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The Blue Bird: A Fairy Play in Six Acts, a play by Maurice Maeterlinck |
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Act 4 - Scene 2 |
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_ ACT IV - SCENE II SCENE 2.--The Palace of Happiness. [When the curtain of clouds opens, the stage represents, in the forefront of the palace, a sort of hall formed of tall marble columns, between which hang heavy purple draperies, supported by golden ropes and concealing all the background. The architecture suggests the most sensual and sumptuous moments of the Venetian or Flemish Renascence, as seen in the pictures of Veronese or Rubens, with garlands, horns of plenty, fringes, vases, statues, gildings, lavishly distributed on every side. In the middle stands a massive and marvellous table of jasper and silver-gilt, laden with candlesticks, glass, gold and silver plate and fabulous viands. Around the table, the biggest luxuries of the Earth sit eating, drinking, shouting, singing, tossing and lolling about or sleeping among the haunches of venison, the miraculous fruits, the overturned jars and ewers. They are enormously, incredibly fat and red in the face, covered with velvet and brocade, crowned with gold and pearls and precious stones. Beautiful female slaves incessantly bring decorated dishes and foaming beverages. Vulgar, blatantly hilarious music, in which the brasses predominate. The stage is bathed in a red and heavy light.] (TYLTYL, MYTYL, the DOG, BREAD and SUGAR are a little awestruck at first end crowd round LIGHT in the foreground, to the right. The CAT, without a word, walks to the background, also to the right, lifts a dark curtain and disappears.)
LIGHT They are the biggest Luxuries of the Earth, the ones that can be seen with the naked eye. It is possible, though not very likely, that the Blue Bird may have strayed among them for a moment. That is why you must not turn the diamond yet. For form's sake, we will begin by searching this part of the hall. TYLTYL Can we go up to them? LIGHT Certainly. They are not ill-natured, although they are vulgar and usually rather ill-bred. MYTYL What beautiful cakes they have!.... THE DOG And such game! And sausages! And legs of lamb and calves' liver!... There is nothing nicer or lovelier in the world than liver!... BREAD Except quartern-loaves made of fine white flour! They have splendid ones!... How lovely they are! How lovely they are!... SUGAR I beg your pardon, I beg your pardon, I beg a thousand pardons.... Allow me, allow me.... I would not like to hurt anybody's feelings; but are you not forgetting the sweetmeats, which form the glory of that table and which, if I may say so, surpass in grandeur and magnificence all that exists in this hall, or perhaps anywhere else?... TYLTYL How pleased and happy they look!... And they are shouting! And laughing! And singing!... I believe they have seen us.... (A dozen of the biggest_ LUXURIES _have risen from table and now, holding their stomachs in their hands, advance laboriously towards the_ CHILDREN.) LIGHT Have no fear, they are very affable.... They will probably invite you to dinner.... Do not accept, do not accept anything, lest you should forget your mission.... TYLTYL What? Not even a tiny cake? They look so good, so fresh, so well iced with sugar, covered with candied fruits and brimming over with cream!... LIGHT They are dangerous and would break your will. A man should know how to sacrifice something to the duty he is performing. Refuse politely, but firmly. THE BIGGEST OF THE LUXURIES (holding out his hand to TYLTYL) How do you do, Tyltyl?... TYLTYL (_surprised_) Why, do you know me?... Who are you?... THE LUXURY I am the biggest of the Luxuries, the Luxury of Being Rich; and I come, in the name of my brothers, to beg you and your family to honour our endless repast with your presence. You will find yourself surrounded by all that is best among the real, big Luxuries of this Earth. Allow me to introduce to you the chief of them. Here is my son-in-law, the Luxury of Being a Landowner, who has a stomach shaped like a pear. This is the Luxury of Satisfied Vanity, who has such a nice, puffy face, (_The_ LUXURY OF SATISFIED VANITY _gives a patronising nod_.) These are the Luxury of Drinking when you are not Thirsty and the Luxury of Eating when you are not Hungry: they are twins and their legs are made of macaroni. (_They bow, staggering_.) Here are the Luxury of Knowing Nothing, who is as deaf as a post, and the Luxury of Understanding Nothing, who is as blind as a bat. Here are the Luxury of Doing Nothing and the Luxury of Sleeping more than Necessary: their hands are made of bread-crumb and their eyes of peach-jelly. Lastly, here is Fat Laughter: his mouth is split from ear to ear and he is irresistible.... (FAT LAUGHTER _bows, writhing and holding his sides_.) TYLTYL (_pointing to a_ LUXURY _who is standing a little on one side_) And who is that one, who dares not come up to us and who is turning his back?... THE LUXURY OF BEING RICH Do not ask about him: he is a little awkward and is not fit to be introduced to children.... (Seizing_ TYLTYL'S hands) But come along! They are beginning the banquet all over again.... It is the twelfth time since this morning. We are only waiting for you.... Do you hear all the revellers calling and shouting for you?... I cannot introduce you to all of them, there are so many of them.... (Offering his arm to the two children) Allow me to lead you to the two seats of honour.... TYLTYL No, thank you very much, Mr. Luxury.... I am so sorry.... I can't come for the moment.... We are in a great hurry, we are looking for the Blue Bird. You don't happen to know, I suppose, where he is hiding? THE LUXURY The Blue Bird?... Wait a bit.... Yes, I remember.... Some one was telling me about him the other day.... He is a bird, that is not good to eat, I believe.... At any rate, he has never figured on our table.... That means that we have a poor opinion of him. But don't trouble; we have much better things.... You shall share our life, you shall see all that we do.... TYLTYL What do you do? THE LUXURY Why, we occupy ourselves incessantly in doing nothing.... We never have a moment's rest.... We have to drink, we have to eat, we have to sleep. It's most engrossing.... TYLTYL Is it amusing? THE LUXURY Why, yes.... It needs must be; it's all there is on this Earth.... LIGHT Do you think so?... THE LUXURY (_pointing to_ LIGHT, _aside, to_ TYLTYL) Who is that ill-bred young person?... (During the whole of the preceding conversation a crowd of LUXURIES of the second order have been busying themselves with the DOG, SUGAR and BREAD and have dragged them to the orgie. TYLTYL suddenly sees them seated fraternally at the table with their hosts, eating, drinking and flinging themselves about wildly.) TYLTYL Why, look, Light!... They are sitting at the table!... LIGHT Call them back, or this will have a bad end!... TYLTYL Tylo!... Here, Tylo!... Come here at once, will you? Do you hear?... And you too, Sugar and Bread, who told you to leave me?... What are you doing there, without permission? BREAD (_speaking with his mouth full_) Can't you keep a civil tongue in your mouth?... TYLTYL What? Is Bread daring to be impertinent?... Why, what's come over you?... And you, Tylo?... Is that the way you obey? Now then, come here, on your knees, on your knees!... And look sharp!... THE DOG (_muttering, from the end of the table_) When I'm eating, I'm at home to nobody and I hear nothing.... SUGAR (_honey-mouthed_) Pardon us, we could not possibly leave such charming hosts so abruptly: they would be offended.... THE LUXURY You see!... They are setting you an example.... Come, we are waiting for you.... We won't hear of a refusal.... We shall have to resort to a gentle violence.... Come, you Luxuries, help me!... Let us push them to the table by force, so that they may be happy in spite of themselves!... (All the LUXURIES, uttering cries of joy and skipping about as nimbly as they are able, drag the CHILDREN, who struggle, while FAT LAUGHTER seizes LIGHT vigorously round the waist.) LIGHT Turn the diamond, it is time!... (TYLTYL obeys LIGHT'S order. Forthwith, the stage is lit up with an ineffably pure, divinely roseate, harmonious and ethereal brightness. The heavy ornaments in the foreground, the thick red hangings become unfastened and disappear, revealing an immense and magnificent hall, a sort of cathedral of gladness and serenity, tall, innocent and almost transparent, whose endless fabric rests upon innumerous long and slender, limpid and blissful columns, suggesting the architecture of the Palladian churches or certain drawings by Carpaccio, notably the "Presentation of the Virgin" in the Uffizi Gallery. The table of the orgie melts away without leaving a trace; the velvets, the brocades, the garlands of the_ LUXURIES _rise before the luminous gust that invades the temple tear asunder and fall, together with the grinning masks, at the feet of the astounded revellers. These become visibly deflated, like burst bladders, exchange glances, blink their eyes in the unknown rays that hurt them; and, seeing themselves at last as they really are, that is to say, naked, hideous, flabby and lamentable, they begin to utter yells of shame and dismay, amid which those of_ FAT LAUGHTER _are clearly distinguishable above all the rest. The_ LUXURY OF UNDERSTANDING NOTHING _alone remains perfectly calm, while his friends rush about madly, trying to flee, to hide themselves in corners which they hope to find dark. But there is not a shadow left in the dazzling room. And so the majority, in their despair, decide to pass through the threatening curtain which, in an angle on the right, closes the vault of the Cave of Miseries. Each time that one of them, in his panic, raises a skirt of the curtain, a storm of oaths, imprecations and maledictions is heard to issue from the hollow depths of the cave. As for the DOG, BREAD and SUGAR, they hang their heads, join the group of the CHILDREN and hide behind them very sheepishly.) TYLTYL (_watching the_ LUXURIES _flying_) Goodness, how ugly they are!... Where are they going?... LIGHT I really believe that they have lost their heads.... They are going to take refuge with the Miseries, where I very much fear that they will be kept for good.... TYLTYL (_looking around him, wonder-struck_) Oh, what a beautiful hall, what a beautiful hall!... Where are we?... LIGHT We have not moved: it is your eyes that see differently.... We now behold the truth of things; and we shall perceive the soul of the Joys that endure the brightness of the diamond. TYLTYL How beautiful it is!... And what lovely weather!... It is just like midsummer.... Hullo! It looks as though people were coming to talk to us.... (The halls begin to fill with angel forms that seem to be emerging from a long slumber and glide harmoniously between the columns. They are clad in shimmering dresses, of soft and subtle shades; rose-awakening, water's-smile, amber-dew, blue-of-dawn, etc.) LIGHT Here come some amiable and curious Joys who will direct us.... TYLTYL Do you know them?... LIGHT Yes, I know them all; I often come to them, without their knowing who I am.... TYLTYL Oh, what a lot of them there are!... They are crowding from every side! LIGHT There were many more of them once. The Luxuries have done them great harm. TYLTYL No matter, there are a good few of them left.... LIGHT You will see plenty of others, as the influence of the diamond spreads through the halls.... There are many more Happinesses on Earth than people think; but the generality of men do not discover them.... TYLTYL Here are some little ones: let us run and meet them.... LIGHT It is unnecessary: those which interest us will pass this way. We have no time to make the acquaintance of all the rest.... (A troop of little_ HAPPINESSES, _frisking and bursting with laughter, run up from the back of the halls and dance round the_ CHILDREN _in a ring.) TYLTYL How pretty, how very pretty they are!... Where do they come from, who are they?... LIGHT They are the Children's Happinesses.... TYLTYL Can one speak to them? LIGHT It would be no use. They sing, they dance, they laugh, but they do not talk yet.... TYLTYL (_skipping about_) How do you do? How do you do?... Oh, look at that fat one laughing!... What pretty cheeks they have, what pretty frocks they have!... Are they all rich here?... LIGHT Why, no, here, as everywhere, there are many more poor than rich.... TYLTYL Where are the poor ones?... LIGHT You can't distinguish them.... A Child's Happiness is always arrayed in all that is most beautiful in Heaven and upon Earth. TYLTYL (_unable to restrain himself_) I should like to dance with them.... LIGHT It is absolutely impossible, we have no time.... I see that they have not the Blue Bird.... Besides, they are in a hurry: you see, they have already passed.... They too have no time to waste, for childhood is very short.... (Another troop of HAPPINESSES, _a little taller than the last, rush into the hall, singing at the top of their voice, "There they are! There they are! They see us! They see us!" and, dance a merry fling around the CHILDREN, at the end of which the one who appears to be the chief of the little band goes up to TYLTYL with hand outstretched.) THE HAPPINESS How do you do, Tyltyl?... TYLTYL Another one who knows me!... (_To_ LIGHT) I am getting known wherever I go!... (_To the_ HAPPINESS) Who are you?... THE HAPPINESS Don't you recognise me?... I'll wager that you don't recognise any one here! TYLTYL (_a little embarrassed_) Why, no.... I don't know.... I don't remember seeing any of you. THE HAPPINESS There, do you hear?... I was sure of it!... He has never seen us!... (All the other_ HAPPINESSES burst out laughing) Why, my dear Tyltyl, we are the only things you do know!... We are always around you!... We eat, drink, wake up, breathe and live with you!... TYLTYL Oh, yes, just so, I know, I remember.... But I should like to know what your names are.... THE HAPPINESS I can see that you know nothing.... I am the chief of the Happinesses of your home; and all these are the other Happinesses that live there.... TYLTYL Then there are Happinesses in my home? (All the_ HAPPINESSES _burst out laughing.) THE HAPPINESS You heard him!... Are there Happinesses in his home!... Why, you little wretch, it is crammed with Happinesses in every nook and cranny!... We laugh, we sing, we create enough joy to knock down the walls and lift the roof; but, do what we may, you see nothing and you hear nothing.... I hope that, in future, you will be a little more sensible.... Meantime, you shall shake hands with the more noteworthy of us.... Then, when you reach home again, you will recognise them more easily and, at the end of a fine day, you will know how to encourage them with a smile, to thank them with a pleasant word, for they really do all they can to make your life easy and delightful.... Let me introduce myself first: the Happiness of Being Well, at your service.... I am not the prettiest, but I am the most important. Will you know me again?... This is the Happiness of Pure Air, who is almost transparent.... Here is the Happiness of Loving one's Parents, who is clad in grey and always a little sad, because no one ever looks at him.... Here are the Happiness of the Blue Sky. who, of course, is dressed in blue, and the Happiness of the Forest, who, also of course, is clad in green: you will see him every time you go to the window.... Here, again, is the good Happiness of Sunny Hours, who is diamond-coloured, and this is the Happiness of Spring, who is bright emerald.... TYLTYL And are you as fine as that every day? THE HAPPINESS OF BEING WELL Why, yes, it is Sunday every day, in every house, when people open their eyes.... And then, when evening comes, here is the Happiness of the Sunsets, who is grander than all the kings in the world and who is followed by the Happiness of Seeing the Stars Rise, who is gilded like a god of old.... Then, when the weather breaks, here are the Happiness of the Rain, who is covered with pearls, and the Happiness of the Winter Fire, who opens his beautiful purple mantle to frozen hands.... And I have not mentioned the best among us, because he is nearly a brother of the great limpid Joys whom you will see presently: his name is the Happiness of Innocent Thoughts, and he is the brightest of as all.... And then here are.... But really there are too many of them!... We should never have done; and I must first send word to the Great Joys, who are right at the back, near the gates of Heaven, and who have not yet heard of your arrival.... I will send the Happiness of Running Barefoot in the Dew, who is the nimblest of us.... (_To the_ HAPPINESS OF RUNNING BAREFOOT IN THE DEW, _who comes forward capering_) Off you go!... LIGHT (_to_ TYLTYL) In the meantime, you might enquire about the Blue Bird. It is just possible that the chief Happiness of your home knows where he is.... TYLTYL Where Is he?... THE HAPPINESS He doesn't know where the Blue Bird is!... (_All the_ HAPPINESSES OF THE HOME _burst out laughing_.) TYLTYL (_vexed_) No, I do not know.... There's nothing to laugh at.... (_Fresh bursts of laughter_.) THE HAPPINESS Come, don't be angry... and let us be serious.... He doesn't know: well, what do you expect? He is no more absurd than the majority of men.... But little Happiness of Running Barefoot in the Dew has told the Great Joys and they are coming towards us.... (Tall and beautiful angelic figures, clad in shimmering dresses, come slowly forward.) TYLTYL How beautiful they are!... Why are they not laughing?... Are they not happy?... LIGHT It is not when one laughs that one is really happy.... TYLTYL Who are they?... THE HAPPINESS They are the Great Joys.... TYLTYL Do you know their names?... THE HAPPINESS Of course; we often play with them.... Here, first of all, before the others, is the Great Joy of Being Just, who smiles each time an injustice is repaired. I am too young: I have never seen her smile yet. Behind her is the Joy of Being Good, who is the happiest, but the saddest; and it is very difficult to keep her from going to the Miseries, whom she would like to console; for, if she left us, we should be almost as miserable as the Miseries themselves. On the right is the Joy of Fame, next to the Joy of Thinking. After her comes the Joy of Understanding, who is always looking for her brother, the Luxury of Understanding Nothing.... TYLTYL But I have seen her brother!... He went to the Miseries with the Big Luxuries.... THE HAPPINESS I was certain of it.... He has turned out badly; keeping evil company has corrupted him entirely.... But do not speak of it to his sister. She would want to go and look for him and we should lose one of our most beautiful Joys.... Here, among the greatest Joys, is the Joy of Seeing what is Beautiful, who daily adds a few rays to the light that reigns amongst us.... TYLTYL And there, far away, far away, in the golden clouds, the one whom I can hardly see when I stand as high as I can on tip-toe?... THE HAPPINESS That is the Great Joy of Loving.... But, do what you will, you are ever so much too small to see her altogether.... TYLTYL And over there, right at the back, those who are veiled and who do not come near?... THE HAPPINESS Those are the Joys whom men do not yet know.... TYLTYL What do the others want with us?... Why are they standing aside?... THE HAPPINESS It is before a new Joy who is arriving, perhaps the purest that we have here.... TYLTYL Who is it? THE HAPPINESS Don't you recognise her yet?... But take a better look at her, open your two eyes down to the very heart of your soul!... She has seen you, she has seen you!... She runs up to you, holding out her arms!... It is your mother's Joy, it is the peerless Joy of Maternal Love!... (The other_ JOYS, who have run up from every side, acclaim the JOY OF MATERNAL LOVE with their cheers and then fall back before her in silence.) THE JOY OF MATERNAL LOVE Tyltyl! And Mytyl!... What, do I find you here?... I never expected it!... I was very lonely at home; and here are you two climbing to that Heaven where the souls of all mothers beam with joy!... But first kisses, heaps and heaps of kisses!... Into my arms, the two of you; there is nothing on earth that gives greater happiness!... Tyltyl, aren't you laughing?... Nor you either, Mytyl?... Don't you know your mother's love when you see it?... Why, look at me: are these not my eyes, my lips, my arms?... TYLTYL Yes, yes, I recognise them, but I did not know.... You are like Mummy, but you are much prettier.... MATERNAL LOVE Why, of course, I have stopped growing old.... And every day brings me fresh strength and youth and happiness.... Each of your smiles makes me younger by a year.... At home, that does not show; but here everything is seen and it is the truth.... TYLTYL (_wonder-struck, gazing at her and kissing her by turns_) And that beautiful dress of yours: what is it made of?... Is it silk, silver or pearls?... MATERNAL LOVE No, it is made of kisses and caresses and loving looks.... Each kiss you give me adds a ray of moon-light or sunshine to it.... TYLTYL How funny, I should never have thought that you were so rich!... Where used you to hide it?... Was it in the cupboard of which Daddy has the key?... MATERNAL LOVE No, no, I always wear it, but people do not see it, because people see nothing when their eyes are closed.... All mothers are rich when they love their children.... There are no poor mothers, no ugly ones, no old ones. Their love is always the most beautiful of the Joys.... And, when they seem most sad, it needs but a kiss which they receive or give to turn all their tears into stars in the depths of their eyes.... TYLTYL (_looking at her with astonishment_) Why, yes, it's true, your eyes are filled with stars.... And they are really your eyes, only they are much more beautiful.... And this is your hand too, with the little ring on it.... It even has the burn which you gave it one evening when lighting the lamp.... But it is much whiter; and how delicate the skin is!... There seems to be light flowing through it.... Doesn't it do any work like the one at home?... MATERNAL LOVE Why yes, it is the very same: did you never see that it becomes quite white and fills with light the moment it fondles you?... TYLTYL It's wonderful, Mummy: you have the same voice also; but you speak much better than you do at home.... MATERNAL LOVE At home, one has too much to do and there is no time.... But what one does not say one hears all the same.... Now that you have seen me, will you know me again, in my torn dress, when you go back to the cottage tomorrow?... TYLTYL I don't want to go back.... As you are here, I want to stay also, as long as you remain.... MATERNAL LOVE But it's just the same thing: I am down below, we are all down below.... You have come up here only to realise and to learn, once and for all, how to see me when you see me down below.... Do you understand, Tyltyl dear?... You believe yourself in Heaven; but Heaven is wherever you and I kiss each other.... There are not two mothers; and you have no other.... Every child has only one; and it is always the same one and always the most beautiful; but you have to know her and to know how to look.... But how did you manage to come up here and to find a road for which men have been seeking ever since they began to dwell upon the Earth?... TYLTYL (_pointing to_ LIGHT, _who, discreetly, has drawn a little to one side_) She brought me.... MATERNAL LOVE Who is she?... TYLTYL Light.... MATERNAL LOVE I have never seen her.... I was told that she was very fond of you both and very kind.... But why does she hide herself?... Does she never show her face?... TYLTYL Oh, yes, but she is afraid that the Joys might be frightened if they saw too clearly.... MATERNAL LOVE But doesn't she know that we are waiting only for her! (_Calling the other_ GREAT JOYS) Come, come, sisters! Come quickly, all of you! Light has come to visit us at last!... (A stir among the_ GREAT JOYS, who draw nearer, with cries of "Light is here!... Light! Light!...") THE JOY OF UNDERSTANDING (_thrusting all the others aside, to come and embrace_ LIGHT) You are Light and we did not know it!... And we have been waiting for you for years and years and years!... Do you recognise me?... I am the Joy of Understanding, who have been seeking you for so long!... We are very happy, but we cannot see beyond ourselves.... THE JOY OF BEING JUST (_embracing_ LIGHT in her turn) Do you recognise me?... I am the Joy of Being Just, who have besought you so long.... We are very happy, but we cannot see beyond our shadows. THE JOY OF SEEING WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL (_also embracing_ LIGHT) Do you recognise me?... I am the Joy of Seeing what is Beautiful, who have loved you so dearly.... We are very happy, but we cannot see beyond our dreams.... THE JOY OF UNDERSTANDING Come, sister, come, do not keep us waiting any longer.... We are strong enough, we are pure enough.... Put aside those veils which still conceal from us the last truths and the last happinesses.... See, all my sisters are kneeling at your feet.... You are our queen and our reward. LIGHT (drawing her veils closer) Sisters, my beautiful sisters, I am obeying my Master.... The hour is not yet come; it will strike, perhaps, and I shall return without fear and without shadow.... Farewell, rise and let us kiss once more, like sisters lost and found, while waiting for the day that will soon appear.... MATERNAL LOVE (_embracing_ LIGHT) You have been very good to my poor little ones.... LIGHT I shall always be good to those who love one another.... THE JOY OF UNDERSTANDING (going up to LIGHT) Let the last kiss be laid upon my forehead.... (They exchange a long kiss; and, when they separate and raise their heads, tears are seen to stand in their eyes.) TYLTYL (_surprised_) Why are you crying?... (_Looking at the other_ JOYS) I say! You're crying too!... But why have all of you tears in your eyes?... LIGHT Hush, dear....
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