by Oskar Kokoschka
Translated by J. M. Ritchie
PERSONS:
MAN
WOMAN
WARRIORS
MAIDENS
The action takes place in antiquity.
Níght-sky.
Tower with great
grid-iron door.
Torchlight.
Ground rising to the tower.
THE MAN
whiteface, blue-armoured, head-band
covering a wound, with the host of warriors, wild heads, grey and red
head-cloths, white, black and brown clothes, insignia on their clothes, bare
legs, tall torch-staves, hand-bells, noise. They creep up with outstretched
staves and lights, attempt wearily and angrily to restrain the on-storming
adventurer, drag his horse down. He moves forward. They break the circle around
him, shouting with slow crescendo.
WARRIORS
We were the wheel of flame around him,
We were the wheel of flame around you, stormer of sealed fortresses!
follow on hesitantly in a chain; he moves forward at the head with the
torch-bearer before him.
WARRIORS
Lead us, white-face!
While they are
trying to drag his horse down, maidens with their leader descend the ramp right
leadingfrom the castle wall.
WOMAN
red robes, flowing yellow hair, large loud
When I breathe the blonde disc of the sun flickers.
My eye gathers
up the rejoicing of men.
Their stammering desire creeps like a beast around
me.
MAIDENS
break away from her, only now see the
stranger
FIRST MAIDEN
inquisitively
Our Lady! His
breath hangs on her.
FIRST WARRIOR
thereupon to the others
Our
master comes like the new day rising in the East.
SECOND MAIDEN
naïvely
When will she be
embraced with bliss!
WOMAN
looks at the man fixedly
Who is the
stranger who beheld me!
FIRST MAIDEN
points him out, screams
Banished boy-child of the mother of sorrows
Fled with
serpent-encircled head.
Do you know him again?
SECOND MAIDEN
smiling
Bottomless depth
wavers.
Shall she drive out the dear guest?
THE MAN
amazed, his column stops
What spake
the shade?
raising his face to the woman
Did I discern you, did
you stare at me?
WOMAN
fearing and longing
Who is the pale
man? Keep him back!
FIRST MAIDEN
screaming shrilly runs back
you let him in, who senses our undefence?
The fortress gate gapes wide!
FIRST WARRIOR
Whatsoever parts air and water,
Bears skin or feather or scale,
Hairy and naked ghost,
Him they all
must serve.
SECOND MAIDEN
Together tears and laughter crease her
golden brow
Come, huntsman, catch us . . .
Iaughter
FIRST WARRIOR
to the Man
Embrace her!
The neighing drives the mare mad.
Put the thighs to the beast!
FIRST MAIDEN
slyly
Our Lady is lost in the
web of her thoughts,
Has not yet reached full shape.
SECOND MAIDEN
boasting
Our Lady rises and
falls,
but never is brought low.
THIRD MAIDEN
Our Lady is naked and smooth,
but
ever of open eye.
THIRD WARRIOR
scornfully to third maiden
Little
fish gets caught on hook.
Fisherman hooks himself she-fish!
SECOND WARRIOR
to second maiden; he has understood
Hair tossed back! Her face freed . . .
The spider has climbed out of the
web.
THE MAN
has lifted the woman's veil; angrily
Who
is she?
FIRST WARRIOR
inciting
She seems to fear you,
catch her!
Only fear enfeebles.
You must frighten what you capture!
FIRST MAIDEN
fearfully
Lady, let us flee.
Put
out the lights of the leader!
SECOND MAIDEN
headstrong
Mistress, here let me
await the day . .
Bid me not go to bed
With longing in my limbs!
THIRD MAIDEN
pleading
He must not be our guest,
breathe our air!
Let him not rest here this night
lest he affright our
sleep.
FIRST MAIDEN
He brings no luck!
FIRST WARRIOR
She shows no shame!
WOMAN
Why do you bind me, Man, with your gaze?
Devouring
light, you confuse my flame!
Consuming life floods over me.
Oh, take
away the terrible hope--
THE MAN
starts up in wild rage
You men! Take hot
iron and burn my brand into her red flesh!
Warriors carry out the order.
First the band with the torches struggle with her, then the old man with the
iron, tears open her dress and brands her
WOMAN
screaming in terrible pain
Beat it back, the
evil plague.
leaps at the man with a knife and wounds him in the side.
The man falls.
WARRIORS
Flee him possessed, strike dead the devil!
Woe
on us guiltless, quickly bury the conqueror.
THE MAN
in agony from wound, singing with bleeding gash
visible
Senseless lust from horror to horror,
Quenchless gyration in
the void.
Gestation without genesis, sun's collapse, reeling space.
End
of those who brought me praise.
Oh, your pitiless word.
WARRIOR
to the man
We know him not.
Spare us!
Come, you Grecian maidens, let us celebrate our wedding feast by his bier.
ALL MAIDENS
He terrifies us,
You we loved when you came.
The maidens lie down beside the warriors caressingly on the floor right.
Three warriors make a bier from ropes and branches and put it into the tower
with the man on it weakly moving. Women fling shut the grilled gate and go back
to the men.
THE OLD MAN
gets up and locks it. All dark, little light
in the cage.
WOMAN
alone, lamenting, defiant
He can not live,
not die,
He is ghost-pale.
She creeps in a circle round the cage.
Grabs compulsively for the grille. Threatens with her fist.
WOMAN
defiant
Open the gate, I must to him!
rattles in desperation.
WARRIORS AND WOMEN
disporting themselves, in the shadow,
confused..
We have lost the key--we'll find it--Do you have it?--Did you
see it?--it's not our fault. We know you not--What know we of ye! The conflict
is incomprehensible and lasts an eternity.
Go back again. Cock-crow; it
grows lighter in the background.
WOMAN
reaches with her arm through the gate, panting
wickedly
White face! Do you start, know fear?
Do you but sleep? or
wake? Do you hear me?
THE MAN
inside, breathing heavily, laboriously raises his
head, later moves a hand then both hands, raising himself slowly, singing,
withdrawing into a trance
Wind that sighs, time on time,
Solitude,
peace and hunger confuse me.
Worlds swing by, no air, evening long draws on
WOMAN
with beginning of fear
So much life pours
from the split,
So much force out the gate,
Pale as a corpse is he.
creeps up the ramp again, her body quivering, again laughing loud.
THE MAN
has stood up slowly, leans on the grille.
WOMAN
becoming weaker, fiercely
Here in this cage
I tame a wild beast
Does your song from hunger howl?
THE MAN
opens his mouth to speak
......
Cock-crow.
WOMAN
shivering
You, you're not dying ?
THE MAN
powerfully
Stars and moon! Woman!
A
singing being, bright shining
In dream or waking state I saw.
My
breathing unravels dark things.
Mother . . . You lost me here.
WOMAN
lying on him completely; separated by the grille,
she slowly opens the gate.
WOMAN
softly
Forget me not . . .
THE MAN
rubs over his eyes
Cankerous thought
corrodes the brow . .
WOMAN
tenderly
It is your wife!
THE MAN
gently
A sliver of shy light!--
WOMAN
pleading
Man!! Sleep for me . . .
THE MAN
louder
Peace, peace, delusion, leave me .
. .
WOMAN
opens her mouth to speak
.........
THE MAN
lonely
I am afraid--
WOMAN
more and more violently, screaming out
I
don't want to let you live. You!
You weaken me--
I kill you--you bind
me!
I captured you--and you hold me!
Let go of me--you clasp me--as with
iron
Chains--throttled--away--help!
I lost the key which held you fast.
lets go the gate, collapses on the ramp.
THE MAN
stands erect, tears open the gate, and with
fingers of his outstretched hand touches the woman now stiffly rearíng Up in
violent spasm; she is quite white. She feels her end, tenses her limbs, looses
them in a slowly descending scream. The woman collapses and as she falls, seizes
the torch from the old man, who is getting up. It goes out shrouding everything
in a shower of sparks.
THE MAN
stands on the topmost step, warriors and maidens
who try to flee from him rush screaming into his path.
WARRIORS AND MAIDENS
The Devil!
Bind him, save
yourselves,
Each man for himself--lost!
THE MAN
goes directly towards them. He kills them like
flies. The flame jumps over to the tower and rips it open from top to bottom.
Through the path between the flames the man fast departs. Far, far away, cock
crows.
THE END