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The King of the Dark Chamber, a play by Rabindranath Tagore |
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SCENE XVII |
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_ SCENE XVII XVII [A Band of CITIZENS] FIRST CITIZEN. When so many Kings met together, we thought we were going to have some big fun; but somehow everything took such a turn that nobody knows what happened at all! SECOND CITIZEN. Did you not see, they could not come to an agreement among themselves?--every one distrusted every one else. THIRD CITIZEN. None kept to their original plans; one wanted to advance, another thought it better policy to recede; some went to the right, others made a rush to the left: how can you call that a fight? FIRST CITIZEN. They had no eye to real fighting--each had his eye on the others. SECOND CITIZEN. Each was thinking, "Why should I die to enable others to reap the harvest?" THIRD CITIZEN. But you must all admit that Kanchi fought like a real hero. FIRST CITIZEN. He for a long time after his defeat seemed loth to acknowledge himself beaten. SECOND CITIZEN. He was at last fixed in the chest by a deadly missile. THIRD CITIZEN. But before that he did not seem to realise that he had been losing ground at every step. FIRST CITIZEN. As for the other Kings--well, nobody knows where they fled, leaving poor Kanchi alone in the field. SECOND CITIZEN. But I have heard that he is not dead yet. THIRD CITIZEN. No, the physicians have saved him--but he will carry the mark of his defeat on his breast till his dying day. FIRST CITIZEN. None of the other Kings who fled has escaped; they have all been taken prisoners. But what sort of justice is this that was meted out to them? SECOND CITIZEN. I heard that every one was punished except Kanchi, whom the judge placed on his right on the throne of justice, putting a crown on his head. THIRD CITIZEN. This beats all mystery hollow. SECOND CITIZEN. This sort of justice, to speak frankly, strikes us as fantastic and capricious. FIRST CITIZEN. Just so. The greatest offender is certainly the King of Kanchi; as for the others, greed of gain now pressed them to advance, now they drew back in fear. THIRD CITIZEN. What kind of justice is this, I ask? It is as if the tiger got scot-free, while his tail got cut off. SECOND CITIZEN. If I were the judge, do you think Kanchi would be whole and sound at this hour? There would be nothing left of him altogether. THIRD CITIZEN. They are great, high justices, my friends; their brains are of a different stamp from ours. FIRST CITIZEN. Have they got any brains at all, I wonder? They simply indulge their sweet whims as there are none to say anything to them from above. SECOND CITIZEN. Whatever you may say, if we had the governing power in our hands we should certainly have carried on the government much better than this. THIRD CITIZEN. Can there be any real doubts about that? That of course goes without saying. _ |
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