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The Blue Bird. Maurice Maeterlinck
Читать онлайн.Название The Blue Bird
Год выпуска 0
isbn 4057664094438
Автор произведения Maurice Maeterlinck
Жанр Языкознание
Издательство Bookwire
MYTYL And what's that all round the table? …
TYLTYL Cakes and fruit and tarts. …
MYTYL I had some once when I was little. …
TYLTYL So did I; it's nicer than bread, but they don't give you enough. …
MYTYL They've got plenty over there. … The whole table's full. … Are they going to eat them? …
TYLTYL Of course; what else would they do with them? …
MYTYL Why don't they eat them at once? …
TYLTYL Because they're not hungry. …
MYTYL (stupefied with astonishment) Not hungry? … Why not? …
TYLTYL Well, they eat whenever they want to. …
MYTYL (incredulously) Every day? …
TYLTYL They say so. …
MYTYL Will they eat them all? … Will they give any away? …
TYLTYL To whom? …
MYTYL To us. …
TYLTYL They don't know us. …
MYTYL Suppose we asked them. …
TYLTYL We mustn't.
MYTYL Why not? …
TYLTYL Because it's not right.
MYTYL (clapping her hands) Oh, how pretty they are! …
TYLTYL (rapturously) And how they're laughing and laughing! …
MYTYL And the little ones dancing! …
TYLTYL Yes, yes; let's dance too! … (They stamp their feet for joy on the stool.)
MYTYL Oh, what fun! …
TYLTYL They're getting the cakes! … They can touch them! … They're eating, they're eating, they're eating! …
MYTYL The tiny ones, too! … They've got two, three, four apiece! …
TYLTYL (drunk with delight) Oh, how lovely! … Oh, how lovely, how lovely! …
MYTYL (counting imaginary cakes) I've got twelve! …
TYLTYL And I four times twelve! … But I'll give you some. …
(A knock at the door of the cottage.)
TYLTYL (suddenly quieted and frightened) What's that? …
MYTYL (scared) It's Daddy! …
(As they hesitate before opening the door, the big latch is seen to rise of itself, with a grating noise; the door half opens to admit a little old woman dressed in green with a red hood on her head. She is humpbacked and lame and near-sighted; her nose and chin meet; and she walks bent on a stick. She is obviously a fairy.)
THE FAIRY Have you the grass here that sings or the bird that is blue? …
TYLTYL We have some grass, but it can't sing. …
MYTYL Tyltyl has a bird.
TYLTYL But I can't give it away. …
THE FAIRY Why not? …
TYLTYL Because it's mine.
THE FAIRY That's a reason, no doubt. Where is the bird? …
TYLTYL (pointing to the cage) In the cage. …
THE FAIRY (putting on her glasses to examine the bird) I don't want it; it's not blue enough. You will have to go and find me the one I want.
TYLTYL But I don't know where it is. …
THE FAIRY No more do I. That's why you must look for it. I can do without the grass that sings, at a pinch; but I must absolutely have the blue bird. It's for my little girl, who is very ill.
TYLTYL What's the matter with her? …
THE FAIRY We don't quite know; she wants to be happy. …
TYLTYL Really? …
THE FAIRY Do you know who I am? …
TYLTYL You're rather like our neighbour, Madame Berlingot. …
THE FAIRY (growing suddenly angry) Not a bit! … There's not the least likeness! … This is intolerable! … I am the Fairy Bérylune. …
TYLTYL Oh! Very well. …
THE FAIRY You will have to start at once.
TYLTYL Are you coming with us?
THE FAIRY I can't, because I put on the soup this morning and it always boils over if I leave it for more than an hour. … (Pointing successively to the ceiling, the chimney and the window) Will you go out this way, or that way, or that way? …
TYLTYL (pointing timidly to the door) I would rather go out that way. …
THE FAIRY (growing suddenly angry again) That's quite impossible; and it's a shocking habit! … (Pointing to the window) We'll go out this way. … Well? … What are you waiting for? … Get dressed at once. … (The CHILDREN do as they are told and dress quickly.) I'll help Mytyl. …
TYLTYL We have no shoes. …
THE FAIRY That doesn't matter. I will give you a little magic hat. Where are your father and mother? …
TYLTYL (pointing to the door on the right) They're asleep in there. …
THE FAIRY And your grandpapa and grandmamma? …
TYLTYL They're dead. …
THE FAIRY And your little brothers and sisters. … Have you any? …
TYLTYL Oh, yes; three little brothers. …
MYTYL And four little sisters. …
THE FAIRY Where are they? …
TYLTYL They are dead, too. …
THE FAIRY Would you like to see them again? …
TYLTYL Oh, yes! … At once! … Show them to us! …
THE FAIRY I haven't got them in my pocket. … But this is very lucky; you will see them when you go through the Land of Memory. … It's on the way to the Blue Bird, just on the left, past the third turning. … What were you doing when I knocked? …
TYLTYL We were playing at eating cakes? …
THE FAIRY Have you any cakes? … Where are they? …
TYLTYL In the house of the rich children. … Come and look, it's so lovely. (He drags the FAIRY to the window.)
THE FAIRY (at the window) But it's the others who are eating them! …
TYLTYL Yes; but we can see them eat. …
THE FAIRY Aren't you cross with them? …
TYLTYL What for? …
THE FAIRY For eating all the cakes. … I think it's very wrong of them not to give you some. …
TYLTYL Not at all; they're rich. … I say, isn't it beautiful over there? …
THE FAIRY It's no more beautiful there than here.
TYLTYL Ugh! … It's darker here and smaller and there are no cakes. …
THE FAIRY It's exactly the same, only you can't see. …
TYLTYL Yes, I can; and I have very good eyes. I can see the time on the church clock and daddy can't …
THE FAIRY (suddenly angry) I tell you that you can't see! … How do