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| Jean Baptiste Poquelin Molière (1622–1673). Tartuffe. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. |
| Act I |
| Scene V |
ORGON, CLÉANTE, DORINE Orgon Ah! Good morning, brother. | |
Cléante I was just going, but am glad to greet you. | |
| Things are not far advanced yet, in the country? | |
Orgon Dorine… | |
(To CLÉANTE) Just wait a bit, please, brother-in-law. | 5 |
| Let me allay my first anxiety | |
| By asking news about the family. | |
(To DORINE) Has everything gone well these last two days? | |
| What’s happening? And how is everybody? | |
Dorine Madam had fever, and a splitting headache | 10 |
| Day before yesterday, all day and evening. | |
Orgon And how about Tartuffe? | |
Dorine Tartuffe? He’s well; | |
| He’s mighty well; stout, fat, fair, rosy-lipped. | |
Orgon Poor man! | 15 |
Dorine At evening she had nausea | |
| And could’t touch a single thing for supper, | |
| Her headache still was so severe. | |
Orgon And how | |
| About Tartuffe? | 20 |
Dorine He supped alone, before her, | |
| And unctuously ate up two partridges, | |
| As well as half a leg o’ mutton, deviled. | |
Orgon Poor man! | |
Dorine All night she couldn’t get a wink | 25 |
| Of sleep, the fever racked her so; and we | |
| Had to sit up with her till daylight. | |
Orgon How | |
| About Tartuffe? | |
Dorine Gently inclined to slumber, | 30 |
| He left the table, went into his room, | |
| Got himself straight into a good warm bed, | |
| And slept quite undisturbed until next morning. | |
Orgon Poor man! | |
Dorine At last she let us all persuade her, | 35 |
| And got up courage to be bled; and then | |
| She was relieved at once. | |
Orgon And how about | |
| Tartuffe? | |
Dorine He plucked up courage properly, | 40 |
| Bravely entrenched his soul against all evils, | |
| And to replace the blood that she had lost, | |
| He drank at breakfast four huge draughts of wine. | |
Orgon Poor man! | |
Dorine So now they both are doing well; | 45 |
| And I’ll go straightway and inform my mistress | |
| How pleased you are at her recovery. | |
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