by Xingjian Gao
Anne
She says she can see it all…
Daniel
In these blocks of buildings and their innumerable rooms, there are many, many people, eating, drinking, loving, lusting, again and again, and again and again, repeatedly and re-repeatedly, they’re struggling, troubled and anxious to the point of rendering their lives meaningless, then all of a sudden they die off, unknown to the world. This is becoming somewhat scary, so scary that he feels cold all over, and yet he still can’t stop himself from drifting away, any time now he could stumble and plunge into the dark abyss under his feet. He is drifting, he has become weightless, but his eyes are still staring and watching, he feels dizzy looking down from above, and he is attracted by the pitch black abyss, he can’t help leaning forward. He tries his best to ward off the temptation to plunge down, keeping his eyes away from the darkness under his feet as much as possible. When he looks to the front, he can still see the ghost town standing erect on top of the abyss on his left side. The mountain he is riding on is like an elephant, or any huge animal, it’s squirming up and down as if it’s going to lose control, he quickly closes his eyes.
Anne
And then?
Daniel
And then he wakes up, it was only a dream, it only lasted an instant, and only in dreams could one see a miracle like this one, he wishes that it could have lasted for a while longer, so that he could remember it more clearly. He is holding his breath, and he manages to hang on to a shred of its past self, but eventually he’s unable to prevent it from disappearing altogether. He is quite moved, as if it’s some kind of apocalypse, yet he feels like he has lost something. At the time he knows there are things he can do, and there are things he can’t. But what is it that he could have done? He doesn’t have the answer any more.
Anne
Then don’t talk about it.
Bernard
Gosh! My foot is busted! This foot, it doesn’t listen to your commands. Oh, a wooden leg! Only devils have hoofs, and you’re not a devil. But there’s a devil in every man’s heart, the question is whether or not it’s set free, if it got out, you’d be the happy one, though other people would have to suffer for your happiness. You have sinned deeply, you should have left that young girl alone, but how would you know if she’s a little dove or a little whore if you haven’t tried?
One foot is light, and the other one heavy, it’s like riding on the clouds—(Bang!)
Anne, Daniel
He’s calling me! (Wind blows.)
No, it’s the wind.
I’ll go and look.
Cecile, Anne
You scared me!
Sorry, let me close the door.
Where is he?
I don’t know, maybe he’s in the living room, or in the study.
Thank you for your dress, but it doesn’t suit me. I’ve already put it back into the closet outside the bathroom. I look terrific wearing jeans, I don’t want any hand-me-downs. I also want to tell you, I don’t want to come here any more, I don’t want to see you, you and all the other people. I’m not that stupid, I’m not your plaything! I want to cry, but you won’t see my tears. I hate you! I also hate myself, but that’s got nothing to do with you. When I cry I’m only crying for myself, and it’s nothing for you to gloat about. I don’t have to stay around a crappy old man all the time, that you can rest assured. It’s a big world, I can go anywhere, I don’t need to stare at the same man all the time!
Daniel, Cecile
What’s the matter?
I’ve got nothing to say to you, go and talk to her, you’ve got a lot to say to each other, haven’t you? You’re all smart people, cultured, well-bred, and I’m just a little whore, I know you see me like that. Don’t try to explain! I don’t want to hear it! I’ll be leaving in a moment, drive me to the station, I’m going to take the bus home.
What am I going to tell them? We’re their guests.
They invited you, not me, I didn’t even know them.
Tomorrow, let’s go home tomorrow. Listen to me, okay?
I can’t wait until tomorrow. It’s your home anyway, not mine.
Where are you going at this hour of the night?
—Don’t worry about me! I don’t need you to pay for my bus ticket!
Daniel
—Okay, this is obviously a comedy, but it’s all but ruined because you’re in it. Should you try to put on a smile, or should you make a funny face and bear with it? You’re not such a good actor after all, you just wanted to play along, you don’t know the tricks. You’ve brought this embarrassment upon yourself.
You’re not an expert in the game of love, and that tiny bit of intelligence of yours has already vanished into mid-air. So you’d better leave and become a ball boy outside the court.
Cecile (The wind blows hard.)
The sky is a dark grey, and the clouds are whirling high above. She knows that once she stands on the side of the highway and sticks up a finger, some car will stop and its window will open, and there’ll appear a man’s smiling face. Life is so simple when you see through it, close your eyes and let it take you anywhere.
She wants all the men to be infatuated with her, waiting for the intimacy that comes unexpectedly.
And then she’ll dump them one by one, first she’ll cry and then she’ll laugh out loud, but that’s only a joke, just one more joke she’s playing on herself.
You know she’s not lonely, but she wants to have a dog, it’ll follow her anywhere, any time. As long as she blows the whistle, no matter how softly, the dog will happily go to her and circle around her, in front of her or behind her, running and jumping.
But all she wants to do right now is to smoke a cigarette, sitting on the concrete block by the roadside and gazing at the billboards by the entrance to the railway station. She’s got no need for the laced bras in the windows, the pair of cupcakes on her chest by themselves are enough to turn them on. She wants to say it to everybody: Here’s a whore! Just like everybody says “Hello.”
She hates women who put on airs, when she sees their new shoes stepping on dog pooh, she can’t help cracking up inside. She’s not a kind person, what’s the use of being kind anyway? Besides, her mother never taught her anything like that.
She wants to tie fast knots on all the neckties and smash all the vases into pieces. Just like her dreams, one by one they’ve been shattered, all gone.
Daniel
You grabbed your hair and tried to levitate yourself, but in the end you only gave yourself a painful scalp. You laugh at the world, but in the end it’s the world which is laughing at you. If there were no opponents to meet your challenge, life would have lost its meaning. To find meaning where there’s no meaning, to find love where there’s no love, all are driven by lust and desire. Everything is void and meaningless after all, and that includes yourself.
Afterwards, and afterwards, you’re bewildered, you stare at the door, it has been blown open by the wind, everything you’ve ever done on this side of the door is futile, but no one is willing to enter the door with you, to see whether there’s a greener pasture on the other side.
Bernard (Sound of blowing wind and driving rain)
Anne! Can you hear me? Oh, my bones…I don’t know if any of them’s broken. I just had a fall. Help me to the armchair, O…O…My waist, I can still bend my waist, it’s not busted yet. It’s a good thing that these old bones are still good and sturdy!
Anne
All right, all right, lie down, you really gave me a scare.
Bernard
It’s so windy. Remember that year when I just finished renovating the house and I gave a party? The whole house was full of people, the place was so alive! We drank a lot of wine. It was as windy as it is now, and the rain was pouring down, the guests all decided to stay and spend the night here. They slept everywhere, I gave the rooms and the beds to those sleeping in pairs. It was after midnight, and I was resting on this chair when you sneaked in, at that time the chair was
still in the studio, remember? Then you decided to stay…
Anne, Bernard
Afterwards I left.
Then you came back. How many years ago was it? At that time…
I was exactly like her?
Right, a vivacious bimbo!
And stark naked…
I was standing in front of a painting, all around us were loud and bright colours, you said that these colours turned you on, remember?
Forget it. Besides, it’s already twenty years ago.
Will you ever leave me?
Who knows?
Listen! Is something leaking?
It’s raining outside.
You’ve closed all the windows, haven’t you?
Yes.
Ah…
What did you say?
(Sound of snoring.)
Anne
Her bare feet are soaked in the cold water, her skirt is dripping wet, it’s dirty and it sticks to her legs. The entire sitting room is immersed in water, and it’s still rising, flooding in from the porch, the garden, the forest over there, the former cattle range, the river bank which can’t be seen, and from heaven itself. She can’t do anything, she just stands in front of the glass door in the living room, she can’t prevent this houseful of water from rising further. There’s no place to hide, not a corner, not anywhere. The water is all over the carpet and is rising to the first step of the stairs, everything is floating, books, T-shirts, glasses cases, cardboard boxes, jeans and cushions are all stained, swollen. Even the chairs are wobbly. It’s hopeless. There’s no need to go and look at the studio, which is even lower, the paintings on the floor, surely they’re all finished, only the sofa stays immovable in the water, and she, like a bitch in heat, is lying on it, stark naked…
Quartet No. 4
Cecile, Bernard
A ball’s fallen to the floor!
Where?
It nearly broke into pieces.
Oh, it’s a marble made of ivory. It’s harder than a log. You can play with it.
Like this? (Rolls the marble.)
Naughty, naughty. I win! (Takes marble and holds her.)
All right, I’ll let you kiss me once, on the left side.
Daniel, Cecile, Bernard
She really knows how to make people happy.
Now on the right side, also just once. I can’t let you kiss both sides, otherwise I’ll have none left. Anyone who wants it will get it, but he’ll have to do a handstand for me first!
How can this be possible? It’s too much to ask at my age.
It’s got to be something people can do.
Then do a somersault, that’s easy enough, even kids can do it.
This girl, she surely knows how to make life difficult.
Is it okay like this?
Are we playing or not? We’re playing a game ‘cause we’re bored, right? Just listening to you people popping off to no end, don’t you think other people should have some fun too?
Daniel, Cecile
Why do we have to play this game? It’s so childish.
I want to play, but you don’t know how to; I want to go out, but I can’t either.
But it’s not raining.
Bernard, Cecile
Now tell me, what else shall we play? I’ll go along, I’ll die if I have to, okay?
How about hide and seek? It’s such a big house and there are so many rooms. You’ve got to do some exercise, both of you, running up and down will do you good!
How charming!
Daniel, Cecile
But still a child.
It’s no fun at all, I’m getting old just being with you!
Okay, you win. Out with it, how should we play?
Go tell Anne to play with us!
Bernard, Cecile, Daniel
Leave her out of it, she’s too lazy to move even one finger.
All right, take off your shoes, one each!
I don’t know what to do with her.
I know.
(Music)
Daniel
No door
make a door
You’re inside the door
he’s outside the door
You want to get out
he wants to get in
To avoid a collision
therefore
you close the door again.
No key
can’t go in
No umbrella
it’s raining
you’re wet all over
No God
create one
No savior
do it yourself
No story
don’t tell it then
What if no soul
when there’s none there’s none
And bad luck is like a toothache
nobody
can be exempt
What if no play
perform it yourself
No applause
clap your own hands
No drummer
play it yourself while you sing
No audience
see it yourself
No nothing
then it’s nothing
You build the world
and then destroy it
If you don’t build one
better not to build
then you don’t need to destroy
you can’t destroy
You believe in ghosts
then there are ghosts
If you don’t believe
then don’t believe it
You want to go in circles
the circling won’t end
You don’t want to go in circles
who can order you to?
Cecile
Close this door, open that one. I’m—over here! (Sneaks behind the door and hides.)
A Cinderella carrying her crystal shoes. Look at them, so busy running up and down and panting for breath. See how they stumble and fall! (Bang! She can’t help laughing.) Did you break a bone? Oh…God! (Covers her eyes with her hands.)
Bernard (Getting up from the ground.)
What happened? (Sees Cecile behind the door.)
Cecile (Pretends to cry.)
I didn’t do it on purpose.
Bernard
It’s better to break it once and for all. It’s okay, I’m too old, that’s all. Even if I broke it I’ll go at it again. Break it! Break it once more!…Why are you crying, little girl? Daddy’s going to buy his little darling a big doll when he comes home—I’m still your good old daddy, am I not?
Cecile
She’s nobody’s little girl, small daddy, big daddy, they’re all fiddle-faddle! She’s sick and tired of playing mistress or model, pretending to be this and that.
Daniel
You say you
love her
She also says
she loves you
If you don’t love her
she won’t love you
Love is like truth
they are no different
She says she loves so painfully
and she actually gets a toothache
She wants to indulge herself and to have fun
nobody loses
You say everything you’ve said
is the real truth
Truth or lies
they’re no myths anyway
Cecile
She’s not a plaything, she’s not anybody’s puppet,
Sexy or not sexy, she’s still got her feelings.
You’re all looking for excitement, you’re all using her to seek emotional release,
That sorrow in her heart, who can dismiss it for her?
Daniel
Everybody says
whoever
raises up high
the big banner of justice
He will
find
a reason
&n
bsp; Just like
a married man
complaining about his wife
to his mistress
If he wants no trouble
he should have known
not to get married
You lift up high
a foot
to see how high you can lift it
When you can’t lift it any more
then just
stop lifting it
If you think you’re
a worm
then you’re a worm
If you think you’re
a tiger
you have to know
the tiger
except
in cages
is already extinct
Bernard (Tiptoeing, his hands at his back.)
The little whore, where did she go? (Stealthily pushes the door open.)
Anne (Embraces Daniel and kisses him. Bernard approaches and bends down to look.)
Bastard!
Bernard
I didn’t say anything, did I?
Anne, Bernard
You scared me! (Pushes Daniel away.)
Sorry to interrupt, please continue! (Daniel walks away.)
What are you holding in your hand?
(Extending left hand.) Nothing.
The other one.
(Switches and extends the right hand.) Nothing, it’s really nothing.
What’s that you’re hiding behind your back?
(Shows a pistol.) A toy. (Pulls the trigger, tick tack.) See, didn’t I tell you it’s a toy? A stage prop.