Out of the Wings

El príncipe constante (c.1629), Pedro Calderón de la Barca

The Constant Prince : from ACT TWO The Constant Prince
The Constant Prince : From Act 1 The Constant Prince trans. Davis , From Act II The Constant Prince trans. Davis , From Act III The Constant Prince trans. Davis

The Constant Prince, translated by John Clifford

from ACT TWO The Constant Prince

Edition

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro. The Constant Prince, trans. John Clifford. Unpublished performance script for BBC Radio 3. Broadcast 7 January 2001 at 7:30 as the Sunday Play.

Context:

Up until now, the King of Fez has been treating Prince Fernando of Portugal very well in prison. However, Fernando’s brother Enrique comes with news that the King of Portugal has died, and left in his will the order that Fernando’s freedom is to be exchanged for possession of the city of Ceuta. Fernando refuses to be freed, preferring Ceuta to remain in Christian hands than to be transferred to Muslim rule to buy his liberty. In this scene he explains his choice to the King, who reacts by beginning to treat Fernando very badly in prison, as he desires possession of Ceuta above all else. The ‘papers’ referred to are those that Enrique has brought the King of Fez offering the trade, but Fernando destroys them in this scene.

Sample text

FERNANDO:: I matter far less than a city which confesses
Catholic faith in God,
a city which has built churches
whose worship is consecrated
with reverence and with love.
Would it be a justified action,
would it be a moral deed
would it be a Portuguese achievement
would it be a Christian duty
that its Christian churches
instead of golden crosses
which reflect the light of the sun
should display Ottoman moons?
Would it be right for its chapels to become stables
and its altars mangers
would it be right for its churches
to be turned back into mosques?
here breath fails me
here rage chokes me
for even in thinking of it
my heart begins to break
ENRIQUE:: [Brother, don’t talk like this.]
FERNANDO:: It would not be the first time
stables and mangers had given lodging to God
but for churches to become mosques would be
like an emblem of our eternal shame
saying: ‘Here God took up lodging
and here Christians deny it him,
and give it to the devil’.
KING:: [The arrogance of Christians is beyond belief.]
FERNANDO:: There are Christians living in this city
people with families and property,
who, so as not to lose them,
are perhaps even now compromising their belief.
Would it be right for us to cause the circumstance
that leads them to commit this sin?
Think of the children living there,
are we really content to allow them
to be brought up as Muslims?
Would it be right for us to allow
the loss of so many innocent lives
just to save one life
when it doesn’t matter if it’s lost?
Who am I?
Am I more than a man?
ENRIQUE:: [Brother this is treason!]
FERNANDO:: Is there really something in being a prince
that makes me more than human?
I doubt it. And even if there was,
I am now a captive, and have lost it.
I am now a slave, and a slave cannot have nobility
so anyone who calls me prince
is now in error;
and how can it make sense for the life of a slave
to be redeemed at so great a price?
To die is to lose one’s being
I lost my being in the war
I lost my being, so did I not die?
Yes I died, and it makes no sense
for so many lives to be lost
for the sake of a dead man.
And so I take these empty powers,
these shameful documents,
and I tear them into pieces.; He takes the papers off the King. He breaks them and throws them down, then picks them up and eats them.
FERNANDO:: Let them be atoms of the sun
let them be sparks of the fire
but no, I do not want a single letter to remain
to tell the world that Portuguese nobility
ever intended so vile a thing
and so I eat them.
ENRIQUE:: He’s mad. My poor brother. Mad.
FERNANDO:: See, King, your naked slave.
Do with me what you will.
I do not want my freedom.
Brother, go back to our country.
Say you left me buried in Africa
for I will make certain that
my life seems like a death.
Christians, Fernando is dead;
Moors, a slave is given you;
captives, a companion
now joins you in your suffering;
heavens, a man restores
your divine churches;
sea, a miserable man
increases your water with his tears;
mountains, a savage man now joins you,
your woods and your wild animals;
wind, a poor man’s sighs
now echo your own;
earth, a corpse now digs
his grave in your entrails;
for, King, brother, Moors,
Christians, sun, moon, stars
skies, earth, sea and wind
mountains animals, all must know
that here is one constant prince
who in spite of misfortune and pain
uplifts the Catholic faith
and honours the law of God.
KING:: You wretched impertinent man
how can you dare deny me Ceuta
the thing that I desire the most?
Do you imagine you have the right to decide?
And have more power to take decisions
in my kingdom than in your own?
And that it really doesn’t matter to
you that you are a slave?
Well since you seem to have decided
to become one of my slaves
I must treat you like one
and show your brother and your people
how like a vile slave I treat you.
Throw him to the ground
and let me tread on him
Now, slave, kiss my feet.; He throws him to the ground and treads on him with his feet.
ENRIQUE:: A Prince of Portugal
thrown to the ground
and trod underfoot
by a Muslim king!
I cannot bear it!
MULEY:: I cannot look.
BRITO:: I have never felt such anguish.
KING:: You are my slave!
FERNANDO:: It’s true, but your cruelty is trivial.
We come from earth, and in our life
make a few various journeys
only to return to earth again.
So I’ve no cause to be angry with you
I have more reasons to be grateful
for you are showing me
short cuts to help me arrive
at the end of my journey.
KING:: Being a slave, you own no property
you possess no title
yet Ceuta is in your power
if you admit you are my slave
if you admit I am your lord
why don’t you give me Ceuta?
FERNANDO:: Because it does not belong to me;
it belongs to God
KING:: But I order you to hand it over to me
And doesn’t the law say you must obey your lord?
FERNANDO:: A slave must only obey
the just orders of his lord and master
KING:: I will kill you
FERNANDO:: you will give me life
KING:: so let it not be life I give you.
let it be a living death, for I am merciless
FERNANDO:: and I am patient
KING:: you will have no freedom
FERNANDO:: you will not have Ceuta
KING:: You!
ZELIN:: My lord
KING:: At this instant, this captive
is to be treated like the rest
strip off his clothes of silk
throw chains around his neck and feet
let him be beaten like the rest
let him eat black bread,
drink salty water,
sleep in deep dungeons
and any servants or vassals of mine
shall suffer the same fate
if they try to give him anything.
set him to clean the filth from the stables
Take him away.
You’ll see barbarian, you’ll see
what has more strength:
my cruelty or your patience.
FERNANDO:: Yes, we’ll see.
for my patience will last for ever; They carry him off.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Constant Prince by John Clifford is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The Constant Prince (2008), translated by Rick Davis

From Act 1 The Constant Prince trans. Davis

Edition

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro. 2008. The Constant Prince. In Calderón de la Barca: Four Great Plays of the Golden Age, trans. Rick Davis. Lyme, NH, Smith and Kraus

Context:

From Act I. Don Fernando, leading the Christian army, has just defeated the Moorish General, Muley. This brief exchange establishes the mutual honor and respect the two heroes feel for each other, despite their different faiths.

Sample text

(Enter DON FERNANDO with MULEY’s sword in hand, and MULEY with his shield.)
FERNANDO:: On this deserted plain, which seems to be
One mass grave, if not in fact a theater
Of death, only you, brave Moor, still stand;
You fought with strength and brilliance,
And yet your eyes betray some deeper anguish:
I think the cause of your sadness
Must lie elsewhere; because in freedom’s name
It’s neither just nor decent that someone
Who is so fierce in battle should cry so tenderly.
And so, if there is any comfort in
Telling one’s troubles to another, then
While we make our way toward my people
I want to offer you such comfort as I can,
If I am worthy of the favor.
So with all courtesy, I ask you,
What’s the matter? For I know
Already that being taken captive
Isn’t all. When you speak about your pain
It’s lessened, if not conquered altogether,
And I, the one who’s had the greatest part
In this, your accident of fortune, want
To be the one to offer consolation
If you will consent to be consoled.
MULEY:: You are valiant, Spaniard, and equally as courteous.
You win victories by speech
As surely as you do by sword.
My life was yours when, with your blade,
You conquered me as I stood among my people;
But now, as you subdue me with your words,
My soul is yours as well; by arms and words
You’ve made me captive twice.
I’d rather not repeat my griefs aloud—
And yet I must obey your will.
Besides, I want to tell you what I feel
Because of who I am, and who you are.
I am the nephew of the King of Fez,
Sheik Muley is my name; when I was young
I came to Fez to serve the King, my uncle.
But there began my pains and my misfortunes;
And all my happiness came to an end.
All to an end.
I came to Fez, and found a beauty
Living in the house next door,
And fell in love.
This love constantly increased
As we grew up together.
When we were young,
Our love was not the blinding kind,
But it aimed subtler arrows
At our young hearts.
Just as water makes a mark on stone
By its persistence—not by force,
But simply falling, always falling, even so
My tears at last began to work upon
That heart of stone, that heart of diamond.
I didn’t gain the victory by excellence
Or merit—just my love, my constant love
Which softened her resistance in the end.
And for a happy while I lived this way,
Although the time was brief—enjoying
A thousand amorous delights under a sky
Grown gentle with soft breezes and sweet air.
But then I went away, to my destruction:
For in my absence another lover came
And killed me. Or he might as well have.
Now he’s delighted; I am miserable;
He’s beside her; I’m away.
I’m a captive, he is free.
You’ll easily see the contrast in our fates
Since you have taken me captive:
Perhaps you’ll also see why I lament.
FERNANDO:: Gallant and valiant Moor:
If you adore her as you tell it,
If you idolize her as you say,
If you love as strongly as you claim,
If you’re wracked with doubting fears
And still you love, I tell you that you suffer
Happily. I don’t require any other ransom
For your freedom than that you take it.
Go home, and tell your lady that a knight
Of Portugal offers you up to be her slave;
And if she wishes to be obliged to me
For some repayment, tell her this:
Pay the debt with love, and keep the interest.
Now your horse, which fell exhausted,
Seems rested and refreshed;
And because I understand what love is,
And know the perils of absence and delay,
I don’t want to hold you any longer:
Mount your horse and go.
MULEY:: My voice can say nothing in reply:
To such a liberal offer
The best response is simply to accept.
But tell me, Portuguese, who you are.
FERNANDO:: A nobleman, nothing more.
MULEY:: You show that well, whoever you may be.
For good or ill, I will always be your servant.
FERNANDO:: Take the horse. It’s getting late.
MULEY:: I only hope that someday I can repay you
For all these favors.
FERNANDO:: You can: Enjoy them!
MULEY:: Because in the end, good deeds are never lost.
May Allah protect you, Spaniard.
FERNANDO:: If Allah is God, may he go with you.; (a noise within of drums and trumpets); What trumpet stirs the air so boldly?
And from the other side, the sound of drums.
Together they make the music of Mars.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Constant Prince (2008) by Rick Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

From Act II The Constant Prince trans. Davis

Edition

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro. 2008. The Constant Prince. In Calderón de la Barca: Four Great Plays of the Golden Age, trans. Rick Davis. Lyme, NH, Smith and Kraus

Context:

From Act II. Returning the chivalric favor granted him on the field of battle, Muley conceives a plan to free Fernando from captivity.

Sample text

(Enter MULEY)
MULEY:: Until Fénix left I’ve waited over here;
Even the most ardent eagle sometimes
Flies from the light. Are we alone?
FERNANDO:: Yes.
MULEY:: Listen.
FERNANDO:: Noble Muley, what do you wish?
MULEY:: I want you to know that in my heart—
In the heart of a Moor—there’s loyalty and faith.
I don’t know how to begin my story.
I’m not sure I can describe how I’ve felt
The wild swings of fortune in the world,
The unjust devastation, the inconstant disdain,
The cruel example of the times.
And there’s grave risk to me
If I’m seen talking to you here;
Because the King’s decree is that no one
Is to treat you with respect. And so, I trust
My pain to speak more clearly than my voice,
And like a slave I come to throw myself
At your feet. I am yours.
I do not come, Infante, to offer you my favor,
But to pay a debt that is now due.
You gave me life; and now I come
To give it back; for doing good
Is a kind of treasure, to be hoarded
Until the need is greatest.
Because terror has me now in shackles
I want to tell you quickly what I’ve done.
Tonight, I have arranged a boat for you;
In the windows of your dungeon
I will place instruments to unlock
The fetters that you wear.
Later, outside the walls, I’ll break your chains;
You will put to sea with all your fellow captives,
And sail for home, sure of my safety here,
Since it will be easy to believe
You all escaped from prison.
So two great things will have been set free;
My honor and your life.
And because it might be necessary
To purchase some good will during your voyage,
Here are some jewels, whose value is uncountable.
So, Fernando, this act will rescue me from prison too:
And paying such a debt will be a blessing
To this noble, faithful servant.
FERNANDO:: I’d wish to thank you for my freedom now,
But the King is coming toward the garden.
MULEY:: Has he seen you with me?
FERNANDO:: No.
MULEY:: Well then;
He’ll have no reason to suspect anything.; (HE exits)

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Constant Prince (2008) by Rick Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

From Act III The Constant Prince trans. Davis

Edition

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro. 2008. The Constant Prince. In Calderón de la Barca: Four Great Plays of the Golden Age, trans. Rick Davis. Lyme, NH, Smith and Kraus

Context:

From Act III. Fernando, starving, exposed to the elements, near death, meets the King of Fez on the street and makes a final show of constancy to his faith.

Sample text

KING:: You make such a show of being constant
That it oppresses me. Is this obedience
Born of humility or valor?
FERNANDO:: It shows
How much a slave owes to his master.
And since I am your slave, and in your presence,
I must take this time to speak to you,
My King and lord; please listen.
I called you King, and although you are
Of another law and faith, the deity of Kings
Is so august, so strong and absolute,
That it must engender a compassionate soul;
And thus, it follows that you must answer
The call of this generous blood with pity
And with wisdom; because even among
The wildest beasts this title holds such high
Authority that the law of nature
Brings obedience to bear.
We read in some less civilized republics
That the Lion is the King of Beasts,
And when he frowns, his mane becomes his crown;
He shows great pity, because he never
Makes a captive of his wounded prey.
The mighty eagle, crowned with feathered plumes
That the wind ruffles as he soars through the air,
Is emperor of all the birds that salute the sun;
And when a snake has sullied a pure spring
With its poisonous venom,
The eagle, with nobility and pity,
Will swoop down to drive away
Both snake and venom so that a man
Will not, for lack of knowing, drink his death.
So if among the wild beasts and birds,
The king shows his majesty in pity,
It would not be unjust to do the same
Here among men, my lord:
Being of a different law does not excuse you,
For cruelty’s the same in every faith.
I do not want to gain your sympathy
With my sufferings and anguish
So that you will let me live,
I do not ask for that; I know well enough
That I must die from this infirmity
That chills my limbs and makes my blood run cold.
I know well enough that I am wounded
To my death, because I cannot speak
A word without my tongue becoming
A sharp sword that cuts me with each breath.
And finally I know too well
That I am mortal, and that no hour is sure;
And so one form is given,
With the same material and shape,
To the cradle and the grave.
When a man receives something
His natural response is to raise his hands
Together in this way; and when he wants
To throw something away, he uses
The same action, but he turns his hands downward,
Because in that way they discard
Whatever they were holding. So the world,
When we’re born, as a sign that we are welcome,
Receives us in a cradle, and makes us safe
In open arms; but when, in fury or disdain,
It wants to throw us out, it puts its hands
Together once again and forms this same device:
A cradle when it’s turned upwards to greet us,
Turned upside down becomes a tomb.
That’s how close we live to our own death;
So bound together are they that when we’re born
We lie in both our cradle and our grave.
What should one who hears this hope for?
What should one who knows this go to seek?
It’s clear the answer is not life: no doubt
Of that; but death, yes, death; this I beg of you,
So that the heavens may fulfill
My desire to die for my faith; and if pity
Cannot conquer you, then be commanded
By your own severity. Are you a lion?
Then you should roar, and drive away all those
Who injure or offend you. Are you an eagle?
Then with your beak and claws you’ll wound
Whoever disturbs your nest.
Because for me,
Although I suffer harsher torments,
Although I witness more severity,
Although I cry in deeper anguish,
Although I pass through countless miseries,
Although I find still more misfortunes,
Although I am afflicted with more hunger,
Although these clothes don’t cover my poor flesh,
And although my realm is filth,
I must still be constant in my faith;
Because it is the sun that shines on me,
Because it is the light that guides me,
And I wear laurel for a crown.
You cannot triumph over the Church;
Over me, if you wish, you can triumph;
God will defend my cause, for I defend His.

Copyright