Tartuffe by Frank McGuinness

Author:Frank McGuinness
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2023-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Act Four

Enter Cleante, Tartuffe.

Cleante

Take my word all are talking about it.

What’s said does not help you one little bit.

I’m very glad to find our paths have crossed –

It’s not my business what’s been gained or lost,

I’ll stick to the worst case scenario.

Suppose Damis let his quick temper go,

And you were indeed the injured party,

Would it not be Christian charity

To turn your heart away from vengeance?

Is that not above the shillings and the pence?

Will you allow your quarrel to dictate

A son should be barred from his father’s gate?

I’ll say it once more – I dare to declare

No one could approve this state of affairs.

Smooth things over, settle these ructions.

Don’t urge more war between father and son.

Act the peacemaker, as God once blessed us.

Tartuffe

I’d like to oblige and play down this fuss.

I harbour resentment against no man.

Were he before me, alone, pale and wan,

I would not revel in his want and wail –

But the heavens themselves keep on my tail,

Demanding I do what is right and fair.

Should he venture back, I needs must prepare

Abandon this house and curse all within.

What he did to me was a mortal sin.

We must avoid the slightest contact.

Nothing between us – no hint of a pact

Must give rise to any talk of scandal.

Look at them turning their backs to the wall.

I hear them flying, the poisonous darts,

Saying it’s pure politics on my part,

Pretending to pity my accuser,

Myself who received only his abuse.

They’d all maintain I showed a blind eye

And let him continue to poke and pry.

Cleante

Since when did God need a lynching party?

He’ll deal with your like shortly and smartly,

He has no time for talk of paying back,

Since He shows, above all else, what you lack,

Forgiveness of sin, His judgement divine,

The font of all mercy, absolver of crime.

Who gives a damn what people might say

When others wrong us – who shows us the way?

We should listen and do all that God ordains.

He asks only that – it will not be in vain.

Tartuffe

Heaven decrees that I must forgive him,

It does not command that I live with him.

Cleante

Does it command not to bear false witness?

His father’s heart – that you should redress –

Tartuffe

There’s not a selfish bone in my body.

With that much my friends all readily agree.

Offer me earth, its kingdoms, its cities –

I’d refuse, shake my head, say how pretty.

But no – not for me, all this false glitter.

When it comes to greed, I’m quite the quitter.

Yes, I will take all Orgon hands over.

For that man there’s no favour I would spare.

All that treasure must be bad temptation.

It might well spell ruination for some.

They might realise their evil designs.

Not me, I’ll use it with one thought in mind –

The glory of God, and for my neighbours.

No one will be turned away from my door.

Cleante

Such delicate scruples do become you.

Leave them – the rightful heir knows what to do.

It is his to lavish and to squander,

Not your cash to squirrel or to launder.

Your brass neck in this business quite stuns me.

You claim it in the name of piety.

Unlock these doors, hands off the lad’s gold.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.