Corinne, Volume 1 (of 2)
Chapter iii.
Every thing was arranged in a few days, the parts distributed, and theevening chosen for the performance in a palace belonging to a femalerelation of Prince Castel-Forte, and a friend of Corinne. Oswald felt amixture of uneasiness and pleasure, at the approach of this new scene oftriumph for the talents of Corinne. He enjoyed the by anticipation; buthe was also jealous in the same manner, not of any man in particular,but of that whole audience in general who were to witness the talents ofher whom he loved. He wished to be the only witness of her mentalcharms;--he wished that Corinne, timid and reserved, like an Englishwoman, should possess eloquence and genius for none but him. Howeverdistinguished a man may be, perhaps he never enjoys, without alloy, thesuperiority of a woman: if he feel an affection for her, his heart isdisturbed;--if not, his self-love is wounded. Oswald, in the presence ofCorinne, was more intoxicated than happy; and the admiration which sheinspired him with, increased his love without giving more stability tohis projects. He contemplated her as an admirable phenomenon, whichappeared to him anew every day; but even the transport and astonishmentwhich she made him feel, seemed to render the hope of a peaceful andtranquil life more distant. Corinne, however, was of the tenderest andmost easy disposition in private life; her ordinary qualities would havemade her beloved independently of her brilliant ones; but yet again, sheunited in herself too much talent, and was too dazzling in everyrespect. Lord Nelville, with all his accomplishments, did not believehimself equal to her, and this idea inspired him with fears as to theduration of their mutual affection. Vainly did Corinne by force of lovebecome his slave; the master, often uneasy about his captive queen, didnot enjoy his empire undisturbed.
Some hours before the representation, Lord Nelville conducted Corinne tothe palace of Princess Castel-Forte, where the theatre was fitted up.The sun shone most brilliantly, and from one of the windows of thestair-case, Rome and the _Campagna_ were discovered. Oswald stoppedCorinne a moment and said, "Behold this beautiful day, it is for yoursake; it is to heighten the splendour of your fame." "Ah, if that wereso," answered she, "it is you who would bring me happiness; it is to youthat I should owe the protection of heaven." "Would the pure and gentlesentiments which the beauty of nature inspires, be sufficient to makeyou happy?" replied Oswald: "there is a great distance between the airthat we breathe, the reverie which the country inspires, and that noisytheatre which is about to resound with your name." "Oswald," saidCorinne, "if the applause which I am about to receive, have the power toaffect me, will it not be because it is witnessed by you? And should Idisplay any talent, will it not owe its success to you, who haveanimated and inspired it? Love, poetry, and religion, all that is bornof enthusiasm, is in harmony with nature; and in beholding the azuresky, in yielding to the impression which it causes, I have a justercomprehension of the sentiments of Juliet, I am more worthy of Romeo.""Yes, thou art worthy of him, celestial creature!" cried Lord Nelville;"'tis only a weakness of the soul, this jealousy of thy talents, thisdesire to live alone with thee in the universe. Go, receive the meed ofpublic homage, go; but let that look of love, still more divine than thygenius, be directed to me alone!" They then parted, and Lord Nelvillewent and took his seat in theatre, awaiting the pleasure of beholdingthe appearance of Corinne.
Romeo and Juliet is an Italian subject; the scene is placed in Verona,where is still to be seen the tomb of those two lovers. Shakespeare haswritten this piece with that Southern imagination at once impassionedand pleasing; that imagination which triumphs in happiness, but which,nevertheless, passes so easily from happiness to despair, and fromdespair to death. The impressions are rapid; but one easily feels thatthese rapid impressions will be ineffaceable. It is the force of nature,and not the frivolity of the heart, which beneath an energetic climatehastens the development of the passions. The soil is not light, thoughvegetation is prompt; and Shakespeare has seized, more happily than anyother foreign writer, the national character of Italy and that fecundityof the mind which invents a thousand ways of varying the expression ofthe same sentiments--the oriental eloquence which makes use of all theimages of nature to paint what is passing in the heart. It is not as inOssian, one same tint, one uniform sound which responds constantly tothe most sensitive chords of the heart; the multiplied colours thatShakespeare employs in Romeo and Juliet, do not give a cold affectationto his style; it is the ray divided, reflected, and varied, whichproduces these colours, in which we ever feel that fire they proceedfrom. There is a life and a brilliancy in this composition whichcharacterise the country and the inhabitants. The play of Romeo andJuliet translated into Italian would only seem to return to its mothertongue.
The first appearance of Juliet is at a ball, where Romeo Montague hasintroduced himself into the house of the Capulets, the mortal enemies ofhis family. Corinne was dressed in a charming festive habit, conformableto the costume of the times. Her hair was tastefully adorned withprecious stones and artificial flowers. Her friends did not know her onher first appearance, till her voice discovered her: her figure thenbecame familiar to them; but it was in a manner deified, and preservedonly a poetical expression. The theatre resounded with unanimousapplause upon her appearance. Her first looks discovered Oswald, andrested upon him--a spark of joy, a lively and gentle hope, was paintedin her countenance: on beholding her, every heart beat with pleasure andfear: it was felt that so much felicity could not last upon earth; wasit for Juliet, or Corinne, that this presentiment was to be verified?
When Romeo approached to address to her in a low voice, the lines, sobrilliant in English, so magnificent in the Italian translation, uponher grace and beauty, the spectators, charmed to hear their ownsentiments so finely interpreted, joined in the transport of Romeo; andthe sudden passion which the first look of Juliet kindled in his soul,appeared like reality to every eye. Oswald from this moment feltdisturbed; it appeared to him that all was near to being revealed, thatCorinne was about to be proclaimed an angel among women, that he shouldbe forced to reveal his sentiments, that his claim would be disputed andthe prize ravished from him--a kind of dazzling cloud seemed to passbefore his eyes--he feared his sight might fail him--he was ready tofaint, and retired for some moments behind a pillar. Corinne, uneasy,sought him with anxiety, and pronounced this line,
"Too early seen unknown, and known too late!"
with such a tone of voice, that Oswald started as he heard it, for itseemed to him to be applied to their personal situation.
He could never feel tired of admiring the grace of her actions, thedignity of her motions, and the expression of her countenance, in whichwas painted what language could not reveal, all those mysteries of theheart which cannot be reduced to words; but which, nevertheless, disposeof our life. The accent, the look, the least gesture of an actor, trulyinspired and influenced by genuine emotion, are a continual revelationof the human heart; and the ideal of the fine arts is always mingledwith these revelations of nature. The harmony of the verse and the charmof the attitudes, lend to passion that grace and dignity which it oftenwants in reality. Thus every sentiment of the heart, and every emotionof the soul, pass before the imagination without losing anything oftheir truth.
In the second act, Juliet appears in the balcony to converse with Romeo.Corinne had preserved, of her former ornaments, only the flowers, andthose were soon to disappear: the theatre half-lighted to representnight, cast a milder reflection upon the countenance of Corinne. Therewas now something more melodious in her voice, than when surrounded withthe splendour of a _fete_. Her hand lifted towards the stars, seemed toinvoke the only witnesses worthy of hearing her, and when she repeated,"_Romeo! Romeo!_" although Oswald was certain that she thought of him,he felt jealous that these delicious accents should make the air resoundwith any other name than his. Oswald was seated opposite the balcony,and he who performed Romeo being a little concealed by the darkness ofthe scene, Corinne was enabled to fix her eyes upon Oswald whenpronouncing these lines:
"In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond;
And therefore thou may'st think my 'haviour light; But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true Than those that have more cunning to be strange. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * therefore pardon me."
At these words--"Pardon me! Pardon me for loving; pardon me for havinglet you know it!"--There was in Corinne's look, so tender a prayer andso much respect for her lover, so much exultation in her choice, whenshe said, "Noble Romeo! Fair Montague!" that Oswald felt as proud as hewas happy. He raised his head, which tenderness had bowed down, andfancied himself the king of the world, since he reigned over a heartwhich contained all the treasures of life.
Corinne, perceiving the effect which she produced upon Oswald, becamemore and more animated by that emotion of the heart which alone producesmiracles; and when at the approach of day, Juliet thought she heard thesong of the lark--a signal for the departure of Romeo, the accents ofCorinne possessed a supernatural charm: they described love, andnevertheless one might perceive that there was something of religiousmystery in them, some recollections of heaven, with a presage that shewas shortly to return thither; a kind of celestial melancholy, as of asoul exiled upon earth, but which was soon to be called to its divinehome. Ah! how happy was Corinne the day that she represented the part ofa noble character in a beautiful tragedy before the lover of her choice;how many years, how many lives would appear dull, compared to such aday!
If Lord Nelville could have performed, with Corinne, the part of Romeo,the pleasure which she would have tasted would not have been socomplete. She would have desired to put aside the verses of the greatestpoet in order to speak the dictates of her own heart; perhaps even hergenius would have been confined by insurmountable timidity; she wouldnot have dared to look at Oswald for fear of betraying herself, andtruth would have destroyed the charm of art; but how sweet it was toknow that he whom she loved was present when she experienced thoseexalted sentiments which poetry alone can inspire; when she felt all thecharm of tender emotions, without their real pain; when the affectionshe expressed was neither personal nor abstract; and when she seemed tosay to Lord Nelville, "See how I am able to love."
It is impossible when the situation is our own to be satisfied withourselves: passion and timidity alternately transport and checkus--inspire us either with too much bitterness or too much submission;but to appear perfect without affectation; to unite calm to sensibility,which too frequently destroys it; in a word, to exist for a moment inthe sweetest reveries of the heart; such was the pure enjoyment ofCorinne in performing tragedy. She united to this pleasure that of allthe plaudits she received; and her look seemed to place them at the feetof Oswald, at the feet of him whose simple approval she valued more thanall her fame. Corinne was happy, at least for a moment! for a moment, atleast, she experienced at the price of her repose, those delights of thesoul which till then she had vainly wished for, and which she would everhave to regret!
Juliet in the third act becomes privately, the wife of Romeo. In thefourth, her parents wishing to force her to marry another, shedetermines to take the opiate which she receives from the hand of afriar, and which is to give her the appearance of death. All the motionsof Corinne, her disturbed gait, her altered accent, her looks, sometimesanimated and sometimes dejected, painted the cruel conflict of fear andlove, the terrible images which pursued her at the idea of beingtransported alive to the tomb of her ancestors, and the enthusiasm ofpassion, which enabled a soul, so young, to triumph over so natural aterror. Oswald felt an almost irresistible impulse to fly to her aid. Atone time she lifted her eyes towards heaven, with an ardour which deeplyexpressed that need of divine protection, from which no human being wasever free. At another time, Lord Nelville thought he saw her stretch herarms towards him to ask his assistance--he rose up in a transport ofdelirium, and then sat down immediately, brought to his senses by theastonished looks of those about him; but his emotion became so strongthat it could no longer be concealed.
In the fifth act, Romeo, who believes Juliet dead, lifts her from thetomb before she awakes and presses her to his heart. Corinne was clad inwhite, her black hair dishevelled, and her head inclined upon Romeo witha grace, and nevertheless an appearance of death, so affecting and sogloomy, that Oswald felt himself shaken with the most oppositeimpressions. He could not bear to see Corinne in the arms of another,and he shuddered at beholding the image of her whom he loved, apparentlydeprived of life; so that in fact he felt, like Romeo, that cruelcombination of despair and love, of death and pleasure, which makes thisscene the most agonising that ever was represented on a stage. Atlength, when Juliet awakes in this tomb, at the foot of which her loverhas just immolated himself, when her first words in her coffin, beneaththese funeral vaults, are not inspired by the terror which they ought tocause, when she exclaims:
"Where is my lord? Where is my Romeo?"
Lord Nelville replied by deep groans, and did not return to himself tillMr Edgermond conducted him out of the theatre.
The piece being finished, Corinne felt indisposed from emotion andfatigue. Oswald entered first into her apartment, where he saw her alonewith her women, still in the costume of Juliet, and, like Juliet, almostswooning in their arms. In the excess of his trouble he could notdistinguish whether it was truth or fiction, and throwing himself atthe feet of Corinne, exclaimed, in English:
"Eyes look your last! Arms take your last embrace."
Corinne, still wandering, cried: "Good God! what do you say? are yougoing to leave me?"--"No;" interrupted Oswald, "I swear--" At thatinstant the crowd of Corinne's friends and admirers forced the door inorder to see her. Her eyes were fixed upon Oswald, listening withanxiety for what he was about to answer; but there was no opportunityfor further conversation between them during the whole evening, for theywere not left alone a single instant.
Never had the performance of a tragedy produced such an effect in Italy.The Romans extolled with transport the talents of Corinne, both as therepresentative of Juliet, and the translator of the piece. They saidthat this was truly the species of tragedy which suited the Italians,which painted their manners, moved the soul by captivating theimagination, and gave effect to their beautiful language, in a stylealternately eloquent and lyrical, inspired and natural. Corinne receivedall these praises with the sweetest air imaginable; but her soulremained suspended on the words "_I swear_,"--which Oswald hadpronounced when he was prevented by the entrance of the company fromconcluding his sentence: this word might in truth contain the secret ofher destiny.
Book viii.
THE STATUES AND THE PICTURES.