... Let me come nearer thee....
MELISANDE
I cannot come nearer thee.... I am leaning out as far as I can....
PELLEAS.
I cannot come up higher;... give me at least thy hand to-night ...
before I go away.... I leave to-morrow....
MELISANDE.
No, no, no!...
PELLEAS.
Yes, yes, yes; I leave, I shall leave to-morrow.... Give me thy hand,
thy hand, thy little hand upon my lips....
MELISANDE.
I give thee not my hand if thou wilt leave....
PELLEAS.
Give, give, give!...
MELISANDE.
Thou wilt not leave?...
PELLEAS.
I will wait; I will wait....
MELISANDE.
I see a rose in the shadows....
PELLEAS.
Where?... I see only the boughs of the willow hanging over the
wall....
MELISANDE.
Further down, further down, in the garden; further down, in the sombre
green....
PELLEAS.
It is not a rose.... I will go see by and by, but give me thy hand
first; first thy hand....
MELISANDE.
There, there;... I cannot lean out further....
PELLEAS.
I cannot reach thy hand with my lips....
MELISANDE.
I cannot lean out further.... I am on the point of falling....--Oh!
oh! my hair is falling down the tower!...
[_Her tresses fall suddenly over her head, as she is leaning out so,
and stream over_ PELLEAS]
PELLEAS.
Oh! oh! what is it?... Thy hair, thy hair is falling down to me!...
All thy locks, Melisande, all thy locks have fallen down the tower!...
I hold them in my hands; I hold them in my mouth.... I hold them in
my arms; I put them about my neck.... I will not open my hands again
to-night....
MELISANDE.
Let me go! let me go!... Thou wilt make me fall!...
PELLEAS.
No, no, no;... I have never seen such hair as thine, Melisande!...
See, see, see; it comes from so high and yet it floods me to the
heart!... And yet it floods me to the knees!... And it is sweet, sweet
as if it fell from heaven!... I see the sky no longer through thy
locks. Thou seest, thou seest?... I can no longer hold them with both
hands; there are some on the boughs of the willow.... They are alive
like birds in my hands,... and they love me, they love me more than
thou!...
MELISANDE.
Let me go; let me go!... Some one might come....
PELLEAS.
No, no, no; I shall not set thee free to-night.... Thou art my
prisoner to-night; all night, all night!...
MELISANDE.
Pelleas! Pelleas!...
PELLEAS.
I tie them, I tie them to the willow boughs.... Thou shalt not go away
now;... thou shalt not
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