THE MODERN DRAMA SERIES EDITED BY EDWIN BJÖRKMAN SAVVA THE LIFE OF MAN BY LEONID ANDREYEV SAVVA THE LIFE OF MAN TWO PLAYS BY LEONID ANDREYEV TRANSLATED FROM THE RUSSIANWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THOMAS SELTZER BOSTONLITTLE, BROWN, ANDCOMPANY 1920 1914, BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. _This edition is authorized by Leonid Andreyev, who hasselected the plays included in it. _ _All Dramatic rights reserved byEdwin Björkman_ CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PLAYS BY LEONID ANDREYEV SAVVA THE LIFE OF MAN INTRODUCTION For the last twenty years Leonid Andreyev and Maxim Gorky haveby turns occupied the centre of the stage of Russian literature. Prophetic vision is no longer required for an estimate of theirpermanent contribution to the intellectual and literary developmentof Russia. It represents the highest ideal expression of a periodin Russian history that was pregnant with stirring and far-reachingevents--the period of revolution and counter-revolution. It was aperiod when Russian society passed from mood to mood at an extremelyrapid tempo: from energetic aggressiveness, exultation, high hope, and confident trust in the triumph of the people's cause to apatheticinaction, gloom, despair, frivolity, and religious mysticism. Thisimportant dramatic epoch in the national life of Russia Andreyevand Gorky wrote down with such force and passion that they becamerecognized at once as the leading exponents of their time. Despite this close external association, their work differsessentially in character. In fact, it is scarcely possible toconceive of greater artistic contrasts. Gorky is plain, direct, broad, realistic, elemental. His art is native, not acquired. Civilizationand what learning he obtained later through the reading of books haveinfluenced, not the manner or method of his writing, but only itspurpose and occasionally its subject matter. It is significant towatch the dismal failure Gorky makes of it whenever, in concession tothe modern literary fashion, he attempts the mystical. Symbolism isforeign to him except in its broadest aspects. His characters, thoughhailing from a world but little known, and often extreme and extremelypeculiar, are on the whole normal. Andreyev, on the other hand, is a child of civilization, steeped inits culture, and while as rebellious against some of the things ofcivilization as Gorky, he reacts to them in quite a different way. He is wondrously sensitive to every development, quickly appropriateswhat is new, and always keeps in the vanguard. His art is theresultant of all that the past ages have given us, of the things thatwe have learned in our own day, and of what we are just now learning. With this art Andreyev succeeds in communicating ideas, thoughts, andfeelings so fine, so tenuous, so indefinite as to appear to transcendhuman expression. He does not care whether the things he writes aboutare true, whether his characters are real. What he aims to give is atrue impression. And to convey this impression he does not scornto use mysticism, symbolism, or even plain realism. His favoritecharacters are degenerates, psychopaths, abnormal eccentrics, or justcreatures of fancy corresponding to no reality. Frequently, however, the characters, whether real or unreal, are as such of merelysecondary importance, the chief aim being the interpretation of anidea or set of ideas, and the characters functioning primarily only asa medium for the embodiment of those ideas. In one respect Gorky and Andreyev are completely at one--in theirbold aggressiveness. The emphatic tone, the attitude of attack, firstintroduced into Russian literature by Gorky, was soon adopted by mostof his young contemporaries, and became the characteristic mark of theliterature of the Revolution. By that token the literature ofYoung Russia of that day is as easily recognized as is the Englishliterature of the Dryden and Pope epoch by its sententiousness. It contrasts sharply with the tone of passive resignation andhopelessness of the preceding period. Even Chekhov, the greatestrepresentative of what may be called the period of despondence, was caught by the new spirit of optimism and activism, so that hereflected clearly the new influence in his later works. But while inGorky the revolt is chiefly social--manifesting itself throughthe world of the submerged tenth, the disinherited masses, _lesmisérables_, who, becoming conscious of their wrongs, hurl defianceat their oppressors, make mock of their civilization, and threaten thevery foundations of the old order--Andreyev transfers his rebellionto the higher regions of thought and philosophy, to problems thatgo beyond the merely better or worse social existence, and asks thelarger, much more difficult questions concerning the general destinyof man, the meaning of life and the reason for death. Social problems, it is true, also interest Andreyev. "The Red Laugh"is an attack on war through a portrayal of the ghastly horrors of theRusso-Japanese War; "Savva, " one of the plays of this volume, istaken bodily (with a poet's license, of course) from the actualrevolutionary life of Russia; "King Hunger" is the tragedy of theuprising of the hungry masses and the underworld. Indeed, of the workswritten during the conflict and for some time afterward, all centremore or less upon the social problems which then agitated Russia. But with Andreyev the treatment of all questions tends to assume auniversal aspect. He envisages phenomena from a broad, cosmic point ofview; he beholds things _sub specie aeternitatis. _ The philosophicaltendency of his mind, though amply displayed even in works like"Savva"--which is purely a character and social drama--manifestsitself chiefly by his strong propensity for such subjects as thosetreated in "To the Stars, " "The Life of Man, " and "Anathema. " In theseplays Andreyev plunges into the deepest problems of existence, andseeks to posit once more and, if possible, to solve in accordance withthe modern spirit and modern knowledge those questions over which themightiest brains of man have labored for centuries: Whence? Whither?What is the significance of man's life? Why is death? If Spinoza's dictum be true, that "a wise man's meditation is notof death but of life, " then Andreyev is surely not a wise man. Somephilosophers might have written their works even without a guaranteeagainst immortality, though Schopenhauer, who exercised a influence onthe young Andreyev, was of the opinion that "without death there wouldhardly be any philosophy"; but of Andreyev it is certain that the bulkof his works would not have been written, and could not be what theyare, were it not for the fact of death. If there is one idea that canbe said to dominate the author of "The Life of Man, " it is the idea ofdeath. Constantly he keeps asking: Why all this struggling, all thispain, all this misery in the world, if it must end in nothing? Thesuffering of the great mass of mankind makes life meaningless whileit lasts, and death puts an end even to this life. Again and againAndreyev harks back to the one thought from which all his otherthoughts seem to flow as from their fountain-head. Lazarus, in thestory by that name, is but the embodiment of death. All who beholdhim, who look into his eyes, are never again the same as they were;indeed, most of them are utterly ruined. "The Seven Who Were Hanged"tells how differently different persons take death. Grim death lurksin the background of almost every work, casting a fearful gloom, mocking the life of man, laughing to scorn his joys and his sorrows, propounding, sphinx-like, the big riddle that no Oedipus will ever beable to solve. For it is not merely the destructive power of death, not merely itsnegation of life, that terrifies our author. The pitchy darknessthat stretches beyond, the impossibility of penetrating the veil thatseparates existence from non-existence--in a word, the riddle ofthe universe--is, to a mind constituted like Andreyev's, a source ofperhaps even greater disquiet. Never was a man hungrier than he with"the insatiable hunger for Eternity"; never was a man more eager topierce the mystery of life and catch a glimpse of the beyond while yetalive. Combined with the perplexing darkness that so pitifully limits man'svision is the indifference of the forces that govern his destiny. Thewrongs he suffers may cry aloud to heaven, but heaven does not hearhim. Whether he writhe in agony or be prostrated in the dust (againstall reason and justice), he has no appeal, societies, the bulkof mankind, may be plunged in misery--who or what cares? Man issurrounded by indifference as well as by darkness. Often, when an idea has gained a powerful hold on Andreyev, he pursuesit a long time, presenting it under various aspects, until at lastit assumes its final form, rounded and completed, as it were, in somefigure or symbol. As such it appears either as the leading theme of anentire story or drama, or as an important subordinate theme. Thuswe have seen that the idea of death finds concrete expression in thecharacter of Lazarus. The idea of loneliness, of the isolation of theindividual from all other human beings, even though he be physicallysurrounded by large numbers, is embodied in the story of "The City. "Similarly the conception of the mystery and the indifference by whichman finds himself confronted is definitely set forth in the figure of_Someone in Gray_ in "The Life of Man. " The riddle, the indifference--these are the two characteristics ofhuman destiny that loom large in Andreyev's conception of it as setforth in that figure. _Someone in Gray_--who is he? No one knows. Nodefinite name can be given him, for no one knows. He is mysteriousin "The Life of Man, " where he is _Man's_ constant companion; he ismysterious in "Anathema, " where he guards the gate leading fromthis finite world to eternity. And as _Man's_ companion he looks onindifferently, apparently unconcerned whether _Man_ meets with good orbad fortune. _Man's_ prayers do not move him. _Man's_ curses leave himcalm. It is Andreyev's gloomy philosophy, no doubt, that so often causeshim to make his heroes lonely, so that loneliness is developed intoa principle of human existence, in some cases, as in "The City, "becoming the dominant influence over a man's life. Particularly themen whom life has treated senselessly and cruelly, whom it has dealtblow after blow until their spirits are crushed out--it is such men inparticular who become lonely, seek isolation and retirement, and slinkaway into some hole to die alone. This is the significance of thesaloon scene in "The Life of Man. " The environment of the drunkardswho are withdrawn from life, and therefore lonely themselves, accentuates the loneliness of _Man_ in the last scene. It is hisloneliness that Andreyev desired to bring into relief. His frequentingthe saloon is but an immaterial detail, one of the means ofemphasizing this idea. To remove all possible misunderstanding on thispoint, Andreyev wrote a variant of the last scene, "The Death of Man, "in which, instead of dying in a saloon surrounded by drunkards, _Man_dies in his own house surrounded by his heirs. "The _loneliness_ ofthe dying and unhappy man, " Andreyev wrote in a prefatory note to thisvariant, "may just as fully be characterized by the presence of the_Heirs. _" However, for all the gloom of his works, Andreyev is not a pessimist. Under one of his pictures he has written: "Though it destroysindividuals, the truth saves mankind. " The misery in the world may beever so great; the problems that force themselves upon man's mind mayseem unanswerable; the happenings in the external world may fill hissoul with utter darkness, so that he despairs of finding any meaning, any justification in life. And yet, though his reason deny it, hissoul tells him: "The truth saves mankind. " After all, _Man_ is not afailure. For though misfortunes crowd upon him, he remains intact insoul, unbroken in spirit. He carries off the victory because he doesnot surrender. He dies as a superman, big in his defiance of destiny. This must be the meaning Andreyev attached to _Man's_ life. We findan interpretation of it, as it were, in "Anathema, " in which _Someone_sums up the fate of _David_--who lived an even sadder life than _Man_and died a more horrible death--in these words: "David has achievedimmortality, and he _lives immortal_ in the deathlessness of fire. David has achieved immortality, and he _lives immortal_ in thedeathlessness of light which is life. " Andreyev was born at Orel in 1871 and was graduated from the gymnasiumthere. According to his own testimony, he never seems to have been apromising student. "In the seventh form, " he tells us, "I was alwaysat the bottom of my class. " He lost his father early, and often wenthungry while studying law at the University of St. Petersburg. In theUniversity of Moscow, to which he went next, he fared better. One ofthe means that he used to eke out a livelihood was portrait paintingto order, and in this work he finally attained such proficiency thathis price rose from $1. 50 apiece to $6. 00. In 1897 he began to practise law, but he gave most of his time toreporting court cases for the "Courier, " a Moscow newspaper, and laterto writing _feuilletons_ and stories. He tried only one civil case, and that one he lost. His work in the "Courier" attracted Gorky'sattention, and the older writer zealously interested himself inAndreyev's behalf. In 1902 his story named "The Abyss" appeared and created a sensationimmediately. Even Countess Tolstoy joined in the dispute which ragedover this story, attacking it as matter unfit for literature. But theverdict of Andreyev's generation was in his favor. Since then nearlyevery new work of his has been received as an important event inRussia and has sent the critics scurrying to his attack or defence. His first drama, "To the Stars, " appeared while the Russians wereengaged in fighting for liberty (1905), and, naturally enough, itreflects that struggle. "Savva" was published early the next year, and"The Life of Man" later in the same year. The production of "Savva"is prohibited in Russia. It has been played in Vienna and Berlin, andrecently it was staged again in Berlin by "Die Freie Bühne, " meetingwith signal success. A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PLAYS By LEONID ANDREYEV TO THE STARS (K Zviezdam), 1905; SAVVA (Savva), 1906; THE LIFE OF MAN (Zhizn Chelovieka), 1906; KING HUNGER (Tzar Golod), 1907; THE BLACK MASKS (Chiorniya Maski), 1908; THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE (Dni Nashey Zhizni), 1908; ANATHEMA (Anatema), 1909; ANFISSA (Anfissa), 1909; GAUDEAMUS (Gaudeamus), 1910; THE OCEAN (Okean), 1911; "HONOR" ("Chest"), 1911 (?); THE PRETTY SABINE WOMEN (Prekrasniya Sabinianki), 1911; PROFESSOR STORITZYN (Professor Storitzyn), 1912; CATHERINE (Yekaterina Ivanovna), 1913; THOU SHALT NOT KILL (Ne Ubi), 1914. SAVVA or IGNIS SANAT (SAVVA) A PLAY IN FOUR ACTS 1906 PERSONS YEGOR IVANOVICH TROPININ, _innkeeper in a monastic suburb. An elderlyman of about fifty, with an important manner and a item, dignified wayof speaking. _ ANTON _(Tony), anywhere from thirty-five to thirty-eight, bloatedfrom drinking and always under the influence of alcohol. His face isbloodless, sad, and sleepy. He has a sparse beard, speaks slowly andpainfully, and never laughs. _ OLYMPIADA _(Lipa), twenty-eight years old. She is fair and rathergood-looking. There is a touch of monastic severity in her dress. _ SAVVA, _twenty-three, large, broad-shouldered, with a suggestion ofthe peasant in his looks. He walks with a slight stoop, elbows out, feet in. The motions of his hands are rounded and graceful, his palmsbeing turned up as if he were carrying something. His features arelarge and rough-hewn, and his cheeks and chin are covered with asoft light down. When agitated or angry, he turns gray as dust, hismovements become quick and agile, and his stoop disappears. He wearsthe blouse and boots of a workingman. _ PELAGUEYA, _a freckled, colorless woman, of about thirty, wearing theordinary dress of her class. She is dirty and untidy. _ SPERANSKY GRIGORY PETROVICH, _an ex-seminarist; tall, very lean, witha pale, long face, and a tuft of dark hair on his chin. He has long, smooth hair parted in the middle and falling on each side of hisface. He is dressed either in a long, dark overcoat or in a darkfrock-coat. _ FATHER KONDRATY, _a friar, forty-two years old, ugly, narrow-chested, with swollen, animated eyes. _ VASSYA, _a novice, a strong and athletic youth of nineteen. He has around, cheerful, smiling face, and curly, lustrous hair. _ KING HEROD, _a pilgrim, about fifty. He has a dry, emaciated face, black from sunburn and road dust. His gray, dishevelled hair and beardgive him a savage appearance. He has only one arm, the left. He is astall as Savva. _ A FAT MONK. A GRAY MONK. A MAN IN PEASANT OVERCOAT. _Monks, pilgrims, cripples, beggars, blindmen and women, monstrosities. _ _The action takes place at the beginning of the twentieth century in arich monastery celebrated for its wonder-working ikon of the Saviour. There is an interval of about two weeks between the first and the lastact. _ SAVVA THE FIRST ACT _The interior of a house in a monastic suburb. Two rooms, with a thirdseen back of them. They are old, ramshackle, and filthy. The first oneis a sort of dining-room, large, with dirty, low ceiling and smearedwall-paper that in places has come loose from the wall. There arethree little windows; the one giving on the yard reveals a shed, awagon, and some household utensils. Cheap wooden furniture; a large, bare table. On the walls, which are dotted with flies, appear picturesof monks and views of the monastery. The second room, a parlor, issomewhat cleaner. It has window curtains of muslin, two flower-potswith dried geraniums, a sofa, a round table covered with a tablecloth, and shelves with dishes. The door to the left in the first room leadsto the tavern. When open, it admits the sound of a man's doleful, monotonous singing. It is noon of a hot and perfectly still summer's day. Now and then theclucking of hens is heard under the windows. The clock in the belfryof the monastery strikes every half-hour, a long, indistinct wheezepreceding the first stroke. Pelagueya, who is pregnant, is scrubbing the floor. Seized withgiddiness, she staggers to her feet and leans against the wall, staring before her with a vacant gaze. _ PELAGUEYA Oh, God! _(She starts to scrub the floor again)_ LIPA _(enters, faint from heat)_ How stifling! I don't know what to do with myself. My head seems fullof pins and needles. _(She sits down)_ Polya, say, Polya. PELAGUEYA What is it? LIPA Where's father? PELAGUEYA He's sleeping. LIPA Oh, I can't stand it. _(She opens the window, then takes a turn roundthe room, moving aimlessly and, glancing into the tavern)_ Tony'ssleeping too--behind the counter. It would be nice to go in, bathing, but it's too hot to walk to the river. Polya, why don't you speak? Saysomething. PELAGUEYA What? LIPA Scrubbing, scrubbing, all the time. PELAGUEYA Yes. LIPA And in a day from now the floors will be dirty again. I don't see whatpleasure you get from working the way you do. PELAGUEYA. I have to. LIPA I just took a peep at the street. It's awful. Not a human being insight, not even a dog. All is dead. And the monastery has such a queerlook. It seems to be hanging in the air. You have the feeling that ifyou were to blow on it, it would begin to swing and fly away. Why areyou so silent, Polya? Where is Savva? Have you seen him? PELAGUEYA He's in the pasture playing jackstones with the children. LIPA He's a funny fellow. PELAGUEYA I don't see anything funny about it. He ought to be working, that'swhat he ought to be doing, not playing like a baby. I don't like yourSavva. LIPA _(lazily)_ No, Polya, he is good. PELAGUEYA Good? I spoke to him and told him how hard the work was for me. "Well, " he says, "if you want to be a horse, pull. " What did he comehere for? I wish he'd stayed where he was. LIPA He came home to see his folks. Why, it's ten years since he left. Hewas a mere boy then. PELAGUEYA A lot he cares for his folks. Yegor Ivanovich is just dying to getrid of him. The neighbors don't know what to make of him either. Hedresses like a workingman and carries himself like a lord, doesn'tspeak to anybody and just rolls his eyes like a saint. I am afraid ofhis eyes. LIPA Nonsense. He has beautiful eyes. PELAGUEYA Can't he see that it's hard for me to be doing all the houseworkmyself? A while ago he saw me carrying a pail full of water. I wasstraining with all my might. He didn't even say good morning; just, passed on. I have met a lot of people in my life, but never anybodywhom I disliked so much. LIPA I'm so hot, everything seems to be turning round like wheels. Listen, Polya, if you don't want to work, don't. No one compels you to. PELAGUEYA If I won't work, who will? Will you? LIPA No, I won't. We'll hire a servant. PELAGUEYA Yes, of course, you have plenty of money. LIPA And what's the use of keeping it? PELAGUEYA I'll die soon and then you'll get a servant. I won't last much longer. I have had one miscarriage, and I guess a second child will be the endof me. I don't care. It's better than to live the way I do. Oh! _(Sheclasps her waist)_ LIPA But for God's sake, who is asking you to? Stop working. Don't scrub. PELAGUEYA Yes, stop it, and all of you will be going about saying: "How dirtythe house is!" LIPA _(weary from the heat and Pelagueya's talk)_ Oh, I'm so tired of it! PELAGUEYA Don't you think I feel tired too? What are you complaining aboutanyhow? You are a lady. All you have to do is pray and read. I don'teven get time to pray. Some day I'll drop into the next world all ofa sudden just as I am, with my skirt tucked up under my belt: "Goodmorning! How d'you do!" LIPA You'll be scrubbing floors in the next world too. PELAGUEYA No, in the next world it's you who'll be scrubbing floors, and I'llsit with folded hands like a lady. In heaven we'll be the first ones, while you and your Savva, for your pride and your hard hearts-- LIPA Now, Polya, am I not sorry for you? YEGOR IVANOVICH TROPININ _(enters, still sleepy, his beard turnedto one side, the collar of his shirt unbuttoned; breathing heavily)_Whew! Say, Polya, bring me some cider. Quick! _(Pause)_ Who opened thewindow? LIPA I did. YEGOR What for? LIPA It's hot. The stove in the restaurant makes it so close here you can'tbreathe. YEGOR Shut it, shut it, I say. If it's too hot for you, you can go down intothe cellar. LIPA But what do you want to have the window shut for? YEGOR Because. Shut it! You have been told to shut the window--then shut it!What are you waiting for? _(Lipa, shrugging her shoulders, closes thewindow and is about to leave)_ Where are you going? The moment yourfather appears, you run away. Sit down! LIPA But you don't want me. YEGOR Never mind whether I want you or not--sit down! Oh, my! _(He yawns andcrosses himself)_ Where is Savva? LIPA I don't know. YEGOR Tell him I'll turn him out. LIPA Tell him so yourself. YEGOR Fool! _(He yawns and crosses himself)_ Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, havemercy on us sinners! What was it I was dreaming about just now? LIPA I don't know. YEGOR Who asked you? You stupid, how could you tell what I was dreaming?You've got brains, haven't you? PELAGUEYA _(handing him cider)_ There. YEGOR There. Put it down and don't "there" me. _(Takes the jug and drinks)_What was I talking about? _(Pelagueya finishes scrubbing the floor)_Oh yes, about the Father Superior. A smart fellow he is. You'll haveto go a long way to find another like him. He had the old coffinexchanged for a new one. The pilgrims chewed the old one to pieces, so he put a new one in its place. He put a new one in place of theold one. They'll chew this, one to pieces too, the fools! Anything yougive them, the fools! Do you hear or don't you? LIPA I hear. What's so remarkable about it? A swindle, that's all. YEGOR What's remarkable about it is that, he didn't ask your advice. Theychewed the old one to pieces, so he put a new one in its place exactlylike it; Yes, just exactly like the one in which the saint lay before. Remember us in heaven where thou dwellest, O Saint! _(He crosseshimself and yawns)_ You can lose your teeth on this one too. Theychewed the old one to pieces completely. Where are you off to? Sitdown! LIPA I can't, it's so hot in here. YEGOR But I can. Sit down, you won't melt. _(Pause)_ They chewed up the oldone, so he put up a new one. Where is Savva? PELAGUEYA He's playing; jackstones with the children. YEGOR I'm not asking you. What time is it? PELAGUEYA It just struck two. YEGOR Tell him I'll turn him out. I won't stand it. LIPA Stand what? Be reasonable. YEGOR I won't stand it. Who is he anyway? Never at home in time for dinner. He comes and feeds like a dog by himself--knocks about at night anddoesn't lock the gate. I went out yesterday and found the gate wideopen. If we are robbed, who'll pay for it? LIPA There are no thieves here. What thieves have you ever seen in thisplace? YEGOR What thieves? A lot. When all people are asleep, he is knocking about. Who ever heard of such a thing? LIPA But if he doesn't want to sleep, what is he to do? YEGOR What, you too? He doesn't want to? Let him go to bed, and he'll sleep. No one wants to sleep, but once you lie down you fall asleep. Hedoesn't want to? I know him. Who asked him to come? He was makingbank-notes over there--then why didn't he stay where he was and dowhat he pleased? What business has he here? LIPA What bank-notes? YEGOR What bank-notes? Not real ones. Nothing is done to you for making realbank-notes. Counterfeit bank-notes, that's what. Not the sort of thingyou get patted on the head for, when you are caught, no sirree! It'svery strict now. I'll go to the police captain and tell him: "It'slike this--just search him. " LIPA Oh, nonsense. PELAGUEYA You are the only, one who doesn't know it. Everybody else knows it. LIPA Oh, Lord! YEGOR Well, about the Lord we know better than you. You needn't appeal toHim. I want you to tell Savva that I am not afraid of him. He didn'tstrike the right person. I'll just make him skip. I'll turn him out. Let him go where he came from. The idea of my having to be responsiblefor his robberies. Who's ever heard of such a thing? LIPA You are not quite wide awake, father, that's what's the matter withyou. YEGOR I am wide awake all right, and have been for a long time. What I'dlike to know is, are _you_ wide awake? Look out, Lipa, don't let ithappen to you too. LIPA What? YEGOR It. _(He yawns and crosses himself)_ If mother were to rise from hergrave now and see her children, she would be delighted. Fine children, she would say. I have nursed you, and brought you up, and what's theresult? Regular good-for-nothing scamps. Tony'll soon begin to drinkagain. I can see it on his face. Who's ever heard of such a thing?People will soon be coming here for the feast-day, and I'll have towork alone for the whole bunch. Polya, hand me that match from thefloor--there. No, not there, you blind goose. There, you stupid. PELAGUEYA _(hunting for the match)_ I don't see it. YEGOR I'll take you by the back of your neck and give you such a shakingthat you'll see mighty quick. There it is, damn you! LIPA _(faint)_ Oh, God, what a blistering heat! YEGOR There it is. Where are you crawling? Under the chair. There, damn you! SAVVA _(enters gayly, the pocket of his blouse full of jackstones)_ Iwon six pair. YEGOR Well, the idea! SAVVA I finished that rascal Misha, cleared him all up. What are youmumbling about there? YEGOR Nothing. Only I wish you'd address me a little more politely. SAVVA _(paying no attention to him)_ Lipa, I won six pair. LIPA How can you play in such heat? SAVVA Wait, I am going to put the jackstones away. I have eighteen pair now. Misha, the little rascal, plays well. _(He goes out)_ YEGOR _(rising)_ I don't want to see him any more. Tell him to get out of here at once. LIPA All right, I will. YEGOR Don't say "all right, " but do what your father tells you. A fine lotof brats--that's a sure thing! Yes, yes. _(Goes)_ If mother saw them-- PELAGUEYA He speaks of mother as if he weren't the one that drove her to anearly grave. He talked her to death, the old scold! He just talks andtalks, and nags and nags, and he doesn't know himself what he wants. LIPA To be with you is like being caught in the wheel of a machine. My headis spinning round and round. PELAGUEYA Then why don't you go away with your Savva? What are you waiting for? LIPA Look here, why are you angry with me? PELAGUEYA I am not angry. I am telling the truth. You don't want to marry. Youare disgusted with all your beaux. Why don't you go into a convent? LIPA I won't go into a convent, but I will go away from here, soon enough, I think. PELAGUEYA Well, go! No one is keeping you. The road is wide open. LIPA Ah, Polya, you are angry and sulky with me. You don't know how I spendmy nights thinking about you. At night I lie awake and think and thinkabout you, and about all the people that are unhappy--all of them. PELAGUEYA What do you want to think about me for? You had better think aboutyourself. LIPA And no one knows it. Well, what's the use of talking? You couldn'tunderstand anyhow. I am sorry for you, Polya. _(Pelagueya laughs)_What's the matter? PELAGUEYA If you are sorry for me, why don't you carry out that pail? The way Iam, I shouldn't be lifting heavy things. Why don't you help me, if youare so sorry for me? LIPA _(her face darkening, then brightening again)_ Give it to me. _(She picks up the pail and starts to carry it away)_ PELAGUEYA _(spitefully)_ Hypocrite! Let go! Where are you going? _(She carries out the pail andreturns for the other things)_ SAVVA _(entering; to his sister)_ Why is your face so red? LIPA It's hot. _[Pelagueya laughs. _ SAVVA Say, Pelagueya, has Kondraty inquired for me? PELAGUEYA Kondraty! What Kondraty? SAVVA Kondraty, the friar; he looks something like a sparrow. PELAGUEYA I didn't see any Kondraty. Like a sparrow! That's a funny way ofputting it. SAVVA Tell Tony to come here, won't you? PELAGUEYA Tell him yourself. SAVVA Well, well! PELAGUEYA _(calls through the door before she goes out into thetavern)_ Anthony, Savva wants you. LIPA What do you want him for? SAVVA What a queer habit you have here of plying a person with questions allthe time. Where, who, why, what for? LIPA _(slightly offended)_ You needn't answer if you don't want to. TONY _(enters, speaking slowly and with difficulty)_ Who wants me? SAVVA I am expecting Kondraty here--you know Kondraty, don't you? Send himin when he comes. TONY Who are you? SAVVA And send in two bottles of whiskey too, do you hear? TONY Maybe I do and maybe I don't. Maybe I'll send the whiskey and maybe Iwon't. SAVVA What a sceptic. You've grown silly, Tony. LIPA Leave him alone, Savva. He has got that from the seminary student, from Speransky. Anyhow, he is full of-- TONY _(sitting down)_ I didn't get it from anybody. I can understand everything myself. Theblood has congealed in my heart. SAVVA That's from drink, Tony. Stop drinking. TONY The blood has congealed in my heart. You think I don't know what'swhat. A while ago you weren't here with us, and all of a sudden youcame. Yes, I understand everything. I have visions. SAVVA What do you see? God? TONY There is no God. SAVVA How's that? TONY And no devil either. There's nothing, no people, no animals, nothing. SAVVA What is there then? TONY There are only faces, a whole lot of faces. It's faces, faces, faces. They are very funny, and I keep laughing all the time. I just sitstill, and the faces come jumping and gliding past me, jumping andgliding. You've got a very funny face too, Savva. _(Sadly)_ It'senough to make one die of laughter. SAVVA _(laughing gayly)_ What kind of a face have I? TONY That's the kind of face you have. _(Pointing his finger at him)_ Shealso has a face, and she. And father too. And then there areother faces. There are a lot of faces. I sit in the tavern and seeeverything. Nothing escapes me. You can't fool me. Some faces aresmall and some are large, and all of them glide and glide--Some arefar away, and some are as close to me as if they wanted to kiss me orbite my nose. They have teeth. SAVVA All right, Tony, now you can go. We'll talk about the faces later. Your own face is funny enough. TONY Yes, of course. I, too, have a face. SAVVA All right, all right. Go now. Don't forget to send in the whiskey. TONY As in the daytime so at night. A lot of faces. _(From the door)_ Andin regards to whiskey, maybe I'll send it and maybe I won't. I can'ttell yet. SAVVA _(to Lipa)_ Has he been that way a long time? LIPA I don't know. I think so. He drinks an awful lot. PELAGUEYA _(going)_ No wonder. You're enough to drive a man to drink. Cranks. _(Exit)_ LIPA My, how stifling! I don't know what to do with myself. Say, Savva, whyaren't you nicer to Polya? She is such a wretched creature. SAVVA A slavish soul. LIPA It isn't her fault if she's that way. SAVVA _(coldly)_ Nor mine either. LIPA Oh, Savva, if you only knew the terrible life people lead here. Themen drink, and beat their wives, and the women-- SAVVA I know. LIPA You say it so calmly. I have been waiting very much to have a talkwith you. SAVVA Go ahead. LIPA You'll soon be leaving us, I suppose. SAVVA Yes. LIPA Then I won't have any chance to talk to you. You are scarcely ever athome. This is the first time, pretty nearly. It seems so strange thatyou should enjoy playing with the children, you a grown man, big as abear. SAVVA _(merrily)_ No, Lipa, they play very well. Misha is very good at the game, andI have a hard time holding up my end of it. I lost him three pairsyesterday. LIPA Why, he is only ten years old. -- SAVVA Well, what of it? The children are the only human beings here. Theyare the wisest part of the-- LIPA _(with a smile)_ And I? How about me? SAVVA _(looking at her)_ You? Why, you are like the rest. _[A pause. Being offended, Lipa's languor disappears to some extent. _ LIPA Maybe I bore you. SAVVA No, you make no difference to me one way or another. I am never bored. LIPA _(with a constrained smile)_ Thank you, I am glad of that at least. Were you in the monasteryto-day? You go there often, don't you? SAVVA Yes, I was there. Why? LIPA I suppose you don't remember--I love our monastery. It is sobeautiful. At times it looks so pensive. I like it because it's soold. Its age gives it a solemnity, a stern serenity and detachment. SAVVA Do you read many books? LIPA _(blushing)_ I used to read a lot. You know I spent four winters in Moscow withAunt Glasha. Why do you ask? SAVVA Never mind. Go on. LIPA Does what I say sound ridiculous? SAVVA No, go on. LIPA The monastery is really a remarkable place. There are nice spots therewhich no one ever visits, somewhere between the mute walls, wherethere is nothing but grass and fallen stones and a lot of old, oldlitter. I love to linger there, especially at twilight, or on hotsunny days like to-day. I close my eyes, and I seem to look far, far into the distant past--at those who built it and those who firstprayed in it. There they walk along the path carrying bricks andsinging something, so softly, so far away. _(Closing her eyes)_ Sosoftly, so softly. SAVVA I don't like the old. As to the building of the monastery, it was doneby serfs, of course; and when they carried bricks they didn't sing, but quarrelled and cursed one another. That's more like it. LIPA _(opening her eyes)_ Those are my dreams. You see, Savva, I am all alone here. I havenobody to talk to. Tell me--You won't be angry, will you?--Tell me, just me alone, why did you come here to us? It wasn't to pray. Itwasn't for the feast-day. You don't look like a pilgrim. SAVVA _(frowning)_ I don't like you to be so curious. LIPA How can you think I am? Do I look as if I were curious? You havebeen here for two weeks, and you ought to see that I am lonely. I amlonely, Savva. Your coming was to me like manna fallen from the sky. You are the first living human being that has come here from overthere, from real life. In Moscow I lived very quietly, just reading mybooks; and here--you see the sort of people we have here. SAVVA Do you think it's different in other places? LIPA I don't know. That's what I should like to find out from you. You haveseen so much. You have even been abroad. SAVVA Only for a short time. LIPA That makes no difference. You have met many cultured, wise, interesting people. You have lived with them. How do they live? Whatkind of people are they? Tell me all about it. SAVVA A mean, contemptible lot. LIPA Is that so? You don't say so! SAVVA They live just as you do here--a stupid, senseless existence. Theonly difference is in the language they speak. But that makes it stillworse. The justification for cattle is that, they are withoutspeech. But when the cattle become articulate, begin to speak, defendthemselves and express ideas then the situation becomes intolerable, unmitigatedly repulsive. Their dwelling-places are differenttoo--yes--but that's a small thing. I was in a city inhabited by ahundred thousand people. The windows in the house of that city are allsmall. Those living in them are all fond of light, but it never occursto anyone that the windows might be made larger. And when a new houseis built, they put in the same kind of windows, just as small, just asthey have always been. LIPA The idea! I never would have thought it. But they can't all be likethat. You must have met good people who knew how to live. SAVVA I don't know how to make you understand. Yes, I did meet, if notaltogether good people, yet--The last people with whom I lived werea pretty good sort. They didn't accept life ready-made, but tried tomake it over to suit themselves. But-- LIPA Who were they--students? SAVVA No. Look here--how about your tongue--is it of the loose kind? LIPA Savva, you ought to be ashamed! SAVVA All right. Now then. You've read of people who make bombs--littlebombs, you understand? Now if they see anybody who interferes withlife, they take him off. They're called anarchists. But that isn'tquite correct. _(Contemptuously)_ Nice anarchists they are! LIPA _(starting back, awestruck)_ What are you talking about? You can't possibly be in earnest. It isn'ttrue. And you in it, too? Why, you look so simple and talk so simply, and suddenly--I was hot a moment ago, but now I am cold, _(The roostercrows-under the window, calling the chickens to share some seed he hasfound)_ SAVVA There now--you're frightened. First you want me to tell you, andthen-- LIPA Don't mind me, Savva, it's nothing. It was so unexpected. I thoughtsuch people didn't really exist--that they were just a fiction of theimagination. And then, all of a sudden, to find you, my brother--Youare not joking, Savva? Look me straight in the eye. SAVVA But why did you get frightened? They are not so terrible after all. Infact, they are very quiet, orderly people, and very deliberate. Theymeet and meet, and weigh and consider a long time, and then--bang!--asparrow drops dead. The next minute there is another sparrow in itsplace, hopping about on the very same branch. Why are you looking atmy hands? LIPA Oh, nothing. Give me your hand--no, your right hand. SAVVA Here. LIPA How heavy it is. Feel how cold mine are. Go on, tell me all about it. It's so interesting. SAVVA What's there to tell? They are a brave set of people, I must admit;but it is a bravery of the head, not of the hands. And their heads arepartitioned off into little chambers; they are always careful not todo anything which is unnecessary or harmful. Now you can't clear adense forest by cutting down one tree at a time, can you? That's whatthey do. While they chop at one end, it grows up at the other. Youcan't accomplish anything that way; it's labor lost. I proposed ascheme to them, something on a larger scale. They got frightened, wouldn't hear of it. A little weak-kneed they are. So I left them. Let them practise virtue. A narrow-minded bunch. They lack breadth ofvision. LIPA You say it as calmly as if you were joking. SAVVA No, I am not joking. LIPA Aren't you afraid? SAVVA I? So far I haven't been, and I don't ever expect to be. What worsecan happen to a man than to have been born? It's like asking a man whois drowning whether he is not afraid of getting wet. _(Laughs)_ LIPA So that's the kind you are. SAVVA One thing I learned from them: respect for dynamite. It's a powerfulinstrument, dynamite is--nothing like it for a convincing argument. LIPA You are only twenty-three years old. You have no beard yet, not even amoustache. SAVVA _(feeling his face)_ Yes, a measly growth; but what conclusions do you draw from that? LIPA Fear will come to you yet. SAVVA No. If I haven't been frightened so far by watching life, there'snothing else to fear. Life, yes. I embrace the earth with my eyes, thewhole of it, the entire little planetoid, and I can find nothing moreterrible on it than man and human life. And I am not afraid of man. LIPA _(scarcely listening to him; ecstatically)_ Yes, that's the word. That's it. Savva, dear, I am not afraid ofbodily suffering either. Burn me on a slow fire. Cut me to pieces. Iwon't cry. I'll laugh. I know I will. But there is another thing I amafraid of. I am afraid of people's suffering, of the misery from whichthey cannot escape. When in the stillness of the night, broken only bythe striking of the hours, I think of how much suffering there is allaround us--aimless, needless suffering; suffering one doesn't evenknow of--when I think of that, I am chilled with terror. I go down onmy knees and pray. I pray to God, saying to Him: "Oh, Lord, if therehas to be a victim, take me, but give the people joy, give them peace, give them forgetfulness. Oh, Lord, all powerful as Thou art--" SAVVA Yes. LIPA I have read about a man who was eaten by an eagle, and his flesh grewagain overnight. If my body could turn into bread and joy for thepeople, I would consent to live in eternal torture in order to feedthe unfortunate. There'll soon be a holiday here in the monastery-- SAVVA I know. LIPA There is an ikon of the Saviour there with the touching inscription:"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden-- SAVVA And I will give you rest. " I know. LIPA It is regarded as a wonder-working ikon. Go there on the feast-day. It's like a torrent pouring into the monastery, an ocean rollingtoward its walls; and this whole ocean is made up entirely of humantears, of human sorrow and misery. Such monstrosities, such cripples. After witnessing one of those scenes, I walk about as in a dream. There are faces with such a depth of misery in them that one can neverforget them as long as one lives. Why, Savva, I was a gay youngthing before I saw all that. There is one man who comes here everyyear--they have nicknamed him King Herod-- SAVVA He is here already. I've seen him. LIPA Have you? SAVVA Yes, he has got a tragic face. LIPA Long ago, when still a young man, he killed his son by accident, andfrom that day he keeps coming here. He has an awful face. And all ofthem are waiting for a miracle. SAVVA Yes. There is something worse than inescapable human suffering, however. LIPA What? SAVVA _(lightly)_ Inescapable human stupidity. LIPA I don't know. SAVVA I do. Here you see only a small fragment of life, but if you could seeand hear all of it--When I first read their newspapers, I laughed andthought it was a joke. I thought they were published in some asylumfor the insane. But I found it was no joke. It was really serious, Lipa, really serious. And then my head began to ache with anintolerable pain. _(He presses his hand to his forehead)_ LIPA Your head began to ache? SAVVA Yes. It's a peculiar pain. You don't know what it is like. Few peopleknow what it is. And the pain continued until I resolved-- LIPA What? SAVVA To annihilate everything. LIPA What are you saying? SAVVA Yes, yes, everything. All that's old. LIPA _(in amazement)_ And man? SAVVA Man is to remain, of course. What is in his way is the stupiditythat, piling up for thousands of years, has grown into a mountain. Themodern sages want to build on this mountain, but that, of course, will lead to nothing but making the mountain still higher. It isthe mountain itself that must be removed. It must be levelled to itsfoundation, down to the bare earth. Do you understand? LIPA No, I don't understand you. You talk so strangely. SAVVA Annihilate everything! The old houses, the old cities, the oldliterature, the old art. Do you know what art is? LIPA Yes, of course I know--pictures, statues. I went to the Tretyakov artgallery. SAVVA That's it--the Tretyakov, and other galleries that are bigger still. There are some good things in them, but it will be still better tohave the old stuff out of the way. All the old dress must go. Man mustbe stripped bare and left naked on a naked earth! Then he will buildup a new life. The earth must be denuded, Lipa; it must be strippedof its hideous old rags. It deserves to be arrayed in a king's mantle;but what have they done with it? They have dressed it in coarsefustian, in convict clothes. They've built cities, the idiots! LIPA But who will do it? Who's going to destroy everything? SAVVA I. LIPA You? SAVVA Yes, I. I'll begin, and then, when people get to understand what I amafter, others will join in. The work will proceed merrily, Lipa. Thesky will be hot. Yes. The only thing not worth destroying is science. That would be useless. Science is unchangeable, and if, you destroyedit to-day, it would rise up again the same as before. LIPA How much blood will have to be shed? Why, it's horrible! SAVVA No more than has been shed already--and there'll be rhyme and reasonto it, at least. _(Pause; the hens cluck in the yard; from the samedirection comes Tony's sleepy voice_: "Polya, father wants you. Wheredid you put his cap?") LIPA What a scheme! Are you not joking, Savva? SAVVA You make me sick with your "you are joking, you are joking. " LIPA I am afraid of you, Savva. You are so serious about it. SAVVA Yes, there are many people who are afraid of me. LIPA If you would only smile a little. SAVVA _(looking at her with wide-open eyes and a frank face, andbreaking abruptly into a clear, ringing laugh)_ Oh, you funny girl, what should I be smiling for? I'd rather laugh. _(Both laugh)_ Are youafraid of tickling? LIPA Stop it! What a boy you are still! SAVVA All right. And Kondraty, isn't here yet. I wonder why. Do you thinkthe devil has taken him? The devil is fond of monks, you know. LIPA What strange fancies you have. Why, now you are joking-- SAVVA _(somewhat surprised)_ They are not fancies. LIPA My fancies are different. You are a dear now, because you talk tome. In the evening I'll tell you all about myself. We'll take a walktogether, and I'll tell you everything. SAVVA Very well, I'll listen. Why shouldn't I? LIPA Tell me, Savva, if I may ask--are you in love with a woman? SAVVA Ah, switched around to the subject of love after all--just like awoman! I hardly know what to say. I did love a girl, in a way, but shedidn't stick it out. LIPA Stick out what? SAVVA My love, or perhaps myself. All I know is that one fine day she wentaway and left me. LIPA _(laughing)_ And you? SAVVA Nothing. I remained alone. LIPA Have you any friends, comrades? SAVVA No. LIPA Any enemies? I mean is there anyone whom you particularly dislike, whom you hate? SAVVA Yes--God. LIPA _(incredulously)_ What? SAVVA God, I say--the one whom you call your Saviour. LIPA _(shouting)_ Don't dare speak that way! You've gone out of your mind! SAVVA Ah! I touched your sensitive spot, did I? LIPA Don't you dare! SAVVA I thought you were a gentle dove, but you have a tongue like asnake's. _(He imitates the movements of a snake's tongue with hisfinger)_ LIPA Good Lord! How dare you, how can you speak like that of the Saviour?Why, one dares not look at him. Why have you come here? _[Kondraty appears at the door of the tavern, looks around, and entersquietly. _ KONDRATY In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost! SAVVA Amen! You're very late, my gracious lord! KONDRATY I did the will of him who sent me. I was picking young littlecucumbers for the Father Superior. He has them made into a dainty dishwhich he loves dearly for an appetizer. My, what infernal heat! I wasin pools of perspiration before I got through. SAVVA _(to Lipa)_ You see, here is a monk. He likes a drink. His cussing vocabularyisn't bad. He is no fool, and as to women-- KONDRATY Don't embarrass the young lady, Mr. Tropinin. In the presence of alady-- SAVVA And furthermore, he doesn't believe in God. KONDRATY He is joking. LIPA I don't like such jokes. What have you come here for? KONDRATY I am here by invitation. SAVVA I have some business with him. LIPA _(without looking at Savva)_ What have you come here for? SAVVA For nothing that concerns you. You had better have a talk with him. Heis a chap that possesses a great deal of curiosity. He's not a fool, either, but knows what's what. LIPA _(looking searchingly at Savva)_ I know him well, I know him very well. KONDRATY To my regret I must admit it's true. I have the unenviable fortune ofbeing known as a man who does not observe the outer forms of conduct. It is on account of that characteristic I was fired from my positionas government clerk, and it's on that account I am now frequentlycondemned to live for weeks on nothing but bread and water. I cannotact in secret. I am open and above-board. In fact, I fairly cry aloudwhatever I do. For example, the circumstances under which I met you, Mr. Tropinin, are such that I am ashamed to recall them. SAVVA Don't recall them then. KONDRATY _(to Lipa)_ I was lying in a mud puddle in all my dignity, like a regular hog. LIPA _(disgusted)_ All right. KONDRATY But I am not ashamed to speak of it; first, because many people sawit, and of course nobody took the trouble to get me out of it exceptSavva Yegorovich, and secondly, because I regard this as my cross. LIPA A fine cross! KONDRATY Every man, Miss Olympiada, has his cross. It isn't so very nice to belying in a mud puddle. Dry ground is pleasanter every time. And do youknow, I think half of the water in that puddle was my own tears, andmy woeful lamentations made ripples on it-- SAVVA That's not quite so, Kondraty. You were singing a song: "And we'rebaptized of him in Jordan"--to a very jolly tune at that. KONDRATY You don't say! What of it? So much the worse. It shows to what depthsa man will descend. SAVVA Don't assume a melancholy air, father. You're quite a jovial fellow bynature, and the assumption of grief doesn't go well with your face, Iassure you. KONDRATY True, Savva Yegorovich, I was a jolly fellow; but that was before Ientered the monastery. As soon as I came here I took a tumble, so tospeak; I lost my joviality and serenity and learned to know what realsorrow is. _[Tony enters and remains standing in the doorway gazing ecstaticallyat the monk. _ SAVVA Why so? KONDRATY _(stepping nearer and speaking in a lowered voice)_ There isno God here--there's only the devil. This is a terrible place to livein, on my word it is, Mr. Savva. I am a man with a large experience. It's no easy thing to frighten me. But I am afraid to walk in the hallat night. SAVVA What devil? KONDRATY The ordinary one. To you, educated people, he appears in a nobleraspect of course; but to us plain, simple people, he reveals himselfas he really is. SAVVA With horns? KONDRATY How can I tell? I never saw the horns; but that's not the point, although I may say that his shadow clearly shows the horns. The thingis that we have no peace in our monastery; there is always such anoise and clatter there. Everything is quiet outside; but inside thereare groans and gnashing of teeth. Some groan, some whine, and somecomplain about something, you can't tell what. When you pass thedoors, you feel as if your soul were taking leave of the world behindevery door. Suddenly something glides from around the corner. --andthere's a shadow on the wall. Nothing at all--and yet there's ashadow on the wall. In other places it makes no difference. You payno attention to such a trifle as a shadow; but here, Savva Yegorovich, they are alive, and you can almost hear them speak. On my word ofhonor! Our hall, you know, is so long that it seems never to end. Youenter--nothing! You see a sort of black object moving in front ofyou, something like the figure of a man. Then it stretches out, growslarger and larger and wider and wider until it reaches across theceiling, and then it's behind you! You keep on walking. Your sensesbecome paralyzed. You lose all consciousness. SAVVA _(to Tony)_ What are you staring at? TONY What a face! KONDRATY And God too is impotent here. Of course we have sacred relics and awonder-working ikon; but, if you'll excuse me for saying so, they haveno efficacy. LIPA What are you saying? KONDRATY None whatever. If you don't believe me, ask the other monks. They'llbear me out. We pray and pray, and beat our foreheads, and the resultis nothing, absolutely nothing. If the image did nothing else thandrive away the impure power! But it can't do even that. It hangs thereas if it were none of its business, and as soon as night comes, thestir and the gliding and the flitting around the corners begin again. The abbot says we are cowards, poor in spirit, and that we ought tobe ashamed. But why are the images ineffective? The monks in themonastery say-- LIPA Well? KONDRATY But it's hard to believe it. It's impossible. They say that thedevil stole the real image long ago--the one that could performmiracles--and hung up his own picture instead. LIPA Oh, God, what blasphemy! Why aren't you ashamed to believe such vile, horrid stuff? You who are wearing a monk's robe at that! You reallyought to be lying in a puddle--it's the proper place for you. SAVVA Now, now, don't get mad. Don't mind her, Father Kondraty, she doesn'tmean it. She is a good girl. But really, why don't you leave themonastery? Why do you want to be fooling about here with shadows anddevils? KONDRATY _(shrugging his shoulders)_ I would like to leave; but where am I to go? I dropped work long ago. I am not used to it any more. Here at least I don't have to worryabout how to get a piece of bread. And as for the devil _(cautiouslywinking to Savva as he turns to the window and fillips his neck withhis fingers)_ I have a means against him. SAVVA Well, let's go out and have a talk. You, face, will you send us somewhiskey? TONY _(gloomily)_ He isn't telling the truth. There are no devils either. Thedevil couldn't have hung up his picture if there's no devil. It'simpossible. He had better ask me. SAVVA All right, we'll speak about that later. Send us whiskey. TONY _(goes)_ I won't send you any whiskey either. SAVVA What a stupid fellow! I tell you what, father. You go out into thegarden through that door. I'll be, with you in a moment. Don't loseyourself. _(He goes out after Tony)_ KONDRATY Good-bye, Miss Olympiada. _[Lipa doesn't answer. When Kondraty has left, she walks around theroom a few times, agitated, waiting for Savva. _ SAVVA _(entering)_ Well, what a fool! LIPA _(barring his way)_ I know why you came here. I know! Don't you dare! SAVVA What's that? LIPA When I heard you talk, I thought it was just words, but now--Come toyour senses! Think! You've gone crazy. What do you mean to do? SAVVA Let me go. LIPA I listened to you and laughed! Good Lord! I feel as if I had awakenedfrom a terrible dream. Or is it all a dream? What was the monk herefor? What for? SAVVA Now that will do. You have had your say; that's enough. Let me go. LIPA Don't you see you have gone crazy? Do you understand? You are out ofyour mind. SAVVA I'm sick of hearing you repeat that. Let's go. LIPA Savva; dear, darling Savva--No? Very well, you won't listen to me?Very well. You'll see, Savva, you'll see. You ought to have your handsand feet tied. And you _will_ be bound, too. There are people who willdo it. Oh, God! What does this mean? Stay! Stay! Savva! SAVVA _(going)_ All right, all right. LIPA _(shouting)_ I'll denounce you. Murderer! Ruffian! I'll denounce you. SAVVA _(turning round)_ Oho! You had better be more careful. _(Puts his hand on her shoulderand looks into her eyes)_ You had better be more careful, I say. LIPA You--_(For about three seconds there is a struggle between the twopairs of eyes, after which Lipa turns aside, biting her lips)_ I amnot afraid of you. SAVVA That's better. But don't shout. One should never shout. _(Exit)_ LIPA _(alone)_ What does this mean? What am I to do? _(The hens cluck)_ YEGOR TROPININ _(in the door)_ What's the matter? What's the row here--hey? I was gone just half anhour, and everything has gone topsy-turvy. Lipa, why did you let thechickens get into the raspberry bushes? Go and drive 'em away, damnyou! I am talking to you--yes, to you! Go, or I'll go you, I'll goyou, I'll-- CURTAIN THE SECOND ACT _Within the enclosure of the monastery. In the rear, at the left, appear the monastery buildings, the refectory, monks' cells, parts ofthe church and the steeple, all connected by passageways with archedgates. Board-walks run in different directions in the court. At theright the corner of the steeple wall is seen slightly jutting out. Nestling against it is a small monastic cemetery surrounded by alight, grilled iron fence. Marble monuments and slabs of stone andiron are sunk deep into the earth. All are old and twisted. It is along time since anyone was buried there. The cemetery contains alsosome wild rose-bushes and two or three rather small trees. It is evening, after vespers. Long shadows are falling from the towerand the walls. The monastery and the steeple are bathed in the reddishlight of the setting sun. Monks, novices and pilgrims pass alongthe board-walks. In the beginning of the act may be heard behind thescenes the driving of a village herd, the cracking of a herdsman'swhip, the bleating of sheep, the lowing of cattle, and dull cries. Toward the end of the act it grows much darker, and the movement inthe yard ceases almost entirely. Savva, Speransky, and the Young Friar are seated on a bench by theiron fence. Speransky is holding his hat on his knees, and now andthen he strokes his long, straight hair, which is hanging in twomournful strands over his long, pale face. He holds his legs togetherspeaks in a low, sad tone, and gesticulates with extended forefinger. The Friar, young, round-faced, and vigorous, pays no attention to theconversation, but is smiling continually, as if at his own thoughts. _ SAVVA _(preoccupied, looking aside)_ Yes. What kind of work do you do here? SPERANSKY None at all, Mr. Savva. How can a man in my condition do any work?Once a man begins to doubt his own existence, the obligation to worknaturally ceases to exist for him. But the deacon's wife doesnot understand it. She is a very stupid woman, utterly lacking ineducation, and, moreover, of an unlovely, cruel disposition. Sheinsists on making me work. But you can imagine the sort of work Ido under the circumstances. You see, the situation is this. I have asplendid appetite. That appetite began to develop while I was yet astudent in the seminary. Now this deaconess, if you please, makes afuss about every piece of bread I eat. She doesn't understand, theignorant woman, the possibility of the non-existence of this piece ofbread. If I had a real existence like the rest of you, I should feelvery bad, but in my present condition her attacks don't affect me inthe least. Nothing affects me, Mr. Savva, nothing in the wide world. SAVVA _(smiling at the Friar's unconscious joy, but stillpreoccupied)_ How long have you been in this condition? SPERANSKY It began in the seminary while I was studying philosophy. It is adreadful condition, Mr. Savva. I have grown somewhat accustomed to itnow, but at first it was unendurable. I tried to hang myself once, and they cut me down. Then I tried a second time, and they cut me downagain. Then they turned me out of the seminary. "Go hang yourself insome other place, you madman, " they said. As if there were any otherplace! As if all places were not the same! THE FRIAR Mr. Savva, let's go fishing to-morrow at the mill. SAVVA I don't like fishing. It bores me. FRIAR I'm sorry. Well then, let's go into the woods and knock down the drybranches of trees. It's fine sport to walk about in the forest andknock off the branches with a stick. And when you shout "Ho-ho-ho!"the echo from the ravine answers back "Ho-ho-ho!" Do you likeswimming? SAVVA Yes, I like it. I am a good swimmer. FRIAR I like it too. SPERANSKY _(with a deep sigh)_ Yes, it's a strange condition. SAVVA _(smiling at the Friar)_ Eh? Well, how are you now? SPERANSKY When my uncle took me to his house, he made me promise I would neverattempt suicide again. That was the only condition oh which he wouldconsent to let me live with him. "All right, " I said; "if we reallyexist, then I won't make any further attempt to hang myself. " SAVVA Why do you want to know whether you exist or not? There is thesky. Look, how beautiful it is. There are the swallows and thesweet-scented grass. It's fine! _(To the Friar)_ Fine, isn't it, Vassya? FRIAR Mr. Savva, do you like to tear up ant-hills? SAVVA I don't know. I never tried. FRIAR I like it. Do you like to fly kites? SAVVA It's a long time since I tried to. I used to like it very much. SPERANSKY _(patiently awaiting the end of their conversation)_ Swallows! What good is their flying to me? Anyhow, maybe swallowsdon't exist either, and it's all a dream. SAVVA Suppose it is a dream. Dreams are very beautiful sometimes, you know. SPERANSKY I should like to wake up, but I can't. I wander around and wanderaround until I am weary and feeble, and when I rouse myself I findI am here, in the very same place. There is the monastery and thebelfry, and the clock strikes the hour. And it's all like a dream, afantasy. You close your eyes, and it does not exist. You open them, and it's there again. Sometimes I go out into the fields at nightand close my eyes, and then it seems to me there is nothing at allexisting. Suddenly the quail begin to call, and a wagon rolls downthe road. Again a dream. For if you stopped up your ears, you wouldn'thear those sounds. When I die, everything will grow silent, and thenit will be true. Only the dead know the truth, Mr. Savva. FRIAR _(smiling, cautiously waving his hands at a bird; in a whisper)_It's time to go to bed, time to go to bed. SAVVA _(impatiently)_ What dead? Listen, my dear sir. I have a plain, simple, peasant mind, and I don't understand those subtleties. What dead are you talkingabout? SPERANSKY About all the dead, every one without exception. That's why the facesof the dead are so serene. Whatever agonies a man may have sufferedbefore his death, the moment he dies his face becomes serene. That'sbecause he has learned the truth. I always come here to attend thefunerals. It's astonishing. There was a woman buried here. She haddied of grief because her husband was crushed under a locomotive. Youcan imagine what must have been going on in her mind before her death. It's too horrible to think of. Yet she lay there, in the coffin, absolutely serene and calm. That's because she had come to know thather grief was nothing but a dream, a mere phantom. I like the dead, Mr. Savva. I think the dead really exist. SAVVA I don't like the dead. _(Impatiently)_ You are a very disagreeablefellow. Has anybody ever told you that? SPERANSKY Yes, I have, heard it before. SAVVA I would never have taken you out of the noose. What damn fool did itanyway? SPERANSKY The first time it was the Father Steward, the next time my classmates. I am very sorry you disapprove of me, Mr. Tropinin. As you are aneducated man, I should have liked to show you a bit of writing I didwhile I was in the seminary. It's called "The Tramp of Death. " It's asort of story. SAVVA No, spare me, please. Altogether I wish you'd-- FRIAR. _(rising)_ There comes Father Kirill. I had better beat it. SAVVA Why? FRIAR He came across me in the forest the other day when I was-shouting "Ho!Ho!" "Ah, " said he, "you forest sprite with goat's feet!" To-morrowafter dinner, all right? _(Walks away, sedately at first, but thenwith a sort of dancing step)_ FAT MONK _(approaches)_ Well, young men, having a pleasant chat? Are you Mr. Tropinin's son? SAVVA I am the man. FAT MONK I have heard about you. A decent, respectable gentleman your fatheris. May I sit down? _(He sits down)_ The sun has set, yet it's stillhot. I wonder if we'll have a storm to-night. Well, young man, how doyou like it here? How does this place compare with the metropolis? SAVVA It's a rich monastery. FAT MONK Yes, thank the Lord. It's celebrated all over Russia. There are manywho come here even from Siberia. Its fame reaches far. There'll soonbe a feast-day, and-- SPERANSKY You'll work yourself sick, father. Services day and night. FAT MONK Yes, we must do our best for the monastery. SAVVA Not for the people? FAT MONK Yes, for the people too. For whom else? Last year a large number ofepileptics were cured; quite a lot of them. One blind man had hiseyesight restored, and two paralytics were made to walk. You'll seefor yourself, young man, and then you won't smile. I have heard thatyou are an unbeliever. SAVVA You have heard correctly. I am an unbeliever. FAT MONK It's a shame, a shame. Of course, there are many unbelievers nowadaysamong the educated classes. But are they any happier on that account?I doubt it. SAVVA No, there are not so many. They think they are unbelievers becausethey don't go to church. As a matter of fact, they have greater faiththan you. It's more deep-seated. FAT MONK Is that so? SAVVA Yes, yes. The form of their faith is, of course, more refined. Theyare cultured, you see. FAT MONK Of course, of course. People feel better, feel more confident andsecure, if they believe. SAVVA They say the devil is choking the monks here every night. FAT MONK _(laughing)_ Nonsense. _(To the Gray Monk passing by)_ Father Vissarion, come herea moment. Sit down. Mr. Tropinin's son here says the devil chokesus every night. Have you heard about it? _(The two monks laughgood-naturedly as they look at each other)_ GRAY MONK Some of the monks can't sleep well because they have overeaten, sothey think they are being choked. Why, young man, the devil can'tenter within our sacred precincts. SAVVA But suppose he does suddenly put in an appearance? What will, you dothen? FAT MONK We'll get after him with the holy-water sprinkler, that's what we'lldo. "Don't butt in where you have no business to, you black-facedbooby!" _(The monk laughs)_ GRAY MONK Here comes King Herod. FAT MONK Wait a while, Father Vissarion. _(To Savva)_ You talk about faith andsuch things. There's a man for you--look at him--see how he walks. And yet he has chains on him weighing four hundred pounds. He doesn'twalk, he dances. He visits us every summer, and I must say he is avery valuable guest. His example strengthens others in their faith. Herod! Ho, Herod! KING HEROD What do you want? FAT MONK Come here a minute. This gentleman doubts the existence of God. Talkto him. KING HEROD What's the matter with yourself? Are you so full of booze that youcan't wag your own tongue? FAT MONK You heretic! What a heretic! _(Both monks laugh)_ KING HEROD _(approaching)_ What gentleman? FAT MONK This one. KING HEROD _(scrutinizing him)_ He doubts? Let him doubt. It's none of my business. SAVVA Oh! KING HEROD Why, what did you think? FAT MONK Sit down, please. KING HEROD Never mind. I'd rather stand. FAT MONK _(to Savva, in a loud whisper)_ He is doing that to wear himself out. Until he has reduced himselfto absolute faintness he'll neither sleep nor eat. _(Aloud)_ Thisgentleman is wondering at the kind of chains you have on your body. KING HEROD Chains? Just baby rattles. Put them on a horse and he too would carrythem if he had the strength. I have a sad heart. _(Looks at Savva)_You know, I killed my own son. Yes, I did. Have they been telling youabout me, these chatterboxes? SAVVA They have. KING HEROD Can you understand it? SAVVA Why not? Yes, I can. KING HEROD You lie--you can't. No one can understand it. Go through the wholeworld, search round the whole globe, ask everybody--no one will beable to tell you, no one will understand. And if anyone says he does, take it from me that he lies, lies just as you do. Why, you can't evensee your own nose properly, yet you have the brazenness to say youunderstand. Go. You are a foolish boy, that's what you are. SAVVA And you are wise? KING HEROD I am wise. My sorrow has made me so. It is a great sorrow. There isnone greater on earth. I killed my son with my own hand. Not the handyou are looking at, but the one which isn't here. SAVVA Where is it? KING HEROD I burnt it. I held it in the stove and let it burn up to my elbow. SAVVA Did that relieve you? KING HEROD No. Fire cannot destroy my grief. It burns with a heat that is greaterthan fire. SAVVA Fire, brother, destroys everything. KING HEROD No, young man, fire is weak. Spit on it and it is quenched. SAVVA What fire? It is possible to kindle such a conflagration that an oceanof water will not quench it. KING HEROD No, boy. Every fire goes out when its time comes. My grief is great, so great that when I look around me I say to myself: Good heavens, what has become of everything else that's large and great? Where hasit all gone to? The forest is small, the house is small, the mountainis small, the whole earth is small, a mere poppy seed. You have towalk cautiously and look out, lest you reach the end and drop off. FAT MONK _(pleased)_ Fine, King Herod, you are going it strong. KING HEROD Even the sun does not rise for me. For others it rises, but for meit doesn't. Others don't see the darkness by day, but I see it. Itpenetrates the light like dust. At first I seem to see a sort oflight, but then--good heavens, the sky is dark, the earth is dark, allis like soot. Yonder is something vague and misty. I can't even makeout what it is. Is it a human being, is it a bush? My grief isgreat, immense! _(Grows pensive)_ If I cried, who would hear me? If Ishouted, who would respond? FAT MONK _(to the Gray Monk)_ The dogs in the village might. KING HEROD _(shaking his head)_ O you people! You are looking at me as at a monstrosity--at my hair, my chains--because I killed my son and because I am like King Herod;but my soul you see not, and my grief you know not. You are as blindas earthworms. You wouldn't know if you were struck with a beam on thehead. Say, you pot-belly, what are you shaking your paunch, for? SAVVA Why--the way he talks to you! FAT MONK _(reassuringly)_ It's nothing. He treats us all like that. He upbraids us all. KING HEROD Yes, and I will continue to upbraid. Fellows like you are not fitto serve God. What you ought to do is to sit in a drinkshop amusingSatan. The devils use your belly to go sleigh-riding on at night. FAT MONK _(good-naturedly)_ Well, well, God be with you. You had better speak about yourself;stick to that. KING HEROD _(to Savva)_ You see? He wants to feast on my agony. Go ahead, feast all you want. GRAY MONK My, what a scold you are. Where do you get your vocabulary? He oncetold the Father Superior that if God were not immortal he, the FatherSuperior, would long ago have sold him piece by piece. But we toleratehim. He can do no harm in a monastery. FAT MONK He attracts people. Many come here for his sake. And what differencedoes it make to us? God sees our purity. Isn't that so, King Herod? KING HEROD Oh, shut up, you old dotard. Look at him; he can scarcely move hislegs, old Harry with the evil eye. Keeps three women in the village;one is not enough for him. _(The monks laugh good-naturedly)_ You see, you see? Whew! Look at their brazen, shameless eyes! Might as wellspit on them! SAVVA Why do you come here? KING HEROD Not for them. Listen, young man. Have you a grief? SAVVA Perhaps I have. Why? KING HEROD Then listen to me. When you are in sorrow, when you are suffering, don't go to people. If you have a friend, don't go to him. It's morethan you'll be able to stand. Better go to the wolves in the forest. They'll make short work of it, devour you at once, and there will bethe end of it. I have seen many evil things, but I have never seenanything worse than man. No, never! They say men are created in Hisimage, in His likeness. Why, you skunks, you have no image. If you hadone, the tiniest excuse for one, you would crawl away on all fours andhide somewhere from sheer shame. You damned skunks! Laugh at them, crybefore them, shout, at them. It doesn't make any difference. Theygo on licking their chops. King Herod--Damned skunks! And when KingHerod--not I, but the real one with a golden crown--killed yourchildren, where were you--hey? FAT MONK We weren't even in the world then, man. KING HEROD Then there were others like you. He killed. You accepted it. That'sall. I have asked many the question: "What would you have done?""Nothing, " they always reply. "If he killed, what could be done aboutit?" Fine creatures! Haven't the manliness to stand up even for theirchildren. They are worse than dogs, damn them! FAT MONK And what would you have done? KING HEROD I? I should have wrung his neck from off his royal gold crown--theconfounded brute! GRAY MONK It says in the scripture: "Render unto Caesar the things that areCaesar's, and to God the things that are God's. " FAT MONK That is to say, don't interfere with other people's business. Do youunderstand? KING HEROD _(to Savva in despair)_ Just listen, listen to what they are saying. SAVVA I hear what they are saying. KING HEROD Just you wait, my precious! You'll get what's coming to you, andmighty quick. The devil will come and hurl you into the fiery pit. Tohell, to gehenna, with you! How your fat will melt and run! Do you getthe smell, monk? FAT MONK That's from the refectory. KING HEROD You are on the run, fast as your feet can carry you! Ah! but where to?Everywhere is hell, everywhere is fire. You refused to hearken untome, my pet; now you shall hearken unto the fire. Won't I be glad, won't I rejoice! I'll take off my chains so that I can catch them andpresent them to the devil--first one, then the other. Here, take him. And the howl they'll set up, and the weeping and lamentation. "I amnot guilty. " Not guilty? Who, then, is--who? To gehenna with you!Burn, you damned hypocrites, until the second Advent. And then we'llbuild a new fire, then we'll build a new fire. GRAY MONK Isn't it time for us to go, Father Kirill? FAT MONK Yes, we had better be moving along. It's getting dark, and it's timeto retire. KING HEROD Aha! You don't like to hear the truth. It isn't pleasant, is it? FAT MONK Hee-hee, brother, talk is cheap. A barking dog doesn't bite. Scoldaway, scold away. We are listening. God in heaven will decide who isto go to hell and who elsewhere. "The meek, shall inherit the earth, "says the Gospel. Good-bye, young gentlemen. GRAY MONK _(to King Herod)_ Let me give you a piece of advice, however. Talk, but don't talk toomuch. Don't go too far. We are only tolerating you because you area pitiful creature and because you are foolish. But if you give yourtongue too free a rein, we can stop it, you know. Yes, indeed. KING HEROD All right, try--try to stop me. FAT MONK What's the use, Father Vissarion? Let him talk. It doesn't do anyharm. Listen, listen, young gentlemen. He is an interesting fellow. Good night. _[They go. The Fat Monk is heard laughing heartily. _ KING HEROD _(to Savva)_ Fine specimens. I can't stand them. SAVVA I like you, uncle. KING HEROD Do you? So you don't like their kind either? SAVVA No, I don't. KING HEROD Well, I'll sit down for a while. My legs are swollen. Have you got acigarette? SAVVA _(handing him a cigarette)_ Do you smoke? KING HEROD Sometimes. Excuse me for having talked to you the way I did before. You are a good fellow. But why did you lie and say you understood? Noone can understand it. Who is this with you? SAVVA Oh, he just happened along. KING HEROD Well, brother, feeling bad, down in the mouth? SPERANSKY Yes, I feel blue. KING HEROD Keep still, keep still, I don't want to listen. You are suffering?Keep still. I am a man too, brother, so I don't understand. I'llinsult you if you don't look out. _(Throws away the cigarette)_ No, I can't. As long as I keep standing or walking I manage somehow. Themoment I sit down, it's hell. Oh! Ow-w! _(Writhing in agony)_ I simplycan't catch my breath. Oh, God, do you see my torture? Eh? Well, well, it's nothing. It's gone. Oh! Ow-w! _[The sky has become overcast with clouds. It turns dark quickly. Nowand then there are flashes of lightning. _ SAVVA _(quietly)_ One must try to stifle one's grief, old man. Fight it. Say to yourselffirmly and resolutely: "I don't want it. " And it will cease to be. Youseem to be a good, strong man. KING HEROD No, friend, my grief is such that even death won't remove it. What isdeath? It is little, insignificant, and my grief is great. No, deathwon't end my grief. There was Cain. Even when he died, his sorrowremained. SPERANSKY The dead do not grieve. They are serene. They know the truth. KING HEROD But they don't tell it to anybody. What's the good of such truth? Heream I alive, and yet I know the truth. Here am I with my sorrow. Yousee what it is--there is no greater on earth. And yet if God spoke tome and said, "Yeremey, I will give you the whole earth if you give meyour grief, " I wouldn't give it away. I will not give it away, friend. It is sweeter to me than honey; it is stronger than the strongestdrink. Through it I have learned the truth. SAVVA God? KING HEROD Christ--that's the one! He alone can understand the sorrow that isin me. He sees and understands. "Yes, Yeremey, I see how you suffer. "That's all. "I see. " And I answer Him: "Yes, O Lord, behold mysorrow!" That's all. No more is necessary. SAVVA What you value in Christ is His suffering for the people, is that it? KING HEROD You mean his crucifixion? No, brother, that suffering was a trifle. They crucified Him--what did that matter? The important point was thatthereby He came to know the truth. As long as He walked the earth, Hewas--well--a man, rather a good man--talking here and there about thisand that. When He met someone, He would talk to him about this andthat, teach him, and tell him a few good things to put him on theright track. But when these same fellows carried Him off to the crossand went at Him with knouts, whips, and lashes, then His eyes wereopened. "Aha!" He said, "so that's what it is!" And He prayed:"I cannot endure such suffering. I thought it would be a simplecrucifixion; but, O Father in Heaven, what is this?" And the Fathersaid to Him: "Never mind, never mind, Son! Know the truth, know whatit is. " And from then on, He fell to sorrowing, and has been sorrowingto this day. SAVVA Sorrowing? KING HEROD Yes, friend, he is sorrowing. _(Pause. Lightning)_ SPERANSKY It looks like rain, and I am without rubbers and umbrella. KING HEROD And everywhere, wheresoever I go, wheresoever I turn, I see beforeme His pure visage. "Do you understand my suffering, O Lord?" "Iunderstand, Yeremey, I understand everything. Go your way in peace. "I am to Him like a transparent crystal with a tear inside. "Youunderstand, Lord?" "I understand, Yeremey. " "Well, and I understandyou too. " So we live together. He with me, I with Him. I am sorryfor Him also. When I die, I will transmit my sorrow to Him. "Take it, Lord. " SAVVA But after all, you are not quite right in running down the peoplethe way you do. There are some good men also--very few--but there aresome. Otherwise it wouldn't be of any use to live. KING HEROD No, friend, there are none. I don't want to fool you--there are none. You know, it was they who christened me with the name of King Herod. SAVVA Who? KING HEROD Why, your people. There is no beast more cruel than man. I killedmy boy, so I am King Herod to them. Damn them, it never enters theirminds how terrible it is for me to be burdened with such a nick-name. Herod! If they only called me so out of spite! But not at all. SAVVA What is your real name? KING HEROD Yeremey. That's my name--Yeremey. But they call me Herod, carefullyadding King, so that there may be no mistake. Look, there comesanother monk, a plague on him. Say, did you ever see His countenance? SAVVA I did. KING HEROD And did you see His eyes? No? Then look, try to see them--Where is heoff to, the bat? To the village to his women. KONDRATY _(enters)_ Peace be with you, honest folks. Good evening, Savva. To what luckychance do I owe this meeting? KING HEROD Look, monk, the devil's tail is sticking out of your pocket. KONDRATY It isn't the devil's tail, it's a radish. You're very clever, but youdidn't hit it right that time. KING HEROD _(spitting in disgust)_ I can't bear to look at them. They turn my stomach. Good-bye, friend. Remember what I told you. When you are in sorrow, don't go to people. SAVVA All right, uncle, I understand. KING HEROD Rather go to the forest to the wolves. _(Goes out; his voice is heardout of the darkness)_ Oh, Lord, do you see? KONDRATY A narrow-minded fool. Killed his son and puts on airs. You can't getby him. He won't let you alone. It's something to be proud of, isn'tit, to have killed one's own son? A great thing. SPERANSKY _(with a sigh)_ No, Father Kondraty, you are mistaken. He is a happy man. If his sonwere brought to life this moment, he would instantly kill him. Hewouldn't give him five minutes to live. But of course when he dies, he'll know the truth. KONDRATY That's what I said, you fool. If it were a cat he killed, he mighthave some reason to be proud--but his own son! What are you thinkingabout, Savva Yegorovich? SAVVA I am waiting. I should like to know how soon this gentleman will go. The devil brought him, I think. Now, here comes someone else. _(Peersinto the darkness)_ LIPA _(approaching. She stops and hesitates)_ Is that you, Savva? SAVVA Yes, and is that you? What do you want? I don't like people to followme everywhere I go, sister. LIPA The gate to this place is open. Everybody has a right to come in. Mr. Speransky, Tony has been asking for you. He wants the seminarist, hesays. SAVVA There, go together--a jolly pair. Good-bye, sir, good-bye. SPERANSKY Good-bye. I hope I'll see you soon again, Mr. Savva, and have anothertalk. SAVVA No, don't try, please. Abandon the hope. Good-bye. LIPA How rude you are, Savva. Come, Mr. Speransky. They have business oftheir own to attend to. SPERANSKY Still I haven't given up hope. Good-bye. _(Goes out)_ SAVVA Just grabbed me and stuck--the devil take him! KONDRATY _(laughing)_ Yes, he is a sticker from the word go. If he likes you, youcan't shake him off. He'll follow you everywhere. We call him the"shadow"--partly, I suppose, because he is so thin. He has taken afancy to you, so you'll have a time of it. He'll stick to you like aleech. SAVVA I am not in the habit of wasting a lot of words. I'll give him theslip without much ceremony. KONDRATY They have, even tried beating him, but it doesn't do any good. He isknown here for miles around. He is a character. _[A pause. Lightning. Every now and then is heard the roll of distantthunder. _ SAVVA Why did you tell me to meet you here in this public place whereeveryone may come? They fell on me like a swarm of fleas--monks andall sorts of imbeciles. I'd rather have spoken to you in the woods, where we could be let alone. KONDRATY I did it to escape suspicion. If I went with you to the woods they'dsay: "What has a God-fearing man like Kondraty got to do with such afellow?" I hope you pardon! "Why is he so thick with him?" I purposelytimed my coming so that they'd see us together with others. SAVVA _(looking fixedly at him)_ Well? KONDRATY _(turning away his eyes and shrugging his shoulders)_ Ican't. SAVVA You are afraid? KONDRATY To tell the truth, I am. SAVVA You're no good, old chap. KONDRATY Perhaps not. You have a right to draw your own conclusions. _(Pause)_ SAVVA But what are you afraid of, you booby? The machine is not dangerous. It won't hurt you. All you have to do is to put it in the right place, set it off, and then you can go to the village to your mistresses. KONDRATY That's not the point. SAVVA What then? Are you afraid of being caught? But I told you, if anythingshould happen, I'll take the guilt on myself. Don't you believe me? KONDRATY Why, of course I believe you. SAVVA What then? Do you fear God? KONDRATY Yes, I do. SAVVA But you don't believe in God--you believe in the devil. KONDRATY Who knows? Maybe some day I'll suddenly discover that He does exist. In that case, Mr. Savva, I thank you, but I'd rather not. Why shouldI? I live a nice, quiet existence. Of course, it's all a humbug, an imposition. But what business is it of mine? The people want tobelieve--let them. It wasn't I who invented God. SAVVA Look here. You know I could have done it myself. All I need have donewas to take a bomb and throw it into the procession. That's all. But that would mean the killing of many people, which at the presentjuncture would serve no useful purpose. I therefore ask you to do it. If you refuse, then the blood will rest on you. You understand? KONDRATY Why on me? I am not going to throw the bomb. And then, what have I gotto do with them--I mean the people that get killed? What concern arethey of mine? There are plenty of people in the world. You can't killthem all, no matter how many bombs you throw. SAVVA Aren't you sorry for them? KONDRATY If I were to be sorry for everybody, I should have no sympathy leftfor myself. SAVVA That's right. You are a bright man. You have a good mind. I havealready told you so. And yet you hesitate. You are clever, and yet youare afraid to smash a piece of wood. KONDRATY If it is nothing but a piece of wood, then why go to so much troubleabout it? The point is, it is not a piece of wood, it is an image. SAVVA For me it is a piece of wood. For the people it is a sacred object. That is why I want to destroy it. Imagine how they'll open theirmouths and stare. Ah, brother, if you were not a coward, I would tellyou some things. KONDRATY Go ahead and talk. It's no sin to listen. I am not a coward either. Iam simply careful. SAVVA This would only be the beginning, brother. KONDRATY A good beginning, I won't deny it. And what will be the end? SAVVA The earth stripped naked, a _tabula rasa_, do you understand? And onthis naked earth, naked man, naked as his mother bore him. No breecheson him, no orders, no pockets, nothing. Imagine men without pockets. Queer, isn't it? Yes indeed, brother, the ikon is only the beginning. KONDRATY Oh, they'll make new ones. SAVVA But they won't be the same as before. And they'll never forget thismuch--that dynamite is mightier than their God, and that man ismightier than dynamite. Look at them; see them yonder praying andkneeling, not daring to raise their heads and look you straight in theface, mean slaves that they are! Then comes a real man, and smash goesthe whole humbug. Done for! KONDRATY Really! SAVVA And when a dozen of their idols have gone the same way, the slaveswill begin to understand that the kingdom of their God is at an end, and that the kingdom of man has come. Lots of them will drop fromsheer terror. Some will lose their wits, and others will throwthemselves into the fire. They'll say that Antichrist has come. Thinkof it, Kondraty! KONDRATY And aren't you sorry for them? SAVVA Sorry for them? Why, they built a prison for me, and I am to be sorryfor them. They put me in a torture chamber, and I am to be sorry forthem. Bah! KONDRATY Who are you to be above pity? SAVVA I? I am a man who have been born. And having been born, I began tolook about. I saw churches and penitentiaries. I saw universities andhouses of prostitution. I saw factories and picture galleries. I sawpalaces and filthy dens. I calculated the number of prisons there areto each gallery, and I resolved that the whole edifice must go, thewhole of it must be overturned, annihilated. And we are going to doit. Our day of reckoning has come. It is time. KONDRATY Who are "we"? SAVVA I, you Kondraty, and others. KONDRATY The people are stupid. They won't understand. SAVVA When the conflagration rages all around them, they will understand. Fire is a good teacher, old boy. Have you ever heard of Raphael? KONDRATY No, I haven't. SAVVA Well, when we are through with God, we'll go for fellows like him. There are lots of them--Titian, Shakespeare, Byron. We'll make a nicepile of the whole lot and pour oil over it. Then we'll burn theircities. KONDRATY Now, now you are joking. How is that possible? How can you burn thecities? SAVVA No, why should I be joking? All the cities. Look here, what are theircities? Graves, stone graves. And if you don't stop those fools, ifyou let them go on making more, they will cover the whole earth withstone, and then all will suffocate--all. KONDRATY The poor people will have a hard time of it. SAVVA All will be poor then. What is it that makes a man rich? His havinga house and money, and the fact that he has surrounded himself with afence. But when there are no houses, no money, and no fences-- KONDRATY That's so. And there won't be any legal papers either, no stocks, nobonds, no title-deeds. They will all have been burnt up. SAVVA No, there will be no legal papers. It's work then--you'll have to goto work even if you are a nobleman. KONDRATY _(laughing)_ It's funny. All will be naked as when coming out of a bath. SAVVA Are you a peasant, Kondraty? KONDRATY Yes, I am a peasant, sure enough. SAVVA I am a peasant also. We have nothing to lose, brother. We can't fareworse than we do now. KONDRATY How could it be worse? But a great many people will perish, Mr. Tropinin. SAVVA It makes no difference. There'll be enough left. It is thegood-for-nothings that will perish, the fools to whom this life islike a shell to a crab. Those who believe will perish, because theirfaith will be taken away from them. Those who love the old willperish, because everything will be taken away from them. The weak, the sick, those who love quietness. There will be no quietness in theworld, brother. There will remain only the free and the brave, thosewith young and eager souls and clear eyes that can embrace the wholeuniverse. KONDRATY Like yours? I am afraid of your eyes, Savva Yegorovich, especially inthe dark. SAVVA Yes, like mine. And emancipated from everything, naked, armed onlywith their reason, they will deliberate; discuss, talk things over, and build up a new life, a good life, Kondraty, where every man maybreathe freely. KONDRATY It's interesting. But men are sly creatures. Something of the oldwill be left over. They'll hide it, or try some other trick, and thenbehold! back they slide to the old again, everything just as it was, just as of old. What then? SAVVA Just as of old? _(Gloomily)_ Then they will have to be wiped clean offthe face of the earth. Let there be no living human being on earth. Enough of it! KONDRATY _(shaking his head)_ But-- SAVVA _(putting his hand on his shoulder)_ Believe me, monk, I have been in many cities and in many lands, Nowhere did I see a free man. I saw only slaves. I saw the cages inwhich they live, the beds on which they are born and die; I saw theirhatreds and their loves, their sins and their good works. And I sawalso their amusements, their pitiful attempts to bring dead joy backto life again. And everything that I saw bore the stamp of stupidityand unreason. He that is born wise turns stupid in their midst; hethat is born cheerful hangs himself from boredom and sticks out histongue at them. Amidst the flowers of the beautiful earth--you haveno idea how beautiful the earth is, monk--they have erected insaneasylums. And what are they doing with their children? I have neveryet seen parents that do not deserve capital punishment; first becausethey begot children, and secondly because, having begot them, they didnot immediately commit suicide. KONDRATY Good heavens, how you talk! Hearing you, one hardly knows what tothink. SAVVA And how they lie, how they lie, monk! They don't kill the truth--no, they kick her and bruise her daily, and smear her clean face withtheir dirt and filth so that no one may recognize her, so that thechildren may not love her, and so that she may have no refuge. In allthe world--yes, monk, in all the world--there is no place for truth. _(Sinks into meditation. Pause)_ KONDRATY Is there no other way--without fire? It's terrible, Savva Yegorovich. Consider what it means! It's the end of the world. SAVVA No, it can't be helped, partner. It must be. The end of the world mustcome too. They were treated with medicine, and it did no good. Theywere treated with iron, and it did no good. Now they must be treatedwith fire--fire! _[Pause. Lightning flashes. The thunder has ceased. Somewhere outsidea watchman can be heard striking his iron rod. _ KONDRATY And there'll be no drinkshops either? SAVVA _(pensively)_ No, nothing. KONDRATY They'll start drinkshops again all right. Can't get along withoutthem, you know. _(A prolonged pause)_ Ye-es. What are you thinkingabout, Savva Yegorovich? SAVVA Nothing. _(Draws a light breath, cheerfully)_ Well, Kondraty, shall webegin? KONDRATY _(swaying his head to and fro)_ It's a mighty hard problem you have put up to me. It's a poser. SAVVA Never mind, don't get shaky now. You are a sensible man; you knowit can't be helped; there is nothing else to do. Would I be doing itmyself, if it were not necessary? You can see that, can't you? KONDRATY _(heaving a sigh)_ Ye-es, hm! Why, Mr. Tropinin--why, my dear fellow--don't I know, don'tI understand it all? It's a rotten, cursed life! Ah, Mr. Savva, Mr. Savva--look here. If I were to tell anyone that I am a good man, they'd laugh and say: "What are you lying for, you drunkard?" Kondratya good man! It sounds like a joke even to myself. And yet I swear toyou, by God, I am a good man! I don't know how it happened the way itdid, why I am what I am now. I lived and lived, and suddenly! How itcame about, what the reason of it is, I don't know. SAVVA And you are still afraid? KONDRATY What am I now? I am neither a candle for God nor a poker for thedevil. Sometimes when I think matters over--ah, Mr. Savva, doyou think I have no conscience? Don't I understand? I understandeverything but--I am not really afraid of the devil either. I am justplaying the fool. The devil--nonsense! If you were in the place ofus in there, you would understand. Not long ago, when I was drunk, Icried: "Get out, devil--out of my way--am a desperate man!" I don'tcare for anything. I don't care if I die. I am ready. You have workedat me, Mr. Savva, until I have grown quite soft. _(Wipes his eyes withhis sleeves)_ SAVVA Why should you die? I don't want to die either. We are going to livefor some time to come, we are. How old are you? KONDRATY Forty-two. SAVVA Just the right age. KONDRATY I am sorry for the ikon. They say it appeared miraculously in theriver, and that's how it came to be here. SAVVA Nonsense. Don't waste your feelings. It's supposed to be awonder-working ikon and hasn't one miracle to its credit. Why, itmakes one feel like a fool just to say it. KONDRATY They say it has been replaced by the devil, so that it isn't the realone. SAVVA So much the better. And yet you crack your heads in front of it andfool the people about it. There is no use wasting words, my friend. It's agreed then. KONDRATY You have to go now. The gate will soon be closed. And all of asudden-- SAVVA What "all of a sudden"? KONDRATY And all of a sudden I'll be going to the ikon, and it will strike medown with lightning and thunder. Won't it? SAVVA _(laughing)_ Don't be afraid. It won't strike you. That's what everybody thinks. They are all afraid they'll be struck by lightning and thunder. But itwon't happen. Believe me, a man may blow up the ikon and no lightningwill strike him. Do you need money? KONDRATY Have you got any? SAVVA I have. KONDRATY _(suspiciously)_ Where did you get it? SAVVA What business is that of yours? Suppose I killed a rich man, or cutsomebody's throat--are you going to report me to the police? KONDRATY _(reassured)_ What are you thinking of, Savva Yegorovich? That's your concern. As toyour offer, of course, money always comes in handy. It will enable meto leave the monastery. I'll tell you in confidence, I have long beennursing a scheme--it's my dream--to settle somewhere along the roadand start an inn. I like company. I am a talkative chap myself. I knowI'll succeed. It doesn't hurt a host to have a drink now and then. Theguests like it. With a jolly host you'll spend every penny you have, and your pants besides, and you won't notice it. I know by personalexperience. SAVVA Why not? You can start an inn if you want to. KONDRATY And besides, I am still in the full vigor of manhood. Instead ofsinning here, I'd rather get legally married. SAVVA Don't forget to invite me to the wedding. I'll act as your godfather. KONDRATY You are too young. As to the money--when shall it be, before or after? SAVVA Judas got his before. KONDRATY _(offended)_ There now, when you should be doing your best to persuade me, you callme Judas. It isn't pleasant. The idea of calling a living man Judas! SAVVA Judas was a fool. He hanged himself. You are going to start an inn. KONDRATY Again? If that's what you think of me-- SAVVA _(slapping his shoulders)_ Well, well, uncle, don't you see I'm joking? Judas betrayed a man, andyou are not going to betray anything but lumber. Is that right, oldman? _Speransky and Tony appear, the latter walking very unsteadily. _ KONDRATY There--brought by the devil! With us carrying on this kind ofconversation, and they-- SAVVA It's agreed then? KONDRATY Oh, you're too much for me. SPERANSKY _(bowing)_ Good evening once more, Mr. Savva Tropinin. Mr. Anthony and myselfhave just been at the other end, in the cemetery. A woman was buriedthere to-day, so we wanted to have a look. SAVVA To see if she hadn't crawled out of her grave? What are you dragginghim along with you for? Tony, go to bed, you can't stand on your feet. TONY I won't go. SPERANSKY Tony is very excited to-day. He sees all kinds of faces. SAVVA Funny faces? TONY Yes, funny. What else can you expect? _(Sadly)_ Your face, Savva, isvery, very funny. SAVVA All right, go along with you! Take him home. What are you dragging himabout with you for? SPERANSKY Good-bye. Come along, Mr. Anthony. _[Speransky goes out. Tony follows him, looking back at Savva, andstumbling as he goes along. They disappear in the dark. _ KONDRATY It's time for us also to be going. Have you got that money at hand? SAVVA Yes, I have. Now listen. Sunday is the feast-day. You are to take themachine Saturday morning and plant it at night at half past eleven, four days from now. I'll show you how to do it and everything elsethat's necessary. Four days more. I am sick of staying in this place. KONDRATY And suppose I betray you? SAVVA _(darkly)_ Then I'd kill you. KONDRATY Good heavens! SAVVA Now I am going to kill you if you merely try to back out. You know toomuch, brother. KONDRATY You are joking. SAVVA Maybe I am joking. I am such a jolly fellow. I like to laugh. KONDRATY When you first came here, you were gay. Tell me, Mr. Savva _(lookingaround cautiously)_, did you ever kill a man, a real live man? SAVVA I did. I cut the throat of that rich business man I told you about. KONDRATY _(waving his hand)_ Now I see that you are joking. Well, good-bye, I am going. Don't youhang around here either. The gate will soon be closed. Oh, my--I amnever afraid--but just as soon as I begin to think of the hall, it'sawful. There are shadows there now. Good night. SAVVA Good night. _[Kondraty disappears in the dark. Lightning. Savva remains leaningon the railing to stare at the white tombstones that are momentarilyrevealed by the flashes of lightning. _ SAVVA _(to the graves)_ Well, you dead ones, are you going to turn over in your graves or not?For some reason I don't feel very cheerful--oh, ye dead--I don't feelthe least bit cheerful. _(Lightning)_ CURTAIN THE THIRD ACT _A festively decorated room with three windows to the street. Onewindow is open, but the curtain is drawn. An open door, painted dark, leads into the room seen in the first act. It is night and dark. Through the windows can be heard the continuoustramp of the pilgrims on their way to the monastery for the next day'scelebration. Some are barefoot; some wear boots or bast shoes. Theirsteps are quick and eager, or slow and weary. They walk singly or ingroups of two or three, the majority in silence, though now and thensuppressed, indistinct talking may be heard. Starting from somewherefar off to the left, the sound of the footsteps and the talking, muffled at first, approaches and grows louder, until at times it seemsto fill the whole room. Then it dies away in the distance again. The impression is that of some tremendous movement, elemental andirrepressible. At the table, lighted only by a flickering stump of a tallow candle, sit Speransky and Tony. The latter is very drunk. Cucumbers, herring, and bottles of whiskey are on the table. The rest of the room isentirely dark. Occasionally the wind blows the white curtain at thewindow and sets the candle flame tossing. Tony and Speransky talk in whispers. A prolonged pause follows therise of the curtain. _ TONY _(bending over to Speransky, mysteriously)_ So you say it is possible we do not exist, eh? SPERANSKY _(in the same manner)_ As I have already stated, it is doubtful, extremely doubtful. There isvery good reason to suppose that we really do not exist--that we don'texist at all. TONY And you are not, and I am not. SPERANSKY And you are not, and I am not. No one is. _(Pause)_ TONY _(looking around, mysteriously)_ Where are we then? SPERANSKY We? TONY Yes, we. SPERANSKY That's something no one can tell. No one knows, Anthony. TONY No one? SPERANSKY No one. TONY _(glancing around)_ Doesn't Savva know? SPERANSKY No, Savva doesn't know either. TONY Savva knows everything. SPERANSKY But even he doesn't know that. TONY _(threatening with his finger)_ Keep still, keep still! _(Both look around and are silent)_ TONY _(mysteriously)_ Where are they going, eh? SPERANSKY To the elevation of the ikon. To-morrow is a feast-day--the day ofraising the ikon. TONY No, I mean where are they really going--really--don't you understand? SPERANSKY I do. It isn't known. No one knows, Anthony. TONY Hush! _(Makes a funny grimace, closes his mouth with his hand andleans on it)_ SPERANSKY _(in a whisper)_ What's the matter? TONY Keep quiet, keep quiet. Listen. _(Both are listening)_ TONY _(in whisper)_ Those are faces. SPERANSKY Yes? TONY It's faces that are going. A lot of faces--can't you see them? SPERANSKY _(staring)_ No, I can't. TONY But I can. There they are, laughing. Why aren't you laughing, eh? SPERANSKY I feel very despondent. TONY Laugh. You must laugh. Everybody is laughing. Hush, hush! _(Pause)_Listen, nobody exists, nobody--do you understand? There is no God, there is no man, there are no animals. Here is the table--it doesn'texist. Here is the candle--it doesn't exist. The only things thatexist are faces--you understand? Keep quiet, keep quiet. I am verymuch afraid. SPERANSKY What are you afraid of? TONY _(bending near to Speransky)_ That I'll die of laughter. SPERANSKY Really? TONY _(shaking his head affirmatively)_ Yes, that I'll die of laughter. I am afraid that some day I'll catchsight of a face which will send me off roaring with laughter; and I'llroar and roar until I die. Keep quiet. I know. SPERANSKY You never laugh TONY I am always laughing, but you don't see it. It's nothing. The onlything I am afraid is that I'll die. I'll come across a face one ofthese days which will start me off in a fit of laughter, and I'lllaugh and laugh and laugh and won't be able to stop. Yes, it's coming, it's coming. _(Wipes his chest and neck)_ SPERANSKY The dead know everything. TONY _(mysteriously, with awe)_ I am afraid of Savva's face. It's a very funny face. One could dielaughing over it. The point is that you can't stop laughing--that'sthe principal thing. You laugh and laugh and laugh. Is there nobodyhere? SPERANSKY Apparently no. TONY Keep quiet, keep quiet, I know. Keep quiet. _(Pause; the tramp of thepilgrim's footsteps grows louder, as if they were walking in the veryroom itself)_ Are they going? SPERANSKY Yes, they are going. _(Pause)_ TONY I like you. Sing me that song of yours. I'll listen. SPERANSKY With your permission, Anthony. _(Sings in an undertone, almost in awhisper, a dismal, long-drawn-out tune somewhat resembling a litany)_ Life's a sham, 'tis false, untrue, Death alone is true, aye, true. _(With increasing caution and pedantry, shaking his finger as ifimparting a secret)_ All things tumble, vanish, break, Death is sure to overtake Outcast, tramp, and tiniest fly Unperceived by naked eye. TONY What? SPERANSKY Unperceived by naked eye, Wheedling, coaxing, courting, wooing, Death weds all to their undoing And the myth of life is ended. That's all, Anthony. TONY Keep still, keep still. You have sung your song--now keep quiet. _[Lipa enters, opens the window, removes the flowers, and looks outinto the street. Then she lights the lamp. _ TONY Who is it? Is that you, Lipa? Lipa, eh, Lipa, where are they going? LIPA They are coming here for the feast-day. You had better go to bed, Tony, or father will see you and scold you. SPERANSKY Big crowds, aren't they? LIPA Yes. But it's so dark, you can't see. Why are you so pale, Mr. Speransky? It is positively painful to look at you. SPERANSKY That's how I feel, Miss Lipa. _[A cautious knock is heard at the window. _ LIPA _(opening the window)_ Who is there? TONY _(to Speransky)_ Keep quiet, keep quiet. KING FRIAR _(thrusting his smiling face through the window)_ Is SavvaYegorovich in? I wanted to ask him to come with me to the woods. LIPA No. Aren't you ashamed of yourself, Vassya? To-morrow is a bigfeast-day in your monastery and you-- YOUNG FRIAR _(smiling)_ There are plenty of people in the monastery without me. Please tellMr. Savva that I have gone to the ravine to catch fireflies. Ask himto call out: "Ho, ho!" LIPA What do you want fireflies for? YOUNG FRIAR Why, to scare the monks with. I'll put two fireflies next to eachother like eyes, and they'll think it's, the devil. Tell him, please, to call: "Ho, ho, ho!" _(He disappears in the darkness)_ LIPA _(shouting after him)_ He can't come to-day. _(To Speransky)_ Gone already--ran off. SPERANSKY They buried three in the cemetery to-day, Miss Olympiada. LIPA Have you seen Savva? SPERANSKY No, I am sorry to say I haven't. I say, they buried three peopleto-day. One old man--perhaps you knew him--Peter Khvorostov? LIPA Yes, I knew him. So he's dead? SPERANSKY Yes, and two children. The women wept a great deal. LIPA What did they die of? SPERANSKY I am sorry, but I don't know. It didn't interest me. Some children'sdisease, I suppose. When children die, Miss Olympiada, they turn allblue and look as if they wanted to cry. The faces of grown people aretranquil, but children's faces are not. Why is that so? LIPA I don't know--I've never noticed it. SPERANSKY It's a very interesting phenomenon. LIPA There's father now. I told you to go to bed. Now I've got to listen toyour brawling. I'll get out. _(Exit. Enter Yegor Tropinin)_ YEGOR Who lighted the lamp? SPERANSKY Good evening, Mr. Tropinin. YEGOR Good evening. Who lighted the lamp? SPERANSKY Miss Olympiada. YEGOR _(blowing it out)_ Learned it from Savva. _(To Tony)_ And you, what's the matter withyou? How long, how long, for Christ's sake? How long am I to stand allthis from you, you good-for-nothing loafers? Eh? Where did you get thewhiskey, eh? TONY At the bar. YEGOR It wasn't put there for you, was it? TONY You have a very funny face, father. YEGOR Give me the whiskey. TONY I won't. YEGOR Give here! TONY I won't. YEGOR _(slaps his face)_ Give it to me, I say. TONY _(falls on the sofa, still holding on to the bottle)_ I won't. YEGOR _(sitting down, calmly)_ All right, swill until you bust, devil. What was I saying? That foolput it out of my head. Oh yes, the pilgrims are going, it strong thistime. It's been a bad year for the crops. That's another reason, Isuppose. There's no grub, they have nothing to eat, and so they'llpray. If God listened to every fool's prayer, we'd have a fine time ofit. If he listened to every fool, what chance would the wise man have?A fool remains a fool. That's why he is called a fool. SPERANSKY That's correct. YEGOR I should say it is correct. Father Parfeny is a smart man. Heflim-flams them all right. He put up a new coffin--did you hear that?The old one has all been eaten away by the pilgrims, so he put a newone into its place. It was old, so he put a new one instead. They'lleat that one away. No matter what you give them--Tony, are youdrinking again? TONY I am. YEGOR I am! I am! I'll hand you out another one in a moment and we'll seewhat you say then. _[Enter Savva, looking very gay and lively. He stoops less than usual, talks rapidly, and looks sharp and straight, but his gaze does notrest long on the same person or object. _ SAVVA Ah, the philosophers! Father! A worthy assemblage. Why do you keepit so dark here, like some hell-hole with a lot of rats in it? Aphilosopher has to have light. The dark is good only for going throughpeople's pockets. Where is the lamp? Oh, here it is. _(He lights thelamp)_ YEGOR _(ironically)_ Perhaps you'll open the windows too? SAVVA Quite right. I'll open the windows also. _(Opens them)_ My, how theykeep pouring in! SPERANSKY A whole army. SAVVA And all of them will die in time and acquire peace. And then they'llknow the truth, for it never comes except in the society of worms. Have I got the essence of your optimistic philosophy down right, mythin, lean friend? SPERANSKY _(with a sigh)_ You are always joking. SAVVA. And you are always moping. Look here now. What with the poor, scantyfare the deacon's wife doles out to you and your constant grieving, you will soon die, and then your face will assume an expression ofperfect peace. A peaked nose, and all around, stretching in everydirection, a vast expanse of peace. Can't you get some comfort outof that? Isn't it a consolation to you? Think of it, a tiny island ofnose lapped in an ocean of peace. SPERANSKY _(dejectedly)_ You are still joking. SAVVA The idea! Who would joke about death? No, when you die, I'll followyour funeral and proclaim to all: "Behold, here is a man who has cometo know the truth. " Oh no, I'll rather hang you up as a banner oftruth. And, the more your skin and flesh decompose and crumble, themore will the truth come out. It will be a most instructive objectlesson, highly educative. Tony, why are you staring at me? TONY _(sadly)_ You have a very funny face. YEGOR What are they talking about? SAVVA Father, what's the matter with your face? Have you sooted it? It looksas black as Satan's. YEGOR _(quickly putting his hand to his face)_ Where? SPERANSKY They are just making fun. There is nothing on your face, Mr. Tropinin. YEGOR The fool! Satan? You are Satan yourself, God forgive me! SAVVA _(making a terrible face and holding up his fingers in the shapeof horns)_ I am the devil. YEGOR By God, you are the very devil himself! SAVVA _(glancing round the room)_ Isn't the devil going to get any dinner to-day? I have had all I wantof sinners. I am surfeited with them. I should like to have somethingmore appetizing now. YEGOR Where were you knocking about at the regular dinner hour? You'll haveto do without dinner now. SAVVA I was with the children, father, with the children. They told mestories. They tell stories splendidly, and they were all about devils, witches, and the dead--your specialty, philosopher. They trembled withfear as they told them. That's why we stayed so long. They were afraidto go home. Misha was the only one who wasn't scared. He is a brick. He's afraid of nothing. SPERANSKY _(indifferently)_ What of it? He'll die too. SAVVA My dear sir, don't be so funereal. You are like an undertakers' trust. Don't be forever croaking: "Die, die, die. " Here, take my father, for instance. He'll soon die; but look at his face, how pleasant andcheerful it is. YEGOR Satan! You're the devil incarnate! SPERANSKY But since we don't know-- SAVVA My good friend, life is such an interesting business. Youunderstand--life. Come, let's have a game of jackstones to-morrow. I'll provide the jacks, first-class jacks. _(Enter Lipa, unnoticed)_And then you should take gymnastic exercises. I mean it seriously. Seehow sunken your chest is. You'll choke of consumption in a year or so. The deaconess will be glad, but it will create consternation amongthe dead. Seriously now. I have taken gymnastic exercises. Look. _(Helifts a heavy chair easily by the leg)_ There, you see! LIPA _(laughing aloud)_ Ha, ha, ha! SAVVA _(putting the chair down, with a touch of embarrassment)_ What's the matter? I didn't know you were here. LIPA You, ought to join the circus as an acrobat. SAVVA _(glumly)_ Don't talk nonsense. LIPA Are you offended? SAVVA _(suddenly bursting into a good-natured, merry laugh)_ Oh, atrifle! All right, the circus, why not? We'll both join it, Speranskyand I. Not as acrobats though, but as clowns. How about it? Can youswallow hot junk? No? Well, I'll teach you. As for you, Lipa, won'tyou please let me have something to eat? I haven't had anything sincethis morning. YEGOR A regular Satan, a regular Satan! Hasn't had anything to eat! Who hasever heard of eating at this hour of the night? Who has ever seen sucha thing? SAVVA I'll give you a chance to see it now. It's very interesting. Wait, I'll teach you also how to swallow hot junk. I'll make you an expert. You'll be a wonder. YEGOR Me? Fool, you can't teach me anything any more. Tony, give me thewhiskey. TONY I won't. YEGOR The devil take you all! Brought up and fed a lot of--_(Exit)_ LIPA _(handing him milk and dark bread)_ You seem to be happy to-night? SAVVA Yes, I am, and you are happy too. LIPA _(laughing)_ I am. SAVVA And I am happy. _(He drinks the milk with avidity; the footsteps inthe street grow louder, filing the room with their sound, and then dieaway again)_ What a treading and a tramping! LIPA _(looking out of the window)_ The weather will be fine to-morrow. As long as I can remember the sunhas always been shining brightly that way. SAVVA Hm, yes. That's good. LIPA And when they carry the ikon, it sparkles all over with the preciousstones like fire. Only His face remains gloomy. All the gems don'tgive him any pleasure. He is sad and gloomy like the people's woe. SAVVA _(coolly)_ Hm, yes. Is that so? LIPA Just think how many tears have fallen upon Him, how many sighs andgroans He has heard! That alone is enough to make the ikon holy forall who love and sympathize with the people and understand their soul. Why, they have nobody except Christ, all those unfortunate, miserablepeople. When I was a little girl, I was always waiting for a miracle-- SAVVA It would be interesting. LIPA But now I understand that He Himself is waiting for a miracle fromthe people. He is waiting for the people to stop fighting, hating, anddestroying each other. SAVVA Well, what of it? LIPA _(fixing her gaze upon him)_ Nothing. To-morrow you'll see for yourself when they carry Him in theprocession. You'll see what effect the mere consciousness that He isthere with them has upon them, how it transforms them, what it doesto them. The whole year round they live a dog's life, in filth, quarrelling with each other, suffering. On that day all the uglinessseems to vanish. It is an awful and a joyous day when suddenly youcast away from yourself all that is superfluous and when you feel soclearly your nearness to all the unfortunates that are and ever were, and your nearness to God. SAVVA _(abruptly)_ What time is it? SPERANSKY The clock has just struck a quarter past eleven, if I am not mistaken. LIPA It's still early. SAVVA Early for what? LIPA Nothing. It's still early, that's all. SAVVA _(suspiciously)_ What do you mean? LIPA _(defiantly)_ What I mean. SAVVA Why did you say it's still early? LIPA _(paling)_ Because it's only a little after eleven; but when it's twelve-- SAVVA _(jumping up and going to her quickly; fixing her with hisstare, he speaks slowly, pronouncing every word separately anddistinctly)_ So? Is that it? When it's twelve--_(He turns to Speranskywithout removing his eyes from Lipa)_ Listen, you go home. LIPA _(frightened)_ No, stay, Mr. Speransky. Please stay, I beg you. SAVVA If you don't go at once, I'll throw you out of the window. Well? SPERANSKY Excuse me, I never had the faintest idea--I was here with Mr. AnthonyTropinin. I am going instantly. Where is my hat? I put it heresomewhere-- SAVVA There's your hat. _(Throws it to him)_ LIPA _(feebly)_ Stay here awhile longer, Mr. Speransky. Sit down. SPERANSKY No, it's late. I must go to bed. Good night, Miss Olympiada. Goodnight, Mr. Tropinin. Your brother is asleep already, I believe. Youought to take him to bed. I'm going, I'm going. _(Exit)_ SAVVA _(speaking in a quiet, calm tone; his movements are heavy andslow, as if his body had suddenly stiffened)_ You know it? LIPA I do. SAVVA You know all? LIPA All. SAVVA Did the monk tell you? LIPA He did. SAVVA Well? LIPA _(drawing back a little, and raising her hand forprotection)_-Well, nothing will happen. There'll be no blowing up. Youunderstand, Savva, there'll be no explosion. _[Pause. Footsteps are heard in the street, and indistinct talking. Savva turns around. Stooping more than usually, he takes a turn aroundthe room with peculiar slowness. _ SAVVA Well? LIPA Then you had better believe me, brother. Believe me. SAVVA Yes? LIPA Why that was--I don't know what it was--it was a piece of madness. Think it over. SAVVA Is it really true? LIPA Yes, it's true. It's all over. You can't help it any more. There isnothing for you to do. SAVVA Tell me how it happened. _(Sits down deliberately, his eyes fixed onLipa)_ LIPA I guessed a little something long ago--that day when you spoke tome--only I didn't know exactly what it was. And I saw the littlemachine too. I have another key to the trunk. SAVVA Evidently you have been cut out for a spy. Go on! LIPA I am not afraid of insults. SAVVA Never mind, never mind--go on. LIPA Then I saw that you had frequent talks with that fellow--Kondraty. Yesterday I looked in the trunk again, and the machine wasn't there. So I understood. SAVVA You say you have another key? LIPA Yes. The trunk is mine, you know. Well, and to-day-- SAVVA When to-day? LIPA Toward evening--I couldn't find Kondraty anywhere--I told him that Iknew all. He got very much frightened and told me the rest. SAVVA A worthy pair--spy and traitor. LIPA If you are going to insult me, I won't say another word. SAVVA Never mind, never mind--go on. LIPA He was going to tell the Father Superior, but I didn't let him. Ididn't want to ruin you. SAVVA No? LIPA When it was, all over, I understood what a crazy scheme it was--socrazy that I simply can't think of it as real. It must have been anightmare. It's quite impossible. And I began to feel sorry for you-- SAVVA Yes. LIPA I am sorry for you now too. _(With tears)_ Savva, darling, you are mybrother. I have rocked your cradle. My dear angel, what idea is thisyou have got into your mind? Why, it's terrible--it's madness. Iunderstand how hard it must be for you to see how people live, and soyou have resolved on a desperate deed. You have always been good andkind, and so I can understand you. Don't you think it's hard for me tosee this life? Don't you think I suffer myself? Give me your hand. SAVVA _(pushing her hand away)_ He told you he would go to the Superior? LIPA But I didn't let him. SAVVA Has he got the machine? LIPA He'll give it back to you to-morrow. He was afraid to give it to me. Savva dear, don't look at me like that. I know it's unpleasant foryou, but you have a lot of common sense. You can't help seeing thatwhat you wanted to do was an absurdity, a piece of lunacy, a vagarythat can come to one only in one's dreams at night. Don't I understandthat life is hard? Am I not suffering from it myself? I understandeven your comrades, the anarchists. It's not right to kill anybody;but still I understand them. They kill the bad. SAVVA They are not my comrades. I have no comrades. LIPA Aren't you an anarchist? SAVVA No. LIPA What are you then? TONY _(raising his head)_ They are going, they are going. Do you hear? SAVVA _(quietly, but ominously)_ They are going. LIPA There, you see. Who is going? Think of it. It's human misery that'sgoing. And you wanted to take away from them their last hope, theirlast consolation. And to what purpose? In the name of what? In thename of some wild, ghastly dream about a "naked earth. " _(Peers withterror into the darkness of the room)_ A naked earth! It's terribleto think of it. A naked earth! How could a man, a human being, everconceive such an idea? A naked earth! Nothing, nothing! Everythinglaid bare, everything annihilated. Everything that people worked forthrough all the years; everything they have created with so much toil, with so much pain. Unhappy people! There is among you a man who saysthat all this must be burned, must be consumed with fire. SAVVA You remember my words to perfection. LIPA You awakened me, Savva. When you told me all that, my eyes weresuddenly opened, and I began to love everything. Do you understand? Ibegan to love it all. These walls--formerly I didn't notice them;now I am sorry for them--so sorry, I could cry. And the books andeverything--each brick, each piece of wood to which man has appliedhis labor. Let's admit that it's poor stuff. Who says it's good? Butthat's why I love it--for its defects, its imperfections, its crookedlines, its unfulfilled hopes. For the labor and the tears. And all whohear you talking, Savva, will feel as I do, and will begin to love allthat is old and dear and human. SAVVA I have nothing to do with you. LIPA Nothing to do with us? With whom then have you to do? No, Savva, youdon't love anyone. You love only yourself and your dreams. He wholoves men will not take away from them all they have. He will notregard his own wishes more than their lives. Destroy everything!Destroy Golgotha! Consider: _(with terror)_ destroy Golgotha! Thebrightest, the most glorious hope that ever was on earth! All right, you don't believe in Christ. But if you have a single drop of nobilityin your nature, you must respect and honor His noble memory. He wasalso unhappy. He was crucified--crucified, Savva. You are silent? Haveyou nothing to say? SAVVA Nothing. LIPA I thought--I thought--if you succeeded in carrying out your plot--Ithought I'd kill you--that I'd poison you like some noxious beast. SAVVA And if I don't succeed-- LIPA You are still hoping? SAVVA And if I don't succeed, I'll kill you. LIPA _(advancing a step toward him)_ Kill me! Kill me! Give me a chance to suffer for the sake of Christ. For the sake of Christ and for the sake of the people. SAVVA Yes. I'll kill you. LIPA Do you suppose I didn't think of it? Do you suppose I didn't think ofit? Oh, Lord, to suffer for Thee! Is there higher happiness than that? SAVVA _(with a contemptuous gesture, pointing at Lipa)_ And that's a human being! That's one counted among the best! That'sthe kind in which they take pride! Ah me, how poor you are in goodpeople! LIPA Insult! Mock! That's the way it has always been. They have alwaysheaped insults upon us before they killed us. SAVVA No, I don't mean to insult you. How can I insult you? You are simplya silly woman. There have been many such in the past. There are manysuch to-day. You are simply a foolish, insignificant creature. You areeven innocent, like all insignificant persons. And if I mean to killyou, there is no reason to be proud of it. Don't think you are anobject specially worthy of my indignation. No, it would merely makematters a little easier for me. When I was chopping wood, and the axein my raised arm struck the threshold instead of the log of wood, thejar was not so hard as if someone had arrested the motion of my arm. Araised hand must fall on something. LIPA And to think that this beast is my brother! SAVVA Whose cradle you rocked and whose diapers you changed. Yes. But to meit doesn't seem in the least strange that you are my sister, or thatthis bundle there is my brother. No, Tony! They are going. _(Tonyturns his head and stares stupidly without making any answer)_ And itdoesn't seem in the least strange to me that any insignificant chitand piece of nothingness calling itself my brother or my sister shouldgo to the chemist's and buy a nickel's worth of arsenic on finding outwho I am. You see, they have even attempted to poison me. The girl wholeft me tried to do it, but she lost her nerve. The point is that mysisters and brothers, among other things, have the characteristic ofbeing cowards. LIPA I would have done it. SAVVA I don't doubt it. You are a little hysterical, and hysterical peopleare determined, unless they happen to burst into tears first. LIPA I hysterical? All right, have it your way, have it your way. And whoare you, Savva? SAVVA That doesn't interest me. LIPA They are going, they are going. And they will find what they need. Andthat is the work of an hysterical woman. Do you hear how many of themthere are? And if they found out--if I were to open the windowthis minute and cry out: "This man here has tried to destroy yourChrist"--If you want it, I'll do it this instant. You need only sayso. Shall I? _(She takes a step toward the window in a frenzy of rage)_Shall I? SAVVA Yes, it's a good way of escaping the crown of thorns. Go ahead, shout. But look out, don't knock Tony down. LIPA _(turning back)_ I am sorry for you. You are beaten, and one doesn't like to kick aman who is down. But remember, remember, Savva, there are thousands, thousands of them coming in, and each one is your death! SAVVA _(smiling)_ The tramp of death. LIPA Remember that each one of these would consider himself happy inkilling you, in crushing you like a reptile. Each one of these is yourdeath. Why, they beat a simple thief to death, a horse thief. Whatwould they not do to you! You who wanted to steal their God. SAVVA Quite true. That's property too. LIPA You still have the brazenness to joke? Who gave you the right to dosuch a thing? Who gave you power over people? How dare you meddle withwhat to them is right? How dare you interfere with their life? SAVVA Who gave me the right? You gave it to me. Who gave me the power? Yougave it to me. And I will cling to it with grim determination. Tryto take it from me. You gave it to me--you with your malice, yourignorance, your stupidity! You with your wretched impotence! Right!Power! They have turned the earth into a sewer, an outrage, an abodeof slaves. They worry each other, they torture each other, and theyask: "Who dares to take us by the throat?" I! Do you understand? I!_(Rises)_ LIPA You are a mere man like everybody else. SAVVA I am the avenger! Behind me follow in pursuit all those whom youstifled and crushed. Ah, they have been pursuing their wicked trade inall quietness, thinking that no one would discover them--thinkingthat they would get away with it in the end. They have been lying, grovelling, and sneaking. They have been cringing and abusingthemselves before their altars and their impotent God, saying: "Thereis nothing to be afraid of--we are among ourselves. " Then comes a manwho says: "An accounting--I want an accounting! What have you done?Out with it. Give me an accounting. Go on now! Don't try to cheat, forI know you. I demand an account for each and every single item. Iwill not condone a single drop of blood, I will not absolve you from asingle tear. " LIPA But to destroy all. Think of it! SAVVA What could you do with them? What would _you_ do? Try to persuade theoxen to turn away from their bovine path? Catch each one by his hornsand pull him away? Would you put on a frock-coat and read a lecture?Haven't they had plenty to teach them? As if words and thoughts hadany significance to them! Thought--pure, unhappy thought! They haveperverted it. They have taught it to cheat and defraud. They have madeit a saleable commodity to be bought at auction in the market. No, sister, life is short and I am not going to waste it in argumentswith oxen. The way to deal with them is by fire. That's what theyrequire--fire! Let them remember long the day on which Savva Tropinincame to the earth! LIPA But what do you want? What do you want? SAVVA What do I want? To free the earth, to free mankind, to sweep thewhole two-legged, chattering tribe out of existence. Man--the man ofto-day--is wise. He has come to his senses. He is ripe for liberty. But the past eats away his soul like a canker. It imprisons him withinthe iron circle of things already accomplished, within the iron circleof facts. I want to demolish the facts--that's what I want todo: demolish all facts! To sweep away all the accumulatedrubbish--literature, art, God. They have perverted mankind. They haveimmortalized stupidity. I want to do away with everything behind man, so that there is nothing to see when he looks back. I want to take himby the scruff of his neck and turn his face toward the future. LIPA Look here, Savva. You are not immortal, and the two-legged animal hasarms also. SAVVA Do you think I don't know that every one of these stupid asses wouldbe glad to kill me? But it won't happen, it won't happen. The time hascome for my arrival, and I have arrived. Prepare yourselves. The timehas come. You little insignificant thing there--you thought that bystealing one little possibility away from me you could rob me of all?Oh no--I am as rich as ever. LIPA I am your sister, but oh! how glad I am that you are not immortal. SAVVA I see that you are a thoroughgoing anarchist. They too think that allis done if one man is killed. But if they kill me, hang me, break meon the wheel, there will come another purer than I. Where there's anitch, there is always somebody to scratch it! Yes, sister! If not I, then someone else, and _(clenching his fist)_ it will fare ill withyour world. LIPA You are a terrible man. I thought you would be crushed by yourfailure, but you are like Satan. The fall has only made you blacker. SAVVA Yes, Lipa, only a sparrow can fly straight up from the ground. Alarge bird must descend to adjust and spread its wings for its upwardflight. LIPA Aren't you sorry for the children? Think of the number of childrenthat will have to perish. SAVVA What children? Oh yes, Misha. _(Tenderly)_ Misha is a fine boy, that's true. When he grows up, he will show you no mercy. Yes, thechildren--You are beginning to be afraid of them, and you have goodreason for it. Never mind. It's true that I love children. _(Withpride)_ And they love me. But they don't care for you. LIPA I don't play jackstones with them. SAVVA How silly you are, sister. But I like to play with them. LIPA Then go ahead and play. SAVVA Well, I _will_ play. LIPA When you talk like that I have the feeling once more that it has allbeen a dream--all that we were saying just now. Is it really true thatyou want to kill me? SAVVA Yes, if it must be done. But perhaps it won't be necessary. LIPA You are joking! SAVVA Every one of you will have it that I am joking. You keep constantlytelling me so. You seem to have utterly lost the sense for what isserious. LIPA No, it's not a dream. They are going. SAVVA Yes, they are going. _(Both listen)_ LIPA You still seem to believe. What do you believe? SAVVA I believe in my destiny. _(The hour begins to strike in the belfry ofthe monastery)_ Twelve. LIPA _(counting)_ Seven--eight--and to think that this is the hour when it should havehappened--the very idea of it--_(A muffled report as of a powerfulexplosion is heard)_ What was that? SAVVA Yes, what was it? _[Both rush to the window, waking Tony, who moves his head sleepily. The tread of the footsteps in the street stops momentarily. Thenall begin to run. Frightened cries are heard, weeping, loud, abruptejaculations of "What's the matter?" "Oh, Lord!" "Fire, fire!" "No, something has fallen down!" "Let's run!" The word "monastery" isfrequently heard. _ TONY They are running! Where are they running to? Why is nobody here? PELAGUEYA _(entering the room, half dressed)_ Oh, Lord! Oh, heavens! Is it possible the monastery is on fire! Goodgracious! Heavens! And you here, you drunken sot! You monster! TONY Oho! They are running? Faces, mugs, eh? _[The bell begins to toll the alarm. Then the strokes follow eachother in more rapid succession; hasty, disquieting, uneven, they blendwith the noise of the street and seem to creep through the window. _ PELAGUEYA _(crying)_ Good God, I don't know where to turn. _[She runs out. The cries in the street grow louder. Someone yellsin one prolonged note "Oh-oh-oh!" until the sound is drowned in thegeneral noise, excitement, and ringing. _ LIPA _(moving away from the window, very pale, stupefied)_ What doesit mean? It cannot be. It is impossible. Tony, Tony, get up. Tony, brother, what does it mean? Tony! TONY _(reassuringly)_ It's nothing. They are all faces. SAVVA _(leaving the window, calm and stern, but also pale)_ Well, sister? LIPA _(flinging herself about the room)_ I want to run with the rest. I'll run. Where is my scarf? Where is myscarf? My God, My God! Where is my scarf? SAVVA Your scarf? There it is. But I won't give it to you. Sit down; youhave nothing to do there. LIPA Let me have it. SAVVA No, sit down, sit down. It's too late now anyway. LIPA Too late? SAVVA Yes, too late. Don't you hear the noise the crowd is making and theway they are running and pushing? LIPA I'll run, I'll run. SAVVA Keep still--sit down. _(Forces her to sit down)_ Tony, did you hear?They've exploded God. TONY _(looking at Savva's face in terror)_ Savva, don't make me laugh. Turn your face away. _[Savva smiles and walks around the room with buoyant step, withouthis usual stoop. _ LIPA _(faintly)_ Savva. SAVVA What is it? Speak louder. LIPA Is it, really true? SAVVA It's true. LIPA And doesn't He really exist? SAVVA He does not. _[Lipa begins to cry, at first low, then more and more loudly. Thesound of the ringing bells and the noise of the crowd continue toswell. The rolling and clatter of wagons is also heard. _ SAVVA They are running. My, how they are running! _(Lipa says something, buther words are inaudible)_ Louder. I can't hear you. My, how they areringing. LIPA _(aloud)_ Kill, me, Savva. SAVVA Why? You'll die anyhow. LIPA I can't wait. I'll kill myself. SAVVA Go ahead, kill yourself, kill yourself quick! _[Lipa cries, burying her head in the armchair Tony, his facedistorted with fear, looks at Savva, holding both his hands inreadiness at his mouth. Loud peals of the bell. The disquieting soundblends with the loud tone of Savva's speech. _ SAVVA _(shouting)_ Ah! They are ringing. Ring on! Ring on! Soon the whole earth willring. I hear! I hear! I see your cities burning! I see the flames. Ihear the crackling. I see the houses tumbling on your heads. Thereis no place to run to. No refuge! No refuge! Fire everywhere. Thechurches are burning. The factories are burning. The boilers arebursting. An end to all slavish toil! TONY _(trembling with fear)_ Savva, shut up, or I am going to laugh. SAVVA _(unheeding)_ The time has come! The time has come! Do you hear? The earth iscasting you out. There is no place for you on earth. No! He is coming!I see him! He is coming, the free man! He is being born in the flames!He himself is fire and resolution! An end to the earth of slaves! TONY Savva, shut up! SAVVA _(bending down to Tony)_ Be prepared! He is coming! Do you hear his tread? He is coming! He iscoming! CURTAIN THE FOURTH ACT _Near the monastery. A broad road crosses the stage obliquely. On thefar side of the road is the river, beyond which opens a wide prospectof the surrounding country--meadows, woods, and villages, with thecrosses of the churches burning in the sun. In the distance, at theright, where the mountain projects over a glistening bend of theriver, is seen a part of the walls and the towers of the monastery. Onthe near side of the road is a hilly elevation covered with trampledgrass. It is between five and six in the morning. The sun is out. Themist over the meadow is scattering slowly. Now and then a pilgrim or group of pilgrims may be seen hurrying byon their way to the monastery. Wagons carrying cripples and othermonstrosities pass along the road. The noise of thousands may beheard from the monastery. The crowd is evidently moved by some joyousemotion. No individual voices are heard, but it is as if one couldfeel the singing of the blind, the cries, and the quick, glad snatchesof conversation. The general effect is that of an elemental force. The noise decreases at regular intervals, like a wave, and then thesinging of the blind becomes distinctly audible. Lipa and the Young Friar appear on the near side of the road: Lipa issitting on the hillock, dressed as she was the night before, but herhead is covered with a white scarf carelessly tied. She is exhaustedwith joy and almost dropping off to sleep. The Friar stands nearher. On his face there is a troubled, vacant look. His movements areirresolute and aimless. He tries to smile, but his smile is twistedand pitiful. He is like a child who feels hurt without knowing thecause. _ LIPA _(untying her scarf)_ Heavens, but this is splendid! I should like to die here. I can't getenough of it. Oh, it's splendid, it's splendid! FRIAR _(looking around)_ Yes, it is splendid. But I can't stand it in there. I can't. They pushand jostle and press and jam. They crushed the life out of one woman, absolutely crushed her. She had a child with her. I couldn't look atit. I--I'll go to the woods. LIPA How splendid! Oh, Lord! FRIAR _(looking dejectedly into the distance)_ I'll go to the woods. LIPA And to think that only yesterday everything was just as usual. Therewas nothing of all this, no miracle, nothing. There was only Savva--Ican't believe it was yesterday. It seems to me a whole year haspassed, a century. Oh, Lord! FRIAR _(his face clouding)_ Why did he do it? Why? LIPA Can't you guess, Vassya? FRIAR _(waving his hand)_ I asked him to come to the woods with me. He should have come. LIPA Did he tell you anything? FRIAR _(waving his hand)_ He should have come. Yes, he should have come. LIPA Ah, Vassya, Vassya, on account of your woods you missed one of thegreatest events that ever happened--so great, in fact, that no manremembers the like of it. Ah, Vassya, how can you be speaking aboutanything else when right now, right here--right here--a miracle hashappened. Do you understand? A miracle! The very mention of it fillsone with awe. A miracle! Oh, God! Where were you, Vassya, when theexplosion occurred? In the woods? FRIAR Yes, in the woods. I didn't hear the explosion. I only heard theringing of the alarm bell. LIPA Well? FRIAR Nothing. I ran back and found the gate open and everybody crying likemad. And the ikon-- LIPA Well, well? Did you see? FRIAR Yes, it was in the same place as before. And all around--_(Growinganimated)_ You know the iron grating over there--you know it, don'tyou? It was twisted like a rope. It's funny to look at. It looks likesomething soft. I touched it, and it wasn't soft, of course. Whatpower! It must have been something tremendous. LIPA Well, and what about the ikon--the ikon? FRIAR What about it? Nothing. It's there in its place, and our people arepraying to it. LIPA Oh, Lord! And the glass is whole too? FRIAR The glass is whole too. LIPA That's what they told me, but I can't believe it yet. Forgive me, OLord! Well, what are they doing? They are overjoyed, I suppose. FRIAR Yes, they are overjoyed. They act as if they were drunk. You can'tmake out what they are saying. A miracle, a miracle. Father Kirillkeeps grunting like a pig "Oui, oui, oui. " They put cold compresses onhis head. He is fat, and he may pass out any moment. No, I can't standit here. Come, let us go. I'll take you home, Miss Olympiada. LIPA No, Vassya dear, I'll go in there. FRIAR Don't go, for heaven's sake. They'll crush you, as they did thatwoman. They are all like drunk. They are carrying on and shouting likemad, with their eyes wide open. Listen. Can't you hear them? LIPA You are still a boy, Vassya. You don't understand. Why, it's amiracle. All their lives these people have been waiting for a miracle. Perhaps they had already begun to despair, and now--O Lord! It'senough to make you mad with joy. Yesterday, when I heard the cry of "amiracle, " I thought: "No, it's impossible. How could it happen?" Butthen I saw them crying, crossing themselves, and going down on theirknees. And the ringing of the alarm bell stopped. FRIAR Oh, it was Afanassy who rang. He's terribly strong, a regular giant. LIPA And the only thing heard was "A miracle, a miracle!" No one spoke, andyet one kept hearing "A miracle, a miracle, " as if the whole earthhad become articulate. And even now, when I close my eyes, I hear"A miracle, a miracle!" _(She closes her eyes and listens with anecstatic smile)_ How splendid! FRIAR I am sorry for Mr. Savva. Listen to the noise they are making. LIPA Oh, don't talk about him. He'll have to answer to God. Are they goingto sing "Christ is arisen" instead of the usual hymn when they carrythe ikon in the procession to-day? Vassya, do you hear? I am askingyou a question. FRIAR Yes, they say that they are. Go home, Miss Olympiada, won't you? LIPA You can go, if you like. FRIAR But how can I leave you alone? They'll come tearing down here soon. For heaven's sake, there is Mr. Savva! _[Savva comes in hatless. His face is dark and stormy. There are linesunder his eyes. He looks sideways with a steady stare. Frequently heglances around and seems to be listening to something. His gait isheavy, but quick. Noticing Lipa and the Friar, he turns and walkstoward them. At his approach Lipa rises and turns away. _ SAVVA Have you seen Kondraty? FRIAR No, he is in the monastery. _[Savva remains standing in silence. The noise in the monastery hassubsided and the sad, pitiful singing of the blind is heard. _ FRIAR Mr. Savva. SAVVA Have you got a cigarette? FRIAR No, I don't smoke. _(Plaintively)_ Come to the woods, Mr. Savva. _(Savva remains immovable and silent)_ They'll kill you, Mr. Tropinin. Come to the woods--please come! _(Savva looks fixedly at him, thensilently turns and walks away)_ Mr. Tropinin, on my word you hadbetter come with me to the woods. LIPA Leave him alone. He is like Cain. He can't find a place on the earth. Everybody is rejoicing, and he-- FRIAR His face is black. I am sorry for him. LIPA He is black all through. You had better keep away from him, Vassya. You don't know whom you are pitying. You are too young. I am hissister. I love him, but if he is killed, it will be a benefit to thewhole world. You don't know what he wanted to do. The very thought ofit is terrible. He is a madman, Vassya, a fearful lunatic. Or else heis--I don't know what. FRIAR _(waving his hand)_ You needn't tell me all that. I know. Of course I know. Don't I see?But I am sorry for him all the same, and I am disgusted too. Why didhe do it? Why? What stupid things people will do! Oh, my! LIPA I have only one hope--that he has understood at last. But if-- FRIAR Well, what's the "if"? LIPA Oh, nothing, but--When he came here, it was as if a cloud had passedacross the sun. FRIAR There you go also! You should be happy--Why don't you rejoice? Don'tbe "iffing" and "butting. " _[A crowd begins to collect gradually. Two wagons with cripples stopon the road. A paralytic has been sitting for some time under a tree, crying and blowing his nose and wiping it with his sleeve. A Man inPeasant Overcoat appears from the direction of the monastery. _ MAN IN OVERCOAT _(officiously)_ We must get the cripples over to Him, to the ikon--we must get themover there. What's the matter, women, are you asleep? Come on, movealong. You'll get your rest over there. What's the matter with you, gran'pa? Why aren't you moving along? You ought to be there with yourlegs. Go on, old man, go on. PARALYTIC _(crying)_ I can't walk. MAN IN OVERCOAT _(fussily)_ Oh, that's it? That's what's the matter with you, eh? Come, I'll giveyou a lift. Get up. PARALYTIC I can't. PASSER-BY Won't his legs work? What you want to do is to put him on his feet, and then he'll hop away by himself. Isn't that right, old man? MAN IN OVERCOAT You take hold of him on that side, and I'll take this one. Well, oldman, get a move on you. You won't have to suffer long now. PASSER-BY There he goes hop, hop. That's right. Go it, go it, old man, and youwon't get left. _(He goes away)_ FRIAR _(smiling happily)_ They started him going all right. Clever, isn't it? He is gallopingaway at a great rate too. Good-bye, old gran'pa. LIPA _(crying)_ Lord! Lord! FRIAR _(pained)_ What's the matter? Don't cry, for pity's sake. What are you cryingfor? There is no cause for crying. LIPA No cause do you say, Vassya? I am crying for joy. Why aren't you glad, Vassya? Don't you believe in the miracle? FRIAR Yes, I do. But I can't bear to see all this. They all behave likedrunks, and shout and make a noise. You can't understand what they aretalking about. They crushed that woman. _(With pain and disgust)_ Theysqueezed the life out of her. Oh, Lord, I simply can't! And the wholebusiness. Father Kirill keeps grunting "Oui, oui, oui. " _(Laughssadly)_ Why is he grunting? LIPA _(sternly)_ You learned that from Savva. FRIAR No, I didn't. Tell me, why is he grunting? _(Laughs sadly)_ Why? _[Yegor Tropinin enters dressed in holiday attire, his beard and haircombed. He looks extremely solemn and stern. _ YEGOR Why are you here, eh? And in that kind of dress? You're a fine sight. LIPA I had no time to get dressed. YEGOR But you found time to get here. What you have no business to do youhave time for, but what you should do you have no time for. Go homeand get dressed. It isn't proper. Who has ever seen such a thing? LIPA Oh, papa! YEGOR There is nothing to "oh" about. It's all right, papa is papa, but yousee I am properly dressed. I dressed and then went out. That's theright way to do. Yes. It's a pleasure to look at myself sideways. Idressed as was proper, yes. On a day like this you ought to give ahand at the counter. Tony has disappeared, and Polya can't do all thework herself. You needn't be making such a face now. MERCHANT _(passing by)_ Congratulate you on the miracle, Mr. Tropinin! YEGOR Thank you, brother, the same to you. Wait, I'll go with you. You are agoose, Olympiada. You have always been a goose, and you have remaineda goose to this day. MERCHANT You'll have a fine trade now. YEGOR If it please the Lord! Why are you so late? Have you been sleeping?You keep sleeping, all of you, all the time. _(They go out)_ FRIAR I scattered all the fireflies I caught on the road when I ran lastnight. And now the crowd has trampled them down. I wish I had leftthem in the woods. Listen to the way they are shouting. I wonderwhat's the matter. They must have squeezed somebody to death again. LIPA _(closing her eyes)_ When you talk, Vassya, your words seem to pass by me. I hear and Idon't hear. I think I should like to stay this way all my life withoutmoving from the spot. I should like to remain forever with myeyes shut, listening to what is going on within me. Oh, Lord! Whathappiness! Do you understand, Vassya? FRIAR Yes, I understand. LIPA No. Do you understand what it is that has happened to-day? Why, itmeans that God has said--God Himself has said: "Wait and do not fear. You are miserable. Never mind, it's nothing, it's only temporary. Youmust wait. Nothing has to be destroyed. You must work and wait. " Oh, it will come, Vassya, it will come. I feel it now, I know it. FRIAR What will come? LIPA Life, Vassya, real life will come. Oh, mercy! I still feel like cryingfor joy. Don't be afraid. _[Speransky and Tony enter, the latter very gloomy, glancing sidewaysand sighing. In a queer way he sometimes recalls Savva his gait andlook. _ SPERANSKY Good morning, Miss Olympiada. Good morning, Vassya. What anextraordinary event, if we are to believe what people say. LIPA Believe, Mr. Speransky, believe. SPERANSKY You judge in a very simple offhand manner. If, however, you take intoconsideration the fact that it is highly probable that nothing exists, that even we ourselves do not exist-- TONY Keep quiet. SPERANSKY Why? There is no miracle for me, Miss Olympiada. If at this moment, for example, everything on this earth were suddenly to be suspended inthe air, I shouldn't regard it as a miracle. LIPA As what then? You're a very peculiar man. SPERANSKY I should look on it simply as a change. It was first one thing andthen it became another. If you wish, I'll admit that for me the veryfact that things are as they are is in itself a miracle. All are gladand rejoicing but I sit and think: "Time is blinking his eyes now, andthere is a change. The old people are dead, and in their places appearthe young. And they are apparently glad and rejoicing too. " TONY Where is Savva? LIPA Why do you want him? SPERANSKY He has been looking for Mr. Savva ever so long. We have lookedeverywhere, but have not been able to find him. FRIAR He was here awhile ago. TONY Where did he go? FRIAR To the monastery, I think. TONY _(pulling Speransky)_ Come. SPERANSKY Good-bye, Miss Olympiada. How they are shouting over there! The timewill come when they will all be silent. _(They go off)_ FRIAR _(disturbed)_ Why are they looking for Mr. Savva? LIPA I don't know. FRIAR I don't like that seminarist. Always nosing about where there are deadaround. What does he want? He is a dreadfully disagreeable fellow. Never misses a funeral. He smells death miles away. LIPA He is an unhappy creature. FRIAR Unhappy? Why is he unhappy? Even the dogs in the village are afraidof him. You don't believe it? It's so, upon my word! They bark at him, and then slink away behind the gate. LIPA What does all this matter anyway, Vassya? It's of no account, meretrifles. To-day they are going to sing: "Christ is arisen from thedead. Death has conquered death. " Do you understand? "Death hasconquered death. " FRIAR I understand. I understand. But why does he say "All will becomesilent" and that sort of stuff? I don't like it, I don't like it. They have crushed a woman to death--perhaps others too. _(Shaking hishead)_ I don't like it. In the woods everything is so quiet and nice, and here--I'd prefer that no miracle had happened. I'd rather havethings nice and pleasant. What's the use of it? What's the use of themiracle? There is no need of a miracle. LIPA What are you talking about, Vassya? FRIAR Savva Tropinin! The idea. It shouldn't have been done. There was noneed of it. He said he'd go with me to the woods and then--I liked hima lot, but now I am afraid of him. Why did he do it? Why? My, what afearful crowd! More cripples coming, and more and more. LIPA What is the matter, Vassya? What are you so excited about? FRIAR Everything was so nice and fine. Oh, my! Why _don't_ you go home, MissOlympiada? Do go, please. You have seen all there is to be seen. It'senough. What can you gain by staying here? Come, I'll go with you. Oh, God, there comes Mr. Savva again! LIPA Where? FRIAR There he is. For heaven's sake! SAVVA _(enters and sits down)_ Has Kondraty been here? FRIAR No, Mr. Savva. _[Pause. Again the piteous singing of the blind can be heard. _ SAVVA Got a cigarette, Vassya? FRIAR No, I haven't. I don't smoke. LIPA _(harshly)_ What are you waiting for, Savva? Go away. You are not wanted here. Look at yourself. You are a terrible sight. Your face is black. SAVVA I didn't sleep all last night. That's why it's black. LIPA What are you waiting for? SAVVA For an explanation. LIPA You don't believe in the miracle? SAVVA _(smiling)_ Vassya, do you believe in the miracle? FRIAR Yes, of course I do, Mr. Savva. SAVVA Wait. You'll find out. What are they doing down there? They havealready crushed three to death. FRIAR Three? SAVVA And they'll kill many more. And they all keep shouting: "A miracle, a miracle!" At last it has come. They have got what they have beenwaiting for at last. LIPA And it's you, Savva, who gave them the miracle. It's you who are to bethanked for it. SAVVA _(gloomily)_ Well, Vassya, the monks are glad, aren't they? Tell me, don't beafraid. FRIAR They are very glad, Mr. Savva. They are crying. SAVVA _(looking at him)_ _Crying?_ Why are they crying? FRIAR I don't know. I suppose for joy. Father Kirill grunts like a pig "Oui, oui, oui. " They all act as if they were drunk. SAVVA _(rising, agitated)_ As if they were drunk? What does that mean? Perhaps they really aredrunk. FRIAR Oh no, Mr. Tropinin. It's all on account of the miracle. They are madwith joy. Father Kirill keeps grunting "Oui, oui, oui. " He vows thatif he remains alive he'll swear off liquor and live as a hermit. SAVVA _(eyeing him)_ Well? FRIAR That's all. SAVVA What do they say? FRIAR They say they'll do penance and stop sinning. They hug each other andbehave as if they were drunk. SAVVA _(walking up and down, stroking his forehead with his hand)_Yes, hm. So that's the way! Yes. LIPA _(following him with her eyes)_ Go away from here, Savva. You are not wanted here. SAVVA What? LIPA _(reluctantly)_ They may recognize you and then--Why don't you put on a hat at least?You look like-- FRIAR Yes, go--please go--dear Mr. Savva. Why, they--why, they might killyou! SAVVA _(in a sudden outburst of anger)_ Leave me alone! No one will kill me. It's bosh! _(Pause. Sits down)_I wish I could get a drink of water or something. I am very thirsty. Isn't there a pool or something of the kind around here? FRIAR _(looking in terror at Savva)_ No, it's all dried up. SAVVA _(frowning)_ Sorry. FRIAR Oh, that woman there has a jug of water. _(Gleefully)_ I'll go and askher for it. _(Runs)_ LIPA You ought not to have that water. Go away from here, Savva, go away. Look what gladness there is all around you. Everybody, everythingrejoices. The earth is glad. The sun is glad. You are the only one whois not--you alone. I still can't forget that you are my brother. Go. But wherever you go, bear with you the memory of this day always. Remember that the same fate awaits you everywhere. The earth will notsurrender her God to you; the people will not surrender to you thatwhereby they live and breathe. Yesterday I still feared you. To-dayI regard you with pity. You are pitiful, Savva! Go! Why are youlaughing? SAVVA _(smiling)_ Isn't it a little premature, sister, for you to be delivering myfuneral oration? LIPA Aren't you frightened yet? SAVVA Why should I be frightened? At your tricks and jugglery? I am used tothe lies and frauds, Lipa. You can't frighten me with them. I stillhave a lot of stupid confidence left. It will help. It will come inhandy the next time. LIPA Savva! FRIAR _(bringing the jug of water)_ I had the hardest time getting it from her. She was like flint. Shesaid she needed it herself. She was a hard case. SAVVA Thank you, boy. _(Drinks with avidity)_ Fine! _(Drinks the last drop)_That was fine water. Take it back and tell the woman her water wasfine and that there is none like it in all the world. FRIAR _(merrily)_ All right, I'll tell her. _(Goes off)_ LIPA _(in a whisper)_ You are the enemy of the human race. SAVVA _(smacking his lips)_ Very well, very well. Just wait. We'll hear what Kondraty has to say. The blackguard! I'll give it to him! LIPA _(with emphasis, but still in a whisper as before)_ You are the enemy of the human race! You are the enemy of the humanrace! SAVVA Louder! No one hears you. It's a spicy bit of information. LIPA Go away from here. _[The Friar returns. _ SAVVA _(looking into the distance with narrowed eyes)_ It's nice out there, isn't it, Vassya? Whose woods are they?Vazykin's? Have I ever been there with you? FRIAR _(gleefully)_ Yes, they're Vazykin's. I was there yesterday, Mr. Savva. I caught awhole handful of fireflies, but as I ran--_(He grows sorrowful at thememory)_ My, how they are shouting! What are they up to anyway? Didyou say they killed three, Mr. Tropinin? Was that what you said? SAVVA _(coolly)_ Yes, three. FRIAR What are they pushing and jostling for anyhow? He'll be carried in theprocession and they can all see Him. SAVVA When will they carry Him? FRIAR _(looking up)_ It won't be long now. LIPA They'll sing "Christ is Arisen" to-day. SAVVA _(smiling)_ Is that so? Didn't I arrange a feast-day for them though? _[Tony and Speransky appear. _ FRIAR Are these fellows here too? For goodness' sake, what do they want?What are they looking for? I don't like it. Mr. Tropinin, come; let'sgo away from here. SAVVA Why? FRIAR They are coming this way, Speransky-- SAVVA Aha! The "Tramp of Death" is approaching. _[Lipa looks at him in astonishment. The Friar presses his hand to hisbosom in a state of agitation. _ FRIAR _(plaintively)_ What are you saying? Oh, God! Why did you say that? You mustn't do it. This is no tramp of death, nothing of the kind. SAVVA It's a kind of story he has written--Good morning, good morning. Whatcan I do for you? SPERANSKY Mr. Anthony Tropinin is looking for you, Mr. Savva. SAVVA What do you want? TONY _(very sadly, hiding a little behind Speransky)_ Nothing. FRIAR _(listening attentively and then speaking with passion)_ Whatare you running around for then, and whom are you hunting? If you wantnothing, do nothing. But you are running around and hunting, hunting. It isn't nice, I tell you! TONY _(after a passing glance at the Friar he fixes his gaze onSavva)_ Savva. SAVVA _(irritated)_ What do you want? _[Tony makes no answer, but hides behind Speransky, looking over hisshoulder. In the course of what follows he keeps steadily looking atSavva. His lips and eyebrows twitch, and at times he presses both hishands hard against his mouth. _ SPERANSKY The crowd is in a state of great agitation, Miss Olympiada. They brokethe old gate opening on the other side of the woods and rushed in. TheFather Superior came out and asked them to behave. They shout soyou can't hear anything at all. Many are rolling on the ground inconvulsions. I suppose they are sick. It's very strange, quite unusualin fact. LIPA Will they carry Him out soon? I must go. _(Rises)_ SPERANSKY They say it'll be soon now. One wagon with cripples in it wasupset--cripples without hands or feet. They are lying on the groundcrying. It's all so strange. FRIAR What? Did you see it yourself? _[Kondraty appears on the road coming from the monastery. He iswalking in the company of two pilgrims, who are listening attentivelyto him. Catching sight of Savva, Kondraty says something to hiscompanions, who remain standing where they are while he goes up toSavva. _ SAVVA Aha! KONDRATY _(clean, spruce, beaming)_ Good morning, Miss Olympiada. Good morning to you too, Mr. SavvaTropinin. SAVVA Good morning, good morning. You have come after all? You were notafraid? KONDRATY _(calmly)_ Why should I be afraid? You won't kill me, I suppose, and if youshould, it would be sweet to die at your hands. SAVVA What bravery! And how clean you are! You are positively painful tolook at. You didn't make quite so smart an appearance when you laywallowing in the puddle. You were a little the worse for the mud, andso on. KONDRATY _(shrugging his shoulders and speaking with dignity)_ It'sno use recalling that incident now. It's quite out of place. Mr. Tropinin, it's time for you to have done with your spite and malice, high time. SAVVA Well? KONDRATY That's all. There is no "well" about it. You have had your shot. Besatisfied. SAVVA Are congratulations upon the miracle in order? KONDRATY Yes, Mr. Tropinin, upon the miracle--the miracle, indeed. _(He weepswith a bland air, wiping his face with his handkerchief)_ God grantedthat I should live to see the day. SAVVA _(rising and advancing a step toward the monk; peremptorily)_Enough now! Stop your hocus-pocus. You have played your trick. Nowstop, or I'll knock all that jugglery out of you. Do you hear? FRIAR Mr. Savva, good Mr. Savva, please don't. KONDRATY _(drawing back a little)_ Not so loud, not so loud. We are not in the forest where you can killrich merchants and get away with it. There are people here. SAVVA _(lowering his voice)_ Well, tell me all about it. Come on. KONDRATY What's the use of going away? I can tell you everything right here. Ihave no secrets. It's you who have secrets. I am all here. SAVVA You'll lie if you tell it here. KONDRATY _(heatedly, with tears)_ Shame, Mr. Tropinin! Shame! Shame! Why do you insult me? Is it becauseyou saw me lying in the puddle? It's a sin, a shame! SAVVA _(perplexed)_ What's the matter with you? KONDRATY Do you think I am going to lie on a day like this? Miss Olympiada, you at least ought to know--Good God! Good God! Why, Christ has justarisen! Do you understand? _[The crowd increases. Some cast glances at the group with the twomonks before they pass on. _ LIPA _(excitedly)_ Father Kondraty-- KONDRATY _(beating his breast)_ Do you understand? I have lived all my life like a scoundrel, so why, why did God do this with me? Do you understand, Miss Olympiada? Do youunderstand? Eh? SAVVA _(perplexed)_ Talk sense. Stop blubbering. KONDRATY _(waving his hand)_ I am not angry with you. I bear you no grudge. Who are you that Ishould bear any resentment against you? SAVVA Talk sense. KONDRATY I'll tell Miss Olympiada. I won't speak to you. You knew me as adrunkard, Miss Olympiada, a mean, worthless creature. Now listen. _(ToSperansky)_ And you, young man, may listen also. It will teach you alesson. It will show you how God works His will unseen. LIPA I see, Father Kondraty. Forgive me. KONDRATY God will forgive you. Who am I to forgive you? So that's the way itwas, Miss Olympiada. I followed your advice and went to the FatherSuperior with the infernal machine. It was indeed an infernal machine!And I told him everything, just the way I felt, with a perfect candorand purity of heart. SPERANSKY _(guessing)_ Is that how it happened? What a remarkable event! FRIAR _(quietly)_ Keep quiet. What are you butting in for? KONDRATY Ye-es. The Father Superior turned pale. "You scamp, " he said, "do youknow with whom you have had dealings?" "I do, " I said, trembling allover. Well, they called together the whole brotherhood and discussedthe matter in secret. And then the Father Superior said to me: "It'sthis way, Kondraty, " he said. "God has chosen you as the instrumentof His sacred will. Yes. _(Weeps)_ God has chosen you as theinstrument--" LIPA Well? Go on. KONDRATY Ye-es, hm. "Go, " he said, "and put down the machine as you were toldto do, and set it going according to the directions. Carry out thedevil's plot in full. I and the other brothers will sing a hymnquietly as we carry the ikon away. Yes, that's what we'll do. We'llcarry the ikon away. And thus the devil will be made a fool of. " SAVVA Ah! LIPA _(astonished)_ But, Father Kondraty, how can that be? _[Savva laughs heartily. _ KONDRATY Patience, patience, Miss Olympiada. "And when, " said the FatherSuperior, "the devil's plot shall have been carried out, then we'llput the ikon--the dear, precious ikon--back in His place. " Well, Iwon't attempt to describe the scene that took place when we carriedthe ikon away. It's beyond my power. The brothers sobbed and wept. Not one of them was able to sing. The little candles burned with tinylittle flames. And then when we carried Him out to the gate, and whenwe began to think and remembered--who is now in His sacred place--welay around the ikon, our faces on the ground, and cried and weptbitter, bitter tears, tears of pity and contrition. "O Thou, our own, our precious idol, have mercy on us, return to Thy place. " _(Lipacries; the Friar wipes his eyes with his fist)_ And then--bang! wentthe machine, and the sulphurous smoke spread all around so that it wasimpossible to breathe. _(In a whisper)_ And then many beheld the devilin the smoke, and they were so terrified that they lost consciousness. It was horrible! And then, as we carried Him back, all of one accord, as though we had agreed beforehand, began to sing "Christ is arisen. "That's how it happened. SAVVA You hear, Lipa? But what's the matter with you? Why are you allcrying? FRIAR It makes one feel so sorry, Mr. Savva. SAVVA Why, they fooled you, they played a trick on you. Or else you are alllying, lying with your tears. _[Kondraty makes a gesture of indifference. _ LIPA _(shaking her head, weeping)_ No, Savva, you don't understand. Oh, Lord! Oh, Lord! KONDRATY You have no God, that's the reason you don't understand; You have onlyreason, and pride, and malice. That's why you don't understand. Ah, Mr. Savva, you wanted to ruin me too. And I tell you as aChristian--it would have been better if you had never been born. SAVVA Oh, fiddlesticks! Whom do you think you can hoodwink? Do you think Ihave turned blind? KONDRATY _(turning away with a wave of his hand)_ You can shout as much as you like. FRIAR Mr. Savva, you mustn't shout, you mustn't. We have already attractedthe attention of the crowd. They are looking at us. SAVVA _(laying his hand on Kondraty's shoulder and speaking in alow voice)_ Look here, I understand. Of course, in the presence ofpeople--but you understand, don't you, Kondraty? You are a cleverman, a very bright man. You understand that all this is nonsense. Justconsider, brother, consider a moment. Didn't they carry the ikon away?Then where is the miracle? KONDRATY _(twisting himself free from Savva's grasp, shaking hishead and speaking aloud)_ Then you don't understand? No, you don'tunderstand. What of it? SAVVA _(in a whisper)_ Listen, remember our talk. KONDRATY _(aloud)_ Don't whisper to me. I have nothing to hide from anybody. How do youthink miracles happen anyhow? Say, you are a smart man too, and yetyou can't comprehend a simple matter like this. Why, it's all yourwork, all your doing, isn't it? You gave me the machine. You plannedthe explosion. Your orders have been carried out. And yet the ikonis untouched; it's whole. That's all I have to say. It's the plain, simple statement of fact. Yet you come here with your arguments andtry to get away from those facts by mere reasoning. LIPA _(looking around in a paroxysm of excitement)_ How simple it is! And how terrible! O Lord, O Lord! And to think thatit was I who did it, I, with my own hands! O my God! _(She falls onher knees, turning her eyes toward heaven)_ SAVVA _(looking at her savagely, then at Kondraty)_ Well! KONDRATY _(drawing back in fright)_ Why are you staying here? Why haven't you left already? SAVVA _(shouting)_ What a ---- fool you are! KONDRATY _(paling)_ Lower, lower, I say. Don't talk like that, or I'll shout. SAVVA _(turning quickly toward Speransky)_ What are you staring at with your mouth wide open? You are aphilosopher. You, you are a philosopher. Can you understand thestupidity of these people? They think it's a miracle. _(Laughs)_ Theythink it's a miracle. SPERANSKY _(stepping back)_ Excuse me, Mr. Tropinin, but from their point of view--I don't know. SAVVA You don't know? SPERANSKY Who does know? _(Cries out, in despair)_ The dead alone, Mr. Savva, the dead alone. KONDRATY Ah! You are cornered--Antichrist! LIPA _(in terror)_ Antichrist? _[Hearing the cry, the two pilgrims who were with Kondraty approach. They are gradually joined by others, among whom is the Man in PeasantOvercoat. _ FIRST PILGRIM What is it, father? Has he revealed himself? KONDRATY Look at him, look at him! SAVVA Vassya, you dear, fine boy--Vassya, what is the matter with them? Hearwhat they are saying. Hear the nonsense they are talking. You good, nice boy! FRIAR _(drawing back)_ Mr. Savva, don't, don't. Go away from here. Leave this place. SAVVA Vassya, Vassya, you, you-- FRIAR _(crying)_ But I don't know. I don't know anything. I am afraid. LIPA _(ecstatically)_ Antichrist! Antichrist! SECOND PILGRIM Hear! Hear! KONDRATY Ah! You are cornered. Here is your money--take it! It has burned holesin my pockets, your accursed money. Here, take it, take it, you broodof Antichrist! _(Throws the money at him)_ SAVVA _(raising his fist as if to deal a blow)_ I'll teach you-- FIRST PILGRIM Boys, don't be afraid. Here boys, here! SAVVA _(pressing his head between his hands)_ Oh, it hurts, it hurts! Darkness is closing in. KONDRATY It's beginning to get you, is it? That's right, that's right. LIPA Antichrist! TONY _(shouting)_ Savva, Savva! SAVVA _(sinking for a moment into profound, terrible meditation; thenhe straightens himself suddenly and seems to grow in stature; he criesout with a wild joy as if speaking above the heads of all to reachsomebody far off)_ I am right! Therefore I am right! It was allnecessary! All! All! _(He stands as if petrified in an upward-strivingposture)_ KONDRATY Boys, it's he who did it. That's the fellow. MAN IN OVERCOAT _(pushing himself forward, officiously)_ What's the matter, boys? Aha! He is caught! Which one? This one? Comeon with you! _(Takes hold of Savva by the sleeve)_ SAVVA _(shaking him off with such violence that the man falls down)_Get away from me! VOICES Don't let him go! KONDRATY Hold him! FRIAR _(crying)_ Run, Mr. Savva, run. _[During the following scene Lipa prays. Speransky looks on with keencuriosity, while Tony stares over his shoulder. All the voices becomeblended into one raging, frightened, savage roar. _ CROWD Get at him from that side! Yes, go yourself! You have a stick! Oh, hang it, there isn't a single stone around! Hold him, hold him, he'llescape! MAN IN OVERCOAT _(getting to his feet again and assuming theleadership)_ Surround him, boys, surround him! Block the way to theriver! Don't let him run away! Well, now, get a move on you! CROWD Go yourself--I've tried once! Push that way! Get hold of him! Grabhim! Aha! KONDRATY _(shouting at the top of his voice)_ Beat him! Beat the Antichrist! Beat him! SAVVA _(the danger brings him back to his senses. He looks around, takes in the path to the river with a quick glance, and gray as dustwith rage, he makes for it with a single abrupt movement)_ Get out ofthe way, you monsters! CROWD He is getting away! He is getting away! Hold him! Boys, he is gettingaway! He is getting away! _[As Savva advances, the crowd falls back in a semicircle, tumblingagainst one another. Kondraty begins to make the sign of the cross atSavva and continues to do so throughout the remaining scene. _ SAVVA _(advancing)_ Get out of the way! Get out of the way! So you're scared now, youdogs? You've pulled in your tails? Get out of the way! Go on! CROWD He is getting away. _[King Herod issues from the crowd, and plants himself in front ofSavva so as to obstruct his way. There is a terrible look on his face. Savva comes up close to him and stops. _ SAVVA Well? _[A brief pause. The conversation is carried on in a sort ofundertone, almost calmly. _ KING HEROD Is that you? SAVVA Is that you? Let me go. KING HEROD A man? SAVVA Yes, let me go. KING HEROD Did you want the Saviour? Christ? SAVVA They fooled you. KING HEROD People may fool, Christ never. What's your name? SAVVA Savva. Get out of my way, I tell you. KING HEROD Surrender Thy servant Savva. Hold! _[He strikes a heavy, swinging blow with his left fist whence Savvadid not expect an attack. Savva sinks on one knee. The crowd rushes athim and tramples him down. _ CROWD Beat him! Aha! So! He is turning back! Beat him! FRIAR What does this mean? Oh! Oh! Oh! _(He clutches his head with bothhands, cries, and runs away)_ SAVVA _(fighting desperately, he appears for a moment looking fierceand terrible)_ Let go--Ho-o-o! _(He sinks back again)_ CROWD That's the way. One, two--Ah! Strike! Got him? Not yet! Got him? Whatare you waiting for? Strike! Done! A VOICE He's still moving. CROWD Strike! MAN IN OVERCOAT Peter, got a knife? Finish him with your knife. Cut his throat. PETER No, I'd rather do it with my heel. One! Two! KONDRATY _(cursing him)_ Lord Jesus Christ! Lord Jesus Christ! _[Loud cries are heard from the background: "They are carrying Him!They are carrying Him!" The mob begins to disperse and thins outquickly. _ CROWD They are carrying Him! Yes, it's enough. It's done. No, let me athim--once more. There! I gave him one good one in his face. They arecarrying Him! They are carrying Him! KING HEROD Enough, enough. A grand feast for you, you accursed beasts! CROWD I tell you, they are carrying Him! Lie there, you! Oh my, am I goingto be late? Enough now. Are you sorry for him, eh? Is it _your_ head?One more! Come on! _[They run away so that Savva's mangled body becomes visible. _ MAN IN OVERCOAT It ought to be taken away from here. It isn't right to leave it hereon the road. It's dirty. Boys! Say, boys! _[He goes off following the rest, but is met by the procession pouringin upon the stage. There is a great din and humming of talk. Speranskyand Tony approach the body cautiously, bend over it on their knees, one on each side, and stare at it eagerly. _ SPERANSKY Dead! His eyes are gone. TONY Shut up! _(He bursts into a groaning laugh, pressing his hands hard tohis mouth)_ SPERANSKY But his face is calm. Look, Mr. Anthony. It's because now he knows thetruth. TONY Shut up! _(Bursts out laughing)_ What a funny face he has! _[He laughs behind his hand. Then his laugh bursts through hisfingers, so to speak, grows in intensity, becomes irresistible, andpasses into a whine. The crowd begins to fill the stage, concealingthe body, Speransky, and Tony. The bells are rung in the monastery asat Easter, and at the same time the singing of thousands of voices isheard. _ CROWD "Christ is risen from the dead. He has conquered death with death andgiven life to those lain in their graves. Christ--" LIPA _(flinging herself into the crowd)_ "Christ is risen!" _[The crowd continues to pour in, filling the entire stage. Gapingmouths and round, wide-open eyes are seen everywhere. Shrill shrieksare uttered by the crazed epileptics. A momentary outcry is heard:_"Somebody crushed!" _Tony's laughter dies away somewhere. Thetriumphant hymn rises, spreads, passes into a titanic roar that drownsevery other sound. The bells continue to ring. _ CROWD _(shouting at their utmost power)_ "Christ is risen from the dead. He has conquered death with death andgiven life to those lain in their graves. Christ is risen--" CURTAIN THE LIFE OF MAN (ZHIZN CHELOVIEKA) A PLAY IN FIVE SCENES WITH A PROLOGUE 1906 TO THE BRIGHTMEMORY OF MY FRIEND, MY WIFE I DEDICATE THIS COMPOSITION THE LAST ON WHICH WE WORKED TOGETHER PERSONS Someone in Gray called He Man His Wife Man's Father Relatives Neighbors Friends Enemies Guests Servants Musicians Physicians A Bartender Drunkards Old Women PROLOGUE--_Someone in Gray called He, speaking of the Life of Man_ SCENE I--_The Birth of Man and the Mother's Travail_ SCENE II--_Love and Poverty_ SCENE III--_Wealth. Man's Ball_ SCENE IV--_Man's Misfortune_ SCENE V--_The Death of Man_ THE LIFE OF MAN PROLOGUE SOMEONE IN GRAY CALLED HE, SPEAKING OF THE LIFE OF MAN _A large, rectangular space resembling a room without doors or windowsand quite empty. Everything is gray, monocolored, drab--the wattsgray, and the ceiling, and the floor. A feeble, even light enters fromsome invisible source. It too is gray, monotonous, spectral, producingneither lights nor shadows. Someone in Gray moves noiselessly away from the wall, close againstwhich He has been standing. He wears a broad, gray, formless smock, vaguely outlining the contours of His body; and a hat of the samegray throws the upper part of His face into heavy shadow. His eyesare invisible. All that is seen are His cheekbones, His nose, and Hischin, which is massive, heavy, and blunt, as if hewn out of rock. Hislips are pressed tight together. Raising His head slightly, He beginsto speak in a firm, cold, unemotional, unimpassioned voice, likea reader hired by the hour reading the Book of Fate with brutalindifference. _ SOMEONE IN GRAY Look and listen, you who have come here to laugh and be amused. Therewill pass before you the whole life of Man, from his dark beginning tohis dark ending. Previously non-existant, mysteriously hidden in theinfiniteness of time, neither feeling nor thinking and known to noone, he will mysteriously break through the prison of non-being andwith a cry announce the beginning of his brief life. In the night ofnon-existence a light will go up, kindled by an unseen hand. It is thelife of Man. Behold the flame--it is the life of Man. Being born, he will take the form and the name of Man, and in allthings will become like other men already living. And their hard lotwill be his lot, and his hard lot will be the lot of all human beings. Inexorably impelled by time, he will, with inavertible necessity, passthrough all the stages of human life, from the bottom to the top, fromthe top to the bottom. Limited in vision, he will never see the nextstep which his unsteady foot, poised in the air, is in the very act oftaking. Limited in knowledge, he will never know what the coming daywill bring, or the coming hour, or the coming minute. In his unseeingblindness, troubled by premonitions, agitated by hope and fear, hewill submissively complete the iron-traced circle foreordained. Behold him a happy youth. See how brightly the candle burns. Fromboundless stretches of space the icy wind blows, circling, careering, and tossing the flame. In vain. Bright and clear the candle burns. Yetthe wax is dwindling, consumed by the fire. Yet the wax is dwindling. Behold him a happy husband and father. But see how strangely dim andfaint the candle burns, as if the yellowing flame were wrinkling, asif it were shivering with cold and were creeping into concealment. Thewax is melting, consumed by the fire. The wax is melting. Behold him, an old man, ill and feeble. The stages of life are alreadyended. In their stead nothing but a black void. Yet he drags on withpalsied limbs. The flame, now turned blue, bends to the ground andcrawls along, trembling and falling, trembling and falling. Then itgoes out quietly. Thus Man will die. Coming from the night, he will return to the nightand go out, leaving no trace behind. He will pass into the infinity oftime, neither thinking nor feeling, and known to no one. And I, whomall call He, shall remain the faithful companion of Man throughouthis life, on all his pathways. Unseen by him, I shall be constantlyat hand when he wakes and when he sleeps, when he prays and when hecurses. In his hours of joy, when his spirit, free and bold, risesaloft; in his hours of grief and despair, when his soul clouds overwith mortal pain and sorrow, and the blood congeals in his heart; inthe hours of victory and defeat; in the hours of great strife with theimmutable, I shall be with him--I shall be with him. And you who have come here to be amused, you who are consecrated todeath, look and listen. There will pass before you, like a distantphantom echo, the fleet-moving life of Man with its sorrows and itsjoys. _[Someone in Gray turns silent. The light goes out, and He and thegray, empty room are enveloped in darkness. _ THE FIRST SCENE THE BIRTH OF MAN AND THE MOTHER'S TRAVAIL _Profound darkness; not a stir. Like a swarm of mice in hiding, thegray silhouettes of Old Women in strange headgear are dimly discerned;also vaguely the outline of a large, lofty room. The Old Women carryon a conversation in low, mocking voices. _ OLD WOMEN'S CONVERSATIONS --I wonder whether it'll be a boy or a girl. --What difference does it make to you? --I like boys. --I like girls. They always sit at home waiting till you call on them. --Do you like to go visiting? _[The Old Women titter. _ --He knows. --He knows. _(Silence)_ --Our friend would like to have a girl. She says boys are so restlessand venturesome and are always seeking danger. Even when they arelittle, they like to climb tall trees and bathe in deep water. Theyoften fall, and they drown. And when they get to be men, they makewars and kill one another. --She thinks girls don't drown. I have seen many girls drowned. Theylook like all drowned people, wet and green. --She thinks girls don't get killed by stones thrown at them. --Poor woman, she has such a hard time giving birth to her child. We have been sitting here sixteen hours, and she is still crying. Atfirst she cried out loud. Her screams pierced our ears. Then she criedmore quietly, and now she is only moaning. --The doctor says she'll die. --No, the doctor says the child will die and she will live. --Why do they bear children? It is so painful. --And why do they die? It is still more painful. _[The Old Women laugh suppressedly. _ --Yes, they bear children and die. --And bear children again. _[They laugh. A subdued cry of the suffering woman is heard. _ --Beginning again. --She's recovered her voice. That's good. --That's good. --Poor husband. He's lost his head completely. You ought to see him. He's a sight. At first he was glad his wife was pregnant and saidhe wanted a boy. He thinks his son will be a cabinet minister or ageneral. Now he doesn't want anything, neither a boy nor a girl. Hejust goes about grieving and crying. --Every time she is seized with pain he begins to labor, too, and getsred in the face. --He was sent to the chemist's shop for medicine, and he hung aboutthere for two hours without being able to remember what he was sentfor. He returned without it. _[The Old Women titter. The cries grow louder and die away. Silence. _ --What's the matter with her? Maybe she has died already. --No. If she had, we'd hear crying, and the doctor would come runningand begin to talk nonsense. They'd bring her husband out in a faint, and we'd have to work over him. No, she's not dead. --Then what are we sitting here for? --Ask Him. What do we know? --He won't tell. --He won't tell. He never tells anything. --He orders us about as he pleases, gets us out of bed, and makes uswatch; and then it turns out that our coming wasn't even needed. --We came of our own accord, didn't we? We must tell the truth. There, she's screaming again. --Haven't you had as much of it as you want? --Are you satisfied? --I keep my mouth shut and wait. --You're an angel. _[They laugh. The cries grow louder. _ --Listen to her. What fearful pain she must be suffering. Have you anyidea of what the pain is like? It's as if your insides were being tornto pieces. --We all have borne children. --It's just as if she were not herself. I don't recognize our friend'svoice. It's naturally so soft and gentle. --Her screaming is more like the roar of a wild beast. --You feel the night in it. --You feel the boundless black forest and hopelessness and terror. --You feel solitude and grief. There are other people with her. Whycan't you hear other voices beside that savage, dismal wail? --They are talking, but you can't hear them. Have you ever noticed howsolitary man's cries are? Any number of men will talk, and you won'thear them. But let one human being cry, and it seems as if the otherswere all silent, listening. --I once heard a man scream who had been run over by a Carriage andhad his leg crushed. The street was full of people. Yet he seemed tobe the only one there. --But this is more terrible. --Say rather it is louder. --I should say it is more prolonged. --No, it's more terrible. You feel death in it. --You had a feeling of death then, too. In fact, the man did die. --Don't dispute. It's all the same to you. _[Silence. Cries. _ --How strange man's crying is! When you yourself are ill and cry, you don't notice how strange it is. I can't imagine the mouth thatproduces such sounds. Can it be a woman's mouth? I can't imagine it. --It's as if it got twisted and crooked. --As if the sound issued from some depth. Now it's like the cry ofsomeone drowning. Listen, she's choking. --A heavy person is sitting on her chest. --Someone is choking her. _[The crying ceases. _ --At last she has quieted down. You get tired of crying. It'smonotonous and not beautiful. --You're looking for beauty here too, are you? _[The Old Women titter. _ --Hush! Is He here? --I don't know. --He seems to be. --He doesn't like laughing. --They say He laughs Himself. --Whoever heard Him laugh? You are simply repeating hearsay. So manylies are told about Him. --He hears us. Let us be serious. _[They laugh quietly. _ --After all, I'd like to know whether it'll be a boy or a girl. --I admit, it's interesting to know whom you'll have to deal with. --I wish it died before it was born. --What a kind creature you are. --No better than you. --I hope it turns out to be a general. _[They laugh. _ --You are too merry. I don't like it. --And you are too sad. I don't like that. --Don't wrangle. Don't wrangle. We are all both sad and merry. Leteach be what she pleases. _(Silence)_ --When they are born, they are so funny. Babies are very funny. --And self-satisfied. --And very exacting, I don't like them. They begin to cry at once andmake demands, as if they expected everything to be ready for them. Even before looking, they know there is a breast and milk, and demandthem. Then they demand to be put to sleep and rocked and dandled andpatted on their red backs. I like them better when they die. Thenthey're less exacting. They stretch out of themselves and don't ask tobe rocked. --No, they are very funny. I like to wash them when they are born. --I like to wash them when they are dead. --Don't dispute. Don't dispute. Each will have her way. One will washthe child when it is born, another when it dies. --But why do they think they have a right to make demands the momentthey are born? I don't like it. They don't _think_ they have. It'stheir stomachs that make the demands. --They're forever demanding. --But their demands are never granted. _[The Old Women laugh. The cries begin again. _ --She is screaming again. --Animals give birth to their offspring more easily. --And they die more easily, and live more easily; I have a cat. Youought to see how fat and happy she is. --I have a dog, and I tell him every day: "You are going to die. " Hisonly reply is to show his teeth and to wag his tail gayly. --But they are animals. --And these are human beings. _[They laugh. _ --Now she'll either die or be delivered. I feel that the whole remnantof her strength is in that wail. --Eyes wide open. --Cold perspiration on her forehead. _[They listen. _ --She is giving birth to the child. --No, she is dying. _[The cries cease. _ --I tell you-- SOMEONE IN GRAY _(speaks in a resonant, powerful voice)_ Silence! Man is born. _[Almost simultaneously with His announcement the crying of an infantis heard and the candle in His hand lights. A tall candle. It burnshesitatingly and feebly. Gradually the flame grows stronger. Thecorner in which Someone in Gray stands motionless is always darkerthan the other corners, and the yellow flame illumines His blunt chin, His tightly closed lips, and His massive, bony face. The upper partof His face is concealed by His cap. He is somewhat taller than anordinary man. He puts the long, thick candle in an antique candlestick. His handcomes into relief against the green bronze. It is gray, firm, withlong, thin fingers. Gradually the room grows brighter. The figures of five hunch-backedOld Women emerge from the gloom, and the room becomes visible. Itis rectangular, with high, smooth, monotonously colored walls. Twocurtainless windows in the background and two on the right. The nightglooms through them. Straight, high-backed chairs against the walls. _ THE OLD WOMEN _(talking rapidly)_ --Hear them running about. They're coming here. --How bright it is! Let's go. --Look, the candle is tall and bright. --Let's go, let's go. Quick! --But we'll come back. We'll come back. _[They laugh quietly, mockingly, and disappear into the dusk with odd, zigzagging movements. As they leave, the light grows brighter, butstill it remains dim, lifeless, and cold. The corner in which Someonein Gray stands motionless with the burning candle is darker than theothers. Enter the Doctor in a white uniform, and Man's Father, whose facewears an expression of extreme exhaustion and joy. There are linesunder his eyes; his cheeks are sunken and his hair is dishevelled; heis very negligently dressed. The Doctor looks very learned. _ DOCTOR Up to the very last moment I didn't know whether your wife would pullthrough or not. I used all the means at the disposal of medical skilland science. But science can do very little unless nature helps too;I was really excited. My pulse is still going hard. Though I haveassisted at so many births, yet I can't rid myself of a sense ofuneasiness. But you are not listening to me, sir. MAN'S FATHER I'm listening, but I can't hear. Her screams are still ringing in myears, and it's hard for me to pull myself together. Poor woman, howshe suffered! I was a fool, I was stupid and wanted to have children. But hereafter I will renounce. It is criminal. DOCTOR You will call me again when your next child comes. FATHER No, never. I'm ashamed to admit it, but just now I hate the child forwhich she suffered so. I didn't even see him. What sort of a boy ishe? DOCTOR He's a well-fed, strong little youngster, and if I'm not mistaken heresembles you. FATHER Me? Fine! Now I'm beginning to love him. I always wanted a boy to looklike me. Did you see--his nose is like mine, isn't it? DOCTOR Yes, his nose and eyes. FATHER His eyes too? Ah, that's good. I'll raise your fee. DOCTOR You'll have to pay me for using the instruments also. FATHER _(turning to the corner where He stands motionless)_ God, I thank Thee for having granted my wish and given me a son whoresembles me. I thank Thee for preserving my wife from death, andbringing my child into the world alive. I pray Thee that he may growup big, healthy, and strong; that he may be wise and honest, and thathe may never cause us grief, but be a constant joy to his mother andme. If Thou wilt do this, I will always believe in Thee and go tochurch. _[Enter Relatives, six in number. An elderly woman, uncommonlystout, with a double chin and small, proud eyes and an air of extremehaughtiness and self-importance. An elderly man, her husband, verytall and uncommonly thin, so that his coat hangs loosely on hisbody; a short goatee, long, smooth hair, as if wet, reaching to hisshoulders; eye-glasses; has a frightened; yet pedantic expression;a low black silk hat in his hand. A young girl, their daughter, withnaïvely upturned nose, blinking eyes, and open mouth. A weazenedwoman, with contracted features and a sour expression, in her handa handkerchief, with which she frequently wipes her mouth; Two youngmen, looking absolutely alike, with extremely high collars thatstretch their necks; glossy hair; a hesitating, embarrassedexpression. The characteristics of each of the Relatives isexaggerated in the extreme. _ ELDERLY LADY Let me congratulate you on the birth of your son, dear brother. _(Kisses him)_ ELDERLY MAN My dear brother, I heartily congratulate you on the birth of your son, to which you have been looking forward so long. _(Kisses him)_ THE REST We congratulate you, dear uncle, on the birth of your son. _[They kiss him. Exit the Doctor. _ MAN'S FATHER _(greatly moved)_ Thank you! Thank you! You are all very good, very nice, dear people, and I love you very much. I had my doubts beforehand thought that you, dear sister, were a little too much rapt up in yourself and your ownworth and importance; and that you, dear brother, were somewhat toopedantic. The rest of you I thought were too cold to me, and came hereonly for the sake of the dinners. Now I see I was mistaken. I'm veryhappy. I get a son who resembles me, and then all at once I see myselfsurrounded by so many good people who love me. _(They kiss)_ GIRL Uncle dear, what are you going to call your son? I hope you'll givehim a lovely, poetic name. So much depends on a man's name. ELDERLY LADY I should advise a simple, solid name. Men with nice names are usuallyfrivolous and rarely successful. ELDERLY MAN It seems to me, brother, you should name your son after some olderrelative. Keeping the same names in the family tends to preserve andstrengthen the line. FATHER Yes, my wife and I have already discussed the subject, but have notbeen able to reach a decision. You see, there are so many new thingsto think of when a child comes, so many new problems to solve whichnever arose before. ELDERLY LADY It fills up your life. ELDERLY MAN It gives life a beautiful purpose. By properly educating a child, preventing it from making the mistakes which we had to pay for sodearly, and strengthening its mind with our own rich experiences, weproduce a better man and advance slowly but surely toward the finalgoal of existence, which is perfection. FATHER You are quite right, brother. When I was little I loved to tortureanimals. That developed cruelty in me. I won't allow my son totorture animals. Even after I had grown up I often made mistakes in myfriendships and love. I chose friends who were unworthy and women whowere faithless. I'll explain to my son-- DOCTOR _(enters and says aloud)_ Your wife is feeling very bad. She wants to see you. FATHER Oh, my God! _(He and the Doctor leave)_ _[The Relatives seat themselves in a semicircle. Solemn silence for atime. Someone in Gray stands motionless in the corner, His stony faceturned toward them. _ RELATIVES' CONVERSATION --Do you think, dear, she may die? --No, I don't think so. She is a very impatient woman and makes toomuch of her pains. All women bear children and none of them die. Ihave borne six children. --But the way she screamed, mamma? --Yes, her face was purple from screaming. I noticed it. --Not from screaming, but from laboring. You don't understand aboutthese things. My face got purple too, but I didn't scream. --Not long ago an acquaintance of mine, the civil engineer's wife, gave birth to a child, and she scarcely made a sound. --I know. There's no need for my brother to be so upset. One must befirm and take things calmly. And I'm afraid, too, he'll introduce alot of his fantastic notions in the bringing up of his children andindulge their every whim. --He's a very weak character. He has little enough money, and yet helends it to people who don't deserve to be trusted. --Do you know how much the child's layette cost? --Don't talk to me of it! It gets on my nerves, my brother'sextravagance does. I often quarrel with him because he's soimprovident. --They say a stork brings babies. What sort of a stork is it? _[The young men burst out laughing. _ --Don't talk nonsense. I gave birth to five children right in yourpresence, and I'm no stork, thank the Lord. _[The young men burst our laughing again. The Elderly Woman eyes themlong and sternly. _ --It's only a superstition. Children are born in an absolutely naturalway, firmly established by science. They've moved to new quarters now. --Who? --The engineer and his wife. Their old place was chilly and damp. Theycomplained to the landlord several times, but he paid no attention. --I think it's better to live in a small place that's warm than in alarge place that's damp. You are liable to catch your death of coldand rheumatism if you live in a damp house. --I have a friend, too, who lives in a very damp house. And I too. Very damp. --There are so many damp places nowadays. --Tell me, please--I've been wanting to ask you a long time--how doyou remove a grease stain from light-colored material? --Woollen? --No, silk. _[The child's crying is heard behind the scene. _ --Take a piece of ice and rub it on the spot hard. Then take a hotiron and press the spot. --No? Fancy, how simple! I heard benzine was better. --No, benzine is good for dark material. For light goods ice isbetter. --I wonder whether smoking is allowed here. Somehow at never occurredto me before whether one may or may not smoke where there is anew-born baby. --It never occurred to me either. How strange! I know it isn't properto smoke at funerals, but here-- --Nonsense! Of course you may smoke. --Smoking is a bad habit just the same. You are still a very young manand ought to take good care of your health. There are many occasionsin life when good health is highly essential. --But smoking stimulates. --Believe me, it's a very unhealthy stimulant. When I was young andreckless, I was also guilty of using, or rather abusing, tobacco-- --Mamma, listen to him crying. My, how he's crying! Does he want milk, mamma? _[The young men burst out laughing. The Elderly Woman looks at themsternly. _ CURTAIN THE SECOND SCENE LOVE AND POVERTY _The entire place is filled with a warm, bright light. A large, verypoor room, high walls, the color of old rose, covered here and therewith beautiful, fantastic, roughly drawn designs. To the right aretwo lofty windows, eight panes in each, with the darkness of nightglooming through them. Two poor beds, two chairs, and a bare table, on which stands a half-broken pitcher of water and a pretty bunch offlowers. In the darkest corner stands Someone in Gray, the candle in His handnow reduced by a third, but the flame still very bright, high, andwhite. It throws a powerful light on His face and chin. Enter the Neighbors, dressed in light, gay dresses, their hands fullof flowers, grasses, and fresh branches of oak and birch. They runabout the room, scattering them. Their faces are merry, simple, andgood-natured. _ NEIGHBORS' CONVERSATION --How poor they are! Look, they haven't even a single spare chair. --And no curtains in the windows. --And no pictures on the walls. --How poor they are! All they eat is hard bread. --And all they drink is water, cold water from the spring. --They don't own any clothes at all except what they have on. Shealways goes about in her rosy dress with her neck bare, which makesher look like a young girl. --And he wears his blouse and loose necktie, which makes him look likean artist, and makes the dogs bark at him. --And makes all the respectable people disapprove of him. --Dogs hate the poor. I saw three dogs attack him yesterday. Hebeat them off with a stick and shouted: "Don't you dare to touch mytrousers; they're my last pair!" And he laughed, and the dogs flungthemselves at him and showed their teeth and barked viciously. --I saw two respectable people, a lady and a gentleman, meet him onthe street to-day. They were terribly frightened and crossed to theother side. "He'll ask for money, " said the gentleman. "He'll killus, " piped the lady. From the other side of the street they lookedback at him and held on to their pockets. He shook his head andlaughed. --He's such a jolly good fellow. --They're always laughing. --And singing. --It's he who sings. She dances. --In her rosy dress, with her little bare neck. --It does one good to look at them. They are so young and wholesome. --I am sorry for them. They're starving. Do you understand? They'reactually going without food. --Yes, it's true. They had more clothes and furniture, but they soldevery bit, and now they've nothing more to sell. --I know. She had such pretty earrings, and she sold them to buybread. --He had a beautiful black frock-coat, the one in which he wasmarried, and he sold that too. --The only thing they'll have left is their engagement rings. How poorthey are! --That's nothing. I was once young myself, and I know what it is. --What did you say, grandpa? --I said it's nothing, nothing at all. --Look, the mere thought of them makes grandpa want to sing. --And dance. _[They laugh. _ --He is so kind. He made my boy a bow and arrow. --She cried with me when my daughter was ill. --He helped me mend the rickety fence. He's strong. --It's nice to have such good neighbors. Their youth warms our coldold age. Their jolliness drives away our cares. --But their room is like a prison, it's so empty. --No, it's like a temple. It's so bright. --Look, they have flowers on the table, the flowers she picked on herwalk in the country in her rosy dress with her little bare neck. Hereare lilies-of-the-valley. The dew hasn't dried on them yet. --There is the burning campion. --And violets. --Don't touch; don't touch the flowers, girls. Her kisses are uponthem. Don't throw them on the floor, girls. Her breath is upon them. Don't blow them away with your breath. Don't touch, don't touch theflowers, girls. --He'll come and he'll see the flowers. --He'll take the kisses. --He'll drink her breath. --How poor they are! How happy they are! --Come, let's leave. --Haven't we brought our dear neighbors anything? --What a shame! --I brought a bottle of milk and a piece of white, sweet-smellingbread. _(Puts them on the table)_ --I brought flowers. _(Scatters them)_ --We brought branches of oak and birch with green leaves. Let's putthem up around the walls. The room will look like cheerful greenwoods. _[They decorate the room with the branches, concealing the darkwindows and covering the pinkish nakedness of the walls with leaves. _ --I, brought a good cigar. It is a cheap one, but it's strong andfragrant and will give pleasant dreams. --And I brought a ribbon, a red ribbon. It makes a very pretty fancybow for the hair. It's a present my sweetheart gave me; but I have somany ribbons and she hasn't even one. --What did you bring, grandpa? Did you bring anything? --Nothing, nothing, except my cough. They don't want that, do they, neighbor? --No more than they want my crutches. Hey, girls, who wants mycrutches? --Do you remember, neighbor? --Do _you_ remember, neighbor? --Come, let's go to sleep, neighbor. It's late already. _(Theysigh and leave, one coughing, the other knocking the floor with hiscrutches)_ --Come, come! --May God give them happiness. They are such good neighbors. --God grant that they may always be healthy and merry and always loveeach other. And may the hideous black cat never pass between them. --And may the good man find work. It's bad when a man is out of work. _(They leave)_ _[Enter immediately the Wife of Man, very pretty, graceful, anddelicate, wearing flowers in her luxuriant hair which is hangingloose. The expression on her face is very sad. She seats herself ona chair, folds her hands in her lap, and speaks in a sad tone, turnedtoward the audience. _ MAN'S WIFE I've just returned from the city, where I went looking for I don'tknow what. We are so poor, we have nothing, and it's very hard for usto live. We need money, and I don't know how in the world to get it. People won't give it to you for the asking, and I haven't the strengthto take it away from them. I was looking for work, but I can't getwork either. There are lots of people and little work, they say. Ilooked on the ground as I walked to see if some rich person hadn'tlost his purse, but either nobody had lost one or somebody luckierthan I had already picked it up. I feel so sad. My husband will sooncome from his search for work, tired and hungry. What am I to give himexcept my kisses? But you can't satisfy your hunger on kisses. I feelso sad I could cry. I can go without eating for a long time and not feel it, but he can't. He has a large body which demands food, and when he's gone a long timewithout it, he gets pale, sick, and excited. He scolds me and thenbegs me not to be angry at him. I never am angry at him, because Ilove him dearly. It only makes me feel so sad. My husband is a very talented architect. I even think he's a genius. He was left an orphan when a mere boy, and after his parents' deathhis relatives supported him for some time; but as he was always ofan independent nature, sharp in his talk and prone to make unpleasantremarks, and as he showed them no gratitude, they dropped him. He continued to study, nevertheless, supporting himself by givinglessons, and so made his way through college. He often went hungry, my poor husband. Now he is art architect and draws plans of beautifulbuildings, but no one wants to buy them, and many stupid persons makefun of them even. To make one's way in the world one must have eitherpatrons or luck. He has neither. So he goes about looking for achance, and maybe with his eyes on the ground looking for money likeme. He is still very young and simple. Of course, some day fortunewill come to us, too. But when will it be? In the meantime it's veryhard to live. When we were married we had a little property, but wesoon spent it. We went to the theatre and ate candy. He still hashopes, but I sometimes lose all hope and cry to myself. My heartbreaks when I think he'll be here soon and I have nothing to give himagain except my poor kisses. O God, be a kind, merciful Father to us. You have so much ofeverything, bread and work and money. Your earth is so rich. She growscorn and fruit in her fields, covers the meadows with flowers, andyields gold and beautiful precious stones from her bowels. And yoursun has so much warmth, and your pensive stars have so much quiet joy. Give us, I pray you, a little from your abundance, just a little, as much as you give your birds. A little bread, so that my dear goodhusband may not be hungry; a little warmth, so that he may not becold; and a little work, so that he may carry his beautiful headerect. And please do not be angry with my husband because he swears soand laughs, and even sings and makes me dance. He is so young and nota bit staid or serious. Now, after I have prayed, I feel relieved and hopeful again. Why, indeed, should God not grant one's request when one asks Him for it soearnestly? I'll go and hunt a little to see if somebody hasn't droppeda purse or a diamond. _(Exit)_ SOMEONE IN GRAY She knows not that her wish has already been fulfilled. She knows notthat this morning two men in a rich house were bending eagerly overa sketch by Man and were delighted with it. They searched for Man thewhole day; wealth was looking for him as he was looking for wealth. And to-morrow morning, after the neighbors have gone to work, anautomobile will stop in front of this house, and two men bending lowwill enter the poor room and bring wealth and fame. But neither he norshe knows it. Thus fortune will come to Man, and thus also it will go. _[Enter Man and his Wife. He has, a beautiful proud head, bright eyes, a high forehead, dark eyebrows parting at the root of the nose liketwo bold wrings, and wavy black hair carelessly tossed back. A low, white, turndown collar reveals a well-formed neck and part of hischest. He is light and quick in his movements, like a young animal. _ MAN Nothing again. I'll lie down and remain in bed the whole day. Anyonewanting me will have to come here. I can't go to him. I'll stay in bedthe whole of to-morrow too. WIFE Are you tired? MAN Yes, I'm tired and hungry. I could eat a whole ox, like the Homerichero, but I shall have to content myself with a piece of hard bread. Don't you know that a man can't live all the time on bread alone? Iwant to tear, bite, chew! WIFE I'm sorry for you, dear. MAN I'm sorry for myself, but that doesn't satisfy my hunger. I stood awhole hour in front of a restaurant to-day, looking at the chickens, pastry, and sausages, as people look at works of art. And then thesigns. They describe ham so well that you could eat sign and all. WIFE I like ham too. MAN Who doesn't like ham? How about lobster? Do you like lobster? WIFE Yes. MAN You should have seen the lobster I saw. It was a painted one, butit was even more beautiful than a live one. Red like a cardinal, majestic, stern. You could kneel down and do homage to it. I think Icould eat two such cardinals and a priest of a carp besides. WIFE _(sadly)_ You didn't see my flowers, did you? MAN Flowers? You can't eat flowers, can you? WIFE You don't love me. MAN _(kisses her)_ Excuse me, but really I'm so hungry. Look, my hands are trembling andI haven't even the strength to throw a stone at a dog. WIFE _(kisses his hand)_ My poor husband! MAN Where do those leaves, on the floor come from? They smell so good. Isthat your work too? WIFE No, the neighbors must have done it. MAN Fine people our neighbors are. It's strange, there are so many goodpeople in the world, and yet a man can die of hunger. Why is it? WIFE You've turned so sad. Your face is growing pale. What is the matter?Do you see anything? MAN Yes, as I was joking, the terrible image of poverty glided in front ofme and stopped there, in the corner. Do you see it? Arms stretched outin complaint, a child abandoned in the woods, a praying voice, and thestillness of a human desert. Help! No one hears. Help, I'm dying!No one hears. Look, wife, look! See the dark, gloomy shadows there, quivering and rising like black smoke from a long, terrible chimneyleading into hell. Look! And I'm in the midst of them! WIFE I'm afraid. I can't look in that dark corner. Did you see all that inthe street? MAN Yes, I saw it in the street, and soon it'll be that way with us. WIFE No, God will not permit it. MAN Then why does He permit it to happen to others? WIFE We're better than others. We are good people. We never offend Him. MAN You think so? I do a lot of swearing. WIFE You're not bad. MAN Yes, I am bad. When I walk along the street and see all the thingsthat don't belong to us, I feel as if I had tusks like a boar. Oh, howmuch money I haven't got! Listen, my dear wife. I was walking in thepark to-day, that lovely park, where the paths are straight as arrowsand the beech-trees like kings wearing crowns-- WIFE And I was walking in the city streets. Shops everywhere, suchbeautiful shops! MAN I saw men, beautifully dressed, carrying canes, and I thought: "Ihaven't anything like that. " WIFE I saw elegantly dressed women, wearing dainty shoes that make yourfeet beautiful, and pretty hats from under which your eyes shineimpenetrably, and silk skirts that make such a mysterious rustle; andI thought: "I haven't a good hat or a silk skirt. " MAN A ruffian jostled me. I showed him my tusks, and he fled in disgraceto hide himself in the crowd. WIFE A well-dressed lady jostled me, but I didn't even look at her, I feltso embarrassed. MAN Men rode by on proud, fiery horses. And I have nothing like that. WIFE She had diamonds in her ears. You felt like kissing them. MAN Red and green automobiles glided past noiselessly like phantoms withburning eyes, and people sat in them and laughed and looked lazilyfrom one side to the other. And I have nothing like it. And I have no diamonds, no emeralds, no pure white pearls. MAN I saw a fine restaurant on the Island. It was brightly illuminated, like heaven, and they were eating there. Black-coated monsters carriedaround butter and bread and wine and beer, and people ate and drank. My little wife, I'm hungry! I want something to eat! WIFE Dearie, you're running around all the time, and that makes you stillhungrier. You'd better sit down. I'll kneel beside you, and you cantake a piece of paper and draw a beautiful, beautiful building. MAN My inspiration is also hungry. It draws nothing but edible landscapes. My palaces are like portly cakes with fat stuffing, and my churcheslike sausages. But I see tears in your eyes. What is it, my dear wife? WIFE I feel so miserable not to be able to help you. MAN You make me ashamed of myself. I am a strong man with a good mind; Iam able, talented, and healthy, and yet I can't do a thing. My dearwife, my little fairy is crying, and I am not able to help her. Awoman's tears are her husband's disgrace, I am ashamed. WIFE But it isn't your fault that people don't appreciate you. MAN My ears are burning just as they used to when I was a boy and had hadthem boxed. Why, you are hungry too, and I, egoist that I am, haven'tnoticed it. It's mean of me. WIFE My dear, I don't feel hungry. MAN It's unfair, it's contemptible. That ruffian who jostled me was right. He saw I was a fat pig and that's all, a boar with sharp tusks but astupid head. WIFE. If you are going to keep on reproaching yourself, I'll cry again. MAN Don't, don't. No tears! Tears in your eyes frighten me. I am afraidof those shining crystal drops, as if some other, some terrible personwere shedding them, not you. I won't let you cry. We have nothing, weare poor. But I'll tell you of what we are going to have. I will charmyou with a bright fairy tale, my queen. I will array you in dazzlingdreams as in roses! WIFE You mustn't be afraid. You are strong, you are a genius, you willconquer. Your momentary despair will pass away, and divine inspirationwill again quicken your proud head. MAN _(assumes a challenging attitude and throws an oak leaf into thecorner where the Unknown stands, saying)_ Ho, you, whatever your name, Fate, Devil, or Life, I fling my glove down before you, I challengeyou to combat! The poor in spirit bow before your enigmatic power. Your stony face inspires them with fear; in your silence they hearthe approaching tread of misery and terrible ruin. But I am strong andbold, and I challenge you to combat! Come on! Let the swords glitter, the shields clang! Deal and receive blows so that the earth trembles!Ho, come forth to battle! WIFE _(nestling up at his left, somewhat behind, speaking solemnly)_Bolder, my husband, still bolder! MAN To your evil-boding inaction I oppose my living, daring strength; toyour gloom my clear, resonant laugh! Ho, repel the blows! You havea stone brow, devoid of reason. I will throw the glowing balls of mysparkling thought at it. You have a stone heart, devoid of pity. Takecare, I will pour into it the poison of my rebellious outcries. Thedark cloud of your grim wrath overshadows the sun. We will light thedarkness with our swords. Ho, repel the blows! WIFE Bolder, still bolder, my proud knight! Your squire is behind you. MAN Victorious, I will sing songs which the whole world will reecho;fallen under your blows, my only thought shall be to rise again andrush into battle. There are weak spots in my armor, but when my redblood is flowing, I will gather my last strength and cry: "You havenot conquered, evil Enemy of Man!" WIFE Bolder, my knight! I will wash your wounds with my tears. I will stopthe flow of your red blood with my kisses. MAN And dying on the field of battle as the brave die, with one cry I willdestroy your blind joy: "I have conquered!" I have conquered, O cruelEnemy. Unto my last breath I did not recognize your power! WIFE Bolder, my knight, bolder! I will die beside you. MAN Ho, come forth to battle! Let the swords glitter, the shields clang!Deal and receive blows to make the earth tremble! Ho, come forth! _[For some time Man and his Wife remain in the same posture; then theyturn around, facing each other, and kiss. _ MAN That's the way we'll deal with life, my dear, won't we? Let it frownlike a blind owl in the sun--we'll compel it to smile. WIFE And to dance to our songs--so we will, we two. MAN We two. You're a good wife, you're my true friend, you're a bravelittle woman, and as long as you are with me I fear nothing. Poverty, what does it amount to? To-day we're poor, to-morrow rich. WIFE And what is hunger? To-day we are hungry, to-morrow satisfied. MAN Do you think so? It's quite possible. But I'll eat a lot. I shall needso much to satisfy my hunger. Tell me, do you think this will proveenough? In the, morning, tea or coffee or chocolate. You can have yourchoice. It's free. Then a breakfast of three courses, then lunch, thendinner, then-- WIFE More fruit. I like fruit. MAN Very well. I'll buy fruit by the barrel, direct from the wholesalemarket. It's cheaper and fresher. Besides, we'll have our own garden. WIFE But we have no land. MAN I'll buy land. I've always wanted to have my own piece of land. By theway, I'll build a house for us and design it too. Let the rascals seewhat sort of an architect I am. WIFE I should like to live in Italy, close by the sea; in a white marblevilla in a grove of lemons and cypresses, with marble steps leadingstraight down to the blue water. MAN I understand. That's all right. But I intend, besides, to build acastle in the mountains of Norway. Below, the fjord; and above, on thesteep mountain, the castle. We have no paper. But look, I'll show itto you on the wall here. Here is the fjord, you see? WIFE Yes, beautiful. MAN Here, sparkling blue water gently beating against the green grass;here, beautiful cinnamon-colored stone; and there, in the recess, where this spot is, a bit of blue sky and serene white clouds. WIFE Look, there is a white boat floating on the water--it looks like twoswans swimming side by side. MAN And up there rises the mountain. Bright and green below, it turnsgloomier and sterner as it ascends--rugged crags, dark shadows, fallenboulders, and patches of clouds. WIFE Like a ruined castle. MAN And there, on that spot--the middle one--I'll build my royal castle. WIFE It's cold up there, and windy. MAN I'll have thick stone walls and large windows with all the panes madeout of a single piece of glass. At night, when the winter snowstormsbegin to rage and the fjord below to roar, we'll draw the curtains andmake a fire in the huge fireplace. It is such a tremendous fireplacethat it will hold a whole log. It will burn up a whole forest ofpines. WIFE How nice and warm. MAN And how quiet too, if you will please notice. Carpets covering thewhole, floor and lots of books will make it cosy and quietly lively. And we'll be there, the two of us. The wind howling outside and we twositting before the fireplace on a white bear-skin rug. "Wouldn't youlike to have a look at what's doing outside?" you'll say. "All right!"And we'll go to the largest window and draw aside the curtain. Goodheavens! What a sight! WIFE See the snow whirling. MAN Galloping like white horses, like myriads of frightened littlespirits, pale with fear and seeking safety in the night. And what ahowling and roaring! WIFE Oh, it's cold. I'm shivering. MAN Go back to the fireplace, quick! Hey there, fetch me grandfather'sgoblet--not that one, the golden one from which the vikings drank. Fill it up with sparkling wine--not that way--fill it to the brim withthe burning draught. Venison is roasting on the spit. Bring it here. I'll eat some. Quick, or I'll eat you. I'm hungry as the devil. WIFE There, they have brought it. Now, go on. MAN Go on? I'll eat some, of course. What else do you expect? What are youdoing to my head, little wife? WIFE I am the goddess of fame. I have woven a crown of the oak leaves thatour neighbors scattered here, and I'm crowning you. It's Fame thathas come to you, the beautiful goddess Fame. _(Puts the wreath on hishead)_ MAN Yes, fame; loud, noisy fame. Look at the wall. Do you see this? It'sI, walking. And who is this next to me? Do you see? WIFE I. MAN Look, they are bowing to us; they are whispering about us; they arepointing their fingers at us. There is a venerable old gentlemansaying with tears in his eyes: "Happy the land that has suchchildren!" See how pale this youth here has turned. Fame looked at himand gave him a smile. That's after I built the People's House, whichis the pride of the whole country. WIFE You are my famous husband. The oak wreath suits you so well. A laurelwreath would become you still better. MAN Look, look, there come the representatives of the city where I wasborn. They bow to me and say: "Our city is proud of the honor--" WIFE Oh! MAN What is it? WIFE I found a bottle of milk. MAN Impossible! WIFE And bread, soft, sweet-smelling bread. And a cigar. MAN Impossible! You are mistaken. It's the dampness from that damned wall, that's what it is. It isn't milk. WIFE But it is. MAN A cigar? Cigars don't grow on windows. They are sold for fortunes intobacco stores. It's a black stick, a piece of a branch, I'm sure. WIFE Look and see. I suppose our neighbors brought it. MAN Our neighbors? I tell you they're people--they're not human--they'redivine. But even if the devil himself brought it--quick, give it here, my sweet little wife. _[Man's Wife seats herself on his knees, and so they eat. She breaksoff pieces of bread and puts them in his mouth. He feeds her the milkfrom the bottle. _ MAN Seems to be cream. WIFE No, it's milk. Chew better. You'll choke. MAN. Give me the crust. It's so brown. WIFE I told you, you'd choke. MAN No, it went down. I swallowed it. WIFE The milk is running down my chin and neck. Oh, it's tickling me. MAN. Lean over. I'll lick it off. We mustn't let a drop go to waste. WIFE You're a cunning one. MAN There! Quick work. All good things soon come to an end. Thisbottle seems to have a double bottom. It looks so large. The glassmanufacturers are terrible cheats. _[He lights the cigar with the air of a man relaxing into beatificrepose. His Wife ties the red ribbon in her hair, looking at herselfin the dark pane of the window. _ WIFE Don't you see? MAN I see everything. I see your ribbon, and I see, you want me to kissyou on your dear little bare neck. WIFE. No, sir, I won't permit that. You've grown too forward of late anyway. You take such liberties. Please go on smoking your cigar and leave myneck-- MAN What, isn't your neck mine? I'll be jiggered! Why, it's an attackon the sacred rights of property _(She runs away; he catches her andkisses her)_ So, the property rights have been restored. Now, mydear, we'll dance. Imagine that this is a magnificent, a luxurious, awonderful, a supernatural, ah exquisitely beautiful palace. WIFE Very well. I'm imagining it. MAN Imagine you're the queen of the ball. WIFE All right. It is imagined. MAN And that counts, marquises, and dukes come up and ask you to dance. But you refuse. You choose that one--What's his name?--the one inuniform--the prince. What's the matter? WIFE I don't like princes. MAN Indeed? Then whom do you like? WIFE Talented artists. MAN Very well. Here's one for you. Why, girl, what are you doing? Are youflirting with the air? WIFE I am imagining. MAN All right. Imagine a wonderful orchestra. Here is the Turkishdrum--boom, boom, boom! _(He strikes his fist on the table as on adrum)_ WIFE Why, dear, it's only in the circus that they attract crowds by beatingdrums, but in a palace-- MAN Oh, hang it! Stop imagining that, then. Now imagine something else. The violins are playing a melodious plaint; the flutes are singinggently; the double bass drones like a beetle. _[Man sits down, still wearing his oak wreath, and strikes up a dancetune, clapping his hands in accompaniment. The melody is the same asin the next scene at Man's ball. The Wife dances. She is well-formedand graceful. _ MAN Oh, you darling! WIFE I am the queen of the ball. _[The song and dance grow ever jollier. Man rises slowly and beginsto dance lightly on the spot where he is standing; then he seizes hisWife and dances with her. The oak wreath slips to one side. Someonein Gray looks on indifferently, the candle burning brightly in hispetrified hand. _ CURTAIN THE THIRD SCENE A BALL AT MAN'S HOUSE _The ball is in the drawing-room of Man's large mansion. It is a verylofty, spacious, perfectly rectangular room. The floor is bright andsmooth. There is a certain irregularity about the room due to thedisproportionate size of the parts. Thus, the doors are very smallin proportion to the windows. This produces a strange, irritatingimpression, as of something disharmonious, something lacking, and alsoof something superfluous and adventitious. The whole is pervaded by achilly white, the monotony of which is broken only by a row of windowsin the rear wall. They are very high, reaching almost to the ceiling, and dense with the blackness of night. Not one gleam, not a brightspot shows in the blank spaces between the window frames. Man's wealthshows in the abundance of gildings. There are gilded chairs, andvery wide gold frames enclose the pictures. These constitute the onlyfurniture as well as the only ornamentation. The lighting is fromthree chandeliers shaped like tings, with a few electric lights placedat a great distance apart. At the ceiling the light is bright, butconsiderably less so below, so that the walls seem grayish. The ball is in full swing. The music is furnished by an orchestraof three pieces. The musicians resemble closely their respectiveinstruments; the violinist, a violin--lean neck, small head, a shockof hair brushed to one side, back somewhat bent, a handkerchiefcorrectly adjusted on his shoulder under the violin; the flute-player, a flute--very, tall, with a thin, elongated face, and stiff, thinlegs, the bass-violinist, a double-bass--stumpy, round-shouldered, lower part of his body very stout, wide trousers. The uncommon effortwith which the musicians play is painfully evident. They beat time, swing their heads, and shake their bodies. The tune is the samethroughout the ball, a short polka in two musical phrases, producing ajolly, hopping, extremely insipid effect. The three instruments donot quite keep time with one another, producing a sort of queerdetachment, a vacant space, as it were, between them and the soundswhich they produce. Young men and girls are dancing dreamily. All are handsome, distinguished-looking, with good figures. In contrast to the piercingnotes of the music, their dancing is smooth, noiseless, light. Atthe first musical phrase, they circle around; at the second, theygracefully part and join again. There is a slight mannerism in theirdancing. Along the walls, on the gilded chairs, sit the Guests, stiff andconstrained. They scarcely venture to move their heads. Theirconversation is also constrained. They do not whisper to one another;they do not laugh, and they scarcely look at one another. They speakabruptly, as if chopping out the words of a text. Their hands hangingsuperciliously over their laps make their arms look as if they hadbeen broken at the wrists. The monotony of their faces is stronglyemphasized. Every face bears the same expression of self-satisfaction, haughtiness, and inane respect for the wealth of Man. The dancing girls are all in white, the men in black. Some of theGuests wear black, white, and brightly yellow? flowers. In the near corner, which is darker than the rest, Someone in Graycalled He stands motionless. The candle in his hand is reducedtwo-thirds and burns with a strong, yellow light, casting a yellowsheen on His stony face and chin. _ THE GUESTS' CONVERSATION --It is a very great honor to be a guest at Man's ball. --You may add, it is an honor of which very few have been deemedworthy. The whole city tried to get themselves invited, but only avery few succeeded. My husband, my children, and I are quite proud ofthe honor Man has showed us. --I am really sorry for those who were not able to get here. Theywon't sleep the whole night from sheer envy, and to-morrow they'll saynasty things about the ball and call it a bore. --They never saw such magnificence. --Or such wonderful wealth and luxury. --Or, I dare say, such charming, free and easy gayety. --If this isn't gay, I should like to know what is. --Oh, what's the use of talking? You can't convince people consumed byjealousy. They'll tell us we didn't sit on gilded chairs, absolutelynot. --They'll say that the chairs were of the commonest sort, bought atsecond hand. --That the illumination was not by electricity, but just by tallowcandles. --Say candle stumps. --Or dirty lamps. --They'll have the impudence to maintain that the mouldings in Man'shouse are not gilded. --And that the broad picture frames are not made of gold. It seems tome I can hear the very ring of it. --You can see its glitter. That's quite sufficient, I should think. --I have rarely had the pleasure of hearing such music. --It is divine harmony. It transports the soul to higher spheres. --I should think the music good enough, considering the money paid forit. It is the best trio in the city. They play on the most importantand solemn occasions. --If you listen awhile, it compels your absolute attention. After aball at Man's, my children keep singing the tune a long time. --I sometimes think I hear it in the street. I look around--nomusicians, no music. --What I like especially in these musicians is the great effort theymake when they play. They know the price they're paid and don't wantto get the money for nothing. That's very decent of them. --It seems as if they became a part of their instruments, theirefforts are so great. --Or as if the instruments became part of them. --How rich! --How magnificent! --How brilliant! --How rich! _[For some time the two expressions, "How rich! How magnificent!" arerepeated from different parts of the room, uttered abruptly, like abark. _ --Beside this ballroom there are fourteen other magnificent rooms inMan's house. I have seen them all. The dining-room has such a hugefireplace that you can put a whole log into it. There are magnificentguest-rooms and a beautiful boudoir. A large bedroom, and over thepillows on the beds--just fancy!--canopies! --Why, how wonderful! Canopies! --Did you hear? Canopies! --Permit me to continue. For their son, the little boy, they have abeautiful bright room of golden yellow wood. It looks as if the sunwere shining into it all the time. --He is such a fine boy. He has curly hair that looks like the rays ofthe sun. --That's true. When you look at him you wonder whether the sun hasrisen. --And when you look at his eyes you think: "Autumn is, gone, and theblue sky is here again. " --Man loves his son madly. He bought him a pony for horseback riding, a nice snow-white pony. My children-- --Pray, let me continue. Have I told you yet about the swimming-pool? --No. No. --A swimming-pool, a perfect marvel. --What, a swimming-pool! --Yes. And further on is Man's study, full of books, books, books. They say he's a very learned man. --You can see it by the books. --I have seen his garden. --I haven't. --It was entrancing, I must say. Imagine an emerald-green lawn keptbeautifully mowed and trimmed at the edges. In the middle a path offine red sand. --Flowers--even palms. --Yes, even palms. And all the trees trimmed as carefully andprecisely as the lawn, some cut in the shape of pyramids, othersin the shape of green columns. There's a lovely fountain and littleplaster elves and deer scattered all around in the grass. --How rich! --How magnificent! --How brilliant! --How rich! --Man did me the honor of showing me his stables and barns. I hadto tell him how much I admired his horses and carriages. I wasparticularly impressed by his motor car. --Think of it, he has seven servants; seven--a chef, a woman-cook, twomaids, gardeners-- --You forget the coachman and the chauffeur. --Yes, of course, the coachman and the chauffeur. --And they themselves do nothing at all. They are too fine. --You must admit, it is a great honor to have been invited to Man'sball. --Don't you find the music somewhat monotonous? --No, I don't, and I'm surprised you do. Don't you see what kind ofmusicians they are? --I should like to hear such music all my life. That's what I say. There's something, in that music that stirs me. --Me too. --Me too. --It is a delicious sensation to abandon oneself to dreams ofhappiness under the influence of this music! --To transport oneself in fancy to the astral spheres! --How fine! --How rich! --How magnificent! _[These phrases are repeated. _ --I notice a stir at that door. Man and his Wife will soon passthrough the hall. --The musicians are working away for dear life. --There they are! --They're coming! Look, they're coming! _[Man, his Wife, his Friends, and his Enemies appear in the door onthe right, cross the room diagonally to the door on the left. Thedancers go on dancing, but part to make way for them. The musiciansplay desperately loud and out of tune. Man has aged greatly. His longhair and long beard are beginning to turn gray. But his face is manlyand handsome, and he walks with calm dignity and an air of coldness. He looks straight ahead of him, as if not noticing those around him. His Wife has also aged, but she is still beautiful and walks leaningon his arm. She too seems not to notice the people around her, butlooks straight ahead, with a rather strange, almost fixed expression. Both are richly dressed. His Friends follow directly behind Man. They resemble one another verymuch--noble faces, high and candid foreheads, honest eyes. They walkproudly, throwing out their chests, stepping firmly and confidently, and looking, now to this side, now to that, with condescension andslight disdain. They wear white roses in their buttonholes. Following them at a slight distance come Man's Enemies, also very muchresembling one another--mean, cunning faces; low, heavy foreheads;long, ape-like arms. They walk uneasily, pushing, bending, and hidingbehind one another, and casting sharp, mean, envious, sidelong glancesfrom beneath lowered lids. Yellow roses appear in their buttonholes. Thus they pass through the room, slowly and in perfect silence. Thesounds of the steps, the music, and the exclamations of the Guestsproduce a sharply discordant noise. _ GUESTS' CONVERSATION --There they are. There they are. What an honor! --How handsome he is! --What a manly face! --Look! Look! --He isn't looking at us! --He doesn't see us! --We are his guests! --What an honor! What an honor! --And his wife! Look! Look! --How beautiful she is! --How proud! --I tell you, just look at her diamonds! --Her pearls! Her pearls! --And her rubies! --How rich! What an honor! --Honor! Honor! Honor! _[The same phrases are repeated again. _ --Here are Man's Friends! --Look, look, there are Man's Friends. --Noble faces! --Proud gait! --They shine with the reflected splendor of his fame. --How they love him! --How faithful they are to him! --What an honor to be one of Man's Friends! --They regard everything here as their own! --They're at home here! --What an honor! --Honor! Honor! Honor! _[Same phrases are repeated. _ --And there are Man's Enemies! --Look, look, Man's Enemies! --They walk like whipped curs! --Man has subdued them! --He's put a muzzle on them! --They're wagging their tails! --They're sneaking behind one another. --They're pushing one another. --Ha-ha! Ha-ha! _[Everybody laughs. _ --What mean faces! --What greedy looks! --Cowardly! --Malevolent! --They're afraid to look at us! --They feel we're at home! --Let's frighten them. --Man'll be thankful to us for it. --Ho-ho! _[They shout at Man's Enemies, mingling their shouts with laughter. The Enemies huddle closer together and cast sharp, timid, sidewardglances. _ --They're going! They're going! --What an honor! --They're going! --Ho-ho! Ha-ha! --They're gone! They're gone! They're gone! _[The procession disappears through the door on the left. A pause ofsilence. The music plays less loudly, and the dancers begin graduallyto fill the hall. _ --Where did they go? --I believe they went to the dining-room, where supper is beingserved. --I suppose they'll soon invite us in. Do you see anybody looking forus? --Yes, it's time for supper. If you eat too late, you can't sleepwell. --I always serve supper early. --A late supper lies heavy on your stomach. --And the music is still playing. --And they're still dancing. --I wonder they don't get tired. --How rich! --How magnificent! --Do you know for how many guests they have prepared the supper? --I didn't get a chance to count all the covers. The caterer came in, and I had to get out. --Could they possibly have forgotten us? --Man is so proud, and we are so unimportant. --Don't say that. My husband says we do him an honor by accepting hisinvitation. We are rich, too. --When you consider the reputation of his wife-- --Do you see anyone looking for us? Maybe he's looking for us in theother rooms. --How rich! --If you are not careful with other people's money, it's easy to getrich, I think. --Oh, now, it's only his enemies who say that. --Well, after all, there are some very respectable people among them. I must admit that my husband-- --It is late, though. --It's clear there must be a mistake somewhere. I can't believe we'vesimply been forgotten. --Evidently you know people and life very little if you think so. --I am surprised. We are rich enough ourselves. --It seems to me someone called us. --You're mistaken, no one called us. I don't understand it. Tobe quite frank--why did we come to a house like this, with such areputation? One should be very careful of the friends one chooses. A LIVERIED LACKEY _(appears at the door)_ Man and his Wife beg the honored guests to step into the dining-room. GUESTS _(rising quickly)_ --What a livery! --He asked us to come in! --I said there must be a mistake somewhere. --Man is so good. I'm sure he hasn't had a chance to sit down at tablehimself. --Didn't I say someone was looking for us? --What a livery! --They say the supper is grand. --Everything at Man's is done in a grand style. --What music! What an honor to be at Man's ball! --Let those envy us who-- --How grand! --How magnificent! --What an honor! _[They go out one after the other, repeating the last phrases. Onecouple after the other stop dancing and follow the Guests in silence. For some time a single couple remain circling on the floor, but theytoo join the others at last. The musicians, however, continue to play, making the same desperate effort. The lackey turns out the electriclights, leaving only one light in the farthest chandelier. The figuresof the musicians are vaguely seen in the dim light, swaying to andfro with their instruments. The outline of Someone in Gray is sharplyvisible. The flame of the candle flickers, illuminating His stony faceand chin with a garish, yellow light. He turns around without raisinghis head, walks slowly and calmly through the whole length of theroom, and disappears through the door through which Man passed out. _ CURTAIN THE FOURTH SCENE MAN'S MISFORTUNE _A large, gloomy, quadrangular room, with dark watts, dark floor, anddark ceiling. There are two high, curtainless windows with eight panesin the rear watt, and between them a small, low door. Two similarwindows appear in the right wall. Night glooms through the windows, and when the door opens, the same deep blackness of night stares intothe room. In general, however bright Man's rooms may be, the vastdarkness of the windows engulfs the light. On the left wall there is nothing but a small, low door leading tothe rest of the house. At the window on the right stands a broad sofacovered with dark oilcloth. Man's desk is very simple and poor. On itare seen a dimly burning, shaded lamp, a sheet of yellow paper witha sketch drawn on it, and a lot of toys--little peaked cap, a woodenhorse without a tail, and a red, long-nosed clown with bells. Betweenthe windows there is an old dilapidated bookcase entirely empty. Thevisible lines of dust left by the books show that they must have beenremoved recently. The room has only one chair. In the darkest corner stands Someone in Gray called He. The candle inhis hand is now no longer than it is thick. The wax is running over alittle. The stump burns with a reddish, flickering light, and casts ared sheen on His stony face and chin. The only remaining servant of Man, an Old Woman, is sitting onthe chair. She speaks in an even voice, addressing an imaginarycompanion. _ OLD WOMAN There! Man has slipped back into poverty. He had a lot of valuablethings, horses and carriages, and even an automobile. Now he hasnothing. Of all his servants I am the only one left. There are stillsome good things in here and in two other rooms. There's the sofa andthe bookcase. But in the other twelve rooms there's not a thing. Theyare dark and empty. Rats run around in them day and night and fightand squeak. People are afraid, but I'm not. It's all the same to me. An iron sign has been hanging on the gate for ever so long, sayingthe house is for sale. But no one wants to buy it. The sign's rustyalready, and the rain has worn the letters away. But no one comes tobuy the house. No one wants an old house. Yet maybe someone will buyit. Then we'll be going to look for another place to live in. It'llbe a strange place. My mistress will begin to cry, and I dare say, theold gentleman will too. But I won't. It's all the same to me. You wonder what's become of all his riches. I don't know. Maybe itseems strange, but I've been living with other people all my life, and many is the time I've seen money disappear, quietly running offthrough some leak or other. That's the way it has happened to thesefolks too. They had a lot, then it got to be a little, and thennothing at all. People came and bought things. Then they stoppedcoming. I once asked my mistress how it came about. She answered:"People have stopped liking what they used to like; they have stoppedloving what they used to love. " "How is that possible?" says I. "Howcan people stop liking what they once liked?" She didn't answer andfell to crying. But I didn't. It's all the same to me. It's all thesame to me. People say they are surprised at me. It's terrible, they say, tolive in this house; terrible to sit here at night with only the windwhining in the chimney and the rats squeaking and scuffling. Maybe itis terrible, I don't know; but I don't think about it. Why should I?There they sit, the two of them, in their room, looking at each otherand listening to the whining of the wind; and I sit in the kitchenalone and listen to the whining of the wind. Doesn't the same windwhine in our ears? Young folks used to come to see their son, and theywould all laugh and sing and go through the empty rooms to chase therats. But nobody comes to me, and I sit alone, all alone. There's noone to talk to, so I talk to myself, and it's all the same to me. I'm sure they had a hard enough time of it--no need of more ill luck. But three days ago another misfortune happened to them. The younggentleman went out walking, his hat cocked, his hair dressed in latestfashion. And a bad man went and threw a stone at him from behind acorner and broke his head like a nut. They brought him home, put himto bed, and now he's dying in there. Maybe he'll recover and live--whoknows? The old lady and the old gentleman cried, and then they put allthe books on a wagon and sold them. With the money they hired a nurse, bought medicines, and even grapes. So the books, too, were of somegood. But he doesn't eat the grapes. He doesn't even look at them. They just lie there on the dish, just lie there. DOCTOR _(enters through the outer door; his face looks red and hismanner is uneasy)_ Can you tell me if I am in the right place? I'ma doctor. I have many visits to pay, and I often make mistakes. I'mcalled here and there and everywhere, and all the houses look alikeand the people in them are all sad. Have I struck the right place? OLD WOMAN I don't know. DOCTOR I'll consult my note-book. Is there a child here choking with a sorethroat? OLD WOMAN No. DOCTOR Is there a man here who suddenly went insane from poverty and attackedhis wife and two children with a hatchet? Four patients in all, Isuppose. OLD WOMAN No. DOCTOR Is there a girl here whose heart stopped beating? Don't lie, oldwoman, I think she is here. OLD WOMAN No. DOCTOR Well, I believe you. You seem to speak the truth. Is there a young manhere whose head was broken by a stone and who is dying? OLD WOMAN Yes. Go through that door on the left, but don't go any farther. Therats will eat you up! DOCTOR Very well. They keep ringing, ringing all the time, day and night. Here it is, late at night. All the lights in the street are out, and Iam still on the run. Often I make a mistake and enter the wrong house. Yes, old woman, I do. _(Exit through the door leading inside)_ OLD WOMAN One doctor has already treated him, but didn't cure him. Now there'sanother, and I guess he won't cure him either. Well! Then their sonwill die, and we'll remain alone in the house. I'll sit in thekitchen and talk to myself, and they'll sit in there keeping quiet andthinking. Another room vacated, another room for the rats to scufflein. Let them squeak and scuffle. It's all the same to me. It's allthe same to me. You ask me why that bad fellow threw the stone at ouryoung gentleman. I don't know--how could I know why people want tokill each other? One threw a stone from behind a corner and ran away;the other one fell in a heap and is now dying--that's all I know. Theysay that our young gentleman was a fine chap, very brave, and verykind to poor people. I don't know anything about it--it is all thesame to me. Whether they are good or bad, young or old, quick or dead, it is all the same to me. It is all the same to me. As long as they pay, I'll stay with them; and when they stop paying, I'll go to other people to do their housework, and finally I shallstop altogether--when I get old, and my eyesight gets poor, so thatI can't tell salt from sugar. Then they'll turn me out and say: "Gowhere you please. We'll hire another one. " What of it? I'll go. It'sall the same to me. Here, there, or nowhere, it's all the same to me. It's all the same to me. _[Enter Doctor, Man and his Wife. Both have aged greatly and arecompletely gray. Man's long bristling hair and beard give his facea leonine appearance. He walks slightly stooping, but holds his headerect and looks sternly and resolutely from beneath his gray eyebrows. When he looks at anything closely, he puts on large, silver-framedeye-glasses. _ DOCTOR Your son has fallen into a deep sleep. Don't wake him. It may bring ona turn for the better. You go to sleep too. When one has a chance tosleep one should grab it and not stay up talking. WIFE Thank you, doctor, it's been such a relief. Will you call to-morrowagain? DOCTOR Yes, to-morrow and the day after to-morrow. Old woman, you go to bedtoo. It's late, it's time for all to go to bed. Is that the door toleave by? I often make mistakes. _[He goes out. The Old Woman goes also. Man and his Wife are leftalone. _ MAN Look, wife, I began to draw this while our son was still well. Istopped at this line and thought I'd rest and resume the work later. See what a simple, placid line it is, yet horrible to look at. Itmay be the last line I shall have drawn in our boy's lifetime. Whatmalicious ignorance there is graven in its simplicity and placidity. WIFE Don't get excited, my dear. Don't think those evil thoughts. I believethe doctor told the truth and our son will recover. MAN Aren't you excited too? Look at yourself in the mirror. You're aswhite as your hair, my old friend. WIFE Of course, I am a little excited, but I'm convinced there's no danger. MAN Now, as always, you encourage me and fool me so sincerely, soguilelessly. My poor squire, true guardian of my dulled sword, yourknight is a poor, broken-down man. He cannot hold a weapon in hisfeeble hand. What do I see? Our son's toys. Who put them there? WIFE My dear, you put them there yourself long ago. Have you forgotten? Yousaid you found it easier to work with the child's innocent toys besideyou. MAN Yes, I had forgotten. But now it's terrible to look at them, asterrible as it is for a convict to look at instruments of torture. Ifthe child dies, his toys will remain as a curse to the living. Wife, wife, the sight of them is terrible to me! WIFE It was when we were still poor that we bought them. How touching it isto look at them, those poor, dear toys! MAN I can't help it, I must take them in my hands. Here's the horse withthe tail torn off. Hop, hop, horsie! Where are you galloping off to?I'm going far, far away, papa, to where the fields are and the greenwoods. Take me along, horsie. Hop, hop, hop! Sit down, dear papa. Andthere's the soldier's cap, the cheap cap I tried on myself in fun whenI bought it. Who are you? I'm a knight, papa. I'm the bravest, thestrongest knight. Where are you going, my little knight? I'm going tokill the dragon, dear papa. I'm going to free the captives, papa. Go, go, my little knight. _(The Wife cries)_ And there's our everlastingclown, with his kind, stupid face. But how ragged he is, as if hehad come out of a hundred frays. Tinkle, friend, the way you used totinkle. What, you can't? Only one bell left, you say? Well, I'll throwyou on the floor. _(Throws down the toy)_ WIFE What are you doing? Remember how often our boy kissed his funny face. MAN Yes, that was wrong of me. Forgive me, friend, forgive me. _(He bendsdown with difficulty and picks up the clown)_ Still laughing? Don't. I'll put you away, out of sight. Don't be angry, I can't bear yoursmile now. Go and laugh in a place where I can't see you. WIFE It breaks my heart to hear you speak like that. Believe me, our sonwill get well. It wouldn't be just if the young were to die before theold, would it? MAN Just? Where have you ever seen justice, wife? WIFE Please, dear husband, I beg you, kneel down beside me, and let us bothpray to God. MAN It's hard for an old man to bend his old knees. WIFE Bend them. You should--you must. MAN He will not hear me, He whose ear I've never troubled with eitherpraise or entreaty. You pray. You are the mother. WIFE You pray--you are the father. If a father is not to pray for his son, who is? To whom are you leaving him? Can one person tell the samethings in the same way as the two of us together? MAN Very well. Maybe eternal justice will answer the prayers of an old manwho bends his old knees. _[Both go down on their knees, their faces turned to the cornerwhere the Unknown stands motionless; their arms are folded over theirbreasts while they pray. _ THE MOTHER'S PRAYER God, I beg you, let my son live. I can understand only one thing, Ican say only one thing, only one thing--God, let my son live. Ihave no other words, all is dark around me, everything is falling. I understand nothing, and there's such a terror in my heart, O Lord, that I can say only this one thing--God, let my son live! Let himlive! Forgive me for praying so poorly. But I cannot pray in any otherway. You understand, O Lord, I can't. Look at me! Just look at me! Doyou see? Do you see how my head shakes, do you see how my hands shake?But what are my hands, O Lord! Have pity on him. He is so young--hehas a birthmark on his right hand. Let him live, even if only a littlewhile, a little while. He is so young, such a mere foolish child--he'sstill fond of sweets. I bought him grapes. Pity--have pity! _[She weeps in a subdued way, covering her face with her hands. Manspeaks without looking at her. _ THE FATHER'S PRAYER Here I am praying, you see. I've bent my old knees. I've prostratedmyself in the dust before you. I'm kissing the ground, do you see?Maybe I have sometimes offended you. If so, forgive me, forgive me. Itis true, I was haughty, arrogant. I demanded and did not beg. Often Icondemned--forgive me. And if you wish, if this be your will, punishme, but spare my son. Spare him, I beg you. Not for mercy, not forpity do I pray you. I pray for justice. You are old, and I am old too. You will understand more easily than I. Bad people wanted to killhim, people who insult you by their deeds and defile your earth--bad, heartless people, who throw stones from behind corners. Frombehind corners, the scoundrels! Do not then, I pray you, permit thefulfilment of this evil deed. Stay the blood, give back the life--giveback the life to my noble son! You took everything away from me, butdid I ever ask you like a beggar: "Give me back my wealth, give meback my friends, give me back my talent"? No, never. I did not evenask you for my talent, and you know what his talent means to a man. It is more than life. I thought perhaps that's the way it ought to be, and I bore everything, bore everything with pride. But now I askyou on my knees, in the dust, kissing the earth: "Give back my son'slife. " I kiss your earth! _[He rises. Someone called He listens indifferently to the father'sand mother's prayers. _ WIFE I'm afraid your prayer was not humble enough. There was a certain toneof pride in it. MAN No, no, my wife, I spoke well to Him, the way a man should speak. Hecannot love cringing flatterers better than brave, proud men who speakthe truth. No, wife, you cannot understand. Now I believe also andfeel reassured--in fact, I am happy. I feel that I too still signifysomething to my boy, and it makes me glad. Go and see if he's asleep. He needs a lot of good, hard sleep. _[The Wife goes out. Man, with a friendly look to the corner whereSomeone in Gray stands, picks up the toy clown, plays with it, andgives its red nose a quick kiss. At that instant his Wife enters andMan speaks shamefacedly. _ MAN I was begging his pardon. I insulted this fool. Well, how is our dearboy? WIFE He is so pale. MAN That's nothing. It'll pass away. He lost a lot of blood. WIFE It makes me so sad to look at his poor shorn head. He had suchbeautiful golden curls. MAN They had to be cut so that the wound could be washed. Never mind, wife, his hair will grow again and be still finer. Did you keep whatwas cut off? Be sure to keep it. His precious, blood is on it. WIFE Yes, I put it away in the chest, the last one left of all our wealth. MAN Don't worry about wealth. Just wait until our son begins to work. He'll restore all we've lost. I feel well again, wife, and I firmlybelieve in our future. Do you remember our poor little rosy room? Thegood neighbors scattered oak leaves in it, and you made a wreath ofthem and put it on my head and said I was a genius. WIFE I say so still. Other people have ceased to appreciate you, but not I. MAN No, my dear little wife, you're wrong. What genius creates outlivesthe old dirty bundle of rags known as the body, whereas I am stillliving, and my productions-- WIFE No, they're not dead and they never will die. Do you remember thatcorner house you built ten years ago? Every evening at sunset you goto look at it. Is there a more beautiful building in the whole city, is there any with more depth to it? MAN Yes, I purposely built it so that the last rays of the setting sunshould fall upon it and set its windows aglow. When the whole city isin darkness, my house is still taking leave of the sun. It was welldone, and perhaps it will survive me a little while at least. What doyou think? WIFE Of course, my friend. MAN The only thing that hurts, wife, is that the people have forgotten meso soon. They might have remembered me a little longer, just a littlelonger. WIFE They have forgotten what they knew, and ceased to love what theyloved. MAN They might have remembered me a little longer, a little longer. WIFE I saw a young artist near that house. He studied it carefully and madea sketch of it in his sketchbook. MAN Ah, why didn't you tell me that before? It's highly significant, highly significant. It means that my ideas are accepted and handeddown by others, and even if I am forgotten, my ideas will live. It istremendously significant. WIFE Yes, my dear, you are not forgotten. Do you remember the young man whobowed so reverently to you on the street? MAN Yes, that's so, wife. He was a fine, very fine youth. He had such anice young face. It's good you reminded me of his bow. It has sent aray of brightness into my heart. But I feel sleepy. I must be tired. Iam old too, my dear little gray wife. Have you noticed it? WIFE You're just as handsome as ever. MAN And my eyes are bright? WIFE Yes, your eyes are bright. MAN And my hair is black as pitch? WIFE It's so white, so like snow that it's even more beautiful. MAN And no wrinkles? WIFE Yes, there are little wrinkles on your face, but-- MAN Of course, I know I'm a beauty. To-morrow I'll buy myself a uniformand enter the light cavalry. Yes? _(His Wife laughs)_ WIFE There, you're joking too, as in olden times. But lie down here andsleep a little. I'll go to look after our boy. Don't worry, I won'tleave him. I'll call you when he wakes. You don't care to kiss an oldwrinkled hand, do you? MAN _(kissing her hand)_ Go, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever known. WIFE And the wrinkles? MAN What wrinkles? I only see a dear, kind, good, sensible face. Nothingelse. Don't take offence at my stern tone. Go to the boy, watch him, stay with him like a quiet shadow of gentleness and love. And if he isdisturbed in his sleep, sing him a song as you used to do. And put thegrapes nearer, so that he can reach them. _[The Wife goes out. Man lies down on the sofa, his head toward thespot where Someone in Gray stands immobile, so that His hand almosttouches Man's gray, dishevelled hair. Man falls asleep quickly. _ SOMEONE IN GRAY Man has fallen into a sound, sweet sleep, deceived by hope. His breathis soft as a child's, his heart beats calmly and evenly, bringinghim relief. He knows not that in a few moments his son will die. Inmysterious dream-fancies a picture of impossible happiness arisesbefore him. It seems to him that he and his son are drifting in a white boat alonga beautiful, quiet stream. It seems to him that it is a glorious day, and he sees the deep sky and the transparent crystal water. He hearsthe rustling of the reeds as they part before the boat. It seems tohim that he is happy and glad. All his feelings betray him. Suddenly he is disturbed. The terrible truth has entered through thethick veil of sleep and stung his thoughts. "Why is your golden hair cut so short, my boy? Why?" "I had a headache, papa, that's why. " And deceived once more, he feels happy again, sees the deep sky, andhears the rustling of the parting reeds. He knows not that his son is already dying. He hears not how, in alast senseless hope, with a child's faith in the power of adults, hisson is calling him without words, with his heart: "Papa, papa, I amdying! Hold me!" Man sleeps soundly and sweetly, and in the deceptive, mysterious fancies there arises before him the picture of impossiblehappiness. Awake, Man! Your son is dead. _[Man lifts his head, frightened, and rises. _ MAN Ha! What is it? I thought I heard someone call me. _[At that moment many women behind the scenes burst into a wail--theloud, long-drawn wail over the dead. The Wife enters, frightfullypale. _ MAN Dead? WIFE Yes, he is dead. MAN Did he call me? WIFE No, he never awoke. He didn't call anyone. He is dead--my son, mydear, darling boy! _[She falls on her knees before Man and sobs, clasping his knees. Manputs his hand on her hand and, turning to the corner where Someone inGray stands indifferently, speaks in a sobbing, but terrible voice. _ MAN You insulted a woman, scoundrel! You killed a boy! _(His Wife sobs. Man softly strokes her hair with his trembling hand)_ Don't cry, mydear, don't cry. He will scoff at our tears, just as He scoffed atour prayers. And you--I don't know who you are--God, Devil, Fate, orLife--I curse you! _[Man speaks the following in a loud, powerful voice, one arm abouthis wife as if to protect her, the other arm fiercely extended towardthe Unknown. _ MAN'S CURSE I curse everything that you have given. I curse the day on which I wasborn. I curse the day on which I shall die. I curse the whole of mylife, its joys and its sorrows. I curse myself. I curse my eyes, myears, my tongue. I curse my heart and my head, and I fling everythingback at your cruel face, a senseless Fate! Be accursed, be foreveraccursed! With my curses I conquer you. What else can you do tome? Hurl me to the ground, I will laugh and shout in your face:"Be accursed!" Seal my mouth with the clamps of death, with mylast thought I will shout into your stupid ears: "Be accursed, beaccursed!" Take my body, tear at it like a dog, drag it into thedarkness--I am not in it. I have disappeared, but disappearing I shallrepeat: "Be accursed, be accursed!" Through the woman whom you haveinsulted, through the boy whom you have killed, I convey to you thecurses of Man! _[He turns in silence, with fiercely uplifted hand. Someone in Graylistens passively to the curses. The flame of the candle flickers asif blown by the wind. Thus they stand for some time in tense silenceconfronting each other, Man and Someone in Gray. The wailing behindthe scenes grows louder and more prolonged, passing into a dolefulchant. _ CURTAIN THE FIFTH SCENE THE DEATH OF MAN _An uncertain, unsteady, blinking light, so dim that at first nothingis distinguishable. When the eye grows accustomed to it, the followingscene becomes visible. A long, wide room with a very low ceiling and windowless. The entranceis down a flight of steps from somewhere above. The walls are bare anddirty and resemble the coarse, stained hide of some huge animal. Alongthe entire back wall up to the stairs runs a, bar with a top ofsmooth glass. This is covered with bottles full of differently coloredliquors that are arranged in regular rows. Behind a low table sitsthe Bartender, immobile, with his hands folded across his paunch. Hiswhite face is blotched with red. His head is bald, and he has a large, reddish beard. He wears an expression of utter calm and indifference, which he maintains throughout, never changing his seat or hisattitude. Drunkards, both men and women, sit at small tables on wooden stools. Their number seems to be augmented by their shadows dancing on thewalls and ceiling. It is one endless monotony of repulsive ugliness and desolation. The men's faces resemble masks with the various featuresdisproportionately magnified or reduced: big noses, or no noses atall; eyes staring savagely, almost starting from their sockets, oreyes narrowed to scarcely visible slits and points; huge Adam's applesand tiny chins. Their hair is tangled, frowzy, dirty, covering halfthe face on some of them. Despite their differences, a horriblesameness is stamped upon their faces: a greenish, ghastly tinge ofdecay and an expression that appears grotesque in some, gloomy andstupidly timid in others. They are dressed in dull rags, with here a bony arm bared, therea sharp knee, and there again a frightfully sunken chest. Some arealmost entirely naked. The women differ little from the men, exceptthat they are even uglier and more uncouth. All have trembling headsand hands and walk with an uncertain step, as if on a slippery, orhilly, or sliding surface. Their voices, too, are all alike, rough andhoarse. They speak as uncertainly as they walk, as if their lips werefrozen and refused to obey. In the centre, at a separate table, sits Man, his gray, unkempt headleaning on his arms. In this position he remains throughout thescene, except during the one moment when he speaks. He is dressed verypoorly. In the corner stands Someone in Gray, with the candle burned nearlyto the end. The slender blue flame flickers, now bending, now strivingupward with its sharp little tongue. Its blue throws a ghastly glareon His face and chin. _ THE DRUNKARD'S CONVERSATION --Oh my! Oh my! --Look, everything is swaying so strangely. There's nothing to restyour eyes on. --Everything is shaking as in a fever--the people, the chair, theceiling. --Everything is floating and rocking as on waves. --Do you hear a noise? I hear a kind of noise, as if an iron wheelwere rumbling, or stones falling from a mountain, large stones comingdown like rain. --It's the ringing in your ears. --It's the tingling of your blood. I feel my blood. It flows heavythrough my veins, thick, thick, black, smelling of rum. And when itgets to my heart, it all falls down, and it's terrible. --It seems to me I see flashes of lightning. --I see huge, red woodpiles and people burning on them. It'sdisgusting to smell the roasting flesh. --Dark shadows circle around the piles. They are drunk, the shadowsare. Hey, invite me! I'll dance with you. --Oh my! Oh my! --I am happy, too. Who will laugh with me? Nobody. So I'll laugh bymyself. _(He laughs)_ --A charming woman is kissing my lips. She smells of musk and herteeth are like a crocodile's. She wants to bite me. Get away, youdirty hussy! --I am not a dirty hussy. I am an old pregnant snake. I've beenwatching a whole hour to see little snakes come out of my body belowand crawl around. Say, don't step on my little snakes. --Where are you going? --Who's walking there? Sit down. You make the whole house shake whenyou walk. --I can't. I feel awful sitting down. --I too. When I am sitting I feel a horror running through my wholebody. --So do I. Let me go. _[Three or four Drunkards reel aimlessly about, getting tangled up Inthe chairs. _ --Look what it's doing. It's been jumping for two hours, trying to geton my knee. It just misses by an inch. I drive it away and it comesback again. --Black cockroaches are creeping under my skull and buzzing. --My brain is falling apart. I feel the gray matter separating. Mybrain is like rotten cheese. It stinks. --There's some sort of a corpse here. I smell it. --Oh my! Oh my! --I'll sneak up to her to-night and cut her throat. --The blood will flow. It's flowing already. See how red it is. --I am constantly being followed by three men. They are calling meinto a dark corner of the vacant lot, and they want to kill me. Theyare already at the door. --Who is walking on the walls and ceiling? --Good Lord! They have come to take me. --Who? --They. --My tongue is getting paralyzed. I'll cry. _(Cries)_ --My whole body is coming out. I'll soon be turned inside out, andthen I'll be all red. --Listen, listen. Ho! Somebody! A monster is going for me. He'sraising his hand. Help! Ho! --What is it? Help! A spider! --Help! _[For some time they shout "Help!" hoarsely. _ --We are all drunkards. Let's call down all the people from above. It's so disgusting up there. --No, don't. When I leave here and go out on the street, it rampagesand tears about like a wild beast and soon throws me off my, feet. --We've all come here. We drink rum and it gives us joy. --It gives us fright. I shiver the whole day from fright. --Fright is better than life. Who wants to return to life? --I don't. --I don't. I'd rather croak here. I don't want to live. --No one! --Oh my! Oh my! --Why does Man come here? He drinks little and just sits still. Wedon't want him. --Let him go to his own house. He has a house of his own. --Fifteen rooms. --Don't touch him. He has no place to go to any more. --He has fifteen rooms. --They're empty. Only rats run around and fight in them. --And his wife. --He hasn't any. Seems she died. _[During this conversation and the following, Old Women in strangeheadgear enter quietly and replace unnoticeably the Drunkards, whoquietly depart. The women mingle in the conversation, but in such away that no one notices it. _ CONVERSATION OF DRUNKARDS AND OLD WOMEN --He'll soon die, too. He can scarcely drag himself along, he's soweak. --He has fifteen rooms. --Listen to the beating of his heart. It's uneven and faint. It'llsoon stop beating altogether. --Hey, Man, give us an invitation to your house. You have fifteenrooms. --It'll soon stop beating altogether, that old, sick, feeble heart ofMan! --He's asleep, the drunken fool. It's dreadful to sleep, and yet hesleeps. He might die in his sleep. --Hey, there, wake him up! --Do you remember how it used to beat when it was young and strong? _[A low laugh is heard. _ --Who's laughing? There are some here who have no business to be here. --It just seems so to you. We are all alone, only we drunkards. --I'll go out on the street and start a fight. I've been robbed. I'mstark naked, and my skin is green. --Good evening. --The wheel is rumbling again. Oh, Lord, they'll crush me! Help! _[No one responds. _ --Good evening. --Do you remember his birth? I believe you were there. --I must be dying. Good Lord! Good Lord! Who will carry me to thegrave? Who will bury me? I'll be lying like a dog on the street. People will step over me, wagons will ride over me. They'll crush me. Oh, my God! Oh, my God! _(Cries)_ --Permit me to congratulate you, my dear friend, on the birth of yourchild. --I am positive there is a mistake here. For a circle to fall out of astraight line is an absurdity. I'll demonstrate it on the spot. --You're right. --Oh my! Oh my! --It's only ignoramuses in mathematics who will permit it. I won't. Iwon't permit it, do you hear? --Do you remember the rosy dress and the little bare neck? --And the flowers? The lilies-of-the-valley on which the dew neverdried, and the violets, and the green grass? --Don't touch, don't touch the flowers, girls. _[They utter a low and suppressed laugh. _ --Oh my! Oh my! _[The drunkards have all gone. Their places are taken by the OldWomen. The light grows steady and very faint. The figure of theUnknown is sharply outlined, and so is Man's gray head, on which a, faint light falls from above. _ OLD WOMEN'S CONVERSATION. --Good evening. --Good evening. What a splendid night! --Here we are together again. How are you feeling? --I cough a little. _[They laugh suppressedly. _ --It won't take long now. He'll die soon. --Look at the candle. The flame is blue and thin and spreadingsideways. There's no more wax. It's only the wick that's burning. --It doesn't want to go out. --When did you ever see a flame that did want to go out? --Don't dispute, don't dispute. Whether it wants to go out, or doesn'twant to go out, time is flying. --Do you remember his motor car? He once almost ran me down. --And his fifteen rooms? --I was there a little while ago. The rats almost ate me up, and Icaught a cold in the draught. Someone had stolen the window frames, and the wind was blowing through the whole house. --Did you try the bed in which his wife died? Isn't it soft and nice? --Yes, I went through all the rooms and let my fancy play a little. They have such a pretty nursery. It's a pity the window frames areknocked out there too, and the wind makes a racket with the litter onthe floor. And the child's bed too is so dear. Now the rats have madetheir nest in it and breed their children there. --Such dear, naked little rats. _[They titter. _ --And in his study the toys are lying on the table: a horse without atail, a soldier's cap, and a red-nosed clown. I played a little withthem. I put on the soldier's cap. It was very becoming to me. Butthere's such a lot of dust on the things. I got all dirty. --But did you go into the drawing-room where the ball was given? It'sso gay there. --Yes, I did. Fancy what I saw. It was dark, the windows were broken, and the wind was playing with the wall-paper-- --Making a sound as of music. --And in the darkness the guests were squatting on their knees at thewall--and you should have seen how they looked! --We know. --And they barked: "How rich! How magnificent! How brilliant! Howrich!" --You're joking, of course. --Of course I'm joking. You know I have a funny disposition. --How rich! How magnificent! --How gay! _[They titter. _ --Let's remind him of it! --How rich! How magnificent! --Do you remember how the music played at your ball? --He's going to die soon. --The dancers circled about, circled about, and the music played sogently, so beautifully. They played this way. _[They make a semicircle about Man and hum the tune played by themusicians at the ball. _ --Let's get up a ball. It's so long since I've danced. --Imagine that this is a palace, a magnificent, an exquisitelybeautiful palace. --Call the musicians. Why, you can't have a ball without music. --Musicians! --You remember? _[They sing. At that instant the three musicians who played atthe ball come down the stairs. The one with the violin adjusts hishandkerchief on his shoulder with great precision, and all three beginto play, making an exaggerated effort. But the notes are soft andgentle as in a dream. _ --There you have the ball. --How rich! How magnificent! --How brilliant! --You remember, don't you? _[Singing softly to the music, they begin to circle about Man, imitating in a wild, monstrous fashion the movements of the girls inthe white dresses who danced at the ball. At the first musical phrasethey circle, at the second they join and part gracefully and quietly, whispering_: --Do you remember? --You're going to die soon--do you remember? --Do you remember? --Do you remember? --You're going to die soon--do you remember? --Do you remember? _[The dance grows brisker, the movements sharper. Strange, whiningnotes mingle into the singing of the Old Women. An equally strangelaugh passes around the circle of dancers, suppressed and quiet atfirst. As each one glides past Man, she flings an abrupt whisper intohis ear_: --Do you remember? --Do you remember? --How gentle! How exquisite! --What balm to the soul! Do you remember? --You're going to die soon, you're going to die soon. --You're going to die soon-- --Do you remember? _[They circle more quickly, their movements growing still more abrupt. Suddenly there is silence and they halt. The musicians grow rigid withthe instruments in their hands. The dancers remain fixed in thegame position in which they were when the silence fell. Man rises, straightens himself, throws back his gray, beautiful, terriblymajestic head, and calls out in a surprisingly loud voice, full ofsorrow and wrath. After each short phrase a brief but profound pausefollows. _ MAN Where is my squire? Where is my sword? Where is my shield? I amdisarmed! Come to me quick! Quick! Be accurs-- _[He sinks down on the chair and dies, his head falling backward. At the same moment the candle flares up brightly and goes out. Allobjects are buried in a dense twilight which seems to be descendingthe stairs until it gradually covers everything. The face of deadMan alone remains bright. Low, vague conversation, whisperings andderisive mockery are heard from the Old Women. _ SOMEONE IN GRAY Silence! Man has died! _[Profound silence. Then the same cold, indifferent voice repeats froma remote depth, like an echo_: Silence! Man has died! _[Profound silence. The twilight thickens, but the mice-like figuresof the Old Women are still seen standing rigid. Presently they beginto circle about the dead body mutely, quietly; then they begin to singsoftly, and the musicians begin to play. The gloom thickens, the musicand the song grow louder and louder, and the wild dance grows moreunrestrained, until finally it ceases to be a dance, the Old Womenmerely whirling about the dead man arm in arm, stamping their feet, screeching, and laughing a wild, prolonged laugh. Complete darknessdescends. Only the face of Man is still lighted up. Then this lighttoo is extinguished. Black impenetrable darkness prevails. In the darkness are heard the movements of the mad dancers, theirscreeching and laughter, and the discordant, desperately loud soundsof the music. Just when they have reached their highest pitch, all thesounds and noises withdraw rapidly somewhere and die away. Stillness. _ CURTAIN