Scene 7

Apu Ollantay, by Clements Markham, [1910], at sacred-texts.com

p. 403

SCENE 7

The garden in the palace of Virgins of the Sun (same scene as Act III, Scene 5). Stone door more visible. (Enter the INCA TUPAC YUPANQUI with YMA SUMAC, OLLANTAY, UILLAC UMA and RUMI ÑAUI; URCO HUARANCA, HANCO HUAYLLU and PIQUI CHAQUI in the background.)

  Tupac Yupanqui. But this is the Aclla Huasi; ¹
My child, art thou not mistaken?
Where is thy imprisoned mother?
  Yma Sumac. In a dungeon within these bounds
My mother has suffered for years,
Perhaps even now she is dead.

(She points to the stone door.)

  Tupac Yupanqui. What door is this?

(Enter MAMA CCACCA and PITU SALLA. Mama Ccacca kneels and kisses the Inca's hand.)

  Mama Ccacca. Is it a dream or reality,
That I behold my sovereign?
  Tupac Yupanqui. Open that door.

(Mama Ccacca opens the door.)

(CUSI COYLLUR discovered chained and fainting, with a puma and a snake, one on each side of her.)

  Yma Sumac. O my mother, I feared to find
That you had already passed away;
Pitu Salla! Haste. Bring water.
Perhaps my dove may still revive.

[Exit Pitu Salla.

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  Tupac Yupanqui. What horrid cavern do I see?
Who is this woman? what means it?
What cruel wretch thus tortures her?
What means that chain bound around her?
Mama Ccacca, come near to me
What hast thou to say to this?
Is it the effect of malice
That this poor creature lingers here?
  Mama Ccacca. It was thy father's dread command;
A punishment for lawless love.
  Tupac Yupanqui. Begone! begone! harder than rock. ¹
Turn out that puma and the snake, ²
Break down that door of carved stone.
(To Mama Ccacca.) Let me not see thy face again.
A woman living as a bat;
This child has brought it all to light.

(Enter Pitu Salla with water. She sprinkles it over Cusi Coyllur, who revives.)

  Cusi Coyllur. Where am I? who are these people?
Yma Sumac, my beloved child,
Come to me, my most precious dove.
Who are all these men before me?

(She begins to faint again and is restored by water.)

  Yma Sumac. Fear not, my mother, 'tis the King;
The King himself comes to see you.

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The great Yupanqui is now here.
Speak to him. Awake from thy trance.
  Tupac Yupanqui. My heart is torn and sorrowful
At sight of so much misery.
Who art thou, my poor sufferer?
Child, tell me now thy mother's name?
  Yma Sumac. Father! Inca! Clement Prince!
Have those cruel bonds removed.
  The Uillac Uma. It is for me to remove them,
And to relieve this sore distress.

(Cuts the rope fastening Cusi Coyllur to the wall.)

  Ollantay (to Yma Sumac). What is thy mother's name?
  Yma Sumac. Her name was once Cusi Coyllur,
But it seems a mistake. Her joy
Was gone when she was prisoned here.
  Ollantay. O renowned King, great Yupanqui,
In her you see my long lost wife.

(Prostrates himself before the Inca.)

  Tupac Yupanqui. It all appears a dream to me.
The 'Star'! my sister! ¹ and thy wife.
O sister! what newly found joy.
O Cusi Coyllur, my sister,
Come here to me, and embrace me,
Now thou art delivered from woe.

(Music.)

Thou hast found thy loving brother;
Joy calms the anguish of my heart.

(Embraces Cusi Coyllur.)

  Cusi Coyllur. Alas! my brother, now you know
The cruel tortures I endured

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During those years of agony;
Thy compassion now has saved me.
  Tupac Yupanqui. Who art thou, dove, that hast suffered?
For what sin were you prisoned here?
Thou mightest have lost thy reason.
Thy face is worn, thy beauty gone,
Thy looks as one risen from death.
  Ollantay. Cusi Coyllur, I had lost thee,
Thou wast quite hidden from my sight,
But thou art brought again to life--
Thy father should have killed us both.
My whole heart is torn with sorrow.
Star of joy, where is now thy joy?
Where now thy beauty as a star?
Art thou under thy father's curse?
  Cusi Coyllur. Ollantay, for ten dreary years
That dungeon has kept us apart;
But now, united for new life,
Some happiness may yet be ours.
Yupanqui makes joy succeed grief,
He may well count ¹ for many years.
  Uillac Uma. Bring new robes to dress the princess.

(They put on her royal robes. The High Priest kisses her hand.)

  Tupac Yupanqui. Ollantay, behold thy royal wife,
Honour and cherish her henceforth.
And thou, Yma Sumac, come to me,
I enlace you in the thread of love;
Thou art the pure essence of Coyllur.

(Embraces her.)

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  Ollantay. Thou art our protector, great King,
Thy noble hands disperse our grief;
Thou art our faith and only hope--
Thou workest by virtue's force.
  Tupac Yupanqui. Thy wife is now in thy arms;
All sorrow now should disappear,
Joy, new born, shall take its place.

Footnotes

403:1 Aclla, chosen; Huasi, house: palace of the Virgins of the sun.

404:1 Ccacca means a rock.

404:2 My former translation, and those of Barranca and Tschudi, treated puma and amaru (snake) as epithets applied to Mama Ccacca. Zegarra considers that the puma and snake were intended to be actually in the dungeon, and I believe he is right. The puma would not have hurt his fellow-prisoner. Unpleasant animals were occasionally put into the prisons of criminals. The Incas kept pumas as pets.

405:1 The early Incas never married their sisters or relations. Pachacuti's mother was daughter of the chief of Anta. His wife, Anahuarqui, was no relation. But the wife of Tupac Yupanqui was his sister Mama Ocllo.

406:1 A play upon the word yupanqui, which means literally, 'you will count.' The word was a title of the Incas, meaning, 'you will count as virtuous, brave,' &c.

(Acclamations from the Chiefs, and Piqui Chaqui. Music: huancars (drums), pincullus (flutes), and pututus (clarions).)