JUPITER, ALCMENE, CLEANTHIS, SOSIE
JUP.Do you want to drive me to despair? Alas! Stay, lovely Alcmene.
ALC.No, I cannot remain longer with the author of my grief.
JUP.I beseech youALC.Leave me.
JUP.What...?
ALC.Leave me, I tell you.
JUP.Her tears touch me to the heart; her sorrow troubles me.Allow me toALC.No, do not follow me,JUP.Where are you going?
ALC.Where you are not.
JUP.That would be a vain attempt to make.I am linked to your beauty by too close a bond to suffer a moment's separation from you.
I shall follow you everywhere, Alcmene.
ALC.And I shall flee from you everywhere.
JUP.I am very terrible, then!
ALC.Yes, more than I can say.Indeed, I look upon you as a frightful monster, a cruel, furious monster, whose approach is to be feared; as a monster to be avoided everywhere.My heart suffers incredible grief at the sight of you; it is a torture that overpowers me; I do not know anything under Heaven so frightful, horrible and odious, that I could not better endure than you.
JUP.Alas! Do these words really come from your mouth?
ALC.I have many more in my heart; I only regret I cannot find words to express all I feel.
JUP.Ah! What has my heart done to you, Alcmene, that I should be looked upon as such a monster?
ALC.Oh! Just Heaven! He can ask that? Is it not enough to drive me mad?
JUP.Yet, in a milder spirit...
ALC.No; I do not wish either to see or to hear anything of you.
JUP.Have you really the heart to treat me thus? Is this the tender love which I heard yesterday was to last so long?
ALC.No, no, it is not; your base insults have ordained it otherwise.That passionate and tender love does not exist any longer; you have cruelly killed it in my heart by a hundred keen wounds.In its place stands an inflexible wrath, a lively resentment, an invincible indignation, the despair of a heart justly incensed, which resolves to hate you for this grievous injury, as much as it was willing to love you; that is to say to hate as much as possible.
JUP.Alas! Your love must have had but little strength, if it can be killed by so slight a matter! Can a jest divorce us? Is there any need to be so roused at a trifle?
ALC.Ah! It is just that which offends me: that which my anger cannot pardon.I should have felt less wounded by the justifiable transports of a fit of jealousy.Jealousy makes impressions the force of which oftentimes carries us beyond our control; at such times the most discreet mind, no doubt, finds it difficult enough to answer for its deeds.The violence of a heart which may have been deluded has, in its very delusion, a peace-offering for an aggrieved soul, and the love that gave birth to its fears, furnishes, in spite of all its violence, at least some reasons to urge as excuse.
Outbursts such as these ever have love as an excuse against anger:
for love gave birth to them, and we can easily pardon what we cannot control.
But to fly into uncontrollable fury, in gaiety of heart, and so causelessly and keenly to wound the tenderness and honour of a heart that dearly loves you, ah! It is too cruel a blow: my grief can never forget it.