THE POET AND THE ACTRESS
A room in an inn in the country. It is an evening in spring; moonlight floods the meadows and hills; the windows are open. A deep silence reigns. The Poet and the Actress enter, and as they cross the threshold, the candle which the Poet is carrying in his hand is blown out.
Poet
Oh…
Actress
What’s the matter?
Poet
The candle.—But we don’t need any. Look, how light it is. Wonderful!
Actress
(Sinks suddenly down at the window with her hands folded)
Poet
What’s the matter with you?
Actress
(Remains silent)
Poet
(Going to her) What are you doing?
Actress
(Indignant) Can’t you see that I am praying?—
Poet
Do you believe in God?
Actress
Of course I do; I am not a fool.
Poet
Oh, I see!
Actress
Come, kneel down beside me. It will do you good to pray just once. None of the gems will drop out of your crown.
Poet
(Kneels beside her, and puts his arm around her waist)
Actress
Libertine!—(Rises). And do you know to whom I prayed?
Poet
To God, I suppose.
Actress
(With deep sarcasm) Oh, of course! It was to you to whom I prayed.
Poet
Then why did you look out of the window?
Actress
Tell me rather where you have lured me.
Poet
But, child, it was your idea. You wanted to go to the country—and picked out this very place.
Actress
Well, wasn’t I right?
Poet
Certainly. It’s charming here. When you consider that we are just two hours from Vienna—complete solitude. And delightful scenery!
Actress
Isn’t it? If you had any real talent, this place might inspire you to write.
Poet
Have you been here before?
Actress
Have I been here before? Indeed I have! I have lived here for years.
Poet
With whom?
Actress
With Dick, of course.
Poet
Oh, really!
Actress
How I adored that man!—
Poet
You’ve told me all about that already.
Actress
I am sorry—I can go away again, if I bore you!
Poet
You bore me?… You can’t imagine what you mean to me… You are a whole world in itself… You are divine, you are a genius… You are the simplicity which is holy… Yes, you… But you oughtn’t to talk about Dick now.
Actress
That was merely a slip! Well!—
Poet
I am glad that you feel that way.
Actress
Come, give me a kiss!
Poet
(Kisses her)
Actress
But now we had better say good night. Good night, darling!
Poet
What do you mean by that?
Actress
I mean, I am going to lie down and go to sleep.
Poet
Yes,—that’s very well, but when it comes to saying “good night” … where do I sleep?
Actress
There are surely a lot of other rooms in this house.
Poet
But they don’t appeal to me. Don’t you think I had better light a candle now?
Actress
Yes.
Poet
(Lights a candle, which stands upon the dressing-table) What a charming room … and what pious people they must be. Pictures of saints everywhere… It would be interesting to spend some time among people like this … quite another world. How little we know of the lives of others!
Actress
Don’t talk nonsense, but just give me the bag from the table.
Poet
Here, beloved!
Actress
(Takes a small framed picture out of the hand-bag and puts it on the dressing-table)
Poet
What’s that?
Actress
That’s the Virgin.
Poet
Do you always carry her around with you?
Actress
She is my talisman. And now go, Robert!
Poet
You are joking? Can’t I help you?
Actress
No, you must go now.
Poet
And when may I return?
Actress
In ten minutes.
Poet
(Kisses her) Au revoir!
Actress
Where will you go?
Poet
I shall walk up and down under your window. I love to wander about outdoors at night time. My finest inspirations come to me that way. And especially near you, under the breath of your longing, I might call it … entwined in your art.
Actress
You talk like an idiot…
Poet
(Hurt) There are women who might say … like a poet.
Actress
Oh, well, but do go now. But don’t start to flirt with the waitress.—
Poet
(Goes)
Actress
(Undresses. She hears the Poet going down the wooden stairway, and, then hears his footsteps below her window. As soon as she is undressed, she goes to the window and looks down to where he stands waiting. She calls to him in a whisper) Come!
Poet
(Comes quickly upstairs and runs toward her. She in the meantime has gone to bed, and extinguished the light. He locks the door)
Actress
So, now you may sit down beside me, and tell me a story.
Poet
(Sits down on the bed beside her) Hadn’t I better close the window? Isn’t it too cold for you?
Actress
Oh, no!
Poet
Now, what shall I tell you?
Actress
Tell me to whom you are unfaithful at this moment?
Poet
I’m sorry, I’m not unfaithful yet.
Actress
Well, if it’s any satisfaction to you, I am unfaithful to some one too.
Poet
So I can imagine.
Actress
And who do you suppose it is?
Poet
But, child, how do you expect me to know?
Actress
Guess, then.
Poet
Wait … your manager.
Actress
My dear man, I’m not a chorus-girl.
Poet
Well, I am only guessing.
Actress
Guess again.
Poet
Then it’s your leading-man … Benno—
Actress
Nonsense! He doesn’t care for women at all … didn’t you know that? He carries on with his postman!
Poet
No, really!—
Actress
Now come, kiss me.
Poet
(Embraces her)
Actress
But what are you doing?
Poet
Why do you torment me so?
Actress
Listen, Robert, I have a suggestion to make to you. Come lie down in bed with me.
Poet
I accept.
Actress
Come quickly, come quickly!
Poet
Yes … if I had had my way, I would have been there long ago… Listen…
Actress
What?
Poet
The crickets are chirping outside.
Actress
You are crazy, child, there are no crickets here.
Poet
But surely you hear them.
Actress
Hurry up.
Poet
(Beside her) Here I am.
Actress
Now lie quite still… Sh … don’t move…
Poet
Yes, but why?
Actress
You would rather like to have an affair with me?
Poet
I should think that’s obvious by now.
Actress
There are many who would like that…
Poet
But it would seem that at the moment the odds are on my side…
Actress
Then, come, my cricket! I shall call you “cricket” from now on.
Poet
All right…
Actress
Now, tell me, whom am I deceiving?
Poet
Whom?… Perhaps me…
Actress
Child, you have softening of the brain.
Poet
Or some one … some one whom you have never seen … some one, whom you don’t even know, some one—who is predestined for you and whom you will never find…
Actress
Please don’t talk such magnificent nonsense.
Poet
… Isn’t it strange … you too—and yet one could think.—But no, it would destroy the best in you, if one should … come, come—come.—
Actress
That’s better than acting in idiotic plays… Don’t you think so?
Poet
Well, it seems to me, that it is a good thing you sometimes have to act in an intelligent one.
Actress
You conceited puppy. I suppose you are thinking of one of your own plays again.
Poet
Yes, I am.
Actress
(Seriously) It is really a splendid play!
Poet
Well, then!
Actress
You are a great genius, Robert!
Poet
And you might also tell me now why you didn’t turn up the day before yesterday. There was absolutely nothing the matter with you.
Actress
Well, I wanted to annoy you.
Poet
But why? What have I done to you?—
Actress
You were over-bearing.
Poet
In what way?
Actress
Everybody at the theater thinks you are.
Poet
Really.
Actress
But I told them, he has a perfect right to be over-bearing.
Poet
And what did they say?
Actress
What could they say? I am not on speaking-terms with any of them.
Poet
Oh, I see.
Actress
They would like nothing better than to poison me, every one of them. But they won’t succeed.
Poet
Don’t think now of others. Let’s be happy that we are here together, and tell me that you love me.
Actress
What further proof can you want?
Poet
It’s a thing that can’t be proven anyway.
Actress
I like that! What else do you want?
Poet
How many are there that you have tried to convince in this way … did you love all of them?
Actress
No, I have loved only one.
Poet
(Embraces her) My…
Actress
Dick.
Poet
My name is Robert. What can I mean to you, if you are thinking of Dick, now?
Actress
You are a mood of mine.
Poet
I am pleased to know it.
Actress
Well, tell me, aren’t you proud?
Poet
Why should I be proud?
Actress
It seems to me that you have good reason to be.
Poet
Oh, because of that.
Actress
Yes, because of that, my little cricket!—What about the chirping? Are they still chirping?
Poet
All the time. Don’t you hear them?
Actress
Of course, I hear them. But, child, those are frogs.
Poet
You are wrong. Frogs croak.
Actress
Of course, they croak.
Poet
But this is not croaking, child, this is chirping.
Actress
You are about the most stubborn person I have ever met. Kiss me, froggie.
Poet
Please don’t call me that. It gets on my nerves.
Actress
Well, what shall I call you?
Poet
My name is Robert.
Actress
Oh, but that’s stupid.
Poet
But won’t you please call me simply by my own name?
Actress
Well, then, Robert, give me a kiss… Ah! (She kisses him) Now, are you satisfied, froggie?
Poet
May I light a cigarette?
Actress
Give me one too. (He takes his cigarette-case from the dressing-table; takes two cigarettes out; lights both, and gives her one) By the way, you haven’t said a word about my performance yesterday.
Poet
What performance?
Actress
Well.
Poet
Oh, yes. I wasn’t at the theater.
Actress
You are joking.
Poet
Not in the least. When you didn’t turn up the day before, I assumed you hadn’t fully recovered yesterday, and so I decided not to go.
Actress
You missed something wonderful.
Poet
Yes.
Actress
It was a sensation. The people actually grew pale.
Poet
You saw that?
Actress
Benno said: Child, you acted divinely.
Poet
Hm!… And so ill the day before.
Actress
Indeed I was. And do you know why? Because I felt such a longing for you.
Poet
A little while ago you said that you stayed away just to annoy me.
Actress
But what do you know about my love for you? Everything leaves you cold. And I have been delirious for nights. In a high fever—hundred and four degrees.
Poet
Rather high for a mood.
Actress
You call that a mood? I am dying for love of you, and you call it a mood—?
Poet
And Dick…?
Actress
Dick?… Don’t talk to me about that galley-slave!—