Apu Ollantay Part 9

Pachacuti.

Ollantay, thou dost now presume.

Thou art a subject, nothing more.

Remember, bold one, who thou art, And learn to keep thy proper place.

Ollantay.

Strike me to the heart.

Pachacuti.

'Tis for me to see to that, And not for thee to choose.

Thy presumption is absurd.

Be gone!

(Ollantay rises and exit R.)

SCENE 4

A rocky height above Cuzco to the NE. Distant view of the city of Cuzco and of the Sacsahuaman hill, crowned by the fortress.

(Enter OLLANTAY armed.)

Ollantay.

Alas, Ollantay! Ollantay!

Thou master of so many lands, Insulted by him thou servedst well.

O my thrice-beloved Coyllur, Thee too I shall lose for ever.

O the void[33] within my heart, O my princess! O precious dove!

Cuzco! O thou beautiful city!

Henceforth behold thine enemy.

I'll bare thy breast to stab thy heart, And throw it as food for condors; Thy cruel Inca I will slay.

I will call my men in thousands, The Antis will be a.s.sembled, Collected as with a la.s.so.

All will be trained, all fully armed, I will guide them to Sacsahuaman.

They will be as a cloud of curses, When flames rise to the heavens.

Cuzco shall sleep on a b.l.o.o.d.y couch, The King shall perish in its fall; Then shall my insulter see How numerous are my followers.

When thou, proud King, art at my feet, We then shall see if thou wilt say, 'Thou art too base for Coyllur's hand.'

Not then will I bow down and ask, For I, not thou, will be the King-- Yet, until then, let prudence rule.

(Enter PIQUI CHAQUI from back, R.)

Piqui Chaqui, go back with speed, Tell the Princess I come to-night.

Piqui Chaqui.

I have only just come from there-- The palace was deserted quite, No soul to tell me what had pa.s.sed, Not even a dog[34] was there.

All the doors were closed and fastened, Except the princ.i.p.al doorway, And that was left without a guard.

Ollantay.

And the servants?

Piqui Chaqui.

Even the mice had fled and gone, For nothing had been left to eat.

Only an owl was brooding there, Uttering its cry of evil omen.

Ollantay.

Perhaps then her father has taken her, To hide her in his palace bounds.

Piqui Chaqui.

The Inca may have strangled her; Her mother too has disappeared.

Ollantay.