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Chapters (27)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Dedication
  7. Cast
  8. Prologue
  9. Act One
  10. Scene 2
  11. Scene 3
  12. Scene 4
  13. Scene 5
  14. Scene 6
  15. Scene 7
  16. Scene 8
  17. Act Two
  18. Scene 2
  19. Scene 3
  20. Scene 4
  21. Scene 5
  22. Scene 6
  23. Scene 7
  24. Scene 8
  25. An Interview with Rita Dove
  26. Biographical Note
  27. Back Cover

On the way back I tripped

over what I thought was an old root,

and there he was—
AUGUSTUS You found him?
PHEBE

Under the crook of a mangrove,

wrapped in vines. Poor Hector!

All those years folks thought

he was crazy—

Looking up at AMALIA’s window.

when he was just sick at heart.
ALEXANDER

Hector took a liking to you,

Diana. You should be the one.

PHEBE joins the mourners as ALEXANDER and SCIPIO pass DIANA under and over the coffin.

SLAVES

Lift him high, Lord,

Take him by the arm.

Wrap him in glory,

Dip him in balm.

AUGUSTUS kneels wearily. SCYLLA, ravaged with grief and more stooped than ever, approaches.

SCYLLA He thought evil could be caught.
AUGUSTUS Yes.
SCYLLA

But evil breeds inside, in the dark.

I can smell its sour breath.
AUGUSTUS Don’t come around me, then.
SCYLLA

You believe you can cure the spirit

just by riling it. What will

these people do with your hate

after you free them—as you promise?
AUGUSTUS

I got better things to do

than argue with you, Scylla.
SCYLLA

Oh yes, you’re a busy man;

you got to watch for people waiting

to trip you up; you think

danger’s on the outside.

But do you know what’s inside

you, Augustus Newcastle?

The seeds of the future; they’ll have their way.

You can’t escape.

You are in your skin wherever you go.

Turns to the mourners, who have just completed the ritual of the passing, and calls out.

Eshu Elewa ogo gbogbo!
AUGUSTUS He’s gone over. He’s flown on the wind.
SCYLLA

He came with no mother to soothe him.

He came with no father to teach him.

He came with no names for his gods.
PHEBE No way but to see it through.
SCYLLA

Who can I talk to about his journey?

He stood tall, so they bent his back.

He found love, so they ate his heart.

Eshu Elewa ogo gbogbo!
SCIPIO This is what a man comes to.
SCYLLA

Who will remember him,

without a father, without a mother?
PHEBE Poor people, you’ve lost your wings.
SCYLLA

Eshu Elewa ogo gbogbo!

Where are the old words now?

Scattered by the wind.
ALEXANDER The body a feather, the spirit a flame.
SCYLLA

And now the sun

has to come out to warm him.
SCIPIO Too late! He’s flown.
SCYLLA But the wind won’t carry me!

The SLAVES hum and chant as they disperse, their song becoming gradually less mournful and more urgent as we segue into the next scene.

NARRATOR

Sunday evening;

New moon, skies clear.

The wheel’s stopped turning:

Redemption’s here.

Scene 7

SCENE 7

Near the slave cabins.