Howard Barker: Plays Nine. Howard Barker

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СКАЧАТЬ of humour /

      WARDROBE: We have established that /

      BIBLE: We have / and this sense of humour is not / I think we also have agreed / of a sort that might be described as innocuous /

      WARDROBE: Not innocuous / no /

      BIBLE: No / and could not be satisfied with / to take an idea more or less random / leaving the case empty /

      WARDROBE: That certainly would be innocuous /

      BIBLE: It’s worse than that /

      WARDROBE: Worse / yes / or if not worse /

      BIBLE: Different /

      WARDROBE: Different / yes / for example /

      BIBLE: (Inspired.) It might explode /

      WARDROBE: Explode? / that’s different / certainly /

      (He scrutinizes the violin case.)

      BIBLE: (Developing his thesis.) As you undid the catches / the catches would detonate the charge / not a massive charge / perhaps / but adequate to / say / tear off your hand /

      WARDROBE: That’s scarcely innocuous /

      BIBLE: Not in the least innocuous / no /

      WARDROBE: To spoil the hand of a violinist / neither innocuous / nor subtle /

      BIBLE: Not subtle / no / is the Emperor subtle? /

      WARDROBE: Yes /

      BIBLE: (Incredulous.) Subtle? /

      WARDROBE: Yes / oh yes /

      BIBLE: Is he? / are we talking about the same man? /

      WARDROBE: (Crossly.) SUBTLE IS THE EMPEROR / YES /

      BIBLE: Notwithstanding he sends me photographs / grotesquely enlarged / of Sisi’s cunt / and Sisi’s arse / still you say he’s subtle /

      WARDROBE: (Patiently.) The subtlety of the gesture you are referring to lies /

      BIBLE: (Fuming.) And when my darling happens to say / I miss my poet / my very own poet /

      WARDROBE: Not in the scale / or the indecency / of these photographs /

      BIBLE: Thrusts her on a filthy train / with neither water / nor a change of clothes / that’s subtlety / is it? /

      WARDROBE: But in revealing the ambiguity of the tenderness you / and all men / possibly / entertain with regard to the object of your passions /

      BIBLE: SISI IS NOT AN OBJECT /

      WARDROBE: (Throwing up his hands.) Oh /

      BIBLE: NOT AN OBJECT / NO / AND THERE IS NOTHING WHATSOEVER AMBIGUOUS IN THE FEELINGS / ANY OF THE FEELINGS / I ENTERTAIN FOR HER /

      WARDROBE: You are lurid /

      BIBLE: Am I? / am I lurid? /

      WARDROBE: Lurid and / I hate to say it /

      BIBLE: What? / What do you hate to say? /

      (WARDROBE hesitates.)

      SAY WHAT YOU HATE TO SAY / WARDROBE /

      WARDROBE: Doomed /

      (BIBLE opens his mouth to retaliate but cannot. He stares. WARDROBE senses the extent of the damage but does not have the resources to repair it. THRASH goes towards him.)

      THRASH: Give us it /

      (WARDROBE seems oblivious of the fact he is holding the violin case.)

      The violin / darling / I’ll open it outside / if it blows my hand off / never mind /

      WARDROBE: (Gazing at her.) You are neither young / nor talented /

      THRASH: Neither /

      WARDROBE: And you don’t say live /

      THRASH: I don’t / do I? /

      WARDROBE: So if you die /

      THRASH: That’s neither more nor less than I expected /

      WARDROBE: Like sunset / like sunrise /

      (He still holds the violin case. THRASH relieves him of it and goes out. Neither WARDROBE nor BIBLE moves. At last BIBLE sits on the canvas bed. WARDROBE studies him. He thinks to speak, but refrains.)

      She won’t /

      (He ponders.)

      Come to grief / if there had been the slightest danger of bad consequences I /

      (He frowns.)

      No / no / that’s a lie /

      (He bites his lip.)

      That’s a lie / and surely / if there are mitigating aspects / or even one / one aspect / which might be identified in the inventory of squalor that defines the frontier / it is this / really / there is no need to lie /

      (BIBLE is consumed in introversion.)

      Wouldn’t you say? /

      (He does not distract BIBLE.)

      So / no / no need to posture / or pretend / I was perfectly happy for her to /

      (He stops. He listens.)

      No explosion / and frankly /

      (He listens again.)

      Frankly / your proposition was absurd / if the Emperor wished to put an end to my vocation / or / strictly speaking / to annihilate any possibility of my practising this vocation / he would / I think / have elaborated a stratagem more / devastating / than simply tearing my hand to shreds /

      (He peers. BIBLE, profoundly tired, lies back.)

      She’s all right / she’s coming / she is perfectly all right / in fact / she’s smiling / smiling and shaking her head / something amuses her / waving a paper / no violin / I said so / didn’t I? / no violin / a sheet of paper / instead /

      (He is briefly irritable.)

      DON’T WAVE IT / BRING IT /

      (BIBLE is untouched by this account.)

      She thinks it’s funny / waving and waving it / the woman has a sense of humour / I suppose if you expected to be dead / a certain infantile relief is only to be expected /

      (He urges her with his arms.)

      BRING IT / BRING IT /

      (He turns away.)

      A sheet СКАЧАТЬ