sinforosa reveals her love to auristella.
the instant that the king heard of auristella's illness, he sent his physicians to visit her. they discovered that her ailment proceeded more from the mind than the body. arnoldo and periander had partly guessed this, and clodio better than anybody.
the physicians ordered that she should never be left alone, and that they should try and divert her mind with music, if she took pleasure in hearing it, or with any other cheerful amusement. sinforosa took upon herself the care of the invalid, and bestowed her company upon her continually—a kindness which auristella could willingly have excused, seeing that it was keeping the very cause of her illness always before her eyes. she could not expect a cure, because she was resolved not to tell what ailed her.
she was at length left alone in her apartment with only the two princesses; sinforosa soon found an excuse to get rid of polycarpa; and hardly did she see herself alone with auristella, than embracing her, and pressing both her hands closely in her own, with deep and heavy sighs, she seemed as if she wished to translate her own soul into the body of auristella, who was greatly disturbed by her emotion, and said, "what ails you, lady, what mean these signs of suffering; as if you, more than myself, required the aid of a physician? tell me how i can help you, or serve you; for although my body is weak, my will is strong."
"sweet friend, how much your offer gratifies me," answered sinforosa, "and with the same readiness you show in obliging me, i will reply, without any affected politeness, or frigid compliments. my sister, for i must call you by that name whilst life endures, my sister! i am in love; very much in love; but shame, and being what i am, restrain my tongue. must i die in silence? is there any miracle that can cure my complaint?"
sinforosa said all this, with so many sighs and tears that auristella was moved to dry her eyes and embrace her, saying, "do not die, o most afflicted lady, with thus constraining your tongue to silence. cast away for a time shame and bashfulness, and confide your secret to me; for griefs communicated, if not healed, are at least alleviated; if, as i guess, your sorrows are those of love, well do i know that you are made of flesh and blood, although you look like alabaster; and as i also know that our hearts are formed to be restless, and that they cannot help loving those whom their stars have decreed they must love, whether they will or no. tell me then, lady, who it is you love; for, as it is not probable that you have, like some in ancient story, taken a bull, or a shower of gold and silver for the object of your worship, it must needs be some man that you adore; and this will not cause either fear or amazement in me, for i am woman as you are, and have my own inclinations and feelings; and though they have never escaped from my lips for maiden shame, yet they might well have done so in the unconsciousness of fever. but the hour will come at last when all disguise must cease; and it may be that in my last will, you will learn the cause of my death."
sinforosa kept looking at her all the while she spoke, and treasured every word she uttered as if it were an oracle.
"ah, me! sweet lady," said she, "i believe that you were sent hither through such extraordinary ways, by heaven itself, miraculously sent to this land to comfort and console me in my sorrows; and that you were out of the dark hold of the vessel restored to the light of day, to bring light to my darkened soul, and rescue it from the trouble it has been in; and so, not to keep you or myself longer in suspense, you shall know that to this island came your brother, periander;" and then she detailed in regular succession the facts of his arrival, the triumphs and honours that he had won, and the difficulties he had conquered, as we have already described. she further told how the grace and beauty of periander had awakened in her mind a sort of feeling that at first was not love, but simple kindness and admiration; how in time, with idleness and dwelling upon the subject, and accustoming herself to contemplate his graces, love began to represent him to her, not as a simple individual, but rather as a prince, that if he was not one, he deserved so to be. "this idea weighed upon my mind, and unthinkingly i suffered it to rest there, without making any resistance; and so by little and little i came to like him, to love him, and even to adore him as i have told you."
she would have said more, if at this instant polycarpa had not returned, desirous of amusing auristella, with a small harp in her hands to which she was singing. sinforosa was agitated; auristella thunderstruck; but the emotion of the one, and the stupor of the other did not prevent them both from lending an attentive ear to the incomparable musician, who sang the following words in her own language, which antonio afterwards translated thus—
song.
if nothing, cynthia, can avail
to win thy lost heart back again,
give way to grief, relinquish life,
'tis nothing worth, why not complain?
the maiden pride with which thou fain
the fatal passion would subdue,
itself will strike the murd'rous blow,
too late shalt thou thy silence rue.
poor broken heart! thy latest sigh
shall breathe at last thy secret woe;
far wiser had it timely told
its tale of sorrow long ago.
lamenting thee, the world shall learn
how deep the love thy heart had cherished,
and some perchance may vainly grieve
to think how true a heart has perished.
nobody understood polycarpa's verses so well as sinforosa; her sister was acquainted with all her wishes; and although she had determined to bury them in silence, she now desired to follow her advice by telling her thoughts to auristella as she had already begun to do. many times did sinforosa visit auristella, giving her to understand that it was more from civility than inclination: at length she one day resumed the subject of their previous conversation, saying, "hear me once more, dear lady, and do not be weary of my discourse; my heart will burst if i do not speak; and the fear of this in spite of shame, forces me to tell you that i must die if i cannot obtain your brother's love; his virtues have so enslaved my heart, that, without knowing what may be his birth, country, or means of living, i only see the liberal gifts with which nature has endowed him. for himself alone, i love him; for himself alone, i desire to marry him; and i beseech you not to think amiss of my hasty passion, but do me all the good in your power. i have immense wealth left me by my mother, unknown to my father. what i am, you see; i may not deserve his love, but do i merit his aversion? give me your brother as my husband. be my sister; i will divide my riches with you. i will find a husband for you, who may be one day elected king of this country." sinforosa held auristella's hands in hers, bathing them with her tears, as she poured forth her love-sick soul. auristella wept also; judging by her own feelings what must be the conflict of an enamoured heart; and, although she saw a rival in sinforosa, still she pitied her; and the more that she had never offended her in any way that could demand vengeance; her fault was the same as her own, her wishes the same. she could not condemn the princess without finding herself guilty of the same crime. what auristella was most anxious to discover was, if she had ever bestowed any favours on periander, even of the smallest kind; or whether by word or look she had ever betrayed her tenderness to him. sinforosa replied, that never once had she possessed boldness enough to raise her eyes to those of periander, or look at him but with the reserve she owed to her high rank and station; and that the license of her tongue had not exceeded that of her eyes. "i believe you, truly," said auristella; "but is it possible that he has never shown you any signs of love? if he loves you, and he surely must, for i do not think he has a heart of marble, beauty such as yours must have touched and softened his. it is my opinion that before i can get over this difficulty, you must try to speak with him, and find an occasion to bestow some modest favour upon him; for sometimes unexpected and unsought favours will arouse and inflame the most lukewarm and careless hearts. if once he answers to your feelings, it will be easy for me to make him satisfy you in all things. the beginning, my friend, is the only difficulty in all things; in love affairs, especially, most difficult. i do not advise you to be either precipitate or forward; for the favours of a maiden to him she loves, however chaste they may be, never appear so; and you must not venture honour for the sake of pleasure. discreet conduct may do much; and love, subtle master of the art of conveying thoughts, offers opportunity and time to the most troubled, that they may exchange them without any danger."
