In misery! despairing! long wandering pitifully on the face of the
earth and now imprisoned! This gentle hapless creature, immured
in the dungeon as a malefactor and reserved for horrid tortures!
That it should come to this! To this !—Perfidious, worthless spirit,
and this thou hast concealed from me !—Stand! ay, stand! roll in
malicious rage thy fiendish eyes! Stand and brave me with thine
insupportable presence! Imprisoned! In hopeless misery! Delivered
over to the power of evil spirits and the judgment of unpitying
humanity I—And me, the while, thou wert lulling with tasteless
dissipations, concealing from me her growing anguish, and leaving
her to perish without help!
Hound! Execrable monster !—Back with him, oh thou infinite
spirit! back with the reptile into his dog's shape, in which it was his
wont to scamper before me at eventide, to roll before the feet of
the harmless wanderer, and to fasten on his shoulders when he fell!
Change him again into his favourite shape, that he may crouch on
his belly before me in the dust, whilst I spurn him with my foot,
the reprobate I— Not the first!—Woe! Woe! By no human soul is it
conceivable, that more than one human creature has ever sunk into
a depth of wretchedness like this, or that the first in her writhing
death-agony should not have atoned in the sight of all-pardoning
Heaven for the guilt of all the rest! The misery of this one pierces
me to the very marrow, and harrows up my soul; thou art grinning
calmly over the doom of thousands!
Now we are once again at our wit's end, just where the reason of
you mortals snaps! Why dost thou seek our fellowship, if thou
canst not go through with it? Wilt fly, and art not proof against
dizziness? Did we force ourselves on thee, or thou on us?
Cease thus to gnash thy ravenous fangs at me! I loathe thee —Great
and glorious spirit, thou who didst vouchsafe to reveal thyself unto
me, thou who dost know my very heart and soul, why hast thou
linked me with this base associate, who feeds on mischief and
revels in destruction?
Save her !—or woe to thee! The direst of curses on thee for
thousands of years!
I cannot loose the bands of the avenger, nor withdraw his
bolts.—Save her !—Who was it plunged her into perdition? I or
thou?
Would'st grasp the thunder? Well for you, poor mortals, that 'tis
not yours to wield! To smite to atoms the being however innocent,
who obstructs his path, such is the tyrant's fashion of relieving
himself in difficulties !
Convey me thither! She shall be free!
And the danger to which thou dust expose thyself? Know, the guilt
of blood, shed by thy hand, lies yet upon the town. Over the place
where fell the murdered one, avenging spirits hover and watch for
the returning murderer.
This too from thee? The death and downfall of a world be on thee,
monster I Conduct me thither, I say, and set
her free !
I will conduct thee. And what I can do,—hearl Have I all power in
heaven and upon earth? I'll cloud the senses of the warder,—do
thou possess thyself of the keys and lead her forth with human
hand! I will keep watch! The magic steeds are waiting, I bear thee
off. Thus much is in my power
