CUHK Series:The Other Shore: Plays by Gao Xingjian

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CUHK Series:The Other Shore: Plays by Gao Xingjian Page 15

by Xingjian Gao


  Girl:

  Do I have to teach you that too?

  Man:

  When you’re stark naked you’re more natural, and more beautiful.

  Girl:

  (Sighs.) Your trouble is you’re lonely, so lonely that you’re dying for someone to give you a little tender loving care.

  (When Monk takes his hand away, the egg falls rolling onto the ground as before.

  Girl takes off her blouse. Monk keeps looking at the egg, not knowing what to do.)

  Man:

  (At once getting excited.) You’re a real knockout!

  Girl:

  You only found out just now? It sure took you long enough. You really don’t know how to appreciate what you’ve got, or how to cherish it.

  Man:

  It’s still not too late. Come over here…No, go stand over there!

  Girl:

  Where?

  Man:

  On the opposite side. Look at me, and put your hands down.

  (Girl drops her hands and laughs, facing him.

  Monk sighs and again takes out an egg from inside his robe.)

  Man:

  Spread your arms like a bird in flight. You’re a bird, a living and breathing big bird. Spread your arms for me!

  Girl:

  What if I don’t?

  (Monk is persisting, still trying to place the egg on the tip of the stick.)

  Man:

  When I say spread, spread. Don’t you like birds?

  Girl:

  You’re a bird, not me.

  Man:

  Spread your arms!

  Girl:

  No.

  (Man and Girl are locked in a stalemate.

  Frustrated, Monk cracks the egg on the tip of the stick, and the egg shell finally stands on the stick.)

  Girl:

  (Begging.) Say something nice to me.

  Man:

  I want you…Close your eyes.

  (Girl reluctantly spreads her arms and closes her eyes.

  Monk rubs his hands and exits satisfied.)

  Man:

  (Man quietly circles to the back of Girl.) On your knees now. (Takes a knife from inside his bathrobe.)

  Girl:

  No, you’re disgusting. (Reluctant, half kneeling and half sitting down.)

  Man:

  Put your hands on the floor. We’re playing a game, are we not? (He hides the knife behind him and pulls her hands down on the floor and holds them there with his other hand.)

  Girl:

  (Frees herself from his hand.) No, I’m not a dog! You’re really sick. (Gets up.)

  Man:

  Are we playing or not? You wanted it, and you started it first—

  Girl:

  That’s enough. Can’t you just use your imagination?

  Man:

  (Coaxing her.) All right, then you’ll be a fish, now try to imagine you’re a fish, a bouncy and jumping mermaid fish dragged out of the water and landed on dry land, okay?

  Girl:

  To hell with you. I’m not your plaything, go play with yourself.

  Man:

  But you started it first. After you’ve got people interested, you turn around and say you don’t want to play any more. It just isn’t fair.

  Girl:

  You make me sick! You understand?

  Man:

  Has it ever crossed your mind that you make people sick also? Everybody’s sick of everybody! Everyone is sickening!

  Girl:

  You’re just a log! A rotten log, rotten to the core!

  (Man and Girl face each other in silence. Suddenly Girl laughs out loud. Man is dejected. He quietly puts the knife back inside his bathrobe.)

  Girl:

  Dance for me!

  Man:

  (Confounded.) What?

  Girl:

  Are you playing or not?

  Man:

  Forget it, let’s knock it off. I’m not interested any more.

  Girl:

  But now I am. You forced me to play when I wasn’t interested, didn’t you? (Pleading with him.) Please, dance for me, just one dance, okay?

  Man:

  I don’t know how to.

  Girl:

  Then what do you know? Or do you only know how to think?

  Man:

  Don’t talk to me about thinking or not thinking.

  Girl:

  Then go and stand over there, you do know how, don’t you? Please, please do me a favour, go and stand over there.

  Man:

  Where?

  Girl:

  There, stand there like Michaelangelo’s David, but act like you’re thinking.

  Man:

  (Goes to the other side reluctantly.) You act like one of those woman executives. Do you enjoy ordering men around?

  Girl:

  It’d be nice if I could. Listen, David represents man at his best, I’m making it easy for you.

  Man:

  You’re an unqualified witch!

  Girl:

  That’s it! Raise your hands for me, just like a Michaelangelo.

  Man:

  Michaelangelo was gay.

  (Girl laughs heartily. Man reluctantly raises his hands and laughs.)

  Girl:

  I like being gay. Nobody asked you to become impotent!

  Man:

  Gosh, what a she-devil!

  Girl:

  I’m going to hurt you, hurt you real bad! Run, I say run!

  (Continuous beating of the cymbal. Monk still has not entered.)

  Man:

  How?

  Girl:

  Run in a circle around me!

  Man:

  Do you want everyone to run around you?

  Girl:

  Aren’t you the same? You won’t be happy until you turn every woman into your slave. (Very excited.) Raise your hand now like you’re throwing a javelin.

  Man:

  (Screaming.) I’m not a model!

  Girl:

  Why is it that only women can be models? Now try it and see what it’s like! Didn’t you say this is the age of women? Who told you to lose your sense of imagination? Run! I say run!

  Man:

  (Running and shouting.) If a woman became God, the world would turn into a pandemonium, much more horrible than it is now. I don’t know, maybe it’d be better, but it’d more likely be much worse, like some chick’s tantrum!

  Girl:

  So what if for once we were God Almighty? (Blocks his way.) Blindfold yourself!

  Man:

  Stop fooling around, I beg you. Okay?

  Girl:

  Oh, so you can fool around but I can’t, is that what you’re saying? If we’re going to fool around, let’s fool around together, you and I, until we both can’t take it any more!

  (Girl takes the chance to strip Man of his clothes. He kisses her, taking advantage of the situation. She wraps the clothes around his head, covering his eyes.

  Monk enters beating a gong.

  Girl hurriedly takes out a pair of pantyhose from her handbag, ties it around Man’s clothes and pushes him away.)

  Girl:

  Over here.

  Man:

  I’m going to get you! You little devil you!

  (Man chases after Girl. Both of them run in circles.)

  Man:

  You pigfeet—you dirty little rat—where are you?

  Girl:

  Here I am…(Quietly picks up the overcoat.)

  Man:

  You won’t get away this time! (Jumps on Girl.)

  (Just as he is about to catch her, she sticks out a leg and he trips and misses her.

  Monk is stunned and exits.)

  Man:

  (Yanks off her pantyhose and throws it on the ground.) What the hell are you doing?

  Girl:

  (Giggling.) Isn’t this what you want? Isn’t it?

  Man:

  (Irritated.) You must be out of your mind. Are you crazy or something?

&
nbsp; Girl:

  You’re crazy, you’re sick, not me! All you want is sex, sex, sex and getting yourself turned on. It’s your sexual fantasy, not mine.

  Man:

  (Grabs her at once.) Now let’s see if you can go on bullshitting!

  Girl:

  (Pushes him away.) Get away from me! You want fantasies, right? Go fantasize yourself! (Picks up the handbag.)

  Man:

  (Knocks her to the ground.) Don’t even think of running away! You’ll never make it! (Fishes out the knife from inside his bathrobe.) I’ll kill you first!

  Girl:

  (Startled. She moves back and tries to block him with her handbag.) What? Are you crazy or something? Stay away from me!

  Man:

  (Forces his way towards her and grabs her handbag.) Slut! Whore! You want to run? Go ahead and try!—(Kisses her by force.)

  Girl:

  (Seizes a pencil case, wallet, underwear, notebook, book, make-up, a set of keys and other unimaginable sundry items from her handbag and throws them at Man one after another.) No, don’t! Don’t—!

  Man:

  Stop—it! (Grabs her.) I’m going to make a whore out of you yet!

  Girl:

  I’m no—

  Man:

  I don’t care if you aren’t, you still have to pretend once—

  Girl:

  No! Get away from me! Let—me—go—! Let me go! Let go! I—don’t—(Becomes hysterical and strikes him again and again.)

  Man:

  (Letting go of her, stunned.) I was just fooling around. Didn’t you start it first? You started the whole thing, didn’t you?

  (Man puts down the knife and walks away perplexed.

  Monk enters, beating the wooden fish in his hand. He chants loudly:

  “A…mi…tabha! Great mercy, great pity, Amitabha! Sympathy…goodness! Virtuous men, virtuous women, purify your hearts! And in your highest voices, recite the Five Wisdoms Sutra! Since the time of the ancients, such a doctrine, this doctrine of thoughtlessness, has been upheld in sudden enlightenment, and in gradual enlightenment. The body is without form, the essence without entity.”

  Girl covers her face with her hands and crouches down slowly. She starts to sob.

  When Man hears her sobbing, he shakes his head and

  frowns, finally turns around and returns to her side. He stretches out his hand and bends down to stroke her head and neck.)

  Girl:

  Don’t touch me, I have no feelings…(Starts to wail loudly.) No feelings! No feelings! No feelings…

  (Man jumps on Girl. She falls onto the ground and wails and cries continuously.

  Monk walks slowly to front stage and sits down, his legs crossed. He beats the wooden fish and chants the sutra: “Monks of the Buddha, nuns of the Buddha, and man disciples, woman disciples, and the wise men in all directions, they all subscribe to the Law. The Law is neither long nor short, one moment is ten thousand years. No being is not being, all directions are before your eyes. “The extremely big is the same as small, all boundaries forgotten; the extremely small is the same as big, all limits disappeared. Presence is absence, absence is presence. Anything that is not so, it is not worth keeping. One is all, all is one. If this could be so, how could any worry remain unresolved?”)

  Man:

  This world, it’s all gone crazy,

  Girl:

  (Mumbling.) Just because of loneliness,

  Man:

  (Whispering.) Just because of boredom,

  Girl:

  Just because of thirst and hunger,

  Man:

  Just because of desires,

  Girl:

  It’s unbearable,

  Man:

  Just because it’s unbearable,

  Girl:

  Just because it’s unbearable to be a woman,

  Man:

  Just because to be a man is unbearable,

  Girl:

  Just because not only being a woman but also being human,

  Man:

  A living human being, a body of flesh and blood,

  Girl:

  It’s only to have feelings,

  Man:

  It’s only to resist death,

  Girl:

  Just because of the fear of death,

  Man:

  Just because the yearning for life,

  Girl:

  It’s only to experience the fear of death,

  Man:

  It’s only to prove the existence of the self,

  Girl:

  It’s only for the reason of just because—

  Man:

  Just because of the reason of it’s only for—

  Girl:

  It’s only because just because…

  Man:

  No therefore there is no purpose.

  (Monk starts to turn the beads of his Buddhist rosary, reciting the sutra in silence. The sound of the wooden fish becomes increasingly lighter, and Monk closes his eyes in meditation. Sound of wooden fish fades completely.)

  Girl:

  A sound, sharp and piercing…

  Man:

  A greenish grey sun, gyrating in the dark…

  Girl:

  Dead at knife-point, dead in space…

  Man:

  Motor cars howling ferociously—

  Girl:

  And the fingers are very cruel!

  Man:

  Zooming past, zooming, zooming and gone…

  Girl:

  Void and empty, all over the body…

  Man:

  A swollen leather bag…

  Girl:

  Flowing from the inside of the body to the outside…

  Man:

  Window panes shaking furiously forever—

  Girl:

  Up and down and all over, no more existence, no more weight, all shapes have vanished—

  Man:

  Only hear something breathing—

  Girl:

  Water’s dripping, where is it?

  Man:

  (Listening.) No sound.

  Girl:

  Still dripping, and still dripping…

  Man:

  Any more troubles?

  Girl:

  Not turned off properly…How come it can’t be turned off completely?

  Man:

  Turn off what completely?

  Girl:

  The tap, the tap in the bathroom.

  Man:

  Let it drip.

  Girl:

  Go turn it off, I beg you.

  Man:

  (Sits up and observes her.) The doors, the windows and all the taps have been shut off properly!

  Girl:

  But I’m still uneasy…

  Man:

  You’re hypersensitive.

  Girl:

  I’m always frightened, always afraid…

  Man:

  What’s there to be afraid of?

  Girl:

  Afraid of death, afraid of dark houses, I’ve been afraid of staying in a room by myself since I was young, even when I was sleeping, I had got to turn on the light. First I was afraid of growing up, then I was afraid of men, and afraid of becoming a woman, a real woman, of course I’m not afraid of that any more, but I’m still afraid, afraid that someone might just suddenly kill me, just like that, with no particular reason…

  Man:

  (Becoming alert.) What are you talking about? Who wants to kill you?

  Girl:

  I don’t know, but I’m afraid, there’s always a certain fear, always afraid that…When I was eighteen I was afraid of being twenty, when I was twenty I was afraid of being over twenty, and after twenty I felt that death was getting closer day by day.

  Man:

  (Relieved.) According to what you said, it’s the same with everybody. But you’re still young.

  Girl:

  When I’m alone at night I’m always jumpy. I’m afraid of weekends, afraid of spending the days by myself. I’m afraid of
mornings, afraid that someday crinkles might appear at the corner of my eyes, I’m afraid, afraid that someday I’ll suddenly grow old.

  Man:

  Tell me, how old are you really?

  Girl:

  I’m close to twenty six, I’m not young any more.

  Man:

  What is twenty six? I was still a kid when I was twenty six. I didn’t even know how to fart properly, let alone knowing women.

  Girl:

  But that’s you, to a woman, once she reaches thirty it spells death, and that’s the truth!

  Man:

  According to you, I should have been dead a long time ago, shouldn’t I?

  Girl:

  For a man, life begins at thirty, but for a woman, the best time of her life is over and done with already.

  Man There’s no need to worry. You’re still in your prime, still fresh as a daisy—

  Girl:

  Really? Am I still fresh?

  Man:

  When did you first do it? Your first time?

  Girl:

  Let me think, sixteen, no, at that time I was…only fourteen.

  Man:

  Did you do it with a classmate? Or with a dirty old man?

  Girl:

  No, my teacher, a physical education teacher.

  Man:

  The bastard!

  Girl:

  He told me that I had a good figure, that I had long legs and I was agile, so he would give me special lessons. He invited me to his place and gave me some candies, I was very fond of candies then. He told me to take off my clothes. You see, there wasn’t anybody else at his place. Then he told me to demonstrate some movements for him to look at and he would correct me. First he held my waist to help me press my legs down, then…he…raped me.

  Man:

  (Letting go of her.) You only thought he did?

  Girl:

  At the time I felt…I also wanted to know something about my body…

  Man:

  And since then you’ve been going all out to use yourself up, to consume it all. (Sits up.)

  Girl:

  Aren’t you also using yourself up? And you think that’s love, don’t you? Go pull a fast one on some wide-eyed teenybopper!

  Man:

  You’re always flirting, has it ever occurred to you that you’ve got some kind of psychological problem?

  Girl:

  Problem? Everyone has a problem, including you, me, everyone. Have you seen how men stare at women? The look in your eyes, the way you whisper, the way you behave, and the way you leer at women’s clothing, aren’t they all meant to encourage women, so that they’ll make themselves sexy for men? The bras, panties, necklaces, jewellery, and perfume, by the way, men also use perfume, only the brand names are different, aren’t they all designed by men and for men’s excitement? Women themselves don’t need these things at all. Movies, television, fashion, advertisements, pop songs, bars and nightclubs, is there anything that’s not meant to turn people on? You men all want to turn women into playthings, and you, you’re not much better.

 

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