Vladimir Nabokov - The Tragedy of Mister Morn

he was the blind weapon of a blind man…

I don’t complain! With a cold curiosity

I examine those cunning patterns—causes

and consequences—upon the bright blade

placed against my chest… I am happy

that, even for a moment, I taught people

the sweet anarchy of destruction… No,

my lesson will not pass without a trace!

That is to say, there is no thought, no

momentary weakness, which does not

reveal itself in a future action: the King

will clearly deceive again…

KLIAN:

You’ve woken up?

Sleep, Ella, sleep. It’s frightening to think,

Ella…

TREMENS:

O, it amuses me! If I had known

all this, I would have shouted to the people:

“Your king is a weak and shallow man. There is

no fairy tale, there’s only Morn!”

DANDILIO:

Don’t,

Tremens, be quiet…

ELLA:

Morn and… the King?

Is that what you said, father? The King in a blue

carriage,—no, not that… I danced with Morn—

no… wait… Morn…

DANDILIO:

Enough, he was joking…

TREMENS:

Klian, keep quiet, don’t sob!… Listen, Ella…

DANDILIO:

Ella, can you hear us?

TREMENS:

Is her heart beating?

DANDILIO:

Yes. It will pass soon.

TREMENS:

Her eyes are open…

She can see. Ella! A pillar of salt… I didn’t

know such fainting fits were possible…

KLIAN:

Voices!

In the street… It’s them!

TREMENS:

Yes. We were expecting them…

Let’s have a look…

[ Opens the window . VOICES can be heard from the street below .]

FIRST VOICE:

… the house.

SECOND VOICE:

Right! He can’t get out.

Do we have all the exits?

FIRST VOICE:

All of them…

TREMENS:

May as well close it…

[ Closes the window .]

KLIAN [ rushing around ]:

Save me… quickly…

Dandilio… anywhere… I want to live… quick…

if only there was time… Ah!

[ Rushes out of the room through the door on the right .]

TREMENS:

Could this be the end?

DANDILIO:

Yes, it seems so.

TREMENS:

I’ll go out to them,

so Ella doesn’t see. What do you feed

this orange bird?

DANDILIO:

He likes little ants’ eggs,

raisins… Nice, isn’t he? You know, try

the attic, and then the roof…

TREMENS:

No, I’ll go.

I’m tired…

[ He goes towards the door, opens it, but the CAPTAIN and four of his SOLDIERS push him back into the room .]

CAPTAIN:

Stop! Get back!

TREMENS:

Yes, yes—

I am Tremens; but let’s talk in the street…

CAPTAIN:

Get back. There.

[ to a SOLDIER]

Search both of them.

[ to DANDILIO]

Your name?

DANDILIO:

There, you’ve spilled my tobacco, oh dear!

Who looks for a man’s name in his snuffbox?

May I offer you some?

CAPTAIN:

Are you the master here?

DANDILIO:

Indeed.

CAPTAIN:

And who is this?

DANDILIO:

A sick girl.

CAPTAIN:

You shouldn’t have concealed a criminal here…

TREMENS [ with a yawn ]:

I ran in here by chance.

CAPTAIN:

Are you Tremens, the rebel?

TREMENS:

I want to sleep. Hurry…

CAPTAIN:

By the order issued

by the senate today, the nineteenth of June,

you are here and now to be… Hey! There is

someone else in there.

[ to the SOLDIERS]

Hold them.

I’ll take a look…

[ Leaves by the door on the right . TREMENS and DANDILIO talk amongst themselves, surrounded by mute, almost lifeless SOLDIERS.]

TREMENS:

How he dawdles…

I want to sleep.

DANDILIO:

Yes, we shall soon sleep well…

TREMENS:

We? Please, they will not touch you.

Do you fear death?

DANDILIO:

I love all this: shadows,

light, the specks of dust in a ray of sunshine;

these pools of light on the floor; and large books

that smell of time. Death is curious, I don’t

dispute…

TREMENS:

Ella’s like a doll… What’s wrong with her?

DANDILIO:

Yes, this won’t do.

[ to a SOLDIER]

Listen to me, my brother,

take this sick girl here to the bedroom, and after

we’ll send for the doctor. What, are you deaf?

TREMENS:

Leave him. It’s not necessary. They’ll dispatch me,

somewhere to the side,—she won’t even see.

Dandilio, you spoke of the sun… It’s strange,

it seems to me we are alike, but in what way

I cannot comprehend… Let’s settle it now.

Do you accept death?

DANDILIO:

Yes. Matter must decay

for matter to be resurrected—and from that,

the Trinity is clear to me. In what way?

Space is God, and matter is Jesus, and time

is the Holy Ghost. Hence my conclusion:

a world made up of these three,—our world—

is divine…

TREMENS:

Yes, continue.

DANDILIO:

Do you hear

what trampling there is in my rooms? Those

are boots!

TREMENS:

All the same, our world…

DANDILIO:

… is divine;

and therefore all is happiness; and so we must

all sing as we work: to live in this world

means to work for the master in three forms:

space, matter, and time. But the work ends

and we depart to the eternal feast, having

given our memory to time, our image

to space, and our love to matter.

TREMENS:

You see—

fundamentally I agree. But I don’t need

the slavery of happiness. I rebel,

rebel against the master! Do you hear!

I call on all to drop their work! Head off

to the eternal feast: there in blissful

abysses we will rest.

DANDILIO:

They’ve caught him. A cry.

TREMENS:

I had forgotten Klian…

[KLIAN bursts in from the right .]

KLIAN:

Ah! A trap!

They’re here too!

[ Flings himself back into the room on the right .]

ELLA [ raising herself up ]:

Morn… Morn… Morn…

It is as though I heard a voice in my sleep:

Morn is the King…

[ Becomes still again .]

VOICE OF CAPTAIN [ in the room to the right, the door of which remains open ]:

Enough of this rushing

around the rooms!

VOICE OF KLIAN:

I beg you…

VOICE OF CAPTAIN:

Your name!

VOICE OF KLIAN:

I beg you… I am young… I am so young!

I am great, I am a genius! They don’t

kill geniuses!…

VOICE OF CAPTAIN

Answer the question!

VOICE OF KLIAN:

My name is Klian… But I will serve the King…

I swear… I know where the crown is… I’ll give it

back… I swear…

VOICE OF CAPTAIN:

Stop grabbing at my calves,

I’ll shoot a hole in my boot.

VOICE OF KLIAN:

Have merc— …!

[ A gunshot . TREMENS and DANDILIO, surrounded by motionless SOLDIERS, continue their conversation .]

TREMENS:

Space is God, you say. Excellent. That is

the explanation for wings, those wings with which

we populate heaven…

VOICE OF KLIAN:

Ah!… There is no end,

no end…

VOICE OF CAPTAIN:

He’s full of life, the wretch.

DANDILIO:

Yes.

We are stirred by swift flights, by wheels, sails,

and—in childhood—by games and, in our youth,

by dances.

[…] [1]

[MORN and EDMIN with the FOREIGNER and other GUESTS.]