Kaspar and Other Plays (13 page)
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LXI
| While giving a beating one is never as calm as while beating a rug. Water dripping regularly down on one's head is no reason to complain about a lack of order a sip of acid in one's mouth or a kick in the guts or two sticks in the nostrils being wriggled about or something on that order only more pointed introduced into the ears without much ado to needle someone and bring him around with all means at one's command primarily without being fussy about the means is no reason to loose any words over the lack of order: for in the process of putting-into-order for better or worse one makes others sing whereas oneâ once everything has been brought to order and everything that still laughed is laughableâ can sing oneself and after giving a beating when fists and feet have nothing left to do can beat the rug to ease one's mind. |
| A third Kaspar with a small package wrapped in wrapping paper comes out of the wings and sits down next to the other two Kaspars, sits down in an orderly fashion, the package on his knees. |
| In the process of putting-into-order one is not as calm and orderly as later on when oneâ having been brought into order oneself by the thrashing one has given to othersâ with one's conscience at ease wants to and can enjoy a world made orderly. |
| A fourth Kaspar comes on stage with a similar package. Kaspar 3 makes room for him between himself and the other two Kaspars. Kaspar 4 sits down quietly. All four Kaspars are still. |
| While giving a beating it is sensible not to think of the future but in the pauses between punches it is blissful to think of the time of order so that a too disorderly kick won't contribute during the recommencement of the beating to channel the thoughts of the socially sick when he has adjusted later on in the wrong direction. |
| A fifth Kaspar enters with a similar but perhaps larger package. Kaspar 3 gets up. Kaspar 5 takes Kaspar 3's place. Kaspar 3 squeezes himself into the small space left next to Kaspar 4. Kaspar 5 puts the package in front of him on the floor. All five are still. |
| But if during the beating an inordinate beating of the heart fails to occur and the fists beat the breath out of the victim's lungs only (to use the same image again) like dust out of a rug and one only straightens out (to use the same image again) the wretch's tongue like fringes on a rug only then does the injustice occur: for while giving a beating one should not be as calm as when beating a rug while plugging up the mouth one must be uneasy: so as not to become uneasy afterwards: the failure of an inordinate beating of the beater's heart while he is giving a beating is bad: for anyone whose hand has trembled suitably while giving a beating has a clean slate and is one more person who will have to have no qualms later on: thus calm reigns on earth. |
| The original Kaspar comes on stage as he did at first, but without having to look for the slit in the curtain. His movements are self-assured and he looks like the other Kaspars. His mask too should show a contented expression. He walks with firm steps to the front of the stage, as though to take a bow, nicely avoiding all objects. He stops in front of the microphone. All six Kaspars are still. |
| Those who have been brought to orderâ instead of withdrawing into themselves and fleeing societyâ should now realistically seek without force or beatings but out of their own strength to show new ways by looking for sentences valid for all: they cannot choose they must choose and tell the others the truth about themselves without phrases or bubbles: the others too should finally be able to want to do what they themselves now want and should do. |
LXII
| Kaspar, at the microphone, begins to speak. His voice begins to resemble the voices of the prompters. Already long in the world I realized nothing I wondered about the self-evident and found everything finite and infinite laughable every object filled me with fear the whole world galled me neither did I want to be myself nor somebody else my own hand was unknown to me my own legs walked of their own accord I slept deeply with open eyes: I was without consciousness like someone drunk and though I was supposed to be I wanted not to be of use to anything each sight produced dislike each sound deceiv- ed me about itself each new step produced nausea and sucking in my chest I could not keep up I blocked my view myself no light lit up for me with the whole mishmash of sentences it never occurred to me that it was I who was meant I noticed nothing of what was happening around me before I began to come onto the world. | |
| He is quiet for a moment or more. The other Kaspars behind him are also rather still. | |
| I felt the cacophony the screaming outside was a roaring and gurgling in my guts: I had to suffer, could not distinguish among anything: three was not more than two and when I sunned myself it rained while I when I was sweating in the sun or heating myself running fought my sweat with an umbrella I could keep nothing apart neither hot from cold nor black from white neither yesterday from today nor the new from the old neither people from things neither prayer from cursing neither caressing from kicking every room looked flat to me and hardly was I awake when the flat objects fell all over me like a dream image: they became obstacles all the unknown objects interrogated me at once all indistinguishables confused my hands and made me wild so that I became lost among the objects lost my way and to find my way out destroyed them. | |
| He is quiet for a few moments. The Kaspars behind him are quiet too. | |
| I came into the world not by the clock but because the pain while falling helped me drive a wedge between me and the objects and finally extirpate my babbling: thus the hurt finally drove the confusion out of me. | |
| I learned to fill all empty spaces with words and learned who was who and to pacify everything that screamed with sentences no empty pot confuses my brain box any more everything is at my will never again will I tremble before an empty closet before empty boxes empty rooms I hesitate before no walk out into the open for every crack in the wall I have sentences as lists that help me to keep the situation under control: | |
| He now raises his tone. The light becomes brighter. The other Kaspars are still silent. | |
| Everyone must be free Everyone must be part of the scene Everyone must know what he wants for the nonce no one may miss the drill no one may kill himself in the morning everyone must do his living everyone must do his best everyone must reach the rest no one may walk across bodies no one may stand in the lobbies everyone must be able to spy into everyone's eye everyone must grant everyone what is his. | |
| The other Kaspars on the sofa begin to emit peculiar noises whose significance is unmistakable. The audience hears suggestions of stylized sobbing, imitation wind sounds, giggling. | |
| Everyone must be his own man everyone must see to the bottom of the can everyone must watch firmly the other's lips no one may blindly trust the other's flips everyone must see the other's good side too no one may willy nilly pooh pooh what pleases the other one everyone must let himself be led no one may let lies to be spread about anyone. | |
| To some extent simultaneously with Kaspar l's speaking, the audience hears grumbling, croaking, lamenting, falsetto singing, owl-like hooting coming from behind him. | |
| Everyone must work on himself everyone must shirk quarreling with his inner self or with others everyone must not forget to care for others everyone must think of the future and share everyone must feel everyone must feel secure | |
| The audience hears rustling, leaves slapping against each other, ululations, roaring, laughter, humming, purring, warbling, and a single sharp scream. | |
| Everyone must wash his hands before eating everyone must empty his pockets before a beating in jail no one may dump his pail on his own doorstep no one may eat out of the other's lap everyone must care for his brother everyone must be combed for the meal mother no one may let the other whimper and wail everyone must lend a fingernail no one may drink coffee from the saucer or sink everyone must wave to his neighbor and wink everyone must cut his nails before lunch no one may make life a misery for the other bunch no one may soil the clean doilies everyone must clean his nose everyone should smell like a rose no one may make fools of others with jokes no one may laugh at other blokes no one may laugh at others no one may tickle during the burial no one may scribble on toilet walls | |
| no one may crinkle the law books everyone must listen to everyone everyone must feel for everyone everyone must tell everyone his name | In the meantime, the noises and sounds in the background have risen to such an extent that Kaspar in front must raise his voice more and more. At the end of his rhymes, the other Kaspars are still sitting quietly on the sofaâtrilling, twittering, clearing their throats, groaning, heckling, etc. But these sounds have let Kaspar's speech become so loud that the last words resemble the thunderous ending of a speech. |
LXIII
| The Kaspars in back are quiet for the moment. Kaspar in front begins to sing, perhaps falsetto. Slowly but surely the prompters chime in, in canon fashion, which, however, is not resolved. They sing softly and delicately, so that Kaspar is intelligible throughout. Kaspar sings like a true believer. | |
| No one may bite the fork with his teeth no one may mention murderers at dinner no one may transport private persons in the official car everyone must be worth everyone's while no one may call a man by another man's name no one may live unregistered everyone should buy heavy goods only on the way home no one may ridicule anyone just because he has thick lips no one may tap anyone on the shoulder no one may stick a knife between anyone's ribs everyone must call a cop on the street officer sir | |
| The Kaspars in back also sing along, but not words, only sounds. Nor do they really sing. They screech, yodel, buzz, trumpet, draw snot into their noses, smack their lips, grunt, burp, ululate, etc.: all of it in rhythm with the song. Now they grow gradually louder. | |
| None of the furniture may catch dust no hungry man may stand in line and rest no adolescent may loiter no beanpole may reach the height of the high- voltage wires no flag may flutter like a goiter in the wrong direction all morality must come into being I trust during work every animal that remains what it is must yield to the animal that sheds its skin on the field every word that does not mean well must be cut. | |
| The Kaspars in back become louder still. One of them unwraps his package, the paper rustling loudly in the process, takes a nail file from the package and begins filing his nails. Another Kaspar repeats the process, rustling the paper even more loudly and taking an even bigger file out of his package to file his nails with. Filing noises can already be heard. | |
| No elbow on the table no fish with the knife no parasite with the fingers no spoon with its side to the mouth no solace for tired eyes no truffles uncooked every bum in jail: kill every paradox | |
| Kaspar I is speaking again: | The prompters sing what Kaspar utters, and the other Kaspars squeak, bark, make the sounds of rain and storm, blow up bubble gum till it bursts, etc. |
| No shit on a real stick no genuine finger for licking every fresh fish for frying every true person in the clear about everything every truly healthy fruit fling in the can everything unessential down the drain |
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