| ACT TWO A fortress in ARDUDWY. RHAGNELL is there with GRONW's PENTEULU. |
|
| Penteulu |
Rhagnell, where's my master? |
| Rhagnell |
I don't know. |
| Penteulu |
And I suppose you don't know either what intrigues there are between him and your mistress? |
| Rhagnell |
Intrigues? |
| Penteulu |
How is it that you're the only one waiting on them? Why has he stayed away from his kingdom three days? Is there intrigue! |
| Rhagnell |
He's returning home this morning. |
| Penteulu |
Yes. The horses are saddled and ready. Go tell him to say goodbye to that semi human siren. And get home. |
| Rhagnell |
I pity him if he has no stewards more loyal than you. |
| Penteulu |
What does he know of loyalty? He'd trade his family inheritance if it suited his scheming. His one fear is that he's too reckless to know fear. Here they come... Can you still tell me there's nothing between them...? |
| Rhagnell |
Shut up fool. |
| GRONW and BLODEUWEDD approach. |
|
| Penteulu |
Sir, if you're ready, the horses are saddled. |
| Gronw |
Go to them. I'll join you presently. |
| Exeunt RHAGNELL and PENTEULU. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Must you go? |
| Gronw |
Or stay here and be killed. |
| Blodeuwedd |
No my love. If there's to be a kill It won't be you that's killed. |
| Gronw |
His men are here all around. He himself returns today. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Yes. Go. Don't delay. His name tolls Like a death knell in my heart. Do you know, in the woodlands in June When the golden seed adorns the blackbird's beak And the leaves' murmuring is louder than the sound of the stream... Then, suddenly, all becomes still. The sweet piping stops, the hedgerows silent. And in the roots and stems the sap's rise is arrested... And in that moment the leaves grow old As the summer bears down On the bushes. And spring dies. So too for me That in the first steps of love's dance I'm suddenly reminded of him. His name, his being, and I stumble to a halt. |
| Gronw |
Was it for this, Blodeuwedd, I was enchanted and tried to capture you. To find in you fulfilment, and now to leave With expectations dashed, and us divided? |
| Blodeuwedd |
I tasted joy like a piercing in my breast, The exquisite bite of burgeoning love And this, my body, once a prison, A lifeless form – has now become a perfumed garden Full of my spring's intoxication. A new world struck open by your wand Brimful with new blessings. You, friend, Not Math nor Gwydion, have created me. |
| Gronw |
And do you know all that's in your world? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Our bodies are inexhaustible. O, Gronw, The real wonder would be to delve into their riches, all of them. To awaken the mysteries of the senses; The season of our stillness, the peace of sleep In a loved one's arms, breathing in unison. Love has the gift of grafting bodies together And from the two create a new and greater one In which men can shut their minds to the dull Ache of humdrum being, and sport freely In the arena of love's passion. To me you are The portal to this paradise. And without you Nothing awaits me but tears welling in the night As I watch, asleep, beside me, there, Some strange, cold, rapist. |
| Gronw |
Do you want This day to mark the end of our love? |
| Blodeuwedd |
I want to live. Love and living are one. With you I saw love's sun rise. I want now To see its moon. |
| Gronw |
And Llew Llaw Gyffes? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Why do you say his name? Isn't it enough That he stands between us and the path of love Like some dark despoiler. |
| Gronw |
We must look upon our fear And name it – that we need not fear. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Is there a cast or trick, to deceive Llew? |
| Gronw |
Yes. Come away with me. This morning, now. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Where? |
| Gronw |
To my fortress. The horses stand ready at the gates. Our freedom is in those stirrups. Let the Llew Come to his lair and find it empty. From my battlements we'll brave his roar. |
| Blodeuwedd |
You don't know His strength. With him comes Math And the massive might of Gwynedd And Gwydion the sorcerer. No earthly fortress Can repel them. And I don't want To be caught like some doe in this lion's claws, My flesh ripped to shreds. |
| Gronw |
Blodeuwedd, what's a court Or a kingdom to us? We'll flee to far Dyfed Where Math's enemies will welcome us And give us sanctuary. |
| Blodeuwedd |
I'll never go. I can't impose myself unbidden on strangers. It's easy for you to trust in new allies. You are, like them, a man. I have no common bond Nor cause to trust their word. I fear all things strange. |
| Gronw |
Man is more caring than you credit. |
| Blodeuwedd |
To his kind. But as I am outside Their pack, why should they venture their trust? Nor will I trust them. Unless he is tied to me by love Everyone is my enemy... My only brother, Don't take me away from here. |
| Gronw |
What shall we do? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Kiss. Forget. And farewell. |
| Gronw |
Is that your advice? |
| Blodeuwedd |
I know no better. |
| Gronw |
Can you forget all this so easily? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Forgetfulness is a skill that's quickly learnt. It grows easier by the day. |
| Gronw |
I can't ever forget. |
| Blodeuwedd |
We're all loath to learn new disciplines At first. |
| Gronw |
Do you want to forget? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Do you? |
| Gronw |
I'd rather die. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Kiss me, my lover... Before long He'll claim again the homage of these lips His hands will grasp at these shoulders And mark out his demands on this white flesh. I wish there were a poison in my teeth, That like a serpent I could coil about his neck, Constricting him, crush him in an embrace Like this... like this... My fangs would finish him. |
| Gronw |
That's the only way. We must kill him. |
| Blodeuwedd |
How long it's taken you to read my mind. |
| Gronw |
I wouldn't wish him dead, unless it needs be so... |
| Blodeuwedd |
It needs be, it must. What place is there for him In a world that knows the tempest of our passions? He stands like a withered trunk In the path of a mighty whirlwind. |
| Gronw |
Is there a way to kill him? |
| Blodeuwedd |
It won't be easy. He's fated That no one else shall know the manner of his death. He's the sole possessor of that secret. |
| Gronw |
Is fate itself the enemy of our love? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Love is a rare bloom. It grows Up on the cliff of death. Some snatch at it. Others graze upon it gently. |
| Gronw |
How beautiful scorn is upon your lips. I know of one rose rarer than love itself Which flower drives me to risk my life And plot betrayal of your unwitting lord. Tell me, how do we discover the secret of his death? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Leave that to me. These slender fingers Can play his hungry body like a harp, Can lull him, lure from him The secret sealed inside his heart. His temper is a child's tantrum. He'll return today, lonely and restive And I shall kiss him. |
| Gronw |
And prise from him the greatest mystery he possesses. |
| Blodeuwedd |
A soul for a kiss, Is the price too much? |
| Gronw |
This moment If I had to choose between the two Like a moth to a flame I'd fly to you. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Yes. My spirit is a flame that burns. He who first lit that fire Shall be consumed by it. What's our plan? |
| Gronw |
Leave that to me. If a man's hand Can destroy him – send me word. And when our day comes to hatch this plot I'll count each hour I've been away from you And in the blow that splices him I'll count each morning, noon and night Of missing you, and that stored longing Will take its revenge upon his corpse. |
| RHAGNELL enters. |
|
| Rhagnell |
Sir, your men wait. The sun low over the hill Tells that safety's hours will soon be spent. |
| Gronw |
I must go. |
| Blodeuwedd |
You'll keep your word? |
| Gronw |
Do you doubt my fidelity? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Gronw – what does your fidelity mean to me? Will you still want me? Desire is what holds Man's will a slave and keeps its arrow true When fidelity's bow has rusted. Look at me, Feast your lips upon this kiss And fill your nostrils with my scent... Now go. |
| Gronw |
Shall I hear from you tonight. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Before nightfall. |
| Gronw |
This parting is my nightfall, and now my sunset. My love, farewell. |
| Exit. Silence. Then the sound of horses riding off. BLODEUWEDD sits on a couch. |
|
| Rhagnell |
I saw dust clouds on the horizon. He'll soon be here. |
| Blodeuwedd |
What did you say? |
| Rhagnell |
Where would you like me to prepare supper? |
| Blodeuwedd |
For whom? |
| Rhagnell |
For you and your lord, your husband. |
| Blodeuwedd |
In a grave. |
| Rhagnell |
Is this the strength you talked about To Gronw before he went? Come, Lady, Make ready to receive him. I'll go And greet him at the gate. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Yes, go. Tell him all my secret. |
| Rhagnell |
Do you think I'd betray you? |
| Blodeuwedd |
You're born of a woman's womb, like him. |
| Rhagnell |
(Kneeling at her side.) And I'm also your maid for as long as I draw breath. |
| Blodeuwedd |
No, no. You shan't mock me. I know My looks can turn a young man's head And make him wild, a slave to my will. But you're a woman and I can never chain you. |
| Rhagnell |
A different chain ties me. |
| BLODEUWEDD looks at RHAGNELL and takes the tresses of her hair, drawing them into circles around the maid's throat and nape) |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Yes, you have your chains. Woman, you Are fair. Your flowing hair Is a golden tress cascading on your nape As soft as silk. But... why don't you Wear it like a torque around your throat, A golden torque. A present from your mistress, A reward for your loyalty. Wear it tight, Tight enough to choke you, Rhagnell. You can lie for ever more... wise and mute, The perpetual guardian of my secret. |
| RHAGNELL stays still and speaks quietly. |
|
| Rhagnell |
You're hurting me. Do you want to kill me? |
| BLODEUWEDD gazes into her face. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
I want to tie up this fragile neck With this silk, so that not one Traitorous utterance shall pass through these pale lips That used to kiss my hand each night... You've waited on me countless times, sweet Rhagnell. You've soothed me to sleep. Now I Can tend to you, and rock you To a deeper sleep than I've experienced ever. |
| Rhagnell |
(Again without moving.) Alive or dead, I won't betray you. |
| Blodeuwedd |
You won't get that chance, my dear; I'll lock your tongue within these lips Away from all temptation. |
| Rhagnell |
Here's the Master. |
| LLEW enters. The two women stand to greet him. |
|
| Llew |
I've arrived sooner than expected? |
| Rhagnell |
No. My Lord. We saw your horsemen's dust upon the hill And I ran to give my mistress the good news. |
| Llew |
I sped on ahead of my soldiers To see Blodeuwedd first. |
| Blodeuwedd |
(Going to him) Here I am. |
| Llew |
My fair, my flawless wife. |
| Blodeuwedd |
You journeyed safely? |
| Llew |
Today the wonder of your beauty is the same As on that first morning, when the dew Glistened in your footsteps. Fair wife I didn't know the power of your spell Until I felt the loss. |
| Blodeuwedd |
You never been away from me before. |
| Llew |
Nor will I again until I die. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Pray that be true. |
| Llew |
What did you do while I was away? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Ask Rhagnell. Tell him, woman. Here's your chance. |
| Rhagnell |
Master, since Blodeuwedd first came to Ardudwy I've been at her side, day and night. I never saw a tear stain her cheek Nor well up in her eye. She kept her own counsel And reined in emotion. But the day You left here, I found her Wailing, weeping, in this room. Her body racked by loss and worry. The only answer I could prise from her To all my questions was "My Lord has left". |
| Llew |
Oh, wife, why wasn't I Allowed to come to know you before. |
| Exit RHAGNELL. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Put aside past doubts. Let this reunion Seal a new marriage between us. |
| Llew |
I believed you cold, uncaring. I didn't know you could weep And blur those bright eyes with tears of longing. Why did you keep from me till now this tenderness? |
| Blodeuwedd |
I was given to you my Lord as bounty, As a captive, without choice or say. You didn't learn to love me before you took me Or worry about winning me over. In this fort You have weapons and suits of burnished armour That cost you battles and blood to win. You look at them. You remember the each occasion Of their taking. Each one a token of your prowess And the pain they cost you. But me? I cost you nothing, not a second's sacrifice And that's why you've never sought To see the dents, the scars that line my heart Nor the marks of battle beneath this breast. |
| Llew |
You are my wife. I hope through you To found a race to rule Ardudwy. I wanted To love you as a father loves the mother of his sons. What greater love than that could a man dream of? |
| Blodeuwedd |
I was a wife to you before I was a girl. You demanded the fruit before the flower opened But I am the woman of flowers, Blodeuwedd. |
| Llew |
Woman of flowers, teach me then How to fight my way past the petals And bury myself like a bee in your core. I too, my love, am alone in this world. I was a stranger to my own mother's arms. She cast me from her womb before my time Then persecuted me. In my life I'd never tasted a kiss, before yours, Nor a girl's arms around my neck. I never knew a brother or sister's tenderness. I have such longing for your love, girl. Teach me how to love you in your way For shouldn't love attract love And one heart fire another? My wife, my world, Why do you keep yourself from me? |
| Blodeuwedd |
I don't my love, I have never Kept any part of me from you. |
| Llew |
You gave our body, but kept your soul. |
| Blodeuwedd |
I gave you my trust. You're the only one Whom I have upon this earth. What would I do If you were killed, leaving me without a mate? |
| Llew |
Was it true what Rhagnell said about you weeping? |
| She is silent. |
|
| Llew |
Blodeuwedd, look at me. Answer me. Why don't you answer? Tell me, are you well? |
| Blodeuwedd |
The day you left me Despair almost broke my heart. I feared That never again would I see you alive. |
| Llew |
Was your love for me so great? |
| Blodeuwedd |
I have no family but you. |
| Llew |
Half my soul, now I know your love, Henceforth life will sing to me sweetly. Your company will be contentment. We two Shall raise a race in Ardudwy. Fertility will gird our future And young saplings will grow In this oak's shadow. We'll be like a sheltered orchard Our love a palisade between us And the chill winds of loneliness. My wife, you'll be an exile no longer. I'll be your kith and kin. And unless I'm killed... |
| Blodeuwedd |
If you were killed? |
| Llew |
My sweetest, don't be sad. Don't be afraid. Killing me isn't easy. I'm fated that my death Is unlikely by the hand of any man. |
| Blodeuwedd |
You're reckless and neglectful. These details often slip your mind But my care for you makes me ever mindful. Share this secret with me, that my heart Need never again be weighed with worry. |
| Llew |
I'll tell you gladly. A full year must be spent Making the spear which is to strike me. It may only be fashioned at the time Of Sacrifice at Sunday Mass. |
| Blodeuwedd |
You're certain of this? |
| Llew |
Quite certain. Neither can I be killed inside a house Nor on my horse. Nor with a foot upon the ground. I have to stand on a water trough That is set beside a river. Positioned so, And struck in the back with the poisoned spear, I could be killed. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Let God be praised. Such a fate Should be easy to avoid. |
| Llew |
Many a time, Blodeuwedd, I wished my own death. But now I've a taste for life, as fresh As the first bite of an apple to a tooth. Your love is the throne in Caer Siddi Where no pain nor pestilence come to plague us. There I am truly king. No one and nothing dares dethrone me – Not fear, nor remorse, nor even death itself. For love's rule is unassailable. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Is there anything of Man That can't be changed or challenged? |
| Llew |
Passion wanes, because it is fragile And flighty like youth itself. But love Grows, like an oak, strengthened by life's storms. Beneath its great branches flourishes Family, home, estates and kingdom. Our love, fair lady, will provide Ardudwy With security and strength We'll give commoners learning, We'll give our community wealth, We'll stand proud among princedoms Because of this hour's bold new bond. |
| RHAGNELL comes to him. |
|
| Rhagnell |
Master, the water and towels are ready To refresh you after your journey, Soon it will be time to eat. |
| Llew |
I'll come. Let's feast today As if at a wedding. I left here Three days ago with a heavy heart. I return today to a new found joy, Greater than any I've known. This day Has unfurled like a flag above my fortress, for I've found at last the meaning of a wife's loyalty. |
| Exit LLEW. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Rhagnell, I tried to kill you. |
| Rhagnell |
Yes Lady. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Then why didn't you betray me? |
| Rhagnell |
You're a woman lady, so am I. Another woman's secret is safe with me. |
| Blodeuwedd |
I can't understand mankind. Men seek To be defined by traditions, Fellowship, family, community, creed... The bonds of belonging... Do you love me? |
| Rhagnell |
You're innocent, like a child, lady. And like a child, destructive. To know you Is to feel sympathy for you. I was given to you as your handmaiden. As long as I live I'll be loyal to you. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Forgive me. I know you're wise And you have all the knowledge granted to woman. Me, my only wisdom is to want And seek with all my skill whatever pleases me. Will you be my messenger to the Lord of Penllyn? |
| Rhagnell |
I'll go, lady. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Tell him this: He's to make a spear of steel and poison And its fashioning must coincide With the Sacrifice at Sunday Mass. He must take a whole year in its making. When that year is up he is to return here And meet me at the foot of Cyfergyr hill. Go, hurry, that no one see you. Give him this signet as a token. : |
| Rhagnell |
(Taking the ring.) Is that all? |
| Blodeuwedd |
That's all. |
| Rhagnell |
If he asks about you? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Tell him How happy my Lord is, and that today We're to feast and dance As if it were a holiday. Go, and don't delay. |
| CURTAIN |