第23章 Scenes from OULANEM(2)

Think sooner black the sun and flat the moon,And neither sending forth one shaft of light,But here a sounda surmiseand Life weighs it.

Pertini.My friend,you must not improvise so wildly.

Believe me,I'm not prone to nervous fits!

But offshoots are quite often green and messy,Yes,yes,they take their own luxuriant way And shoot up shining towards the very Heavens,As if they knew that they had sprung from joy,Begotten by no dull and slavish union.

For look you,offshoots of this kind are satires;

Nature's a Poet,Marriage sits in a chair,Its cap on,and with all the accessories,Its sullen face with grimacing distorted,And,lying at its feet,a dusty parchment Scrawled over with the parson's blasphemies,The church's dismal halls to give perspective,The churlish rabble gaping in the background

Give me offshoots!

Lucindo (incensed).For God's sake,that's enough!

What is it,man?What do you mean?Speak out;

But by the Eternal I shall speak with you What do I ask?Lies it not clear before me,Grins not Hell out of it,does it not rise Before my look like Death's own withered shape,To glare at me and mutter threats of storm?

But,man,not easily,believe you me,Have you hurled from your withered devil's fist This blazing brand of fire into my breast:

For do not think you play dice with a boy,Flinging the dice with shattering force straight at His childish head.You've played too fast with me.

So nowand mark you thiswe're gaming comrades.

You've quickly made yourself familiar.Out With all that's heaving in your vile snake's bosom!

And be it mistrust only,or derision,Then I shall throw it back into your throat,And you yourself shall choke your poison down,And then I'll play with you!But speak!I wish it!

Pertini.You do?You think of Faust and Mephistopheles.

You've brooded on them deeply,I dare say.

I tell you,no.Keep your wish to yourself,And I'll throw dust into its silly eyes.

Lucindo.Take care.Don't blow upon the glowing embers Until the flames blaze up and you yourself Are burnt to cinders!

Pertini.A phrase!An empty phrase!

The only one they burn will be yourself!

Lucindo.Myself!So be it!To myself I'm nothing!

But you,oh,you my youthful arms enfold And twine themselves in frenzy round your breast.

The abyss yawns gaping night to both of us,If you sink down,smiling,I'll follow you,And whisper to you,"Down!Come with me!Comrade!"

Pertini.It seems you're gifted with imagination.

You have dreamed much already in your life?

Lucindo.Just so.I am a dreamer,yes,a dreamer.

What knowledge do I want from you who have none?

You've only seen us,but you know us not,Yet hurl against me scorn and blasphemy.

What am I waiting for?Still more of you?

You have no more ...but I have more for you.

For meguilt,poison,shameyou must redeem it.

You've drawn the circle,and it leaves no room For two of us.Now use your jumping skill.

As Fate draws,so it draws.So let it be.

Pertini.You must have read that ending out in class From some dry,dusty hook of tragedies.

Lucindo.True,this is tragedy that we are playing.

Come on,now.Where and how you want.You choose.

Pertini.And when,and everywhere,and any time,And none!

Lucindo.Coward,don't make a mockery of my words,Or I'll write coward across your very face,And shout it out through each and every street And thrash you publicly,if you'll not follow,If you dare crack your feeble hackneyed jokes When my heart's blood runs cold within my veins.

Not one word more;follow or do not follow,Your sentence is pronounced,you coward,you knave!

Pertini (incensed).Say that again,boy!Say those words again!

Lucindo .Why,if it brings you joya thousand times;

If it stirs up your gall and sets it flowing Until the blood starts furious from your eyeballs,Then here it is again:you knave,you coward!

Pertini.We'll have this out.Write that upon your brain.

There's still one place to knit us two together,And that is HellHell not for me,but you!

Lucindo.Why count the syllables,if it can be settled Here on the spot.Then fly away to Hell,And tell the Devils it was I that sent you!

Pertini.Just one more word.

Lucindo.What is the use of words?

I hear them not.Blow bubbles in the wind,Draw lineaments on your face to match your words,I see them not.Bring weapons,let them speak,I'll put my whole heart into them,and if It breaks not,then

Pertini (interrupting him).

Not quite so bold,my lad,and not so callow!

You,you have not a thing to lose,no,nothing!

You are a stone that's fallen from the moon,That someone somewhere scratched one single word You spelled the letters out:they read "Lucindo".

See!On that empty tablet I'll not dare Wager myself,my life,my honour,all.

You want to use my blood for artist's colour?

Am I to be the brush that lends you tone?

We are too far removed in rank and station.

Am I to stand against you as you are?

I know what I am.Tell me,what are you?

You know not,are not,you have naught to lose!

Thieflike,you seek to pledge to me an honour That never in your bastard's bosom glowed?

You seek to swindle,lay your empty ticket Against my sterling worth,my friend?

Not so!First get you honour,name and life

You are still nothingthen I'll gladly stake My honour,name and life against your own!

Lucindo.So that's it,coward!You want to save your skin?

You've worked the sum out so ingeniously,Oh,so ingeniously,in your dull brain?

Do not deceive yourself:I'll change your answer,And I shall write down "coward"in its place.

I'll scorn you as I would a maddened beast;

I'll shame you,yes,shame you before the world,And then you can explain,with all the details,To aunts and uncles,children,everyone,I call myself Lucindo,yes,Lucindo,That is my name;it might have been some other;

I go by it,though it could have been different.

What men call being,I do not possess;

But you are what you are,and that's a coward!

Pertini.That's nice,that's very pretty.But supposing I could give you a nameyou hear,a name?