Marius Ivaškevičius
Madagascar
Characters: Kazimieras Pokshtas – an idealist Sally – poetess Milly – a riend o Sally !elly – a riend o Sally "ather – Pokshtas#s ather Mother – Pokshtas#s mother $eronika eronika – a slut% a &hore &hore 'scar – an am(assador) a *$+man , "renchman – "renchman – a youth) lo&er+seller
,C* I Scene 1 Father: *here-s an o. to slaughter/ Can-t help it/ Mother: Cannot/ Father: "odder is a(out to end/ Can-t help it/ Mother: Cannot/ Father: Kazimieras has to (e (rought do&n to &ork/ Can-t help it/ Mother : Cannot Father : *he lack o potency/ Mother: *he lack/ Father : 0nough) Kazimieras) o &horing around &ith (ooks/ "irst there-s &ork to (e done/ ,nd can-t help it/ Mother : Cannot/ Father: It-s you) Kazimieras) &ho &e-re talking a(out) &ho-s thus &orrying us &ith your silence/ Pokshtas : *ragical unoreseeing/ Father: 1To mother 2 !o& are &e supposed to understand him3 Mother: 1to Pokshtas) 4o not tear ather-s eelings apart/ "ather-s heart is &eak/ Father: 1to mother2: 5ait) mother/ I &ant to hear accutely) &here here that tragical unorseeing lies/ Mother: !oney) please speak/ Put your thoughts into &ords/ Mother: It-s a pity that our Kazimieras is o so little elo6uence/ 5ill have trou(le &ith &omenolk/ Pokshtas : *ragical unoreseeing to slaughter an o. that can plough/ *ragical unoreseeing to slaughter an o. that can plough/ *ragical unoreseeing to slaughter an o. that can plough/ Pokshtas : Slaughtering an o. that can plough is the same as not leaving grain in the granary to so&/ *he same as or a good pianist playing harmonica not to insure his ingers/ *he same as/// Father: 1To mother 2 4o you hear this pianism spurting out o our son3 5hat a volcano speaking7 *his is &hat an a(normally deep complicity &ith (ooks leads to/ Pokshtas : Please do not get oended &ith the open intercourse) (ut only deep complicity &ith (ooks o 6uality ploughs a urro& o reason in our (rain/ ,nd illiteracy e6uals eating an o. that can plough/ *he &hole creation its compactly in the imaginative literature/ 8earn to understand (ooks and you learn the creation/ Father: Mother) &hat populism is spurting out o our son/ Pokshtas : 5hy are you such passivists3 9ou are ully dro&ned in the atalism that comes rom the 0ast/ ,ll – or you is &rong) all is predestined or you/ '.) i anything) so to slaughter/ In all this I see the lack o initiative/ *urn aces to the sea/ 8it your eyes o the ground/ e) as ,nglo Celts are/ *hey take energy rom it) activity and initiative/ ;o decent ,nglo Celt &ould slaughter an o. that can plough/ *he ace to the sea) not the proile/ "ace it) I tell you7 Mother: (To father) "ather) do as son asks you/ Father: ,nd &here is that sea) mother3 4o you at least kno& it) more or less3 Mother: Child) and &hy didn-t you tell3 "or so many years you &ere silent/ 5orrying the parents/ Pokshtas : I) Messieurs ather and mother) can tell even more/ I) Messieurs) &as o(serving you/ 5as assessing the 6uality o yours/ 5hen did you last) ather) i. your teeth3 So this is &hat an o(servation o russet 8ithuanian (ody lead to/ *he poorness o health hurts my eye/ !um(le slanted men) pale (loodless &omen) mangy sha((y children all dro&ned in phlegm/ Such health usually does not allo& a 8ithuanian even to laugh/ Sinks all the spirits/ 5e-ll increase the 6uality o a 8ithuanian (y (eginning to i. his (ody) and that &ill ena(le us to i. his innermost creation/ Mother: , doctor is our Kazimieras/ Second ater asanovičius/
Father: I see him as a
it/ Mother: ,nd I &on-t let him to the sea/ In the sea various oceans attack) that can even turn over the (ark/ *hey can (e enormous/ Such an overgro&n ocean could s&allo& even an o./ Father : ,ll) mother) depends on the (ark/ I the (ark is &ell (uilt) no lash ocean &ith a tail can overturn it/ Pokshtas : ,nd again I am hearing rom you the terri(le atalism) inherited rom the 0ast/ *urn you aces to the sea) inally/ 8ook it in the eye/ Stop (eing seascepticts) raise a seaoptimist in yoursel/ *his &ould re6uire a stu((ornly (ig eort and deepest orseeing/ Can-t help it/ *he irst o these eorts) as I deeply imagine) should (e our o. let alive until summer to do the ploughing o soil/ *his is my oreseeing/ I am complicitly attached to our ploughing o./ Mother: , priest. Father : , mariner on the (ark o the ,lmighty/ So this is &ho you are) Kazimieras/ I-m kneeling hum(ly in ront o you/ *urn my ace to &herever you &ant/ Scene 2
Pokshtas: Messieurs/ I &on-t talk ormally/ 8et me (egin &ith reprimandments/ Instantly) several evils hurt my eye/ *he irst &ould (e e.cessive &ine(i((ering/ *he more (ooze a 8ithuanian led (y his evil instinct pours into himsel) the more he should (e degraded in the eyes o &omenolk/ ut the eminine se. has developed resilience/ ;ot only do they tolerate drunkards) (ut also the most terri(le smokers/ ,nd apart rom these t&o evils) they are inclined to a(ide the third – se.ual de(auchery/ Messieurs/ 8ed (y their lo&est instincts) the &omenolk o our nation s&ear (arely+ alive men and ater s&earing them open the eminine se.ual &renches/ ,nd &hat do men do then3 Men do not see anything/ *hey are hal+drunk and hal+stoned &ith smoke/ *he degraded &omanhood completes everything orm them/ 5hat is the 6uality o such se.ual action3 ;one/ 5hat 8ithuanian can (e (orn rom such se.ual act3 5renched/ !e &ill (e o little 6uality) only a (urden to our ;ative land/ *he (est solution or such &omen &ould (e going to a &omen-s doctor and selling her under(elly or a small ee/ *he doctor kno&s the matter/ Pushes his hand into the se.) drags out a ello& 8ithuanian (y his ear and lets him live among the trash/ "or one &ay or another) even i he-d (een (orn) he &ould litter our ;ative land/ 0ither &ould he (e an idiot) degrading the name o our nation or a master thieve) may(e even a specialist/ Stealing is no& an enterprise or a third o our population/ I-m araid their poor mothers ailed to visit a &omen-s doctor on time/ *he second stage &ould (e turning aces to the sea/ 8et-s turn all angels) sculptures o saints and the 8ord to the aorementioned direction/ 8et the 8ord-s army (e the irst among our citizens &ho rise rom the lethargic sleep/ *hen let-s turn ourselves/ 8et-s reconstruct churches) so that &e could venerate the 8ord &hile acing the sea/ 'nly in the sea I can see a 8ithuanian o 6uality/ 'nly there &ill our national spirit gro& in every direction/ ,ter creating such &elarity) &e could die kno&ing that our ;ative land lives/ It is I &ho is asserting this – Kazimieras Pokshtas) rom the stand thus granted to me/ ,l&ays carry this thing together &ith your rosaries or pendant+crosses/ , compass &ill help you get oriented in the creation/ Make an eort o looking to the 5est as oten as possi(le/ *he 0ast is an inirmity/ *he 5est is a salutation) and po&er is loating in the sea/ Correlate &ith it manully) and do not ear =od kno&s &hat distance to it/ *his &as my &ord and thus I inish/ Davatka : !e is a decadent/ >adical/ =et that s6uit out/ 8ittering the !ouse o the 8ord/ Mystiier/ Populist/ So let us ree the !ouse o the 8ord and the ro(e o the 8ord#s servant rom the decadent (ody/
Veronika: 0.cuse me) decadent/ I) &ho am slightly corrupted &ith a light lechery) &anted to ask you &hether I am allo&ed to &ear the thing you had mentioned/ Pokshtas : , compass3 "eel ree/ Veronika: ecause I-m al&ays in trou(le as to &hat groom to choose/ 5hether the one standing ne.t to me rom the 5est) or the one &ho is rom the 0ast and acing the sea/ *alking dirty) no &onder) (ut there-s no prohi(ition to laugh/ ,nd &hat has here happened to you3 Such an inspirational talker/ Crying – &hat else can it (e/ Pokshtas : *he nation does not love me/ 4oes not approve o my oreseeings/ Veronika: 9ou-d (etter make an eort to love a &oman/ It-s a great deal simplier &ith &omenolk/ *here) o course) everything happens on the horizontal level) (ut good completion sometimes results in great un/ "orgive me) a slut/ Can-t cope &ith my alpha(et/ Pokshtas : *here is no greater pain than to (e reoadside 4ust/ ,nd &hat#s that you#ve sent us) riend3 ,nd you call this poetry3 !o& and rom &here did you pick such an amount o oul &ords3 4oes this dirty talk seem to you at least one (it erotic3 *he kind o poetry you &rite) my riend) makes the &oman &et) to 6uote your o&n dirty &ords) underneath her sad eyes) no&here more/ "or it-s terri(ly sad) &hen men like you) Monsieur) vomit over the most pure love and eat it/ 9ou are a (ad man) i you so imagine love/ 8ove lives o eeling) not o your curses) my riend/ 4on-t dare send us anything more/ =o to the devil) Monsieur/ =o to the devil/ Milly: Sally) &hen &ill you sleep3 Sally: Milly7 !o& can I sleep) eeling the &orld-s entire sadness gathering inside o me/ I eel sad) &ell) sore/ I &ant to ly) die) (e resurrected/ I love the 8ord) my ;ative land/ I hate the >ussians/ *hey are northern &olves) they are terri(le) (ut more terri(le are the Poles/ *hey invaded $ilnius) tore our heart out/ 8ook) &hat I-ll tell you/ Put your eet in the pot/ Milly: Sally/// Sally: I have decided to (e like ?oanna/ 8ike that ?oanna rom "rance/ I-ll mount a &hite horse and take revenge on the Poles) li(erating $ilnius) until I-m &ounded/ Milly) am I at3 Milly: Sally) &hat are you &ittering/ Sally: *he Poles are (loodsuckers) &hipsnakes round the heart/ *hey &ill &ound me ///in a inger and I-ll all do&n rom my horse) and keep on alling into an a(yss or &eeks) months) centuries) deeper and deeper) rom &here it &ould seem no one &ill ever pull me out/ ,nd there !e &ill catch me/ Milly: 5ho is !e) Sally3 Sally: I don-t kno&/ Someone) &hom I-ll love so/ 0ven no& I love !im so/ , &oman has a&oken in me) and &here do I put her) to &hom do I give in like a (ou6uet o &hitest lilys/ I#d give everything to him) mysel and you) I (egrudge him nothing/ ut &here is !e – that youth/ Married)
&ith kids) a priest – I don#t care/ ,s long as he#s not a Pole/ Milly) I asked you to put your eet into the pot/ Milly: ut I don-t &ant to) Sally/ Sally: 9ou don-t &ant me to (e happy3 Milly: I do) (ut I have no idea ho& my eet &ould help you in this/ Sally: ,nd I am – sensitive/ ,nd !e – even more sensitive/ *he 8ord has put all the sensitivity o the &orld into me) and more so into !im/ ,nd i !e entered no&/// Milly: Sally) (ut &ho &ould let him in/ It is three ater midnight/ ,nd (esides it is girls# dormitory/ Sally: *he youths like !im usually enter through the &indo&/ Milly: , priest/ ,nd (esides) married/ Clim(ing to you through the &indo&/// Sally: I don-t kno& &hen and &here !e &ill clim( into me/ May (e he-s already standing (ehind the door/ May(e
Scene 4 Milly: Sally) &e t&o &ill never get to the sea i &e keep going like this/ Sally: Milly) you dart alone/ I &ant to approach it slo&ly/ I &ant to see it slo&ly/ "all on my knees) like Colum(us having reached his ,merica/ Milly: !aaa/// Sally: Milly) &hat is it like3 Milly: ig/
Sally: *his cannot (e it/ *he sea can-t (e (ig/ Milly: !o&-s that) Sally3 Sally: *he sea can only (e immense) (ig it never is/ Milly: Sally) it all is (lue/ Sally: Milly) (ut it isn-t it/ Milly: ,nd then &hat is it) Sally3 *ell me) &hat7 Sally: ;ot the one I had imagined/ ;o human mind can conceive this/ Milly: Sally) come on no&/ Sally: *hese are tears o
Milly: ut it is not !im) Sally) it &asn#t/ Sally: Milly) !im/ 8oves me in comple./ Conte.tually) together &ith the &hole nation/ !e doesn-t see me yet/ !e doesn-t notice/ ut) Milly) it &as !im/ 8et-s no& &ade to the shore) put on our clothes/ Milly: Sally) &hat are &e to do3 I love the man &ho loves the 8ord a(ove everything/ 9ou &ant to all in love &ith the man &ho &orships the &hole nation/ Sally: ,nd is someone to love us3 Milly: 5ho is to love us3 Sally: 5ould someone love us too3
Merry &aves are chasing one another on the shore 5here three isherman-s daughters are dancing happily Painted in rosy colours (y the rays o the setting sun *he girls laugh and dance until the darkness alls
Scene 5
Sally: I eel naked/ ;aked in ront o that ma
Sally: !elly) (ut it is &onderul/ I mean it-s a&ul/ 'ddly enough) the sight that attracts the eye can have such terri(le inner meaning/ Helly: 4ou(le meanings are inherent to lie/ It seems you-ve (een spending your young days on its sunny side/ Sally: !elly) this youth is &alking straight into us/ 4oes he &ant to give us that entire (ou6uet3 !elly) is he normal3 Frenchman: 5omen) (uy a lo&er/ 'r (uy our
Helly: Mauzer is the most modern thing a &oman can operate/ 'nly such &omen see the pettiness o everything that menolk are dro&ning in/ Helly: Sally) until &e do not have a Mauzer) menolk regard us as a thing/ ,s a ood supplement/ ,s a pleasure) that they are trying to keep close at hand/ ;o& me: s&earing) smoking) staggering drunk/ It drives them mad/ *hey &ant me then/ *hey &ant to uck me (adly/ So that they can get (ack the thing/ I hate menolk/ ,im) look) at that nesting+(o. on the trunk o the (irch/ I hate emininity that is promoted as a continuity o lie/ Sally: !elly) do you think I-m thin enough3 4o you think I-m (eautiul3 Helly: 9ou are splendid/ Sally: I have so much love or the 8ord) the nation) the men) that other se. is so dear to me/ ,nd I-m suering (adly (eing so unattractive/ Helly: ;o one &ill possess you/ ;o one &ill notice/ 'nly you yoursel can/ 'nly another like you/ 'nly a &oman &ill value the emininity o a person/ ,im precisely) &ith your Mauzer/ Sally) your hand is like an arro& tight/ Sally is uni6ue/ Sally as !elly/ !elly as you/ Sally: !elly) I don-t kno&/// Helly: I don-t kno& either/ Kno&ing o love is mostly men-s (usiness/ 5omen are strong in their ignorance/ ,im irmly &ith the Mauzer/ 8ove is &hen having aimed you can-t shoot/ In love men shoot/ Men kno& love as Mauzer shots/ 5omen#s love is mostly like a (urning cigarette/ Sally: !elly) I don#t kno& // Helly: Sally) neither do I/ Sally) you-d (etter not kno&/ I mostly see it as touching mysel/ My small (reasts/ My lovely (uttocks/ My eternal e.citation sore (et&een my legs/ 5hen a man touches you) then there is no uncertainty in it/ *here-s only clearest orseeing to &ash a&ay his trou(les in your &om(/ 9ou-ll
Scene 7 Oscar: onally or a speciic aim3 Pokshtas : >ally as a mass/
Oscar: 5hat kind o mass) i it-s not a secret3 Pokshtas : *o tell the truth) I-m yet trying to igure it out/ I &ant to search Canada) South ,merican areas) and I-m ascinated (y the empty spaces in ,rica/ So) I-m talking directly to you: &ould you) Monsieur 'scar) leave the (usy Paris and consent to &ork as an am(assador in ,ngola) to &here I-ll (e sending you employa(le healthy 8ithuanians3 Oscar: uite an une.pected oer/ Pokshtas : Dne.pected to you) Monsieur/ It has (een my oreseeing or long/ ut may(e irst I &ill lay it out or you rom the root o the matter/ Oscar: Cae au lait) (lack coee) pipe) pipe) cigar) cigarette3 5ine red) &hite rom la Provance) eauussian) the Pole and the =erman &e &ill last or no more or less than iteen or t&enty years/ 5hat is the e.clusion out o this) you ask me3 My ans&er/ Planned emigration/ 9ou are oering me cae and &ondering &hy &on#t I – a 8ithuanian Kazimieras Pokshtas) accept your oer3 It is nationally &rong/ Patriotically immature/ *housands o our citizens give their muscle po&er to the rasilian) the Chilian) the Colum(ian or the Drugvian &orking in their plantations on your (eloved coee/ 5ill they remain 8ithuanians or long in that sunny environment among the people &ho like tango) &ine and naked &omenolk3 I irmly assert: no/ Several dozen years &on-t pass through the &orld until their ormer 8ithuanian nationality &ill (e ground into coee and used (y oreigners as cae au lait/ 9ou also ask me) i I &as not cold/ 5ho kno&s) may(e I-m cold/ 9our lat is 6uite cool/ ut even i I stand rozen as an ice statue) it &ould (e unaccepta(le or a 8ithuanian) a patriot o his o&n nation &ho you undou(tedly are) to thro& coal into the hearth thus saving me/ I immediately ans&er &hy/ ecause our 8ithuanianhood &ith no orsought order scattered around ;oveau 9ork) oston) Chicago) is used as a tool or coalmining/ !o& long can it endure in a dark) s&eaty mine3 , hundred) a thousand years3 *&enty more or less/ *hen these 8ithuanian muscles &ill (ecome ,merican) melodious 8ithuanian language &ill turn into miner-s slang and again our 8ithuanianhood &ill (e (urned in the stoves o 5inter ,merica/ Oscar: 0.cuse me) monsieur Poksht/ I you are so cold) I could (ring ire&ood/ Pokshtas : ;o) my most respected 'scar/ I-m innerly cold/ 'uterly I-m s&eating) as a man o the 0arth/ Paris is hot/ ut deeply patriotically and nationally I-m cold/ ,nd I &ould especially (e &armed (y your decision to (e an am(assador in ,ngola or some other ,rican country/ In Madagascar/ 'nly there I do yet oresee a proper emptiness o land) &here a reserve 8ithuania &ould rise in due time/ 9early I &ould supply you &ith tens o thousands o men) and also &omen)
as I call them) 8ithuanian+carriers) &ho can-t (e contained in the ;ative land/ 9our sacred duty &ould (e to protect them rom the contact &ith (lack citizens) (ecause) I think it unorgiva(le or yet &eak 8ithuanianhood to start changing the colour o its skin/ ,s an am(assador you &ould strictly supervise their se.ual lie and nationally regulate mass de(auchery/ 5ith a need to stop (irths – you-d promote a(stinence/ !aving amounted enough o already a(undant ood stock) you-d allo& the chosen) the most se.ually potent to inseminate one or another national &oman o a neigh(our/ !aving masterly developed our agrarian economy) having (uilt the (lack $ilnius – our reserve capital) as &ell as the (lack Kaunas) ussian merely a inger/ ,nd out o a painul nostalgia &e-d restore the irst 8ithuania) depredated and denationalised (y oreign (ar(arians/ ,s a politician) I see only such is the uni6ue solution in the (right skies and or the uturely e.tinguished meteor o our nation/ Oscar: 0.cuse mois) monsieur Poksht/ 4o you see &hat I-m (ringing you3 Pokshtas : ' course I do) honoura(le 'scar/ Oscar: *his is a pineapple/ Pokshtas: ,s I-ve noted in my dirty talk) i penis so applied) &e &on-t deter it/ 9uck) ho& vulgar I am/ Oscar: I have no idea) monsieur Poksht) ho& it is or you/// ut or me personally) a pineapple doesn-t have even a slightest resem(lance to the dark 8ithuanian rye (read/ ;either does it resem(le &hite national smoked (acon at/ !aving cut it you &on-t ind even a smallest lump o meat/ I you &ant) I-ll tell you a secret) &hich I dare kindly ask you to keep unkno&n to the society/ 8et-s give in/ Pokshtas : *o the 8ord3 Oscar: *o the moon/ Pokshtas : 5hat do you mean3 Oscar: I-m saying it as an am(assador appointed (y the nation in "rance/ !al o the Moon &ill drop tonight on >ussia/ 0t ine/ >ussia is destroyed/ In the east 8ithuania has a &ide (oarder &ith the neutral moon/ *here is a possi(ility to start relations) to send a diplomat or poor colonists/ Collect meteors) so& in the craters/ In a &ord) a 6uiet and relia(le neigh(our) like a elgian/ Pokshtas : 5e) politicians) sometimes like talking metaphorically) (ut sometimes clarity is sacriiced or elo6uence/ *ell me) &hat it is i put in simple reality/ Oscar: >ussia – is it real to you3 Pokshtas : ' course) honoura(le 'scar/ Sometimes its reality even eels uncomorta(le/ Oscar: *he moon – is it real to you3 Pokshtas : Dndou(tedly/ Oscar: So &here do you see a metaphor3 *&o real things all one on another) one lattening another/ Pokshtas : ,nd tell me) &hy a hal) and ho& &ill it divide itsel3 Oscar: S-il vous plaise/ Pokshtas : !ave you consulted anyone3 Oscar: Consulted3 !im/ Pokshtas : *he moon3 Oscar: *he 8ord/ !e) monsieur Pokšt) supplies me &ith dierent televisions/ 0at the pineapple/ Pokshtas : I-m araid I-ve had enough/ Oscar: *elevisions are interesting/ "or me it &as an eral discovery to receive a notice that it &as the deed o the 8ithuanianhood) you kno&) importing to =reece these enlightened 8ithuanians: Sophocles) !omer) Socratus/ I elt) as you monsieur did) hardly (elieving in the moonly possi(ilities/ ,nd especially &hen I ound out &here rom did they (ring these men/
Pokshtas: Most respected am(assador/ 9our oreseeings make me (reak into a national s&eat/ I eel it innerly soaking me/ Oscar: It is a amiliar eeling to me/ ,nd do you kno& &here all these prominent 8ithuanians came rom3 "rom the sunny ,tlantida/ 4o you happen to kno& &hy it had dro&ned3 ecause it &as incapa(le to (ear our preserved 8ithuanianhood/ It &as so plentiully produced) and there &as no navigation) no marine thinking/ I-ll tell you the truth ) there &ere even no ports/ In a &ord) there &ere no conditions or sae emigration/ Pokshtas : I-m very &ell amiliar &ith this trait o 8ithuanianhood/ Oscar: *he continent &as incapa(le to (ear the complicated nation) so it capitulated) &ent under &ater/ Pokshtas : *hank you) am(assador) or your generous hospitality and or the unconventional vie& on our glo(al descent/ Oscar: *hen they &ere living under&ater/ So&ing rye in the sea(ed/ , very via(le nation/ *heir army &as strong/ ut &hat can the under&ater &ar (e like/ ,rro&s loat slo&ly/ Prophets appeared) &ho held it necessary to clim( to the continent/ *hey clim(ed) (ut they &ere so spiritually giant) that the continent &as (reaking like ice under their eet/ *hat-s &hy our 0urope no& looks as i (itten/ ;o other &ay (ut to share it/ 'ne already had thus (een lost/ In a &ord) they clim(ed out) &ho to &here/ *hey spread) denationalised themselves/ Produced ne&language speakers) started speaking =reek/ *ried to act as the >omans/ ,nd &aited or thousands o years) enduring terri(le hardships ho&ling at the moon like macho &olves/ ?ednak) the Moon &ill (e that oundation (asis) that &ill contain all 8ithuanians in one mass/ ecause the skinny continents o land do not have the po&er to lit this nation/ 9ou-ve let) monsieur Poksht/ Scared o television/ It isn-t easy to coness yoursel the glory o the past/ Pokshtas : I-m here) most respected 'scar/ 5e#d (etter turn o the television/ 0nough o politics/ Sometimes I get so tired o that eternal unending political de(ate/ Sometimes I &ish to talk a(out the national sores &ith the clever people rom the national elite simply like man to man/
CD>*,I;
