Revert to thee; these peasants are not mine,
They are thy subjects; I should never dare
Dispose of them without their lady’s will.
But when we have a Fatherland beloved,
Shall villagers enjoy this happy change
By so much only, that it gives to them
Another master? True it is, till now
They have been ruled with kindliness, but after
My death who knows how I shall leave them? I
A soldier am, and we are mortal both.
I am a man, I fear my own caprices.
More safely shall we do, if we renounce
Such rule, and give up the serfs’ destiny
To the protection of the law. Ourselves
Now free, let us the serfs make also free;
Let us bestow on them in heritage
The holding of these lands where they were born,
That by a work of blood they have obtained.
But I must warn thee, that these lands bestowing
Our revenue will lessen, we must live
On moderate fortune. I to frugal life
Am used from childhood; but for thee, Sophia?
Thou art of noble lineage, thou hast spent
Thy childhood in the capital; canst thou
Agree to dwell here in the country, thus
Far from the world, and as a country woman?”
To this Sophia answered modestly:
“I am a woman; counsel unto me
Does not belong, and you will be my husband.
I am too young for counsel. What you do,
To that I shall agree with all my heart.
If, Thaddeus, thou becomest poorer for
Delivering the serfs, thou wilt be all
The dearer to my heart. I little know
About my lineage, and I little care
About it: I remember only this,
That I was a poor orphan, and adopted
By the Soplicas, as a daughter cherished
Within their house, and thence in marriage given.
I do not fear the country; if I once
Lived in a great town, it is long ago,
I have forgotten it;—I always loved
The country, and believe me, that my cocks
And hens amused me more than Petersburg;
And if at times I longed for entertainments,
And company, it was from childishness;
For now I know the city wearies me.
Last winter a short stay in Wilna taught me
That I was born for country life. Amid
Amusements still I longed for Soplicowo.
Nor fear I work, for I am young and strong;
I know how to go round the house, and how
To carry keys, and thou shalt see how I
Will learn housekeeping.” When Sophia had spoken
These last words, came towards her the astonished
And sour Gervasy. “I know all,” he said.
“The Judge has spoken of this liberty.
But yet I do not understand what this
Can have to do with serfs. I fear me lest
’Tis something German. Liberty indeed
Is not a thing for peasants, but for nobles.
’Tis true that we from Adam all descend;
But I have heard that peasants come from Ham,273
The Jews from Japhet, we nobility
From Shem, and thus as elders rule o’er both;
Yet otherwise the parish priest now teaches.
He says that it has been so formerly,
And in the ancient dispensation; but
When Christ our Lord, though He from kings descended,
Was born among the Jews in peasants’ stable,
He levelled all ranks, and made them agree.
And so thus let it be, if it may not
Be otherwise! Above all, as I hear,
My lady, most Illustrious and Powerful,
Sophia, does agree to all. ’Tis hers
To give command, mine to obey. But only
I warn you, let us give not merely empty
And verbal freedom,274 as among the Russians,
When Pan Karp late deceased did free his serfs,
And with a triple tax the Muscovites
Brought them to famine. Therefore I advise
That by an ancient custom we ennoble
The peasants, and proclaim we give to them
Our crest. My lady on some villages
Confer her Half-goat, Pan Soplica share
The Leliwa with others. That once done,
Rembajlo owns the peasant as his equal,
When he beholds him nobleman, Most Powerful,
With coat-of-arms. The Diet will confirm it.
“But let my lady’s husband have no fear
That giving of the lands will make you poor.
Forbid it, heaven! that I should ever see
The hands of daughter of a dignitary
Cumbered with household labours. There are means
To hinder this. I know a treasure-chest
Within the castle, which contains the plate
Of the Horeszkos, likewise signet-rings,
Medals and jewels, and rich plumes and trappings
Of horses, wondrous sabres, treasure of
The Pantler, in the ground preserved from plunder.
Lady Sophia as inheritrix
Possesses it. I watched it in the castle,
As ’twere the apple of my eye I kept it
From Russians, and from you, Soplicas too.
I have a great bag full of mine own ducats
Besides, collected from my salaries,
Also from gifts of lords. I thought whene’er
The castle was restored to us, to use
The money for repairing of the walls:
To-day for the new housekeeping it seems
Useful at last. Then, Pan Soplica, I
Transfer myself to your house, in my lady’s
I’ll live upon the bread of favour, cradling
From the Horeszkos the third generation,
And to the Penknife mould my lady’s child,
If ’tis a son;—but it a son will be;
For wars are coming, and in time of war
Those born are always sons.” Gervasy scarce
These last words spake, when with slow, solemn steps
Approached Protasy. Bowing low, from forth
The bosom of his kontusz he produced
A monstrous panegyric,275 written on
Two folios and a half. It was composed
In rhyme by a young under-officer,
Who in the capital had formerly
Written some famous odes, and then put on
The uniform; but being in the army
Still a belle-lettrist, he made verses still.
The Wozny now had read three hundred through;
Till coming to this place, “O thou whose charms
Wake painful bliss and rapturous alarms,
When on Bellona’s ranks thy countenance
Thou turnest, straight are shivered sword and lance;
Let Hymen vanquish Mars, and haste to tear
From Discord’s front the hissing vipers there”—
Sophia and Thaddeus clapped unceasingly,
As though they praised it, in reality
Not wishing to hear more. Already by
Commandment of the Judge the parish priest
Upon the table mounted, and proclaimed
The will of Thaddeus to the peasantry.
Scarcely the serfs had heard this news, they sprang
To their young lord, fell at their lady’s feet.
“Health to our lord and lady!” they exclaimed,
With tears. “Health to our fellow-citizens,”
Cried Thaddeus; “free and equal! Poles!” “I give
The People’s health!” Dombrowski said. The people
Cried out, “Long live
