A prince kills his daughters lover, and she stands up to him with pride and shows her great spirit and love.
After the king berates her for loving a servant of his, she answers him with great
composure, thinking her lover murdered by her father.
"Tancred (her father), your accusation I shall not deny, neither will I cry you mercy, for naught would I gain by supplication, nay more. there is n...aught I will do to conciliate thy humanity and love. My only care is to confess the truth, to defend my honor by words of sound reason, and then by deeds most resolute to give effect to the promptings of my high soul. True it is that I have loved and love Guiscardo, and during the brief while I have yet to live shall love him. But that I love him, is not imputable to my womanly frailty so much as to the little zeal thou sheedst for my bestowal in marriage, and to Guiscardo's own worth. It should not have escaped thee, Tancred, creature of flesh and blood, as thou art, that thy daughter, was also a creature of flesh and blood, and not of stone or iron. It was, and is, thy duty to bear in mind (old though thou art) the nature and the might of the laws
to which youth is subject, and, though thou has spent part of thy best years in martial exercises, thou should nevertheless have not been ignorant how potent the influence even upon the aged, to say nothing of the young., of ease and luxury. And not only am I, as being your daughter, a creature of flesh and blood, but my life is not so far spent but that I am still young, and thus doubly fraught with fleshly appetite, the vehemence whereof is marvelously enhanced by reason that, having been married, I have known the pleasure that ensues upon the satisfaction of such desire. Which forces being powerless to withstand, I did but act as was natural in a young woman, when I gave way to them, and yielded myself to love. Nor in sooth did I fail to the utmost of my power so to order the indulgence of my natural propensity that my sin should bring shame neither upon thee nor upon me. To which end Love in his pity, and Fortune in a friendly mood, found and discovered to me a secret way, whereby, none witting, I attained my desire. This I do not deny. 'Twas not at random, as many women do, that I loved Guiscardo, but by deliberate choice I preferred him before all other men, and of determined forethought I lured him to my love, whereof, through his and my discretion and constancy, I have long had joyance. Wherein 'twould seem that thou, following rather the opinion of the vulgar than the dictates of truth, find cause to chide me more severely than in my sinful love, for, as if thou would not have been vexed, had my choice fallen upon nobleman, thou complainest that I have forgathered with a man of low condition, and does not see that therein thou censures not my fault but that of Fortune, which not seldom raises the unworthy to high place and leaves the worthiest in low
estate. But leave we this- consider the little principles of things. Thou seest that in
regard of our flesh we are all molded of the same substance, and that all souls are
endowed by one and the same Creator with equal faculties, equal powers, equal virtues. 'Twas merit that made the first distinction between us, born as we were, nay, as we are, all equal, and whose merits were and were approved in act the greatest were called noble, and the rest were not so donated. Which law, albeit overlaid by the contrary use of after times, is not yet abrogated, or so impaired but that it is still traceable in nature and good manners, for which cause whoso with merit acts, does plainly show himself a gentleman. And, if any denote him otherwise, the default is his own and not him whom he so denotes. Pass in review all the nobles, weigh their merits, their manners and bearing, and then compare Guiscardo's with theirs. If thou wilt judge without prejudice, thou wilt pronounce him noble in the highest degree, and thy nobles, one and all, curds. As to Guiscardo's merits and worth I did but trust the verdict which thou thyself didst utter in words, and which mine own eyes confirmed. Of whom had he such commendation as of thee for all those excellences whereby a good man and true merits commendation? And in sooth thou didst him but justice- for, unless mine eyes have played me false, there was not for which thou commended him but that I have seen him practice it, and that more admirably than words of thine might express. And, had I been at all deceived in this matter, 'twould have been by thee. Wilt thou say that I have forgathered with a man of low condition? If so, thou would not say true. Didst thou say with a poor man, the impeachment might be allowed, to thy shame, that thou so ill hast known how to require a good man and true that is thy servant- but poverty, though it take away all else, deprives no man of gentilesse. Many kings, and great princes, were once poor, and many a ditcher or herdsman has been and is very wealthy. And for thy last perpend doubt, to wit, how thou shoudst deal with me,
banish it utterly from thy thoughts. If in thy extreme old age thou art thou art minded to manifest a harshness unwonted in thy youth, weak thy harshness on me, resolved as I am to cry thee no mercy, prime cause as I am that this sin, if sin it be, has been committed, for of this I warrant thee, that as thou mayest have done or shalt do to Guisgardo, if to me thou do not the like, I with my own hands will do it.
Now get thee gone to shed thy tears with the women, and when thy melting mood is over, ruthlessly destroy Guiscardo and me, if such thou deem our merited doom, by one and the same blow. The prince did not believe his daughter would kill herself and had her lover slain and his heart cut out and delivered to her in a golden cup. She had prepared a poison in case.
When she received the cup she said- "Sepulture less honorable than of gold had ill befitted heart such as this. Herein has my father done wisely." Which said, she raised it to her lips, and kissed it, saying, "In all things and at all times, even to this last hour of my life, have I found my father most tender in his love, but now more so than ever before, wherefore I now render him the last thanks which will ever be due from me to him for this goodly present." So she spoke, and straining the cup to her, bowed her head over it ... she wept, with no escape of womanish cry ... then got the poison and poured it in the cup to mix with her many tears. She then drained it dry and lay on the bed clutching the heart hard to her breast. Her father came in and burst into tears. She said to him, "Reserve thy tears, Tancred, till Fortune send thy hapless longed for than this. Waste them not on me who care not for them. Whoever yet saw any but me thee bewail the consummation of his desire? But, if of the love thou once didst bear me any spark still lives in thee, be it thy parting grace to me, that, as thou brooked not that I should live with Guiscardo in privacy and seclusion, so wherever thou mayst have caused the body to be cast, mine may be united with it in the common view of all." She strained the heart to her bosom, saying, "Fare the well, I take my leave of you."
... And died.
U must read the full story to really appreciates this great story about a great and honorable woman- It is from;
The Decameron, by Boccaccio
After the king berates her for loving a servant of his, she answers him with great
composure, thinking her lover murdered by her father.
"Tancred (her father), your accusation I shall not deny, neither will I cry you mercy, for naught would I gain by supplication, nay more. there is n...aught I will do to conciliate thy humanity and love. My only care is to confess the truth, to defend my honor by words of sound reason, and then by deeds most resolute to give effect to the promptings of my high soul. True it is that I have loved and love Guiscardo, and during the brief while I have yet to live shall love him. But that I love him, is not imputable to my womanly frailty so much as to the little zeal thou sheedst for my bestowal in marriage, and to Guiscardo's own worth. It should not have escaped thee, Tancred, creature of flesh and blood, as thou art, that thy daughter, was also a creature of flesh and blood, and not of stone or iron. It was, and is, thy duty to bear in mind (old though thou art) the nature and the might of the laws
to which youth is subject, and, though thou has spent part of thy best years in martial exercises, thou should nevertheless have not been ignorant how potent the influence even upon the aged, to say nothing of the young., of ease and luxury. And not only am I, as being your daughter, a creature of flesh and blood, but my life is not so far spent but that I am still young, and thus doubly fraught with fleshly appetite, the vehemence whereof is marvelously enhanced by reason that, having been married, I have known the pleasure that ensues upon the satisfaction of such desire. Which forces being powerless to withstand, I did but act as was natural in a young woman, when I gave way to them, and yielded myself to love. Nor in sooth did I fail to the utmost of my power so to order the indulgence of my natural propensity that my sin should bring shame neither upon thee nor upon me. To which end Love in his pity, and Fortune in a friendly mood, found and discovered to me a secret way, whereby, none witting, I attained my desire. This I do not deny. 'Twas not at random, as many women do, that I loved Guiscardo, but by deliberate choice I preferred him before all other men, and of determined forethought I lured him to my love, whereof, through his and my discretion and constancy, I have long had joyance. Wherein 'twould seem that thou, following rather the opinion of the vulgar than the dictates of truth, find cause to chide me more severely than in my sinful love, for, as if thou would not have been vexed, had my choice fallen upon nobleman, thou complainest that I have forgathered with a man of low condition, and does not see that therein thou censures not my fault but that of Fortune, which not seldom raises the unworthy to high place and leaves the worthiest in low
estate. But leave we this- consider the little principles of things. Thou seest that in
regard of our flesh we are all molded of the same substance, and that all souls are
endowed by one and the same Creator with equal faculties, equal powers, equal virtues. 'Twas merit that made the first distinction between us, born as we were, nay, as we are, all equal, and whose merits were and were approved in act the greatest were called noble, and the rest were not so donated. Which law, albeit overlaid by the contrary use of after times, is not yet abrogated, or so impaired but that it is still traceable in nature and good manners, for which cause whoso with merit acts, does plainly show himself a gentleman. And, if any denote him otherwise, the default is his own and not him whom he so denotes. Pass in review all the nobles, weigh their merits, their manners and bearing, and then compare Guiscardo's with theirs. If thou wilt judge without prejudice, thou wilt pronounce him noble in the highest degree, and thy nobles, one and all, curds. As to Guiscardo's merits and worth I did but trust the verdict which thou thyself didst utter in words, and which mine own eyes confirmed. Of whom had he such commendation as of thee for all those excellences whereby a good man and true merits commendation? And in sooth thou didst him but justice- for, unless mine eyes have played me false, there was not for which thou commended him but that I have seen him practice it, and that more admirably than words of thine might express. And, had I been at all deceived in this matter, 'twould have been by thee. Wilt thou say that I have forgathered with a man of low condition? If so, thou would not say true. Didst thou say with a poor man, the impeachment might be allowed, to thy shame, that thou so ill hast known how to require a good man and true that is thy servant- but poverty, though it take away all else, deprives no man of gentilesse. Many kings, and great princes, were once poor, and many a ditcher or herdsman has been and is very wealthy. And for thy last perpend doubt, to wit, how thou shoudst deal with me,
banish it utterly from thy thoughts. If in thy extreme old age thou art thou art minded to manifest a harshness unwonted in thy youth, weak thy harshness on me, resolved as I am to cry thee no mercy, prime cause as I am that this sin, if sin it be, has been committed, for of this I warrant thee, that as thou mayest have done or shalt do to Guisgardo, if to me thou do not the like, I with my own hands will do it.
Now get thee gone to shed thy tears with the women, and when thy melting mood is over, ruthlessly destroy Guiscardo and me, if such thou deem our merited doom, by one and the same blow. The prince did not believe his daughter would kill herself and had her lover slain and his heart cut out and delivered to her in a golden cup. She had prepared a poison in case.
When she received the cup she said- "Sepulture less honorable than of gold had ill befitted heart such as this. Herein has my father done wisely." Which said, she raised it to her lips, and kissed it, saying, "In all things and at all times, even to this last hour of my life, have I found my father most tender in his love, but now more so than ever before, wherefore I now render him the last thanks which will ever be due from me to him for this goodly present." So she spoke, and straining the cup to her, bowed her head over it ... she wept, with no escape of womanish cry ... then got the poison and poured it in the cup to mix with her many tears. She then drained it dry and lay on the bed clutching the heart hard to her breast. Her father came in and burst into tears. She said to him, "Reserve thy tears, Tancred, till Fortune send thy hapless longed for than this. Waste them not on me who care not for them. Whoever yet saw any but me thee bewail the consummation of his desire? But, if of the love thou once didst bear me any spark still lives in thee, be it thy parting grace to me, that, as thou brooked not that I should live with Guiscardo in privacy and seclusion, so wherever thou mayst have caused the body to be cast, mine may be united with it in the common view of all." She strained the heart to her bosom, saying, "Fare the well, I take my leave of you."
... And died.
U must read the full story to really appreciates this great story about a great and honorable woman- It is from;
The Decameron, by Boccaccio
