible. ALONSO: I am not sure that I quite understand. PEDRO: I mean how love, together with men's wit, Can make events transpire in such a way That they appear absurd, ridiculous, But to our dismay they are so sadly true. ALONSO: And what do you mean now by saying that? PEDRO: Well, balconies are now a bridge to cross Which people feared because they saw the void. Come see what ingenuity can do! CARLOS: Would you explain yourself to me for once? PEDRO: To understand you really must come see How men can sail through inlets of the wind. ALONSO: The night has worked her arts again, I say, Confusing the best minds we have today. Exeunt. A street outside Doņa ANA's and Don ALONSO's houses. The two balconies are joined by a wide board scaffold. Don JUAN, CORAL, ELISA and LEONOR are on Doņa ANA's balcony JUAN: More often, all decisions made with love Are for the best. You need not fear, Elisa. ELISA: Too late for fear or even thinking twice. ELISA and Don JUAN walk out onto the scaffold CORAL: Ladies and gentlemen: Do not quake or tremble. For none of us would like to fall and crack Like soft-boiled eggs. LEONOR: Coral. Do not let go! LEONOR walks carefully across. CORAL ventures across the scaffold CORAL: Oh Saint Harlequin protect me now! I think I heard the old man blow his nose! Don ALONSO looks out from his balcony together with Don CARLOS and Don PEDRO. Don ALONSO and Don CARLOS are on their balcony; ELISA, Don JUAN, CORAL, and LEONOR on the scaffold ELISA: My father and the count are on the balcony! We have to turn around and go back in! ALONSO: What I see cannot be happening! JUAN: There is no choice: your freedom or I die. As Don JUAN and ELISA try to return to Doņa ANA's balcony, Doņa ANA appears there with Don PEDRO ANA: A woman! Hidden in my house!!! Don Pedro, The sorrows I have suffered now demand You make amends somehow for such an outrage! PEDRO: If you have known great sorrow, just recall How I have experienced sorrow, but in love. ANA: Is this the way you pay your debts, Don Juan? Remember how I put myself in danger? PEDRO: Traitor! Prepare to die by your own design; The only way you will ever escape is this! He draws his sword CARLOS: And this sword, too, will clear the way for rage. The sword is the only exit for rebellious souls. CARLOS and ALONSO draw their swords CORAL: This is not a bridge! It's a trap! Men will call this the bridge of Mantible, A bridge where we found giants standing guard. JUAN: This lady is the one you saw with me, Her face was hidden by her cape; remember? You swore she would become my wife because She called you father. Carlos, you swore, too, And noblemen must keep their word or die. ELISA: You cannot force another person's will. Good Count, like every nobleman you must First triumph o'er yourself; courtesy, then, Be as great in generosity as in love. CARLOS: Her reasons and her eloquence deserve Our respect. From this day on I will protect Your love and call Don Juan my friend as well. And if your father will have me as well, I do believe that such a son-in-law Would bring him happiness also, don't you? Although I have not kept myself in check, I swear that I will be the enemy Of anyone who fails to respect Don Juan. ALONSO: I have never seen such foolishness! ELISA: But, father! LEONOR: My dear, dear man! ALONSO: Since all of you Insist, and God has let it be, let Love Make up the plot, since one old man cannot Withstand so many joined as one together. JUAN: Your generosity humbles me. (He kneels.) CARLOS: Then let us reunite our wills again Although we were disturbed by rivalries, And forge an ever-lasting peace, a bond Which first appears as Doņa Ana gives Her hand to our Don Pedro. ANA: And I respect This pact much more because it comes from you. To CARLOS CORAL: Well, since your pure and virgin title still Remains beyond the bonds of marriage, we have No other choice, both you and I, but to take Most holy vows and find our monastery. Which one is most suitable to you? LEONOR: Oh, no you don't! For you are mine alone! CARLOS: Well, then, you mean that there is no escape? Then with this night have ended all our sorrows. Confusion often ends at break of dawn. The sun has risen once again and brings Us peace and joy. JUAN: So this is how Love has His way with us and works his miracles! LEONOR: So this is how I ply my trade, my friends! Remember: in love, never trust a woman. CORAL: "The Balconies of Madrid" has come to an end. The poet asks me not to give his name. THE END