134
THE STAR IN THE WEST
Once again we see her , Ratoum , Queen
of Egypt ,
before
the
coffin
which
is
supposed
to
contain
the
child of her
incest ,
but
which
holds
in
reality
her
leprous and long -forgotten
husband
.
She is maddened
with lust and religious frenzy , and
stands
entranced
till the
leper
rises
as
from
the
dead , and
S’afi,
the
child
of
her
whoredom
,
tears
off
his
mask
and
shrieks :
I am the hideous
poison
of thy veins
And foulest fruit of thy incestuous
womb .?
2
“
I am thy mother,” is her answer ; so , even
in her
frenzied
madness , the greatest force in nature asserts
itself.
He stabs
her , and stabs himself ! such
also is
filial love .
In
“
The Mother's
Tragedy
”
the
characters
are
practically
reversed .
Ulric , who ravishes
Cora , his
mother , even
sinks
deeper
in
the
mire
of lust
than
Ratoum .
It is a curious case of love baulked turning
to
the foulest lust .
He
is passionately in
love with
her , lustfully in love ;
all
the exuberance
of
his youth
runs
fire
in
his
veins
;
he
sees
in
the
object
of
his
adoration
-
as
Percy saw
in
Angela
—
the only waters
that would quench
his flaming desire
.
He knows not
Cora
to
be
his mother
;
Cora Vavasour
of
the halls
,
and himself her bastard son
.
My wife
!
O
Cora
,
I
have loved you
so
!
My heart
is
like
a
fountain
of
the sea
.
I
burn
,
I
tremble
;
in
my veins there
swims
A
torrid ecstasy
of
madness
.
Ah
!
Ah
,
God
!
I
kiss you
,
kiss you
!
O
you faint
!
Sweetheart
,
my passion
overwhelms
your soul
!
1
The Fatal Force
,
vol
.
i,
p
.
150
.
2
Compare
story
of
Semiramis
and Ninyas
.