LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. Gl FT OF Class duu^QvJ . A A^ /> y v ^ - Ar^V /^^ XvX ^LAA^^ J^ /1AC^r-V ^AA^QJLyOL^ PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA A Romantic Tragedy in Five Acts PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA A ROMANTIC TRAGEDY IN FIVE ACTS BY ARTHUR SITGREAVES MANN NEW YORK THE GRAFTON PRESS PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1906 By THE GRAFTON PRESS anfc (0. JH. C The seasons come, the seasons go, The earth is green OT white with snow, But time and change can naught avail To break the friendships formed at Yale. CARM. YALEN. KM 446 DRAMATIS PERSONJE KINO WRATISLAS OF BOHEMIA. KING BUDIMIR OF BULGARIA. PRINCE Ivo, Son of Wratislas. CONSTANT, Friend of Ivo. DUKE SIGISMUND, Brother of Budimir. OTTOUAK THE BLACK, Chieftain of the Serbians. A HOST. CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD. LORDS OF THE BULGARIAN COURT. SERVANTS. PRINCESS SEVNA, Daughter of Budimir. KARA, Daughter of Ottocar. ACT I Scene 1 The gardens of the palace of King Wratislas. Scene 2 The tower of Ottocar s castle. Scene 3 An inn, ACT II The reception hall in the palace of King Budimir. ACT III A hall in the palace of Duke Sigismund. ACT IV Scene 1 The tower of Ottocar s castle. Scene 2 Hall in Duke Sigismund s palace. ACT III A turret chamber in King Budimir s palace. Prince Ivo of Bohemia ACT I SCENE 1 In the gardens of the palace of King Wratislas. Tfie palace stands on one side of the stage, one gray stone wing of it showing through the trees and shrubbery. In the center is a fountain, alongside of which two young men are seated, Prince Ivo on the grass leaning against a rock, Constant on a bench near him. Both men are about twenty-three years old. Ivo is slender, more active, and rather more handsome; Con stant has a more powerful frame, and his face is more serious and thoughtful. Ivo Adventures, Constant ? why, the world is dead, And we who live in these benighted days May never hope again to have the luck To make our swords dance in a gallant cause. Constant Indeed it is a weary, useless world. But then, my lord, remember all the past; Young as we are we have not lived in vain. Do you forget the day the Romagnese 10 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Trapped us a-courting just within their lines, Two men to five? That was a stirring day. Ivo Ah, Constant, Constant, little did I think That you would care to bring that back to mind. I caught a glimpse of you as you stood there, Desperately cornered, all your face in knots, And those two villains just about to end you. Where had you been except for little Rose ? I ll not forget how she upset the chair And tripped the fellow in the yellow coat To give you time to take them one by one. Constant But, Ivo, who was the man that ran away And had to find a refuge on the stairs Where only one could come at him at once, And that at disadvantage ? By the saints, Those Romagnese were braver men than you. Ivo Enough, I yield, but there were other times, It s six years now since you first came to court, Six years, and what an agelong life they ve been. We ve seen each other through many a narrow place Since those first hours ; we ve shared the hunt, the camp, Stood by each other s side when swords were out, And seen both sides of fortune. Those were dark days When that accursed Hapsburg brood pressed hard Our little kingdom. O that fearful night PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 11 On Unterbergen field when all seemed lost, And you and I with scarce a thousand men, Weary and spent, waited for break of day To see if Klein dorf pass had been cut off And we surrounded ! Then those anxious weeks When we were on the run like mountain goats, Until at last the Emperor interposed And the peace was made that left Bohemia free. Constant And yet if I could have these years again, I d rather take those weeks among the rocks, When every moment held a chance of death And every sword-stroke meant one Austrian gone, Than all the rest combined. Oh, that was life ! A page enters Page My lord, the king approaches. Ivo Let him come. He s a good father to me, Constant, though I wish he were not quite so much oppressed With the mighty cares of vast Bohemia. When I am king, I ll wear a softer crown. Constant I warrant you will. You ll make me do the work. Ivo And if you object, to the deepest keep you go. Wratislas My son. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Enter King Wratislas Ivo My liege. Wratislas Good day to you, my lord. Constant Your majesty, may Heaven send you peace. Wratislas Ivo, what do you now ? Are you engaged On any pressing matter? Ivo Father, no. Wratislas Then I would ask to speak with you a while On a matter deeply touching all of us. Have you thought of marriage ? Ivo Faith, a hundred times. Wratislas Yes, as boys will, but ever seriously ? Ivo It seemed so at the time. There s Margaret To whom I vowed my knightly loyalty, And Jeanne of France who nearly broke my heart When she went hence, and many another too. But, father, in all proper earnestness, PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 13 As befits a matter of so great import, My heart is free and my princely hand unpledged, So if you have a princess to my taste I ll be obedient and do your will. Who is she ? Wratislas The Princess Sevna of Bulgaria. I pray you, Ivo, take the thing to heart. Our brave Bohemia is sore beset On every side by grasping jealous foes, And we must make the most of each resource. Bulgaria s interests now seem knit with ours, And to make the alliance firm King Budimir Doth urge this marriage. Then, too, the girl is fair, And fit to be the consort of a king. Ivo Is this already ripe ? Do you intend At once to consummate the match ? I like it not. I thought you spoke of some far-distant plan, Not thus so soon to end my liberty. Wratislas No, Ivo, time is precious. We must haste In all we seek to do. Ivo Then grant a space Of quiet for me to consider this. Wratislas The thing must be, yet I ll not press too hard. One month I grant you to return consent. 14 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Ivo Father, I thank you; in one month I ll speak. Wratislas Then fare you well, I know you will not fail. Adieu, Lord Constant Constant Adieu, your majesty. Exit King Wratislas. Ivo The Princess Sevna of Bulgaria ! Constant, are then those happy days to end, When we were errant knights and every maid Might chance to prove the princess of the tale, In a dull flat union forged by statecraft cold ? One more adventure, Constant, ere the close! Let s go seek out the fair Bulgarian And meet her once with plain unblazoned shield, As man to maid, and see what then results. My heart was made for love and I ll not love This easy gift of shrewd diplomacy. On with your spurs, my boy, we ride to-day To win a bride or wreck their politics. Constant My spurs are on, my lord. You ll never find You have to wait for me. Ivo Your hand in this. Conradin, ho, Conradin, tell the king That I have gone up to the hills to hunt; PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 15 And make things ready. In one hour we leave. His attendant enters at the call. Conradin Tis done, my lord. Ivo Now, Constant, to the fray. Curtain SCENE 2 Three days later. A tower on the castle of Ottocar ilie Black. The castle stands on an elevation, and the moonlight shows ragged mountains on every side. As the curtain rises Prince Ivo follows Kara out upon the tower. Kara Behold the realm of Ottocar the Black! A few wild hills and rocky river-beds, But yet my country. I have been at Rome, The imperial city with its granite walls And marble palaces, and yet I love Yon living rocks that the running waters carve Into fantastic piles and strange mosaics Better than all the wealth of chiseled Rome. Ivo I never hoped to be received as guest In Ottocar s domains. Kara I know your thoughts. You held us wilder than our mountain wolves 16 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA That sometimes come to prey on your rich plains, And like them to be hunted. j vo Truth to tell, As child I feared the name of Ottocar, The desperate chief of the outlawed Serbian race. Kara And yet it was a knightly deed of yours To grant the captive maid her free release. I would have been a hostage of great worth, To guard your country from my father s raids, My sullen captor seemed a trifle vexed At your command to set me free again. Ivo War upon women! Bohemia s officers Were never trained to that. My country s honor Compelled my interference. I am glad My rank bore with it the authority To give you freedom. Kara Noble blood is yours, Did you not say ? l vo Count Ziska is my name, And my lineage lost in ages far remote. The spray of southern seas is in our blood, But sweeter than the music of the waves We found the gallop of a horse s hoofs, And carried far our conquests. Now we rest, Seeking to hold the spoil our fathers won. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 17 But still there sometimes comes across my mind Like voices calling from the distant hills An impulse bidding me arise and go To unknown lands where unknown dangers wait And deeds are worth the doing. Kara Then you never feel A passionate and longing love for home. Look ! See that darkened mountain chain that stands So black against the moonlight, every peak And every path of that wild range I know. I have sat for hours by one waterfall And looked and listened there until my heart Began to understand the mysteries That lie within the forest and the glen. All passion, all desire fade away; The deep tears come, and the waters still plunge on, Until I turn away unfit to share In nature s calm eternal solitude. I want no other spot on earth than this, My mountains are enough. Ivo May not some day A lover dare to claim you for his own, And bear you far away from these stern cliffs To a fairer, richer land ? Kara No fairer land Exists for me than this, nor ever will. Ivo But may not love at last prove conqueror ? 18 PRINCE IVO OE BOHEMIA Will you not love so deeply that your heart Will bid you leave your home and go with him With whom alone you can find happiness ? Kara I do not think that I shall ever love. My father holds my fate, I look to him; And I shall wed some stalwart mountaineer Living in reckless ease upon the spoil He gathers from your rich and sluggish plains. And I shall still be free to wander far Among the mountain passes, and to sit In contemplation by my waterfall. Ivo Then, Kara, dare I never say, I love you ? Kara No, never. Ivo But all my life calls out to you And I must love you, Kara I do not believe That you can speak with passionate intent. And if your heart is now alive with love, Tis but the passing fancy of the night Roused by the wildness of our mountain home And our strange meeting here beneath the stars. Ivo Oh, but the very strangeness of the tale Bears witness that it shall not come to naught. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 19 Kara I dare not hear you speak. My lord ! tis late, And therefore I must bid to you good night. Come, let us enter. Ivo And is this farewell ? Kara No longer may I entertain you here, My lord. I dare not face my father s wrath, If he return and find you as our guest; You, whom he rightly holds to be his foe. For though you deem us robbers, yet a tale Of cruelty and wrong we too can tell. Forget this day and turn again to war, And yet, and yet, count one of us your friend. Ivo Then it must be farewell, yet let me say That I will not forget. Kara Let us go in. Curtain SCENE 3 The next evening. An Inn. Ivo and Constant are seated at a table, with the land lord serving them. Constant Here, Ivo, drink, another day s march done And our adventures nearer. Here s to good luck ! 20 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Ivo Adventures nearer! Have we not begun? To enter the hold of Ottocar the Black And stand at midnight on his parapets With his fair daughter, is not that enough? Constant That s but an incident, while on our plan Of meeting Sevna hangs the nation s fate. Ivo Sevna, the princess, how I hate the name! She will be ugly, fat, and slow of wit, Her mind all set on courtly etiquette, Not like my mountain hawk of yesterday. Constant They say she s beautiful. Ivo Of course they do. And so have I been called most erudite Because I could decline a Latin noun. Constant But then I m sure I know her type she s not One of those limpid uncompounded minds That has never felt the restless interplay Of many struggling motives. Lady Kara, now, Has walked the path that fate has marked for her, No questions cross her life excepting those Of undiluted right and wrong. Find out Her two or three main traits PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 21 Ivo Now, Constant, hold! None of your deep analyses to-night. Take some more wine and you ll feel happier. If you had been in my place on the tower, You would have only wished to hear her voice And look into her eyes. She s beautiful. Constant Beautiful, yes, I grant it; little more, However. Do you know the road from here ? Shall we have rough work to-morrow? Ivo I think not. I wonder when we two will meet again. Can t we evade old Ottocar some day? Constant He ll have her married soon. Is your horse sound ? I saw he limped a bit. Ivo I fear he will On our return. I ll take my chances there. I d like to face the wolf. Constant I think you d get A gentle hint you were not welcome there. Just think of who they are. Ivo You frighten me? I d go to-night to take a challenge up. Do you think I fear this Ottocar the Black ? We d hurl his castle into his ravines If he showed treachery. 22 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Constant I only meant It s wasted time, and we have other things To do. Remember we are on the road To seek Bulgaria. I vo Confound the place. I never want to see it. I must see My Lady Kara once again. I ll go To-morrow, Constant, if ten Ottocars Should bar my passage. Constant But, Prince Ivo, think Your father and Bohemia; this is no time For boyish dreams. Ivo Are you afraid to go ? You boasted once that you would follow me Into any danger; show your courage now. Constant Afraid! you have no right to say that word. I ve stood ere this when you were down, and held Our foes at bay. But if you go back now, And trust your freedom to a robber s mercy, To see this girl whom you can never have, When your country s dearest interests are at stake, You show yourself a traitor to your race. Ivo A traitor! take that back or never call Me friend. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 23 Constant A traitor to your country, prince, If you return. Ivo starts to draw his sivord from the scabbard. Constant with a swift movement throws aside the table, hurls himself forward and seizes him around the waist. A fierce struggle follows, both go down, but Constant re tains the advantage of the attack and soon has the prince helpless beneath him. Wresting Ivo s sword from him he throws it across the room. Then he loosens his hold and rises. Ivo also rises slowly and the two men stand silent for an interval. Constant maintains a look of resolute composure, while Ivo first looks at him in anger and then lets fall his eyes. The silence becomes oppressive. Then the landlord, who had left abruptly when the quarrel began, reap pears with wine. He speaks to Constant. Landlord There s no harm done, I hope. Constant relaxes his intense expression and shakes his head. The landlord turns to Ivo. My lord, some wine, Twill mend a quarrel as well as bring it on. Ivo Ah, that is good. Constant, will you drink too ? Or was not my resistance hard enough To rouse your thirst ? Constant I think our host s good wine Will not go begging here. Ivo, I give a health. 24 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA The Princess Sevna of Bulgaria. Ivo slowly fills a glass and reluctantly drinks. Ivo Bulgaria it is. Curtain ACT II A great state reception and revel of the Bulgarian court. Enter King Budimir and Princess Sevna and take seats upon a dais. Nobles in succession make obeisance. 1st Lord My sovereign liege! King Budimir Welcome, my lord, you re not The fool I thought you once. %d Lord Most gracious king! King Budimir What, knave, do you dare show yourself to me? Did I not bid you go and herd your swine ? 2d Lord But, sire, King Budimir No words, go get you hence ! I ll have No cunning, smiling, rotten pander here. Exit %d Lord in confusion. Herald Two nobles from Bohemia lately come Would see your majesty. 25 26 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA King Budimir Bid them approach. Herald (announces) Count Ziska and Count Bors. Enter Ivo and Constant Ivo Your majesty, May heaven send you victory and wealth. King Budimir Welcome, my lords, if from Bohemia You come, for Wratislas and we do now Account ourselves as brothers. Ivo Sire, we come Bearers of letters from Prince Ivo s hand To prove our friendship to Bulgaria. Ivo presents letter. King Budimir takes and reads it, speak ing to himself. King Budimir Hm ! " Friends of Ivo, traveling gentlemen, Who wish to see the world and prove the fame Of other realms, and first Bulgaria." (Openly) I see your prince commends you. Has that boy Yet calmed the madness of his early blood Enough to deal in high affairs of state, Or is he still expert in lady s bower And court buffoon within the council room? Constant My lord, Prince Ivo shows in time of peace The same staunch heart as on the battle-field. PRINCE 1VO OF BOHEMIA 27 King Budimir A knave can fight, it needs a king to rule. But that the boy has noble qualities I ll not deny. Had he his father s wit Bohemia were happy. But the dance! Young men will turn to follow butterflies When kingdoms crash around them. Will it please You then to share our folly here, my lords ? Daughter, two nobles from Bohemia Whose presence honors our unworthy court. My lords, the Princess Sevna, our fair child. Has Bohemia her equal? Daughter, go, And tread a measure with these stranger knights. Constant forces Ivo forward, and the latter leads out the princess without speaking. Sevna My lord, we make you welcome to our court. Ivo (indifferently] My thanks, fair princess, I have long desired To see your land. (A pause) Sevna And does it please you now? Ivo You have a fertile country, but the plains Did never hold my fancy like the hills. Sevna Mountains for hunters ! The plains for nobler men 28 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Who know the wisdom of the ancient dead And build upon it. Ivo The wisdom of your books, The deep, dry digging of philosophers, Is not worth one free hour of mountain air. Sevna You seek the body s freedom, not the soul s; You climb high peaks, but we draw nearer God Who seek Him on the heights of life and thought Than you who draw full breath and eat and sleep And find no gain beyond the hour s thrill. Ivo You study life, but it is we who live. The dance now begins. When it is ended, they renew their conversation. Ivo Like you thinks also my friend here, when fall n In meditative mood, or when some blow Upsets his hopes, but let him have a horse, Fair field, no favor, and a better man Never set merrily to join a fray. Sevna He knows both how to dream and act ? Ah, then He drinks life down to the bottom of the cup. We, pent inactive, miss the thrill and sting, You, with your action, miss the deeper sight. If he grasp both, that were a perfect life. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 29 Ivo Ah, princess, I have journeyed by his side Through many a fateful year, and I can say No deeper, truer comrade ever breathed; No man of keener insight, stronger love, And nobler heart, than he who yonder stands. I am a man whom fortune should have made A wandering trooper, free to come and go, Who could live and laugh and play the fool and die, With never a soul to care the lightest straw, Except perhaps some one or two who loved me; But fate in her caprice - He stops, there is a pause, and then Ivo says: Shall we return ? Sevna Think you your friend would dance? Such merit rare Would well be worth the knowing. Ivo (with deep respect. He has been much impressed by the conversation, though it is evident that he and the princess could never stir each other s deepest feelings) Greater honor Could, princess, not be his nor any man s. Sevna My thanks, my lord. They return to the dais, where Constant stands in earnest conversation with King Budimir. King Budimir What, ended ? Daughter, come and rest. 30 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Sevna Ah, no, The music and the passion of the dance Are in my blood and now I cannot cease. Budimir Then as you wish it. Sir, I find your talk On matters of the day to have some worth. But since my daughter would not end the dance, And in her woman s world her will is law, We ll adjourn our converse to another time, While you twain go and test each other s skill. Constant and Sevna bow and he leads her out. After the dance, Ivo and King Budimir being engaged in conversation, which has drawn in the surrounding nobles, they go aside to talk. Sevna How did you soften my stern father s heart So as to gain his praise ? A word unmixed With scorn or anger never leaves his lips, Save when he speaks to me. I tell you this, That in the future you may hold your guard. Constant Your father s biting tongue was known to me, But that he is a ruler of great weight, A skilful soldier, a most dangerous foe, And an ally of inestimable worth Has also reached my knowledge. So my hopes Are set on closer friendship twixt your land And our Bohemia; for we are pressed PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 31 By many jealous foes, as also you, And only by this compact both our states Can face unshaken all hostility. Sevna Your words are wise, but yet, I somehow fear, I may not tell just why, this planning shrewd Of ministers and diplomats and kings Expects to use some pieces in the game Which will not willingly be moved. But after all Are we not pieces in the hands of fate, Moved helplessly from square to square of life, Whether we struggle fiercely, or submit As best we can to the will that governs us ? Tell me, my lord, what you think; for I here Am gently coaxed to this and forced to that, Perform my father s bidding, bow myself Before the sage advice of counselors, Find my friends chosen, all my life mapped out By others, until at last I grow to doubt Whether a spark of freedom is my own. And yet if I say that, within me cries A voice imperious, which will not rest, Asserting that my soul is lord and free. Which seems the truth, freedom or slavery ? Constant Man s life is of two parts. He finds himself Born to a world which he did not create; His parents, rank, and state are not his choice, Nor yet that quality of natural worth 32 PRINCE WO OF BOHEMIA Which makes him hero, weakling, genius, dolt, And as he treads the path of daily life A thousand haps and mishaps shape his fate, Which he could never alter nor foresee. Some stroke of fortune raises one to wealth, Another by sheer accident is maimed, And all his life is blasted. Wherefore then Befret ourselves about that outward world, The destiny which we cannot control ? Life brings us happiness let us be glad; It brings us sorrow let us show ourselves Strong to endure the burden of our pains, For fortitude alone can conquer them, Not moaning, nor complaint, nor futile kicks. Such is one part of life. The other lies Not in the play of outward circumstance, But in that realm of inner life in which Man s will is regal. Like yours, my heart cries out : Mine honor and dishonor are mine own To choose, and not another for me. Thus, As on life s road I travel, all fate s gifts And blows I strive to take with even mind; Nor wild with joy, nor overcome by pain. My only effort, to lead such a life That, were its inmost secrets shown to one Of unstained, radiant honor, I would dare To look him in the face. God knows I ve sinned, But thro weakness, not thro baseness, and my quest Shall ever be to make my weakness strong. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 33 Sevna You seem to make things clear that puzzled me. But you are strong, your right hand hews its way Straight thro the thick of stern adversities, You are not hemmed in, baffled, made a child At others service. Oh, that I were free To lead my life, to follow out my dreams! For sometimes when I steal a quiet hour To muse upon the pages of my books (But oh, I have so few) there comes a gleam From an unknown world I fain would penetrate, A world of mystic beauty, whose fair shapes And strains of music and echoes of high thoughts Linger a moment in my wistful mind And then depart. But when I would return To cross the boundary of that other land There comes the hunt, the dance, the weary round Of courtly etiquette, and I must talk And try to please and wear a smiling face, Barred from the land whose sights I hunger for. Constant I think I understand you, and I feel How hard a life must be when the spirit seeks True comradeship, true sympathy, and finds Only the husks and shells of social life. Sevna Yes, husks and shells, that s what they feed me on. And now to crown their work I hear they plan To sell me, soul and body, that they may 34 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Build higher their ambition, gather more Of husks and shells for all of us to eat. In short they soon will seek to make me wed A man who cares for nothing but his horse, His wine, his Constant My lady, stop, you know not what You speak. Sevna Will you too then refuse to hear ? I know I should not speak, but here I have Not a single friend to whom I dare to talk, And in your face I read a sympathy Which I have rarely known. Constant (aside) Perhaps our hope Lies in my winning her to Ivo s side. (Openly) My lady, mayhap you have wrongly read The character of him of whom you speak. False rumors often reach us, and the truth May contradict your fears. Sevna It cannot be. I m not deceived, this wastrel prince s fame Has come to me from many trusted lips, And, even though he be not wholly brute, Savage and swinish, yet he is not one To break my bonds of bitter servitude. Oh, I have dreamed, in the way a man knows not, Of one who comes to set me free at last, The sunlight on his armor and his face PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 35 Imperishably stamped as one of those That read the mysteries of life and death. And to be given to this animal ! How will my heart endure? Constant I will be bold If you will suffer me this liberty. It is Prince Ivo of Bohemia Of whom you speak ? Sevna None other. Constant Then you wrong The noblest gentleman that ever drew His sword for honor, home, and liberty. Sevna I had forgot he was your countryman. I beg forgiveness; it may be the heat Of many a former grievance roused my heart To utter w r ords unseemly. Constant It is not You, but false tongues that I would challenge here. You have not seen him ? Sevna No. Constant Then take my word As of one who in the battle and the camp, In sore distress and flush of victory, Has followed Ivo s fortunes, and not yet Has seen him wrong another, crush the weak, 36 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Humiliate the fallen, or show aught Except the bearing of a gallant knight. The spirit of the South is in his heart, High hopes, deep tenderness, impassioned life. And the luring charm of wooded, sun -kissed hills. My lady, never has love better worth The winning called for answering love than his. Sevna Twill call in vain if it seeks an answer here. He could not touch my heart. At best he were Such as your comrade here, who might deserve The praise which you have lavished on your prince, The very image of a perfect knight And yet without that vision in his soul Which brings the larger light, and that I seek. You pardon me ? My speech is very bold, But just to-day it chanced that stroke on stroke Has fallen on me, stinging maddeningly, And to-night I care not. Should it wreck the world Yet I must speak. I can trust you, can I not ? Constant My lady, to the death. Sevna And you ll forgive What I have said, my rancor toward your prince, And my judgment of your friend, and you ll forget The unmeant words I spoke against my home. And if I must accept the fate they plan, You ll sometimes see me and help me with such thoughts PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 37 As you have done to-night ? I shall be glad To think that you are from Bohemia. Constant My lady, O that I could bring to you The freedom you thirst for! O if I could clear Your pathway to the land you long to see! If I could dash all obstacles aside! For never have I heard a voice that called My spirit to eager service, like yours to-night. For life, for death, count on my life as yours. Can I do nothing ? Sevna Stop, say not too much. Constant I also serve my prince in serving you. Sevna It is not Ivo that can set me free. Constant But it must be; princess, you must be his. Sevna No, never. God, what will the future be ? She turns away and lets fall her head upon her arms. Sud denly she straightens herself in complete self-possession, cold as a statue. My lord, perhaps they wait our coming, so Let us attend the king. They return and find Ivo and King Budimir in angry dis- 38 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA cussicm. A group has been fanned into which Constant and Sevna slip without being noticed. Both contest ants arc completely beside themselves with rage. Ivo (sneeringly) And so you plan To make alliance twixt your state and ours ? King Budimir I plan! why, boy, that old fool Wratislas Fell on his knees to beg some aid from us. Such whining, pitiful letters I ve not read As those he wrote us, of Bohemia lost Unless we helped him, savage foes which he Alone could not resist, and all such talk. And it is true. Why, if I stir my hand, It s time for you to go and choose your graves. Ivo When Wratislas went on his knees to you It must have been the day that he was told By his confessor to abase himself By doing reverence to his inferiors. King Budimir What, in my court ? Do you dare mock me here ? By Heaven, beware. Ivo And then, what you just said, This marriage, I expect to hear you tell How Wratislas and Ivo came like dogs Seeking a bone, to ask your daughter s hand. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 39 King Budimir The shame is mine that I could ever dream Of wedding my daughter to that base-born wretch. Ivo And how did Ivo ask ? did he too beg And fawn upon your knees ? King Budimir A dog were proud Compared to him. Ivo So then he really asked That he might marry her? King Budimir Heaven s curses, yes. Ivo Then let me tell you to your lying face That Ivo of Bohemia would not take Your daughter as his wife were he to die A million deaths, and Bohemia sink to Hell. He catches sight of Sevna and bows slightly toward her. Not because she is other than divine, But because she is your daughter. Lord (breaking in and catching the king s arm) Sire, cease. Why heed this madman ? How can his words have weight ? Ivo Fool, I am Ivo of Bohemia. He draws himself up to his full height and gazes defiantly at the king. A moment s silence, then wild contusion and cries of " Treachery," " The guards," " Seize him." 40 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA A rush is made at Ivo, he is half knocked down and dragged off. Sevna, who has all this time been clinging heavily to Constant, preventing him from action, falls half fainting in his arms. A motion is made at Con stant, but he draws his sword with one free arm and waves his assailants back. Sevna Have all things ended ? Has the world gone mad ? Constant The world may end to-night, but you and I Have found each other. Curtain ACT III The palace of Duke Sigismund. A large hall, splendidly fur nished and ornamented with weapons and antlers. At one end of it there is a fireplace and a bright fire of logs. Time, the next morning. Sigismund, Constant. Constant So then, my lord, to end the sorry tale, - Prince Ivo losing all his self-control And the king perhaps still more beside himself, They gave their tongues the rein and charged each other In full career, and in faith the king was not The one that got the better of the tilt. How Ivo let him have it ! So I doubt If less than blood will soothe the angry king; And now he has Prince Ivo in his hands I tremble lest he may at once resolve To take a prompt and summary revenge. O how could Ivo ever have been so mad As to brave the king in his insensate way And bring this useless peril on himself? Sigismund A most strange passion, anger ! How blind are men To let the devil thus make of them his fools, And for the sake of uttering one hot word 41 42 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Press forward to inevitable wreck, As they do daily! But how ended this affair? The king has Ivo fast, and you yourself, Tell me how you came hither. Constant My good lord, At Ivo s last wild words those standing by Fearing some act of violence seized upon him, And at the king s command he was placed in guard Until to-day, when this affair s conclusion Should be determined. As for me myself, I had, before this strife of theirs began, With Princess Sevna drawn apart awhile For conversation, and then as we returned We found them at their fury s height; so thus I had no part whether for good or ill In this sad matter. Then when all was over The Princess Sevna bade me come with her And seek with you a refuge. Sigismund Sevna then It was that brought you hither ? Constant Yes, she said That at this time it chanced that she herself Was guest of yours and hence could gain for me An entrance to your halls : so we forthwith Came hither and through her kind offices I found last night an entertainment here. My lord, I have been forward thus to thrust Myself within strange walls, but I urge only PRINCE 1VO OF BOHEMIA 43 The Princess bidding, and I beg your grace To hold me as a friend and not a spy. Sigismund My lord, since Princess Sevna brings you here You are most welcome, and all that our poor house Can offer, count as yours. She is my niece, As you may have learned ere this, and my daughter too, For as oft as she can steal away from court She comes to cheer an old man s loneliness. I am not one that seeks to play a part In the affairs of nations, and from Budimir I would rather ask his daughter s company Than all his royalty. She, too, I think, Is not averse to a quieter retreat Than the court affords her; therefore in my house She is the mistress and her guests are mine. Constant My lord, to you and her my thanks are due, Nor can I soon forget your kindness here. For now I stand at such a desperate pitch Of fate, that to the utmost I must strain Each chance of friendship that may present itself. Prince Ivo lies in mortal danger. You Are the king s own brother. I beseech you then To go to him and by your influence Save Ivo and avert the threatening clash. I have little claim upon you, that I know, But yet because of both our countries sake I implore you now to do this deed of peace. 44 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Sigismund Nay, there you ask too much. You are welcome here For Princess Sevna s sake, and for your own. But from such tangled points as these you tell I long ago resolved to hold aloof. King Budimir is jealous, and should I Try to direct his actions, there would be, Even though we are brothers, bitter strife. He tolerates no rival, I alone In all the kingdom am free to go my way Without his interference: I alone Can promise you to keep inviolate The honor due you as a guest. But if I once began to touch the king s affairs Our concord soon would end. So I cannot, Even for this cause, pass outside my sphere, And enter Budimir s. Constant Then what is left For me to do ? Sigismund I can advise you naught. Enter a servant Servant My lord, Prince Ivo of Bohemia, Escorted by a troop of horse, has come And asks to see you and your guest Lord Constant. Constant Thank God, then Ivo s safe. Sigismund Bid him come in. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 45 Enter Ivo Prince Ivo, welcome. Ivo My thanks, Duke Sigismund. Constant Ivo, how is it ? How do matters stand ? You ve ended the dispute ? Ah, but I m glad To see you. Ivo Ended? Yes, ended just as much As the devil himself is ended. What a fool, O Constant, what a fool I was ! Constant But, Ivo, You re safe, you re free ? Ivo Yes, safe, but what a cost! O father, how can I look on you again ? They d better have killed me. Sigismund Then, my lord prince, the king Retains his anger? Ivo Increased a thousand-fold, They say, who know him best, a black, hard hate That never will relent. Sigismund But yet he spares To strike you ? Ivo Yes, but just that he may take A fiercer vengeance. O my native land ! 46 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Constant But, prince, you see things in too dark a light. Hope s not dead yet. You were always at extremes Whether of joy or fear. Now that the king Has failed to act in his first burst of wrath His passion soon will moderate itself. To-day was what I feared. Sigismund What are his threats? Ivo War, bitter war, until Bohemia From among her smoking towns shall curse the day She e er gave Ivo birth. Constant And if it s war Why should Bulgaria be so sure to win ? Shame, Ivo! Call your courage back again. It s not like you to quail before a foe. Ivo For this sad struggle I have little heart, If, as of old, I girded on my sword Clean-hearted, fighting in a worthy cause, I d go to war as quick as to a feast, But now (half drawing his sword) her edge is blunted. Sigismund My lord prince, I am very sorry to hear such evil news. And I hope that neither for your state nor ours Such troubles may occur. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 47 Constant My lord, indeed When things go heavily the prince is like To see them at their worst. Another day May change this matter s looks. But, Ivo, now What are your purposes ? Ivo They re fixed for me. King Budimir this morning called me forth, And in few words this business was despatched. Within the day a troop of cavalry Would see me to the frontier, then red war. I asked for you, an inquiry was made. They named the duke; the king then sent me here To take you with me. And let us not delay. Constant At once ? to leave the country ? Ivo Ay, you d not Expect a further entertainment, would you ? Constant But, Ivo, let me think. I have made plans. This war, we must prevent it, calm the king, Find friends, bring influence - Ivo And who, I pray, Is strong enough to tame this maddened king ? Where are your friends ? Constant Duke Sigismund Sigismund No, no. I cannot interfere. 48 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Ivo Who else? Constant Well, then, - If you, my lord, will pardon, I hope to see The Princess Sevna and secure her promise To try to move the king. Ivo You re right, in that There is a chance. Constant (to Sigismund) My lord, do you consent To this? Sigismund It seems an honorable course. Shall I call the princess ? Constant Sir, tis what we wish. Sigismund (striking his hands together and speaking to servant who enters) Request the Princess Sevna s presence here. There is an interval. Ivo stands moodily with head cast down,, while Constant in restlessness walks to and fro. Sevna enters nervous and apprehensive, and with her face showing marks of sleeplessness. All bow. Sevna turns away from Ivo and Constant and goes to the duke, who kisses her on the forehead. Sevna You summoned me? Sigismund Yes, Sevna, the affair Of yesternight has proved most difficult. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 49 And in hopes that you may help to knit it up These gentlemen have asked a word with you. Sevna (turning to them with dignity) Sirs, I can do nothing, but I pray for peace, And gladly I would help you if I could. What do you ask ? How stands the matter now ? Constant My lady, the king s anger waxes high. Ivo is free, but only on the terms That he shall cross the frontier ere the night. And then King Budimir will march to take In pitiless war his vengeance on our land. We beg of you then to implore the king To restrain his passion. Promise anything From us. Point out the evils it must bring On your own land, if to her ally she Turn enemy. Remember Austria, The Huns, our foes on every side. This league Of ours must not be broken. You will undertake This mission, stop the war, O will you not? Sevna It seems a little thing to promise you That I will intercede ; but yet tis more Than you imagine. Once before I tried To save a friend who had crossed the king, and oh, His wrath was terrible. I dare not strain His love for me so far. Constant But think, the stakes! 50 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Two kingdoms fortunes hang upon the cast; And you alone are left to turn their fate. Sevna But even should I strive with all my might My voice is useless. I know he will not hear. Constant (low and pleadingly) Must you and I then be each other s foes ? Must I draw sword against your native land ? Must we forget last night, and let our hopes Perish amid the blood and hate of war ? Will you let me ride away, and wreck forever The happiness which last night seemed so near ? Sevna It is not fair of you to urge me thus. You know that what I can do shall be done. But if you take it a favor to yourself, My lord, you greatly err. Constant (turning to the others with a quiet note of triumph) She gives consent. So Ivo, let us hope. Small hope, I fear. Sigis Y mund When, Sevna, will you go ? Sevna Till afternoon No chance of audience. j vo Then, Constant, come. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 51 I passed my word that I d not linger here, And I am choking in this cursed land. Constant But, Ivo, were it not better I should wait And see the matter through ? If aught results You ll need an envoy here. Ivo What, Constant, stay? Constant It would be better. We ll need to follow up Any advantage gained. Ivo Let me go home To fight and you stay here ? Constant Within a day I ll follow if it s war. You know the king: And even if the princess should succeed, Would he send us an embassy to say We ll swallow down your words ? No, I must wait To treat between us and see that you return To make apology. Ivo You must come now. I cannot go alone to face my father. Constant I appeal to Princess Sevna s judgment here. My lady, were it better I return Or stay to serve in this affair ? Sevna My lords, 52 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Since you have asked me, I shall be most glad As best I can to pacify the king. But alone, without support or help from you, I cannot dream of acting. Ivo Then you have won. You ever were too subtle for my brain. (Aside to Constant) But, Constant, for once you ve let a woman s face Defeat your nobler self and shame your will. You would not let me stay, but you have stayed. Duke Sigismund, I now must bid farewell, I have taxed your patience. Princess, you I owe Deepest amends for wild and insulting words, And that you have let me speak with you to-day And even offered on my behalf to plead Shows that your heart is of Heaven, not of earth. I wish you peace. Sevna I have no cause for anger, You meant no harm. Farewell. Ivo (to Constant) And you, old friend Who knows what fate s to come ? This parting here May be for many days, and when again We give the silent clasp of brotherhood, It may be only as a last farewell, When, mid the wreck of all that we have loved, We pledge our faith once more, and go to death. Constant Ivo, I ll come. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 53 Ivo (nodding almost imperceptibly at Sevna) No, stay; fate wills it thus. May Heaven guard your path and hers. Constant Farewell. Exit Ivo. Sevna He s gone. Constant drops into a chair and buries his face in his hands. Sigismund Lord Constant, I have some affairs Demand my presence; I esteem your course In seeking to repair this damage done Most worthy, and I shall be honored while You stay my guest. Constant My deepest thanks, my lord, I cannot but accept such courtesy. Exit Sigismund. Constant approaches Sevna and they look earnestly at each other. Sevna Prince Ivo loves you ! Constant Ay, would that I were A little worthy of the love he bears me. Sevna I never have beheld in any men Such perfectness of loyalty and faith, Such generous friendship and such true-hearted love, As you and he possess. 54 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Constant I used to think I loved him so, but now I have broken faith, I have sent him back alone and I stay here Inactive, while he bears his heavy weight Without the help and strength which I could give. Sevna But you stay here for noble purposes ! Constant I try to make myself believe it. Had He left in anger I could not forgive Myself, but he in love acquitted me. Sevna I do not understand. Constant Do you not see What motive lay behind the plans I made To keep myself here? Sevna (drawing back) No, unless - Constant Unless I stayed because I could not bring myself To part from some one here. Sevna You must not speak Like this. Constant No, but I must speak out. I cannot let you act in blindness now And then disclose what led me thus to work PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 55 Upon you and persuade you to my will. And yet I am not wholly double-tongued, I meant each word, and I still cherish hope, For all our sakes, that you will have success And close this breach. Indeed I was sincere. But yet what led me to contrive this course Was that it suffered me to stay with you. I could not go, my princess. Sevna Oh, how blind And weak I ve been! You pleaded on the ground Of friendship, but I never thought your words Had greater depth. Constant And last night, Sevna, then Did we not reach the depths ? Through all the world We two have sought each other, and at last The search is ended. Shall we go so far For love and then refuse it when we find ? Sevna (slowly) I do not love you. Constant Oh, you deceive yourself. Last night as your heart beat against my own I knew that love had triumphed, and now will you Draw back for fear, and wreck our happiness ? Sevna Lord Constant, you have heard me say: I do not love you. Will not one word suffice ? Henceforth remember that between our lands 56 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Is bitter enmity. But yet, what I Have promised to Prince Ivo I will do, Go to the king. And then when I return In failure, as it will be, I will see You have safe conduct to your native land. And now I beg you go and leave me here. Constant As you command me, princess, I obey. But have you no other word for me, one which I may, when memories of last night return, Recall to know that what I hoped and felt Was not delusion ? Sevna No. Constant No ? Then adieu. Exit Constant. Sevna turns and gazes into the fire. Sevna " I do not love you," so I said to him. But death, will your approach be bitterer Than this constraint which makes me say these words ? " I do not love you," - nay, but I do love, With love that grips my heart with stifling clutch When I resist it. I would throw myself Within those arms stretched out to clasp me close To throw myself and then forget all else, Lose all my thoughts in one deep ecstasy! I know I could forget within those arms, The world would be shut out, I d only feel PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 57 Myself enfolded in that guarding clasp, And all his strength would ever hold me safe. How weak we women are ! Nothing more weak ! But strength, the proudest gift God gives to earth, The strength of arm, of intellect, of will ! And in his every fiber quivers strength. And yet I can command it; how he begged A word from me, and then, when I refused, Went broken from my presence. At a glance From me he d come again, and I could sway Him at my fancy. His pain or happiness Lie in my power, his fear, his joy, or hope; And if I chose to draw him to my feet, His deepest, fullest homage would be mine. But, heart, be still. Let not these golden dreams Torment with thoughts of that which cannot be. 1 am the daughter of a king, and if My duty calls me to forget this man Whose rank and nation sunder him so far From my position, I too can be strong, And face my destiny with steady eyes. Curtain ACT IV Two Weeks Later. SCENE 1 The tower of Ottocar s castle at sunset. Ottocar, Ivo. Ottocar Then in this war which now is being raised Between your country and Bulgaria You ask me as an ally, with the pledge That I will put five thousand men afield To harass proud Budimir as on his march He passes through these mountains. Ivo Yes, and think, Bulgaria already hates you much, And while her troops are out on this campaign She will not let the fair occasion slip To pay old scores with Ottocar the Black. Ottocar Bulgarian cowards, every man a dog, If they come hither, by Heaven they ll taste the sword ! Ivo They shall ! with Serbia to vex their flank And us in front, we ll send King Budimir Back faster than he comes. 58 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 59 Ottocar Oh, I should like To tread him in the dust. He caught my men, A hundred of them once, and on the spot He butchered them. I need revenge for that. Ivo Together we will have it. Out with swords ! Down with Bulgaria ! Up, Ottocar, And fair Bohemia! Ottocar Down with the dogs! Excitedly they draw swords and clash them together in the air. Ottocar (cunningly) But the terms ? My men are not yet under arms. What is it that the noble king your father Bade you to offer when he sent you here ? Ivo Pay for your men while they are in the field, A liberal settlement of past disputes, And a hundred thousand silver marks weighed down. Besides, he asks you that which I myself Most keenly wish, that you will give to me Your daughter, Lady Kara, as my wife, And future queen. Ottocar I liked you, prince, at once, When I heard that you had dared to risk it here And throw yourself within the old wolf s fangs For the sake of her fair face. Twas boldly done, 60 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Prince Ivo, and by Heaven I think you fit To match the freest blood these mountains boast. Ivo Then strike alliance. Ottocar Gladly that I will. Here s wishing Kara safe upon your throne. Ivo Amen to that. Ottocar Then since we ve made our terms, I know your wish so, prince, if you will wait I ll bid my daughter come. For this my thanks. Exit Ottocar. Well, Constant, I will have a tale for you. You ll see that there can be diplomacy In which you have no finger. Oh, I hope I ll find him home again when I return. Enter Kara Kara Prince Ivo. Ivo Kara, at last! But three short weeks Have lapsed since we stood here that fateful night, And yet for me the centuries have rolled An endless course since then; for these long days Have kept me from your side and oft it seemed That baleful fortune stood across the path PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 61 I wished to follow, the path that led to you. But yet against the hindrances of fate, Against ambition, duty, and the love I owed my father, I have set my will And fought my way, until at last I come, All barriers past, to claim you for my own. Kara My father tells me that you seek your queen Among these mountains; surely you mistake. Can these wild crags and wilder race bring forth One worthy of the state and dignity, The pomp and splendor of your palaces ? No, go your way, the daughter of the hills Is all too simple, too unskilled of speech, To suit your courtly ways. Ivo Tis you mistake. I come not here to offer majesty Enthroned above all lesser rank and fame. My crown is not the imperial crown of Rome, Which exalts its wearer to the Pope s own height, The Sword of God on earth. I ask of you To be a warrior s bride, to join with one Whose kingdom, hard beset, can be maintained By desperate courage only. You will know The soldier s camp, the stress and rush of war, The life of struggle in the open air. And together we will beat the foemen back And on their downfall raise our fame so high That our exploits will be the theme for song, 62 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Heroic balladry, that shall survive When we are gone, to keep our memory fresh And strong forever in men s pulsing hearts. Kara (who has drawn near to Ivo and laid her hand on his arm, as it lies along the battlements) How brave you are, and on your face those scars Tell stories of the fights of former days, Which we have heard of, even mid these rocks. Ivo Old fights ? Yes, fortune somehow favored me And I ve escaped from many a bloody field Where better men have fallen. But perhaps Some day the luck will change. Perhaps even now In this approaching war the time will come When I am called to lay my weapons down And go unarmed to meet the last stern foe. The chance of battle ever waits : but when It falls, I would not go unnerved and faint. I want to hear a voice that bids : be strong ! I want to feel a hand that lies in mine When death is hard upon me. For my queen I wish for one who will share my fate with me [low. Though the storm break black and the thunder-cloud hang And in your face I read the courage high, The nobility of spirit and the faith Which will make our love the love of those who go Unfrightened down the devious path of life. Then, Kara, will you come ? I offer you, Instead of peace and quiet, happy days, PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 03 A future perilous and full of doubt; But with it love. Come. Kara Ivo, yes, I come. Curtain SCENE 2 Hall in Sigismund s Palace as in Act III. Time, the same as in Scene 1. Sigismund, Servant. Sigismund Request the Princess Sevna to come here, And Lord Constant also. Sevna enters first and goes to the duke. Sigismund Welcome, my dear Sevna. Sevna Dear uncle, is there news ? Sigismund Yes, news has come. But wait. Enter Constant Constant I am at your service, my lord duke. My greetings, Princess Sevna. She bows reservedly to him. Sigismund Welcome, my lord, I am glad that you have come. Constant My lord, I hope This summons means that the state of my affairs 04 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Has had a change, for I regret indeed Having been a burden and a care to you. And for these days that you have sheltered me Against the king, I am most beholden to you. But now I hope the time has come at last When either I am free to go, or else I had better yield myself a prisoner And disburden you of this unsought for weight. Sigismund My lord, you are my guest, who came in peace, And in peace you shall go hence, if my poor strength Can compass it. But shortly we shall know The outcome of this matter; for but just now There came a message to me from the king, Saying his preparations all are made, And that to-morrow he will take the field Against Bohemia. But before he goes, He will settle the question which he left in doubt, Of your affairs, my lord. Constant I am glad of that. I am eating my soul out here. Sevna (to Sigismund) This room is cold. Where is my Persian shawl, your gift to me ? Sigismund I ll have it brought at once. He summons a servant. The princess* shawl. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 65 Constant (who has looked eagerly around the room and found a shawl) Is this the one you wish ? Sevna No, here is mine. She takes one from the servant, who has returned, and coldly rejects the one Constant offers. Sigismund And regarding you, my niece, this message runs: Your father says he sees no ground of blame In you for what you said; that he was wroth He now repents. He knows you love him well, And that you pleaded for his enemies Proves not you love them more than him, but that With woman s softness you at once forgive Those that insult you worst. And hence that he May show his love to you, and, ere he goes To enter on the hazards of the war, May make full reparation for his wrath, And receive your daughterly obedience, He comes to-day to call upon us here, And by his presence set at rest the points On which we ve waited. Sevna You have good news indeed. Constant My lord, I thank you for your courtesy, And now have you aught else to say to me ? If not, I ask your leave to go. The king 66 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Will find me most submissive to his will. I wait his judgment. Exit Constant Sigismund Sevna, you have shown Great wisdom in your conduct toward this lord. It cannot but serve to calm your father s mind When he shall learn how you have held aloof From conversation with him. Sevna I have tried, Dear uncle, to show myself most loyal And to act on what I knew would be his wish. But you can never know how these long days Of cold suspense, with my father s bitter words Still ringing in my ears, have tried my faith. If I was not to see his face again As he had threatened, where did duty lie ? Oh, fierce rebellion and wrath for wrath have surged So high within my heart of late, that I Have almost wished to fling him back his scorn And seek a refuge in Prince Ivo s camp. I have been very sad, but now this news Means, I am sure, all will be well again, As well as it can ever be for one Whose heart is crushed beneath death s heavy clods Before the life has left it. There is a noise and footsteps outside and then the king s voice is heard. King Budimir Ho, Sigismund! PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 67 Where art thou ? He enters, followed by a group of nobles. Sevna rushes to him and falls on her knees before him, seizing his hand. Sevna Father. King Budimir Up, daughter, up. I am the one who begs for grace to-day. Brother, I wish you health. Sigismund My liege. King Budimir My lords, We meet in private here. Wait you below. Exeunt attending lords. Has the princess heard my message ? Sigismund Yes, my liege. King Budimir Then, Sevna, all, I think, is understood. You did no wrong, I spoke too hastily, But yet I like it not that you should show This easy disposition toward the men Who piled such shame and insult on your head. Why, girl, if this be passed by unrevenged, Your open scorn will be in all men s mouths. And so on your account I make this war, That all the world may know that Budimir Doth hold his daughter s honor dear as life, And takes fierce vengeance on her enemies. Sevna Dear father, I am sorry to have brought Such trouble to our land. 68 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA King Budimir Twas not your fault. Twas due to these accursed Bohemians, May they rue the day. And now this one that s here, Have you held him safe ? Sigismund He passed his word And he has kept it. King Budimir Good. I have decided That he shall live until this war is done, And then if I return with full success He shall die with Ivo. Sevna Father ! Sigismund But, my lord, He is my guest, my honor is pledged to him That he shall go in safety. King Budimir By my faith, I ll have no more of this. He is a spy, A cursed spy, who lies in wait to plot Against my kingdom : and if you harbor him, By Heaven, Sigismund, you share his guilt. I care not who you are. Within this realm I am the ruler, I, and no one else, Not you. And if you shield my enemies You shall taste my wrath like any common dog. Will you obey ? Sigismund You have the strength, my lord, And I must yield, though it disgrace my name. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 69 King Budimir (to Sevna, who is on her knees in tears before him) Now, Sevna, what does this mean ? Are you mad ? Are you beside yourself with grief for one Whom you did not yet know three weeks ago ? By all the saints, has he used his vile craft here ? Has this arch-traitor dared to win your soul ? Sigismund My lord, my lord, speak not so angrily. The princess has not spoke a word to him These many days. Upon my faith it s true. King Budimir Then what foul fiend has entered into her ? Speak, girl; speak out, I say. Sevna My liege, this lord, I gave to him my word, I promised him Safe conduct to his land if he would stay. He stayed at my request. I needed aid In this affair, our effort after peace. I did not dare to go to you, unless I had advice and encouragement from him. Duke Sigismund will say I speak the truth. He is no spy nor traitor; he but stayed With noble purpose and sincere intent To win from you an opportunity For Ivo to make full amends for all. He is my guest as well as the lord duke s, And if you make me violate my pledge, The word of honor that I gave to him, 70 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA You bring on me an infamy far worse Than this boy s heedless words could ever cause. Father, relent: send him away, I beg For my life and honor let him go from here. King Budimir By my faith, but this is strange, so deeply moved, And yet no words with him. I ll not believe it. Then, Sevna, while this man has tarried here, Have you been having frequent speech with him ? Sevna My lord, you heard my uncle say but now That I scarce have spoken to him. It is true. King Budimir No letters passed between you ? Sevna No, not one. King Budimir Has he never spoken word of love to you ? Sevna No but I mean that is King Budimir Ha, what is this ? Sevna, speak plainly, is there intrigue here? Sevna Sire, your question took me by surprise, But there is naught to hide. This noble lord In honor told to me his love, and I PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 71 King Budimir And do you love him ? Sovna I refused to let him speak, Not once have I allowed myself to hear him. King Budimir You do not answer me: I ask of you, Do you love this Bohemian or not ? Sevna Father, why must you goad my spirit thus. Yes, yes, I love him. I care not who knows. For him I ve suffered till my soul is faint, Scourged and imprisoned each rebellious thought, Sent him away when my heart was hungering For word, for sight, for touch of him. And now You treat me as the meanest of your slaves, Put me to searching questions, doubt my word, Refuse to grant one thing I ask of you. So now, if you must know, then have the truth, I love Lord Constant and would die with him, Rather than live to rule Bulgaria. King Budimir turns and paces up and down across the room. Sevna sinks back into a chair. King Budimir at last comes and stands in front of her and says sternly but without anger. King Budimir Sevna, that you should love my enemy, And choose him over me, who gave you life, Opens a gap so wide between us two 72 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA That not eternity can close it up. But yet you are my daughter; I cannot Take vengeance on you, cannot wish you pain. If ever I have crossed your will it was Because I sought to build your happiness, Which my clear planning could more surely do Than your wild and wayward fancies. But now that we Have chosen paths that lie so far apart, Twere better each of us should go his way, I to defend the honor of our name, You to forget yourself in this man s arms. I have no hate for him, he s but the tool Of Ivo, and if your honor s pledged to him, If twas you that bade him stay, then let him stay. You cannot go to join our enemies, But if he chooses to stay here with you And swear allegiance to Bulgaria, You two may go and under Sigismund Live as you wish, if never you will come To bring my daughter s memory to my mind. You shall have time to choose. Do you and he Stay here till I return in safety home, Then, Sevna, speak. But if you choose him not, He dies. I grant no middle course. My lord, See he escapes me not. And now, farewell. Exit King Budimir. Sigismund Sevna, I never saw your father thus. I would to Heaven these Bohemians Had never come to cause this sad dispute. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 73 However, matters might have come out worse, And Providence may yet set all aright. But now, Lord Constant has not yet heard his fate, And waits for the decision. I will send him here, That you may tell him of the things that passed, And then with him determine what you will. Is this accordant to your wish ? Sevna Thanks, uncle. Sigismund Then I will call him. Exit Sigismund. A few moments later enter Constant. Constant Princess Sevna, the duke Tells me the king has now announced his judgment, And he bade me come to you that at your lips I might learn my fate. But if I now intrude, Speak, and my presence shall not vex your sight. Sevna No, you must hear, so listen ; but if my words Can hardly tell their tale, forgive, I pray. This day has taxed my strength, our strife was bitter, And I am very weary. Constant Then why speak? To-morrow we can talk. Sevna No, better now. But first of all let me set right one point. If in these recent days you have found me cold, 74 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Twas not because I felt displeased at you. Duty, and not my feeling, ruled my course, And in calmer times we might have met as friends. Constant Still friends ! O princess, is that true indeed ? You make my heart far lighter than it s been These many days. Sevna Yes, true indeed, my lord. But on the news I bring you from the king, You may not be so glad. You are not free. The king has taken pledge from Sigismund That he will hold you here a prisoner, Till the war is over and he himself returns. Constant Not free ! still forced to pace behind the bars While Ivo fights outside ? O I had hoped To reach the front and there in some wild charge To find the thrust that should bring forgetfulness, Since life and memory must ever be A burden and a pain. Sevna Athirst for death ? But could you call again that former dream Which one night threw its light across your heart, A dream of love and perfect comradeship, Would you still wish to die ? Constant What do you mean ? Princess, you madden a desperate man with thoughts Beyond endurance. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 75 Sevna Could you find your peace In a quiet home among the silent hills, Far from war s tumults and the glare of courts ? Never return, and yet be happy there? Constant Sevna, Sevna, is there indeed a hope ? Dare I kneel here and look into your eyes And say : I love you ? Sevna Listen. When the king Came here, he swore that you should die, I interceded, then arose the strife Betwixt us; and he heard from me, that I Would rather die with you than live as queen Of all his realm. Yes, Constant, I have loved, Loved from the first, though my lips spoke otherwise. And then, although he said he never wished To look on me again, he bade us go And live in peace in Sigismund s domains. Constant Dear love, then you renounce your rank, your throne, And all for me ? Sevna I pass from death, to live Where life is sweetest. Constant And if you had not pleaded, My life was doomed ? Sevna Yes, only when he learned My love, he spared your life. 76 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Constant If I were free To ride by Ivo s side and serve my king, My honor as a knight would rule supreme Above the dearest longing of my heart. But since my freedom is held in trust by you And I receive it only as your gift, I here reconsecrate to you my life, Vowing my love, my true and loyal faith Until the end. (He kisses her.) Sevna After the tempest peace; After the struggle rest; after the search Thy love. Constant We two have traveled far afield, But love is worth the winning. Sevna Worth the pain. Curtain ACT V A turret chamber in King Budimirs palace, poorly furnished but with an open fire burning. The late afternoon of a day three months later. Constant, Sevna, Captain of the Guard. Captain Here is the room in which the prince is lodged And the Princess Kara, but at present they are free To walk on the parapets. Shall I call them hither ? Constant No, shorten not their last look at God s world. We will wait their coming. Captain As you will. I stand Outside, my lord, till you return. Constant Tis good. Sevna, my heart beats slow and my blood is cold, To think that I am standing in the room From which to-morrow Ivo goes to death. Before this moment all the horror of it Had never reached my mind. I only thought Of him the hero, fearless and debonair, Going to death, no matter what its form, 77 78 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Like a reveler bound homeward from a feast, Who leaves behind the wine, the lamps, his friends, And steps alone into the black of night With a song upon his lips. For Ivo thus There s more of pride and kindling of romance Than tears and sorrow. But now I see the axe, The block, the stroke, and then the headless corpse! God, to think that Ivo will lie there, Dead, dead forever, torn and rent and bleeding, Never again to speak, to move, to love! 1 have often thought of death, but not till now Have I seen its fearfulness. Sevna (coming close to him) You now can know What I felt when I heard the stern decree That you must perish : all this and tenfold more Shot over me when I pictured you as dead. Constant (drawing away from her) O Sevna, even now my heart is cleft. What right have I to live and breathe and love When Ivo lies in death ? We two have sworn That we would ride together to the end. Now, Ivo, am I failing you ? Am I afraid To charge with you to the press of the last hard fight ? Has my soul been bought by kisses and the arms That hold me fast ? Have I betrayed my faith ? Sevna (flinging herself upon him in an agony of apprehension) No, no, O Constant, remember all again; You could not go to him. You have not failed. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 79 Your will was tied, you were a prisoner, And you have vowed again your life to me. It is mine, not Ivo s. Constant Yes, love, it is yours. What need to search again these painful wounds ? I have fought the question out through sleepless nights, Ivo or Sevna ? and never have I found The point of honor that calls me from your side To die a useless death. Sevna O Constant, Constant! How could you even dream of doing this ? Twould be a lesser thing to you to die Than for me to live and face the weary years When you had gone forever from my life. Constant That fear is ended now, my choice is made. But yet the deep misgiving will not rest : Because it is harder, is it not the rhrht ? O For from many struggles I have learned this truth : In time of doubt the harder choice is best, Since the conflict lies between the thing we want And that higher sense that bids us do the right, Though life seem blasted. But though we seem to lose, Yet through the insight brought by later days We see we chose the way that led to peace. For of a deed or word that we call good Has never man repented, but the ill He oft would seek to wipe out with his blood. 80 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Sevna Ah, Constant, how you have enriched my life, Solved my perplexities, dispelled my doubts! How precious hold I all I ve learned from you ! And even if God should take you from me now I should be stronger than I was before, For you have taught me where to find the light. Constant But hush, they come. Enter Ivo and Kara. There is an air of constraint over all. Ivo and Constant come forward and take each other s hands, leaving Sevna and Kara in the background. Ivo Well Constant, I am glad You are not co-lodger here. Constant I would to Heaven That you were not here, Ivo. Ivo Fate, my friend. My star was never lucky. In good faith, If after a battle I came out alive I always felt I d had my share of luck, Without a thought of who had won the day. Or rather, say, I never had the luck To get killed in battle. Constant Ivo, this is fearful. Would I were hi your place. Ivo That s not to be. I ve run my course, yours lies out fair ahead. There is a short pause. Then Constant speaks painfully. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 81 Constant You gave yourself, I hear, to save your land. The nobility that you have always showed Shone out in that. Ivo Twas plain enough to do. King Budimir was tired of the siege, His men were falling faster than he liked, And the Serbians were plundering behind him, So he proposed to arrange the terms of peace By which the true offender should pay the price And the innocent not suffer. It s Kara here, Who rather chose to follow me to death Than stay behind and live, whom you should praise. Constant (going to Kara and about to kiss her hand) Permit me to offer my obedience, My princess. Kara Touch me not, Bulgarian. Constant (springing back) Who dares to say I m that? Kara And are you not? To-morrow Ivo goes to meet his death, A hero s death, at the hand of one whose heart Is black with pride and cruel revengefulness. No, Ivo, I care not who hears, the world Should hear, if my voice but had the strength. He dies, and you, whose place should be beside him, Go straight from where his headless body lies To kiss his murderer s hand and swear to him 82 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA Your fealty and true allegiance; all That you may wed the daughter of this king Who slays the man who loved you, honored you; And so from weakness you turn renegade. Is this your knightly honor ? this your faith ? O how could Ivo, whose soul is like the stars, Ever have called you friend ? Bulgarian Do you scorn the name ? Then why do you make it yours ? Conttant (staggering back with his face between his hands} Blind, blind, how blind! my soul has played me false. A thousand arguments have proved me right, But yet within my heart of hearts I knew That only could I gain my liberty With my dishonor. The Captain of the Guards enters and speaks to Constant. Captain Sir, your time has lapsed. At sunset, by the king s command, these doors Are shut and locked and none may come or go. Constant (drawing his sword and handing it to the Captain) Take this to Budimir and say to him That Lord Constant chooses to remain behind, To share Prince Ivo s lot. Captain The princess, then? Constant She goes alone. Go, Sevna. Go with haste For I cannot endure. He goes to her as she stands helpless under the shock and gently leads her away. PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA 83 Sevna Is this farewell? Constant Ay, Sevna, till we meet where love is endless And hate and death are powerless to harm. He kisses her. Sevna My heart had warned me this was doomed to be. Our love was never made to find on earth The stilling of its restlessness. Farewell. Eternal peace be thine. She withdraws from him and is suddenly gone. Outside is heard the shutting of the gates and the noise of draw ing heavy bolts. All stand in silence, then Kara comes to Ivo. Kara The hour grows late And I must write. Do you sit here and talk, And when I ve done I ll come again to you. Lord Constant of Bohemia, your hand, True knight and loyal friend. Ivo Come, Constant, come. We ve many things to say and time is short. And we must here renew the comradeship Of the glorious years that we have traveled through. We ve many a tale that we must tell to-night Before we know each other as of old. When every thought was in the other s keeping Almost before it could shape itself in words. So, Constant, although the cup that we must drink 84 PRINCE IVO OF BOHEMIA To-morrow is not the one we used to quaff, Let s take it in the old true-hearted way, Face to face, hand in hand, and the pledge upon our lips, Regretting not the past we cannot help, And without a fear of the future that s to be. While Ivo is speaking he draws Constant to a chair before the fire and the curtain goes down upon the two men sitting there together. END UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW 30m-6, l U. C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES CDSM33S31 1G1446