A Selection of Works from Western Modern Drama: Volume 4: Narrative Drama

Author: Wang Yiqun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: [In the spring of 1624, General Wallenstein recruited soldiers in Dahlen for an attack on Poland. Anna Filzen, the famous "Bold Mother"—a woman vendor who sold goods on the march—lost a son. [On a highway near the city. A corporal and a recruiter stood shivering. Recruiter: How can I raise an army here? Corporal, sometimes I just want to commit suicide. By the twelfth of this month, I should have recruited four platoons for the general, but the people here are utterly hateful. I can't stand it another night. For example, I managed to get a man who had pigeon chest and varicose veins, but I turned a blind eye and got him drunk easily. He signed up, and I just had to pay him off. But he went to the toilet, and I felt something was wrong. I hurried after him, and just as I expected, he ran off like a louse, taking advantage of the scratching. He's completely unreliable, has no loyalty, no faith, and no sense of honor. Corporal, here, I've lost faith in humanity. Corporal: It's clear that it's been a long time since there was war here. I say, how can there be morality like this? In my opinion, "peace" only breeds laziness, while only "war" can establish order. Humanity multiplies rapidly in "peace" days. Wasting human and animal life seems to be no big deal. People eat whatever they want: a thick slice of cheese on white bread, and another piece of lard on top. Take that city on page P7, for example. Have you ever counted how many young men and good horses are inside? I once went to a place where it must have been sixty years since there was war. People there didn't even have names, and they didn't even recognize each other. Only in places where war breaks out do you get organized lists and rosters. Only in war do you get bundles of boots and sacks of grain, where people and animals can be counted clearly, and then transported away, because: without order, there is no war! That's common knowledge. Recruiter: You're right! Corporal: Like everything good, starting a war is always difficult, but once it's underway, it can't be stopped. People will fear "peace," just like gamblers fear when a gambling session is over, because once it stops, they have to calculate how much they've lost. But at the beginning, because they're not used to "war," they can't help but be a little afraid of it. Recruiter: Look, there's a covered wagon coming from that direction. Two women, two young men. Corporal, stop that old woman. If we don't get anything this time, then let me tell you, I won't stand here drinking cold northwest wind for nothing. [People hear the sound of a mouth organ. A covered wagon, pulled by two young men, rolls along. Bold Mother and her mute daughter Katrin are sitting inside. Bold Mother: Good morning, Corporal! Corporal: (Standing in the way) Good morning! What are you doing? Bold Mother]