I once was young. So tell me all, and I
May also in my turn discover something.
We both will make confession.” “Uncle,” then
Said Thaddeus, as he kissed his hand, and blushed,
“I’ll tell the truth entirely. This young lady,
Your ward, Sophia, pleased me very much,
Although I have but seen her twice. They say
You mean the daughter of the Chamberlain
To be my wife; she is beautiful, and is
The daughter of a rich man, but I cannot
Marry Miss Rosa when I love Sophia.
It’s hard to change one’s heart, nor would it be
An honourable act, to marry one
And love another. Time may be will cure me,
I’ll ride away from here for a long time.”
“Thaddeus,” broke in the uncle, “this to me
Seems a strange way of loving, from the loved
To fly. ’Tis well for thee thou art sincere;
Thou seest thou wouldst have done a foolish thing
If thou hadst ridden off. What shouldst thou say
If I myself betrothed Sophia to thee?
What! dost not jump for joy?” Said Thaddeus,
After a while had passed: “Your goodness, sir,
Astonishes me. But how can it be?
Your favour is of no avail to me,
For all my hopes, alas! are but in vain,
For Madam Telimena will not give
Sophia to me.” “We will entreat her,” said
The Judge. “No, no one can prevail with her,”
Did Thaddeus answer; “no, I may not tarry.
Dear uncle, I must quickly ride away,
To-morrow, uncle; give me but thy blessing.
I have prepared all things; I’ll ride at once
Unto the Duchy.”
Twirling his moustache,
The Judge with anger looked upon the boy.
“So this is thy sincerity? ’tis thus
Thou openest thy heart to me? At first
This duel, then ’tis love, and this departure!
Fie on it! In this is some complication.
They have talked to me, and I have tracked your steps.
You are a libertine and a deceiver!
You have told me lies! Where went you yesterday?
Why like a weasel crept you near the house?
O Thaddeus, if you could deceive Sophia,
And now will fly, young man, you shan’t succeed.
Love or not love, I tell in truth to you,
That you shall wed Sophia, and to-morrow
You stand upon the carpet.216 And if not,
Stripes! Talk to me of feelings, changeless heart!
Thou art a liar! I will find out all
About you, Master Thaddeus; fie upon you!
I’ll give you a good scolding even yet.
I have had enough of trouble in the day,
Until my head does ache; and still this fellow
Will not allow me yet to go to sleep.
Go you to bed!” This saying, he opened wide
The door, and called the Wozny to undress him.
In silence Thaddeus went, with drooping head,
This painful conversation with his uncle
In thought discussing. ’Twas the first time he
Had been so harshly chidden; yet he felt
The justice of this sharp reproach. He blushed
Before his very self. What should he do?
What if Sophia should hear of this? Entreat
Her hand? And what would Telimena say?
No, he must stay no more in Soplicowo.
Thus deep in thought he scarce had gone two steps,
When something crossed his path; he stopped, he saw
A phantom all in white, long, slender, thin.
She glided towards him with her outstretched hand,
From whence the trembling moonlight back was thrown,
And coming near, low sighed she, “Thankless man!
Once thou didst seek my glance, thou shun’st it now.
Thou didst my conversation seek, but now
Dost close thine ears, as though within my words,
And in my looks, a deadly poison lurked.
’Tis well, I know thee what thou art—a man!
Unknowing coquetry, I had no wish
To torture thee. I made thee happy; thus
Wouldst thou repay me? O’er a heart too soft
This victory has made thy heart too hard.
Because thou hast too easy conquest made,
Thou dost despise my heart too soon! ’Tis well!
But, taught by such experience, credit me,
Far more than thou canst do, I scorn myself.”
Said Thaddeus, “Telimena, Heaven forbid
My heart were hard, or that I should avoid thee
From scorn; but thou thyself consider this,
They spy upon us, track our steps. Can we
Thus openly? What will be said? It were
Unsuitable. By Heaven, it were a sin.”
“A sin?” she answered, with a bitter smile.
“Thou innocent! thou lamb! I, though a woman,
Care not about a love-affair, although
I were discovered, though I were dishonoured.
And thou, thou art a man! What injury
To one of you, although he should confess
To having with ten women all at once
Love passages? Speak thou the truth, dost thou
Wish to abandon me?” She burst out weeping.
“But, Telimena, what would the world say,”
Spoke Thaddeus, “of the man, who at my age,
In these days, being sound, in the country lived
And loved, when now so many youths, so many
Ev’n married men from wives and children part,
To go beyond the frontier, and to gather
Beneath the nation’s standard? Though I should
Desire to stay, does that depend on me?
My father in his testament ordained
That I should in the Polish army serve,
And now my uncle this command repeats.
I go to-morrow, my resolve is fixed,
And Heaven forbid that I should change it now.”
“I,” Telimena said, “would not obstruct
Thy path to glory, nor thy fortunes mar.
Thou art a man, thou’lt find a love more worthy
Thy heart; one richer, fairer, thou wilt find.
But let me only for my comfort know,
Before our parting, that thine inclination
Towards me was true love. That ’twas not only
A jest, no vain debauch, but love indeed.
Let me but know my Thaddeus loves me still!
Let me the words, ‘I love,’ hear from thy lips,
Let me engrave them on my heart, and write them
Within my thought. More easily will I
Forgive thee, even if thou cease to love,
Remembering how thou once didst bear me love.”
Here she began to sob. Thaddeus was moved
To pity, seeing how she wept, and prayed
So tenderly, and asked so small a thing.
The purest grief and pity him possessed;
And had he searched his spirit’s inmost depths,
He had not known for certain, if or no
He loved her. So he spoke with earnestness.
“May I be struck by lightning, Telimena,
If ’tis not true I liked thee very much,
Or loved, by Heaven! Short the moments were
That we together spent, but they for me
So sweetly passed, so dear they are, that long
They will be ever present to my
