Collected Works (Vol. I)

162 THE MOTHER’S TRAGEDY ULRIC. What is my life without the love of thee? CoRA. I hate each word as I do hate the devil. ULRIC. I am bound a slave Tt will eat me up. I, each evasion. To this wild passion. CORA. You cannot guess the horror that you speak. I tell you, if I know your golden heart, This detestation of yourself shall cry The cry of CEdipus—“‘ I have profaned 23 ULRIC., What sphinx more cruel? What new - CEdipus? You riddle, Cora, and it breaks my heart. [He seks exhausted. (Rallying.) By God, I swear to you no lie shall keep Its Dead Sea bar against our marrying. CORA. The truth! Thetruth! The truth! Iam indeed That whoreI told you. That makes nothing here. I am the mother of thy bastard birth! Uuric (the conventional critictsm ts nearest the surface.) Stop! stop! I did not hear you. O my God! What agony is this? What have I done To earn this infamy? Or rather, Thou, What have I not done? Have Thou pity yet ; . Sustain me in this vile extremity ! [He prays silently. CORA (watching him). How wonderful! He will abide the shock. Death and mute horror fight within his face Against a will made masterful to Fate. ULRIC (raises his eyes and lifts his arm in act to strike). Mother! Treacher- Then I detest you! ous! Vile as the worm that battens on the dead ! CORA. Ulric! He’s mad! this ? [Cora 7s now hysterical, ULRICc does not notice. She shrieks at each mew i12sult. Sweet heaven ! what is Uric, Say rather, what are you? I loved you once Childlike; then came the power of reason- ing, And I beheld you, the unselfish one, Befriending me, the angel of my life. See what it rested on, my happiness ! Your sacrifice is utter selfishness ; Me, the sole pledge of your debaucheries You keep —your love, the mere maternity You share with swine and cattle! All your care Is duty: let the harlot cleanse herself— Tardy repentance !—In the name of God! Worse, you have lied, and built me up a house Of trust in you as being truth and love, Who are in truth all lies, all treachery ! You made me love you as an honest man! You watched this passion, this intolerable Desire, this flame of hell ; you fed it full, Sunned it and watered—O my brain will snap !— Only to blast it. Take your story back ;