# Satanella (1932)/Chapter 4

On the wall of crumbling bulwark In a thoughtful meditation, Satanella now is sitting With her black hair loosely flying.
Round her shoulders merged the tresses In a sea of dark-hued billows Blending with the yellow grasses, With the leaves of dark spread ivy.
Satanella thus was resting: White bare limbs were freely dangling O'er the wall among acacia's Sweetly scented snow-white flowers. Shaking with her every movement Dewy pearls off the blossoms. Long, long while she thus was sitting. What she thought of, hard to fathom, But a lengthy meditation Was for her no pleasant duty. Soon she shook her flowing tresses, Upturned palms received her forehead, And with smile upon her features She gazed at the bluish mountains. ​Then her gaze passed from the mountains To the stream that shone in distance, Like a snake in sunshine sleeping. Then she glanced upon the forests Motionlessly far off, resting 'neath a veil of golden vapor. Then she looked upon the flowers Over which her feet had frolicked, Thence upon the spreading mosses, Scabious, in many colors Golden buzzing bees upon it, And the struggling ants beneath it. Suddenly, her feet aswaying From among the snow white flowers Waked a butterfly, soft velvet Wings of black with white hemmed edges. He flew up and fluttered onward, Sat upon a cliff's protrusion, Then flew back, 'round Satanella, Darted like a flash of sorrow, Like a thought whose melancholy Suddenly and unsuspecting Caught her in its spreading meshes.
And perchance this darting creature, This black butterfly of mourning, Took upon its wings of velvet ​All of Satanella's sadness. As he vanished in the blue heights Satanella laughed out loudly With a rippling, tumbling laughter That from mount to mountain travelled, Flew among the greyish ruins, Then returned on wings of echo. Thus at night across the snow drifts Falls the bells' metallic tinkle, Sound the sleigh-bells and the laughter. Soon but ceased this jolly outburst Passed into a song of sadness From whose waves of melancholy It shone forth like flash of moonlight, Like a shiny golden fish-scale.
Now it vanished . . . perhaps drowning In that sea of sweet emotions That encircles hearts of lovers With a sweetly-mellow current— Then it burst anew however, Passed through many variations, Then rejoiced, the daring dreamer Having found a bough with flowers Where to hang its wings of music, Now had found a sturdy tower Where to hang its bells of metal. What approaches in the distance?
​With a hand her forehead shading, Satanella holds her laughter And a while with solemn features She examines the procession From the town as it approaches Winding like a snake through meadows.
To this child of boundless deserts Who but knew the clear-toned cymbal, Songs of winds, and but the people That she grew with from her childhood, Laughable to her this picture, These old monks with long black garments, Monks, whose large white shining bald-pates Glistened bright beneath the sunshine; And the clergy in chasubles Holding golden incense burners From which rose thick, smoky columns; But more laughable than all these Seems the bishop with the mitre, Being fanned with ostrich feathers While he blesses with his monstrance. As if stunned, a while she stood there While her restless gaze was roving; Then in new-born streams of laughter Seemed to melt her speechless wonder.
​Finally, the long procession Came up to the greyish ruins And stopped at the foot of mountain Where Madonna's Holy picture Hangs among the briar roses. In two streams the throng divided To let pass, right through their center Johannites with monks and clergy. Through this trebly made formation Passed the bishop to the picture, To their knees sank thronging people, Ceased all whisp'ring . . . long drawn quiet.
Up above the wall of mountain In the shade of white acacia, Satanella gazed and wondered What went on there far beneath her. In the meanwhile she selected From her lap, dates long and slender Feasted on them, and assembled All their pits and stones about her. Suddenly her roaming vision 'twixt the Johannites detected Roderigo in his dark cloak, Standing there with shaded forehead As a cloud on skies in summer. ​In a twinkle that she saw him, One date-pit she threw upon him, And as he, in sheer amazement Looked up at the tow'ring ruins She again released the current Of her carefree, joyous laughter. Up at her gazed wond'ring people. But this only brought rejoicing To the laughing Satanella And she threw a rain of date-pits Down upon the solemn bishop Who was blessing with his monstrance People kneeling all about him.
New commotion, new disturbance; Varied voices and her laughter Blend together in a mixture.
"Go and seize the witch of witches," Johannites' grand-master shouted. "Go and seize the witch of witches Who just dared to bring upon us With her blasphemy and laughter Heaven's most revengeful anger. Go and seize her, I command you."
As he finished, more disturbance And a pack of angry soldiers ​Clambered up the sloping mountains There to capture Satanella. But she with a new-born laughter Flitted sidewise to evade them, Like the bird in ancient fable Tempted on the ancient shepherd With his shining golden feathers. Higher, higher, she kept climbing From one mountain to another From one wall she scaled another, With an ever rising laughter, Like a butterfly escaping When a meddling boy he teases.
With her constant flight grew angered More and more the pack of soldiers, Till at last they overtook her As a doe with chase exhausted. But refusing to be captured She broke forth from her pursuers And ran down the sloping hillside Till she reached the wall of ruins, From where, having lost the pathway With a daring jump she landed At the bishop's feet beneath her. Frightened by her wild appearance Bishop almost dropped the monstrance ​And in following confusion Almost floored the fanning servants.
Wonder, shouting, storm 'twixt people. "Burn at stake the witch of witches Who has blasphemed." —"Chains about her."
Thus commands the guards about him, Aged Johannite grand-master, But then, like an angered lion, From the throng springs Roderigo, Draws his sword and shouts like thunder; "At the hell's own gates shall find self Whosoever dares to trifle With one hair upon this maiden. Step no further! Back you rabble!— As for you, my Satanella, Go, return among your ruins; Leave the fools to their own folly."
Thus he spoke, and raised the maiden Who shook like a round-leaved willow. Kissed her on the dusky forehead, Stroked her cheek as smooth as velvet. And then, with a stride determined Would return among his comrades, When the order's oldest member ​Blocked his way, and thus addressed him, In a solemn voice that quivered;
"Roderigo Gonvazales, To my hands return your sabre, Tainted in your holy service. To obey you failed, and broke thus Our order's highest promise. With defiance in your spirit Drew your sword against the prelate And with blasphemy dishonored The white cross upon your mantle. Give up sword, the court shall judge you! Give up sword, my final order!"
"I'll not give it, never, never!" Roderigo thus defies him Wildly with his sabre striking. But alas, in one brief moment On all sides he is surrounded And deprived of shield and sabre. At the same time, Satanella Fettered is without resistance.
But new terror grips the people, Listen to their dreadful shouting: "Woe to us, the plague's upon us."
Here lamenting, yonder cursing, Sudden flight and crowding masses And one shout, from out this turmoil, Rising like a flash of lightning; ​"Plague's upon us! Plague's upon us!"
In a ne'er beheld disorder All to city gates are rushing, All of them round Satanella Crowding, massing, yelling, shouting, "Burn at stake the witch of witches Who, with blasphemy, attracted Pestilence within our city."
Barely could defend the soldiers With their sabres, shields and lances Satanella, who between them Proudly, spitefully is walking, Round her lips a constant laughter, And repeating as she passes One refrain of song eternal Vibrating throughout her being, While its echo keeps returning In her heart with voice unweakened, "Roderigo! Roderigo!"