The Blue Bird: A Fairy Play in Six Acts
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Maurice Maeterlinck >> The Blue Bird: A Fairy Play in Six Acts
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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....
CURTAIN
ACT V
SCENE I.--_Before the Curtain_.
_Enter_ TYLTYL, MYTYL, LIGHT, _the_ DOG, _the_ CAT, BREAD,
FIRE, SUGAR, WATER _and_ MILK.
LIGHT
I have received a note from the Fairy Berylune telling me that the Blue
Bird is probably here.
TYLTYL
Where?...
LIGHT
Here, in the graveyard behind that wall.... It appears that one of the dead
in the graveyard is hiding it in his tomb.... We must find out which one it
is.... We shall have to pass them under review....
TYLTYL
Under review?... How is that done?...
LIGHT
It is very simple: at midnight, so as not to disturb them too greatly, you
will turn the diamond. We shall see them come out of the ground; or else we
shall see those who do not come out lying in their tombs....
TYLTYL
Will they not be angry?...
LIGHT
Not at all; they will not even know.... They do not like being disturbed,
but, as it is their custom, in any case, to come out at midnight, that will
not inconvenience them....
TYLTYL
Why are Bread, Sugar and Milk so pale and why do they say nothing?...
MILK (_staggering_)
I feel I am going to turn....
LIGHT (_aside to TYLTYL_)
Do not mind them.... They are afraid of the dead....
FIRE (_frisking about_)
I'm not afraid of them!... I am used to burning them.... Time was when I
burnt them all; that was much more amusing than nowadays ...
TYLTYL
And why Is Tylo trembling?... Is he afraid, too?...
THE DOG
I?... I'm not trembling!... I am never afraid; but if you went away, I
should go too....
TYLTYL
And has the Cat nothing to say?...
THE CAT (_mysteriously_)
I know what's what....
TYLTYL (_to LIGHT_)
Are you coming with us?...
LIGHT
No; it is better that I should remain at the gate of the graveyard with the
Things and the Animals.... Some of them would be too frightened and I fear
that the others would misbehave.... Fire, in particular, would want to burn
the dead, as of old; and that is no longer done.... I shall leave you alone
with Mytyl....
TYLTYL
And may not Tylo stay with us?...
THE DOG
Yes, yes, I shall stay; I shall stay here I... I want to stay with my
little god!...
LIGHT
It is impossible.... The Fairy gave formal orders; besides, there is
nothing to fear....
THE DOG
Very well, very well, it makes no difference. If they are vicious, my
little god, all you have to do Is this ... (_he whistles_) and you
shall see.... It will be just as in the forest: Wow! Wow! Wow!...
LIGHT
Come, good-bye, dear children ... I shall not be far away.... (_She
kisses the_ CHILDREN.) Those who love me and whom I love always find me
again.... (_To the_ THINGS _and the_ ANIMALS) This way, all of
you....
(_She goes out with the_ THINGS _and the_ ANIMALS. _The_
CHILDREN _remain alone in the middle of the stage. The curtain, opens and
discloses the next scene_.)
SCENE 2.--_The Graveyard_.
_It is night. The moon is shining on a country graveyard.. Numerous
tombstones, grassy mounds, wooden crosses, stone slabs, etc_. TYLTYL
_and_ MYTYL _are standing by a short stone pillar_.
MYTYL
I am frightened!...
TYLTYL (_not too much at his ease_)
I am never frightened....
MYTYL
I say, are the dead wicked?...
TYLTYL
Why, no, they're not alive!...
MYTYL
Have you ever seen one?...
TYLTYL
Yes, once, long ago, when I was very young....
MYTYL
What was it like, say?...
TYLTYL
Quite white, very still and very cold and it didn't talk....
MYTYL
Are we going to see them, say?...
TYLTYL
Why, of course, Light said so....
MYTYL
Where are they?...
TYLTYL
Here, under the grass or under those big stones....
MYTYL
Are they there all the year round?...
TYLTYL
Yes.
MYTYL (_pointing to the slabs_)
Are those the doors of their houses?...
TYLTYL
Yes.
MYTYL
Do they go out when it's fine?...
TYLTYL
They can only go out at night....
MYTYL
Why?...
TYLTYL
Because they are in their shirts....
MYTYL
Do they go out also when it rains?...
TYLTYL
When it rains, they stay at home....
MYTYL
Is it nice in their homes, say?...
TYLTYL
They say it's very cramped....
MYTYL
Have they any little children?...
TYLTYL
Why, yes; they have all those that die....
MYTYL
And what do they live on?...
TYLTYL
They eat roots....
MYTYL
Shall we see them?...
TYLTYL
Of course; we see everything when I turn the diamond.
MYTYL
And what will they say?...
TYLTYL
They will say nothing, as they don't talk....
MYTYL
Why don't they talk?...
TYLTYL
Because they have nothing to say....
MYTYL
Why have they nothing to say?...
TYLTYL
You're a nuisance....
(_A pause_)
MYTYL
When will you turn the diamond?
TYLTYL
You heard Light say that I was to wait until midnight, because that
disturbs them less....
MYTYL
Why does that disturb them less?...
TYLTYL
Because that is when they go out to take the air....
MYTYL
Is it not midnight yet?...
TYLTYL
Do you see the church clock?...
MYTYL
Yes, I can even see the small hand....
TYLTYL
Well, midnight is just going to strike.... There!... Do you hear?...
(_The clock strikes twelve_)
MYTYL
I want to go away!...
TYLTYL
Not now.... I am going to turn the diamond....
MYTYL
No, no!... Don't!... I want to go away!... I am so frightened, little
brother!... I am terribly frightened!...
TYLTYL
But there is no danger....
MYTYL
I don't want to see the dead!... I don't want to see them!...
TYLTYL
Very well, you shall not see them; shut your eyes....
MYTYL (_clinging to_ TYLTYL'S _clothes_)
Tyltyl, I can't stay!... No, I can't possibly!... They are going to come
out of the ground!...
TYLTYL
Don't tremble like that.... They will only come out for a moment....
MYTYL
But you're trembling, too!... They will be awful!...
TYLTYL
It is time, the hour is passing....
(TYLTYL _turns the diamond. A terrifying minute of silence and
motionlessness elapses, after which, slowly, the crosses totter, the mounds
open, the slabs rise up...._)
MYTYL (_cowering against_ TYLTYL)
They are coming out!... They are there!...
(_Then, from all the gaping tombs, there rises gradually an efflorescence
at first frail and timid, like steam; then white and virginal and more and
more tufty, more and more tall and plentiful and marvellous. Little by
little, irresistibly, invading all things, it transforms the graveyard into
a sort of fairy-like and nuptial garden, over which rise the first rays of
the dawn. The dew glitters, the flowers open their blooms, the wind murmurs
in the leaves, the bees hum, the birds wake and flood the air with
the first raptures of their hymns to the sun and to life. Stunned and
dazzled,_ TYLTYL _and_ MYTYL, _holding each other by the hand,
take a few steps among the flowers while they seek for the trace of the
tombs_.)
MYTYL (_looking in the grass_)
Where are the dead?....
TYLTYL (_looking also_)
There are no dead....
CURTAIN
SCENE 3.--_The Kingdom of the Future_.
_The immense halls of the Azure Palace, where the children wait that
are yet to be born. Infinite perspectives of sapphire columns supporting
turquoise vaults. Everything, from the light and the lapis-lazuli
flagstones to the shimmering background into which the last arches run
and disappear, everything, down to the smallest objects, is of an unreal,
intense, fairy-like blue. Only the plinths and capitals of the columns,
the key-stones, a few seats and circular benches are of white marble or
alabaster. To the right, between the columns, are great opalescent doors.
These doors, which_ TIME _will throw back towards the end of the
scene, open upon actual life and the quays of the Dawn. Everywhere,
harmoniously peopling the hall, is a crowd of_ CHILDREN _robed in
long azure garments. Some are playing, others strolling to and fro, others
talking or dreaming; many are asleep, many also are working, between the
colonnades, at future inventions; and their tools, their instruments, the
apparatus which they are constructing, the plants, flowers and fruit which
they are cultivating or plucking are of the same supernatural and luminous
blue as the general atmosphere of the Palace. Figures of a taller stature,
clad in a paler and more diaphanous azure, figures of a sovereign and
silent beauty move among the_ CHILDREN _and would seem to be angels.
Enter on the left, as though by stealth, gliding between the columns in
the foreground_, TYLTYL, MYTYL _and_ LIGHT. Their arrival causes
a certain movement among the_ BLUE CHILDREN, _who come running up on
every hand, form a group around the unwonted visitors and gaze upon them
with curiosity_.
MYTYL
Where are Sugar, the Cat and Bread?...
LIGHT
They cannot enter here; they would know the future and would not obey....
TYLTYL
And the Dog?...
LIGHT
It is not well, either, that he should know what awaits him in the course
of the ages....I have locked them all up in the vaults of the church....
TYLTYL
Where are we?...
LIGHT
We are in the Kingdom of the Future, in the midst of the children who are
not yet born. As the diamond allows us to see clearly in this region which
is hidden from men, we shall very probably find the Blue Bird here....
TYLTYL
Certainly the bird will be blue, since everything here is
blue....(_Looking all around him_.) Heaven, how beautiful it all
is!...
LIGHT
Look at the children running up....
TYLTYL
Are they angry?...
LIGHT
Not at all....You can see, they are smiling, but they are surprised....
THE BLUE CHILDREN (_running up in ever-increasing numbers_)
Live children!...Come and look at the little live children!...
TYLTYL
Why do they call us the little live children?
LIGHT
Because they themselves are not alive yet....
TYLTYL
What are they doing, then?...
LIGHT
They are awaiting the hour of their birth....
TYLTYL
The hour of their birth?...
LIGHT
Yes; it is from here that all the children come who are born upon our
earth. Each awaits his day.... When the fathers and mothers want children,
the great doors which you see there, on the right, are opened and the
little ones go down....
TYLTYL
What a, lot there are! What a lot there are!...
LIGHT
There are many more.... We do not see them all.... There are thirty
thousand halls like this, all full of them.... Just think, there are enough
to last to the end of the world!... No one could count them....
TYLTYL
And those tall blue persons, who are they?...
LIGHT
No one exactly knows.... They are believed to be guardians.... I have heard
that they will come upon earth after men.... But we are not allowed to ask
them....
TYLTYL
Why not?...
LIGHT
Because it is the earth's secret....
TYLTYL
And may one talk to the others, the little ones?...
LIGHT
Certainly; you must make friends.... Look, there is one who is more curious
than the rest.... Go up to him, speak to him....
TYLTYL
What shall I say to him?...
LIGHT
Whatever you like, as you would to a little playfellow....
TYLTYL
Can I shake hands with him?...
LIGHT
Of course, he won't hurt you.... But come, don't look so constrained.... I
will leave you alone, you will be more at ease by yourselves.... Besides, I
want to speak to the tall blue person....
TYLTYL (_going up to the_ BLUE CHILD _and holding out his hand_)
How do you do?... (_Touching the_ CHILD'S _blue dress with his
finger_.) What's that?...
THE CHILD (_gravely touching_ TYLTYL'S _hat_)
And that?...
TYLTYL
That?... That is my hat.... Have you no hat?...
THE CHILD
No; what is it for?...
TYLTYL
It's to say How-do-you-do with.... And then for when it rains or when it's
cold....
THE CHILD
What does that mean, when it's cold?...
TYLTYL
When you shiver like this: brrrr! brrrr!... When you blow into your hands
and go like this with your arms....
(_He vigorously beats his arms across his chest_.)
THE CHILD
Is it cold on earth?...
TYLTYL
Yes, sometimes, in the winter, when there is no fire....
THE CHILD
Why is there no fire?...
TYLTYL
Because it's expensive and it costs money to buy wood....
THE CHILD
What is money?...
TYLTYL
It's what you pay with....
THE CHILD
Oh....
TYLTYL
Some people have money and others have none....
THE CHILD
Why not?...
TYLTYL
Because they are not rich.... Are you rich?... How old are you?...
THE CHILD
I am going to be born soon.... I shall be born in twelve years.... Is it
nice to be born?...
TYLTYL
Oh, yes!... It's great fun!...
THE CHILD
How did you manage?...
TYLTYL
I can't remember.... It is so long ago!...
THE CHILD
They say it's lovely, the earth and the live people!...
TYLTYL
Yes, it's not bad.... There are birds and cakes and toys.... Some have them
all; but those who have none can look at them....
THE CHILD
They tell us that the mothers stand waiting at the door.... They are good,
aren't they?...
TYLTYL
Oh, yes!... They are better than anything in the world!... And the grannies
too; but they die too soon....
THE CHILD
They die?... What is that?...
TYLTYL
They go away one evening and do not come back....
THE CHILD
Why?...
TYLTYL
How can one tell?... Perhaps because they feel sad....
THE CHILD
Has yours gone?...
TYLTYL
My grandmamma?...
THE CHILD
Your mamma or your grandmamma, I don't know....
TYLTYL
Oh, but it's not the same thing!... The grannies go first; that's sad
enough.... Mine was very kind to me....
THE CHILD
What is the matter with your eyes?.... Are they making pearls?...
TYLTYL
No; it's not pearls....
THE CHILD
What is it, then?...
TYLTYL
It's nothing; it's all that blue, which dazzles me a little....
THE CHILD
What is that called?...
TYLTYL
What?...
THE CHILD
There, that, falling down....
TYLTYL
Nothing, it is a little water....
THE CHILD
Does it come from the eyes?...
TYLTYL
Yes, sometimes, when one cries....
THE CHILD
What does that mean, crying?...
TYLTYL
I have not been crying; it is the fault of that blue... But if I had cried,
it would be the same thing....
THE CHILD
Does one often cry?...
TYLTYL
Not little boys, but little girls do.... Don't you cry here?...
THE CHILD
No; I don't know how....
TYLTYL
Well, you will learn.... What are you playing with, those great blue
wings?...
THE CHILD
These?... That's for the invention which I shall make on earth....
TYLTYL
What invention?... Have you invented something?...
THE CHILD
Why, yes; haven't you heard?... When I am on earth, I shall have to invent
the thing that gives happiness....
TYLTYL
Is it good to eat?... Does it make a noise?...
THE CHILD
No; you hear nothing....
TYLTYL
That's a pity....
THE CHILD
I work at it every day.... It is almost finished.... Would you like to see
it?...
TYLTYL
Very much.... Where is it?...
THE CHILD
There, you can see it from here, between those two columns....
ANOTHER BLUE CHILD (_coming up to_ TYLTYL _and plucking his sleeve_)
Would you like to see mine, say?...
TYLTYL
Yes, what is it?...
THE SECOND CHILD
The thirty-three remedies for prolonging life.... There, in those blue
phials....
A THIRD CHILD (_stepping out from the crowd_)
I will show you a light which nobody knows of!... (_He lights himself
up entirely with an extraordinary flame_.) It's rather curious, isn't
it?...
A FOURTH CHILD (_pulling_ TYLTYL'S _arm_)
Do come and look at my machine which flies in the air like a bird without
wings!...
A FIFTH CHILD
No, no; mine first! It discovers the treasures hidden in the moon!...
THE BLUE CHILDREN (_crowding round_ TYLTYL _and_ MYTYL _and all crying
together_)
No, no, come and see mine!... No, mine is much finer!... Mine is a
wonderful invention!... Mine is made of sugar!... His is no good!... He
stole the idea from me!...
(_Amid these disordered exclamations, the_ LIVE CHILDREN _are
dragged towards the blue workshops, where each of the inventors sets his
ideal machine going. There ensues a cerulean whirl of wheels, disks,
flywheels, driving-wheels, pulleys, straps and strange and as yet unnamed
objects shrouded in the bluey mists of the unreal. A crowd of odd and
mysterious mechanisms dart forth and hover under the vaults or crawl at the
foot of the columns, while_ CHILDREN _unfold charts and plans, open
books, uncover azure statues and bring enormous flowers and gigantic fruits
that seem formed of sapphires and turquoises_.)
A LITTLE BLUE CHILD (_bending under the weight of some colossal blue
daisies_)
Look at my flowers!...
TYLTYL
What are they?... I don't know them....
THE LITTLE BLUE CHILD
They are daisies!...
TYLTYL
Impossible!... They are as big as tables!...
THE LITTLE BLUE CHILD
And they smell so good!...
TYLTYL (_smelling them_)
Wonderful!...
THE LITTLE BLUE CHILD
They will grow like that when I am on earth....
TYLTYL
When will that be?...
THE LITTLE BLUE CHILD
In fifty-three years, four months and nine days....
(_Two_ BLUE CHILDREN _arrive, carrying, like a lustre hanging on a
pole, an incredible bunch of grapes, each larger than a pear_.)
ONE OF THE CHILDREN (_carrying the grapes_)
What do you say to my fruits?...
TYLTYL
A bunch of pears!...
THE CHILD
No, they are grapes!... They will all be like that when I am thirty.... I
have found the way....
ANOTHER CHILD (_staggering under a basket of blue apples the size of
melons_)
And mine!... Look at my apples!...
TYLTYL
But those are melons!...
THE CHILD
No, no!... They are my apples and they are not the finest at that!... They
will all be alike when I am alive.... I have discovered the system!...
ANOTHER CHILD (_wheeling a blue barrow with blue melons bigger than
pumpkins_)
What do you say to my little melons?...
TYLTYL
But they are pumpkins!...
THE CHILD WITH THE MELONS
When I come on earth, the melons will be splendid!... I shall be the
gardener of the King of the Three Planets....
TYLTYL
The King of the Three Planets?
THE CHILD WITH THE MELONS
The great king who for thirty-five years will bring happiness to the Earth,
Mars and the Moon.... You can see him from here....
TYLTYL
Where is he?...
THE CHILD WITH THE MELONS
There, the little boy sleeping at the foot of that column.
TYLTYL
On the left?...
THE CHILD WITH THE MELONS
No, on the right.... The one on the left is the child who will bring pure
joy to the globe....
TYLTYL
How?...
THE CHILD (_the one that first talked to_ TYLTYL)
By means of ideas which people have not yet had....
TYLTYL
And the other, that little fat one with his fingers to his nose, what will
he do?...
THE CHILD
He is to discover the fire that will warm the earth when the sun is paler
than now....
TYLTYL
And the two holding each other by the hand and always kissing; are they
brother and sister?...
THE CHILD
No; they are very comical....They are the Lovers....
TYLTYL
What is that?...
THE CHILD
I don't know.... Time calls them that, to make fun of them.... They spend
the day looking into each other's eyes, kissing and bidding each other
farewell....
TYLTYL
Why?...
THE CHILD
It seems that they will not be able to leave together...
TYLTYL
And the little pink one, who looks so serious and is sucking his thumb,
what is he?...
THE CHILD
It appears that he is to wipe out injustice from the earth....
TYLTYL
Oh!...
THE CHILD
They say it's a tremendous work....
TYLTYL
And the little red-haired one, who walks as if he did not see where he was
going, is he blind?...
THE CHILD
Not yet; but he will become so....Look at him well; it seems that he is to
conquer Death....
TYLTYL
What does that mean?...
THE CHILD
I don't exactly know; but they say it's a great thing....
TYLTYL (_pointing to a crowd of_ CHILDREN _sleeping at the foot of
the columns, on the steps, the benches, etc_.)
And all those asleep, what a number of them there are asleep!... Do they do
nothing?...
THE CHILD
They are thinking of something....
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