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Dialogue following No. 7
| Darine. | What are they doing? | |
| Selene. | It's some game of skill. | |
| It's very pretty. | ||
| Darine. | Very. | [Knights pause to take breath. |
| Oh, they've stopped! | ||
| Phyllon. | Come, come — on guard! | |
| Zayda. | Now they begin again! | [They fight. | |
| Ethais. (seeing Fairies who have gradually surrounded him,) | |||
| Hold, we are overlooked! | |||
| [ETHAIS, who has turned for a moment in saying this, is severely wounded in the right arm. | |||
| Selene. | You may proceed. | ||
| We like it much! | |||
| Darine. | You do it very well. | |
| Begin again! | ||
| Ethais. | Black curses on that thrust! | ||
| I am disabled! Ladies, bind my wound — And , if it please you still to see us fight, We'll fight for those bright eyes and cherry lips Till one or both of us shall bite the dust! |
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| Phyllon. (aside to Ethais). | |||
| Hold! Call a truce till we return to
earth — Here are bright eyes enough for both of us! |
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| Ethais. | I don't know that! Well, there, till we return — | [Shaking hands. | |
| But, once on earth again, we will take
up Our argument where it was broken off, And let thy devils whirl me where they may We'll reach conclusion and corollary! |
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During this the Fairies show that they have been very strongly influenced by the two knights.
| Darine. (gazing at PHYLLON). | ||
| Oh, fairyhood! How wonderfully like our Phyllon! |
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| Selene. (gazing in rapture at ETHAIS). | Yes! | |
| And see — how strangely like our Ethais! | ||
| (sighing). | Thou hast a gallant carriage, gentle knight! | |
| Ethais. | It's little wonder that I'm like myself! Why I am he! |
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| Selene. (sighing). | No, not our Ethais! | |
| Ethais. | In truth I am the Ethais of all Who are as gentle and as fair as thou! |
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| Selene. (tenderly). | ||
| That's bravely said! Thou hast a silver
tongue! Why, what can gods be like if these be men? |
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During this DARINE, ZAYDA, LOCRINE, and other Fairies show by their manner, that they take a tender interest in ETHAIS and PHYLLON.
| Selene. | Say, dost thou come from earth or heaven? | |||
| Ethais. (gallantly placing his arm round SELENE and DARINE). | ||||
| I think I've come from earth to heaven! | ||||
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| He comes from earth to heaven!
No, Ethais, We are but fairies: this, our native home — Our fairyland — rests on a cloud which floats Hither and thither as the breezes will. We see the world; yet, saving that it is A very wicked world, we know it not. But on the lands o'er which our island hangs We shed fair gifts of plenty and good-will, Drop tears of love upon the thirsty earth And shower fair water on the growing grain. This is our mission. |
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| Phyllon. | 'Tis a goodly one! | |
| But tell us now — why have you summoned us? | ||
| Selene. | Because we seek to teach you solemn
truths That now ye wot not of, poor gentlemen! |
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| (tenderly). | Poor gentlemen! Poor wayward gentlemen! | |
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Page modified 13 August 2011